MTV's new social media-television program will share ad rev with Facebook and Twitter. The new show, What You're Watching With Alexa Cheung, will feature live tweets, as well as Facebook updates. The move, which is obvious for a network with a target demographic of 18-24, is another possible outlet for social media ventures to increase revenue.
Verizon announced that it will offer free wi-fi roaming service to users who subscribe to Verizon home broadband services. The service, which will most likely be free for Verizon DSL and FiOS subscribers, may provided by Boingo, a wi-fi service popular at airports and cafes. The announcement comes months after AT&T launched a similar offer and as Cablevision continues to build out its wi-fi network.
Zynga, a social media gaming company, is on target to make $100 million this year. The company, which makes games like Texas Hold 'Em for Facebook and MySpace, closed $50 million in sales in 2008. Zynga noted that most of its revenue comes from users who pay $1 an hour to play games.
President Obama is set to nominate Mignon Clyburn to the Federal Communications Commission. Clyburn, the daughter of House Majority leader Whip Jim Clyburn, had been a member of the South Carolina Public Service Commission and the publisher and GM of The Coastal Times. Clyburn would serve nominated chairman Julius Genachowski, who has yet to have been confirmed by the Senate.
20th Century Fox's X-Men Origins: Wolverine took in approximately $87 million to top the box office this weekend. Wolverine, which leaked on the Internet a month before its theatrical release, grossed the best non-holiday opening 20th Century Fox has ever had.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press) and the upcoming, Get Digital: Reinventing Yourself and Your Career for the 21st Century Economy (2009, Lake House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy Awards). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars