NBC Universal sees $4 bln in upfront ad deals
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Media conglomerate NBC Universal  expects to book some $4 billion in advance advertising  commitments across its properties for the coming 2007-08  broadcast season, its top executive said on Thursday.
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(InfoWorld) - Contract negotiations between Apple and NBC Universal regarding video content in iTunes are getting nastier and staying public. In a statement, NBC disputes Apple's characterization of the companies' contract renegotiation and says that its TV programs will be available on iTunes through early December. Late last week,Â Apple said that NBC wanted to increase the price for its video contentÂ so much that iTunes would have to sell individual TV shows for $4.99, instead of $1.99, like the rest of the available programs. Because Apple wasn't willing to agree to that price hike, NBC declined to renew its contract, Apple said. So that it wouldn't have to stop selling programs in December -- the middle of the TV season -- when their contract ends, Apple said it wouldn't offer any NBC shows for the upcoming season. But Apple may have a bigger battle on its hands if it does pull those shows from the iTunes video store. In its statement, NBC said that all returning series including new episodes would be available on iTunes through the end of the contract. NBC also said that rather than asking to double the wholesale price of its programs as Apple contends, it wanted to offer end-users more flexible pricing, including bundling packages of shows for a set price. Apple has mostly stuck to a policy of flat pricing despite pressure from content owners to allow for variable pricing. The exception is in the music store where a selection of songs that come without copy protection cost more. Both companies took jabs at each other in their statements. Apple called NBC's suggested pricing change a "dramatic price increase." NBC responded thus: "It is clear that Apple's retail pricing strategy for its iTunes service is designed to drive sales of Apple devices, at the expense of those who create the content that make these devices worth buying." NBC also sells programs on Amazon.com and very soon plans to start offering its shows and others for free on Hulu.com, a joint venture company with News Corp. So far, sales in the iTunes video store are relatively low. During 2007, the store should generate about $300 million, according to estimates from Forrester Research.
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NBC Universal said on Wednesday it   will offer episodes of some of its new prime-time shows for   free online viewing on personal computers in a bid to build an   audience for its fall schedule.
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NBC Universal said on Tuesday it is  launching a new venture to distribute and profit from video  footage on the Internet, tapping its affiliate television  stations as well as other media companies for material.
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Online electronics retailer IBuyDigital.com Inc., which sells digital cameras and plasma televisions, said on Thursday that it is planning to float 4 million common shares in an initial public offering.
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Storied U.S. television network NBC, fresh from vaulting to media conglomerate status by acquiring control of Vivendi Universal's entertainment assets, is entering another new area: outdoor advertising.
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Online retailer Amazon.com Inc said on  Tuesday that it will sell NBC Universal television shows on its  Unbox digital video download service.
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NBC Universal is holding discussions to buy Sparrowhawk Media, which owns the international operations of the Hallmark Channel, for around $350 million, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
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Jeff Zucker, newly installed as the chief executive of NBC Universal, announced a series of executive promotions.
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Ford Motor Co. F.N plans to increase  its advertising spending by about 15 percent this year to  promote its flagship Ford-brand vehicles, including the new  mid-size Fusion sedan that will be in dealerships in the fall.
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EDINBURGH  - NBC Universal is poised to announce a $350 million deal to acquire Sparrowhawk Media, the U.K.-based private-equity vehicle that owns the international operations of the Hallmark Channel, sources said Sunday.
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NBC Universal has created a new company, NBBC, that will distribute video programming to various Internet sites.
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NBC Universal is taking a major stake in the UK subsidiary of Indian media company NDTV. The price tag: $150 million.
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NEW YORK The National Broadband Company, NBC Universal&#39;s Web syndication service (NBBC), will merge into the unnamed NBCU/News Corp. joint online video venture.
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NBC Universal and News Corp.'s joint internet video venture, Hulu, launches to a limited number of test users today. We test-drove the service and found a slick interface, a good selection of premium content, and omnipresent yet relatively low-key advertising.
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NBC Universal said on Wednesday it  will sell prime-time television shows like &quot;The Office&quot; and  &quot;Heroes&quot; on demand over cell phone networks in the United  States.
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Broadcaster NBC Universal said on Tuesday it would double the size of its cable operations outside the United States with the acquisition of Sparrowhawk Media, the private equity-backed owner of the Hallmark channel.