Valleywag
your privacy is an illusion
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Viacom
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your privacy is an illusion
widgets
VH1 and Slide sign deal to create Facebook's killer app -- Flavor Flav SuperPokes
On Wednesday, Facebook and MySpace users who have installed Slide's near-ubiquitous SuperPoke widget — the one that lets you throw sheep — will be able to send messages branded with characters and slogans from VH1's stable of reality series such as Flavor Flav from Flavor of Love. It's all an effort to promote the new series I Love Money — which, surprisingly, does not star hypercompetitive Slide founder Max Levchin. Who knew?
Atom Films relaunched by Viacom as Atom.com
Atom Films, a pre-Web 2.0 aggregator of shorts from indie filmmakers that swallowed up Macromedia spinoff Shockwave was itself swallowed up in 2006 by old media heavy Viacom for $200 million. Now the site is finally relaunching two years after the acquisition with an emphasis on comedy and a handful of original series. The site has plenty of stiff competition for funny video clips delivered to bored office workers, but is still offering a fifty-fifty revenue split to creators. [Silicon Alley Insider]
Steven Spielberg taking money from digital film pirates?
Steven Spielberg and David Geffen are offering Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA a large stake in their production company Dreamworks in exchange for $600 million. What none of the press has mentioned? That Reliance was accused by Universal of selling pirated DVDs. Universal, though, is a rival of Dreamworks parent company Paramount, which in turn is a division of Viacom — who are busy suing Google for $1 billion in copyright infringement damages. Your move, MPAA. [Current] (Photo by AP/Kevork Djansezian)
David Verklin
Meet the man who has to save cable
Ad money is flying onto the Web. While it hasn't hurt cable TV yet — that business is still seeing a migration of ad dollars from the broadcast networks — Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevison, Charter and Brighthouse Networks are worried it could. So together, they've created Canoe Ventures, and hired ad-agency veteran David Verklin as CEO. His mission: Convince cable programmers like Walt Disney's ESPN or Viacom's MTV to adopt advertising technology that will automatically place cable commercials, like Internet ads are targeted today. More »
confirmed
Hulu lands Viacom's Colbert and Stewart
Now showing on NBC Universal and News Corp. Web video joint venture Hulu: the Daily Show's Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report's Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central. Viacom, which owns the Comedy Central network, has long hinted it might join Hulu — we heard rumors the deal was done in March — but until now had only announced agreements with Joost, the failing Internet video company founded by Skype founders Nikolas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. More »
copyfight
Viacom "threatens" freedom of expression, says Google
Google's lawyers suggest that Viacom's strategy in its $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube is to subvert the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's protection of websites and Internet service providers and "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression." The argument is set forth in a response to Viacom's amended complaint filed in April, which cited 150,000 examples of infringing content, which together had been viewed 1.5 billion times. More »
philippe dauman
Viacom CEO: Some platforms work, some are like Joost
Viacom helped Joost with its original funding. But the video platform's co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis probably shouldn't expect any more cash from Sumner Redstone's empire. Not after the way Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman took a dainty dump on the service yesterday:We come at Joost or other platforms from the point of view that we cannot predict—nor did we in that case or any other case—predict which ones are going to be hugely successful, moderately successful, which won't work.Asked if Viacom will invest again, Dauman demurred: "We did receive equity in connection with our original deal and we're happy where we are." (Photo by AP/Rajesh Nirgude)
copyfight
Google "going all the way to the Supreme Court" against Viacom
Do Google lawyers plan to settle with Viacom over its $1 billion copyright infringement suit against Google and it's video-sharing site YouTube? "Nope," says grandiloquent dealmaker David Eun, VP of content partnerships at Google. "We're going all the way to the Supreme Court," Eun said. "We're very clear about it." With brass-balled talk like that, you'd think Eun hasn't seen Viacom's thinly-veiled threats of violence against YouTube. (Photo by James Gordon)
rumormonger
Viacom offers $10 million to buy music blog aggregator Hype Machine?
