The Senate has approved a delay of the digital Television transition. The approval, supported by President Obama, now schedules the transition for June 12. Last week the government reported that 1.4 million Americans were on a waiting list for DTV coupons.
SAG National Executive Director Doug Allen has been fired from his position. Allen, a controversial figure inside the organization, said that he was "disappointed in the board's decision, which was made by written assent," and that he was "proud" of his record. Allen effectively split the union in half by not replacing negotiators working on cutting a deal with Hollywood studios.
In what is becoming increasingly more popular, many tech companies are laying off thousands of workers. Texas Instruments (3,400), Phillips (6,000), IBM (2,800) and Sprint (8,000) all announced plans to lay off thousands of workers. Each company blames the economy, citing consumer apprehension, and the need to cut costs for the layoffs.
Netflix reported a 45% increase in profits for the quarter. The progressive movie rental company posted a net income of $22.7 million, up from $15.7 million a year ago. While the company has experienced growth in the down trending economy, it did lower its outlook in October from $0.38 a share to $0.30 a share.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes 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). 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