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Comcast Corp., the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, reported a nearly 9 percent decline in quarterly profit as it absorbed expenses related to its highly anticipated acquisition of NBC Universal.
While costs associated with the deal, including professional fees, undercut the cable company’s overall profit, its revenue rose a higher-than-expected 6 percent as it continued to add Internet and telephone customers. Get the full story »
Hulu has been hailed as the future of television, but its reputation has been based in part on measurement techniques rooted in the past.
The high-flying online TV site frequently is touted as among the most popular video sites in the U.S., based on data from the industry-leading ComScore measurement service. A recent overhaul of ComScore’s methods, however, brought Hulu’s numbers crashing to Earth.
Illinois gamblers cut back on their slot-machine action in 2009.
In a study released Monday about slot-machine spending in four casino markets, the American Gaming Association said one-armed bandits in Illinois, Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J., took in less revenue in 2009 than they did in 2008. Get the full story »
Toyota Motor Corp. has pushed back plans to build its Prius in the United States by as much as six years, with a top executive saying U.S. production is likely to start only when the best-selling hybrid is remodelled. Get the full story »
Netflix Inc’s second-quarter revenue missed Wall Street’s expectations as more subscribers opted for lower-priced plans, and the company’s shares fell more than 9 percent after hours. Get the full story »
Jonathon Brandmeier, a former morning host at WLUP-FM 97.9, owes his former talent agent about $312,000, according to a lawsuit filed last week.
Lisa Miller and her Chicago-based Miller Broadcast Management Inc. went to Cook County Circuit Court to enforce a June 10 arbitrator’s decision to award the company $185,000 in unpaid fees plus more than $100,000 in attorney’s fees and interest. Get the full story »
Tech and media moguls who gathered in Idaho for an annual confab this week sounded a mostly cautious note on the economy. Big debts and still-depressed housing prices will continue to weigh on consumers, said Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media Corp., whose entertainment businesses include the Starz pay-TV channel and QVC shopping network.
It seems users of its iTunes app are not too happy with Hulu Plus, the $9.99-a-month online video service launched Tuesday. But who would be when they are spending $10 to get shows — with the commercials?
Comcast SportsNet Chicago plans to replay the 16 postseason victories that gave the Chicago Blackhawks their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years over five days, beginning July 10 and culminating July 14 with a late-night encore telecast of the victory parade and rally.
Need a little lift when you’re 94 floors up?
The John Hancock Observatory’s Lavazza cafe now offers a full bar complete with Lavazza Colada, Cafe; Jamaica and After Coffee, espresso with chocolate gelato, crushed ice, peppermint liqueur and whipped cream. Get the full story »
Kanye West’s Grammy-winning song “Stronger” copies certain lyrics from a 2006 song by a Virginia rapper known as Vince P., according to a copyright infringement case filed in a U.S. District Court in Illinois.
Vincent Peters, of Leesburg, Va., said in the complaint filed Friday that in 2006 he wrote and recorded a song called “Stronger.” West had access to the song through West’s long-time friend and business manager John Monopoly, who had heard and received a copy of Peters’ “Stronger,” the lawsuit said. Peters had wanted to work with Monopoly. Get the full story »
By Booth Moore | Madonna is hoping to go from fashion icon to fashion mogul with her latest endeavor. The pop star and her 13-year-old daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, are partnering on a junior fashion line called Material Girl, which will be sold exclusively at Macy’s for back-to-school season, and although the clothes won’t land in stores until Aug. 3, sketches were released this week.
Google Inc. is planning to launch an online music downloading service tied to its search engine, the Wall Street Journal reported, a move that would pit it against Apple Inc and its popular iTunes site.
Google’s plans are still vague, but it has been “stepping up conversations” about offering music services online as well as over mobile phones that use its Android operating system, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the company’s talks with the music industry. Get the full story »
Twitter is testing a new potential money-making feature: Promoted Trends. The first promotion is “Toy Story 3″ from Disney’s Pixar.
Twitter, which allows advertisers to insert messages into users’ streams through a program called Promoted Tweets, is also exploring the idea of selling its trending feature, which highlights topics popular with its users.
The concept is simple: Advertisers insert their own trend to display on users’ home pages. A big yellow box alerts users that the topic is promoted, not organic. If you click on the link, it takes you to a search results page to see what people are saying about the film. Get the full story »
From Advertising Age | Oprah Winfrey dropped by Hearst headquarters on Tuesday to mark the 10th anniversary of O, The Oprah Magazine, and gave every staffer an Apple iPad, a leather iPad case with the staffer’s initials, and a check for $10,000.