A tipster tells us Hype Machine founder Anthony Volodkin has a "$10 million Viacom offer floating around." Hype Machine, a website which aggregates music uploaded to blogs, has grown 125 percent in the last year, with 127,000 monthly visitors, according to Compete.com. Another source familiar with Volodkin's plans for Hype Machine can't confirm Viacom's offer, but said an acquisition would be the next logical step. Volodkin has been very careful to avoid taking venture capital, "despite VCs going hard after him," this second source tells us. Update: A third source says Hype Machine has been sold, but not for $10 million and not to Viacom. Whoever the buyer is, the sale rumor, if true, captures a frustrating state of affairs for technology's financiers. More »
online video
South Park kills 10 YouTube memes for good
Viacom continues to pursue a $1 billion lawsuit against Google's YouTube for allowing video piracy. On Viacom's Comedy Central, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren't helping their corporate parent's legal case. In last night's episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny asked themselves "How Do We Make Money on the Internet?" and predictably, they find it difficult — just like YouTube. This leads to a South Park scene straight out of Viacom CEO Philippe Daumann's dreams as, one by one, the viral-video sensations that made YouTube so big are destroyed. Here's the scene in two clips, and all the popular videos it refers to: More »
video games
Nickelodeon getting into the mom- and kid-games market
"What video is to TV, games are to the Web," says Steve Youngwood, executive vice president for digital media at Viacom's Nickelodeon channel. We're not sure about that, but "casual gaming" is definitely big business — Nickelodeon is spending $100 million on new gaming initiatives including 600 original games for its websites, branded with its various entertainment shows. The appeal is obvious: For a 9-year old girl, why watch Dora the Explorer when you can be Dora the Explorer? More »
copyfight
No way does Viacom get $1 billion from Google now
When Viacom sued Google for $1 billion over copyright infringement on YouTube last year, it seemed unlikely Viacom lawyers would ever win that much. Now it will be that much harder. Judge Louis Stanton ruled that Viacom will not be awarded "punitive damages." If Viacom wins the case, any money it gets from Google will be a sum determined only by how much the alleged copyright infringement cost Viacom. Since Viacom executives argued during the writers' strike that they weren't making any money online, they may have a tough case getting anything.
online video
Hulu videos open to all, with Time Warner and Viacom waiting in wings
Tomorrow, Hulu will finally open its doors to the wider public. Rumor has it Time Warner and Viacom soon plan to join the site, which is backed by NBC and News Corp., through nonexclusive distribution deals. CBS digital guru Quincy Smith, however, remains pessimistic: "If the Web is just another way to watch TV, I think I'm going to slit my wrists." Below, the best friend of former Yahoo CEO Terry Semel's daughter in the kind of short form clip Hulu hopes the public will take to. More »
your privacy is an illusion
Hacker steals 5,000 MTV employees' private data
A hacker infiltrated MTV's computers and accessed data included 5,000 employees' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and salaries. "We are taking every appropriate action to investigate this incident and to protect you and the company in future," read a companywide email obtained by the WSJ. One-word version: Punk'd!
great moments in journalism
Philippe Dauman Jr., the Google-working, startup-launching, party-throwing son of Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman Sr., apparently has taken his dad's job, according to Silicon Alley Insider. Exciting! Congratulations, Philippe! I bet this means the $1 billion YouTube lawsuit will be dropped soon.
Viacom CEO's son promoted to dad's job, according to blog
Philippe Dauman Jr., the Google-working, startup-launching, party-throwing son of Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman Sr., apparently has taken his dad's job, according to Silicon Alley Insider. Exciting! Congratulations, Philippe! I bet this means the $1 billion YouTube lawsuit will be dropped soon.
geeks gone wild
The Philippe Dauman Jr. playlist
Philippe Dauman Jr., triumphant Googler, entrepreneur, and son of Viacom's CEO, you're our new hero. So we made a playlist for you. Forgive us: We didn't have a password to your music startup, Yuzu, so we used rival Pandora's algorithm to find music about coke, boys, girls, boys and girls, and other things we imagine you like. Please play it this weekend. We'll be thinking of you as we do.More »
philippe dauman jr.
