ABC's Nightline is launching a Twitter-centric web show. Dubbed NighTline, the thirty minute web show will feature real time tweets and questions from users. Set to debut Wednesday at 12:30 PM Et, Nightline Executive Producer James Goldston noted that "This new collaboration provides an ideal venue for news and Twitter enthusiasts alike."
The Wall Street Journal is set to introduce a micro-payment program. Rather than paying over $100 for a yearly digital subscription, WSJ will allow users to purchase individual stories beginning in the fall. The Journal plans on charging users according to the content accessed, with Managing editor Robert Thomson saying "once we have your details we will be able to charge you according to what you read, in particular, a high price for specialist material."
Despite decreasing viewership, American Idol has been able to expand its profits. The number one show in America, which has steadily lost viewers over the past three years, hasn't let a smaller audience affect its revenue, as it has expanded partnerships with iTunes and AT&T. The program, long known for using product placement and promoting affiliate partners, took in over $903 million in advertising last year, nearly twice what it made in 2005.
Apple rejected BitTorrent iPhone application Drivetrain over copyright concerns. While the company has rejected a few applications as of late, most notably Trent Reznor's NIN app, Drivetrain is a similar another RSS-like iPhone application, trackr, which can track and "queue torrents to download directly from the application."
Microsoft has begun selling bonds to investors. The company, which is capitalizing off an excellent credit rating, can sell bonds at lower interest rates than most companies and plans to raise $3.75 billion doing so. Microsoft, one of a few companies in the US with a credit rating of triple-A, told the SEC in a filing that it plans on using the earnings from bond sales for "general corporate purposes."
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