Gossip Girl

Jeff Bewkes Renames Netflix: It’s Not the Albanian Army, It’s a Flying Hamburger

Peter Kafka in News on December 5, 2011 at 3:30 am PT

The Time Warner CEO is happy to take Reed Hastings’ money, though.

Gossip Girl Is a Digital Cash Cow for Time Warner

Peter Kafka in Media on November 2, 2011 at 11:45 am PT

Those Netflix and CW deals will give the media giant (and CBS, too) a $100 million boost this quarter.

Netflix Gets “Gossip Girl” — And a Time Warner Deal

Peter Kafka in Media on October 13, 2011 at 10:02 am PT

Turns out Jeff Bewkes is happy to work with the “Albanian Army” after all — he and Les Moonves have a deal to sell more reruns to Reed Hastings.

More Change at Microsoft's Bing, as It Goes Deep Into Entertainment

Kara Swisher in News on June 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm PT

Microsoft is rolling out a new series of updates to its Bing search service, including a deep dive into a media-rich entertainment vertical. The software company has been pushing hard in the search arena, trying to gain market share from the dominant Google and the No. 2 player, Yahoo.

Voices

CW to Double Ads in Web Shows

Sam Schechner, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on March 26, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Seeking to mine a growing audience for TV shows online, The CW Network is taking a route that other broadcasters have avoided: putting as many ads in Web versions of its shows as it airs on TV. The U.S. network, a joint venture of CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc., plans next TV season to double the commercials in Web versions of its shows, including “Gossip Girl.”

Dear Foursquare: BoomTown Is Mayor of "Gossip Girl" (And You're Not!)

Kara Swisher in News on March 10, 2010 at 5:17 am PT

On Monday night, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley speculated that a BlackBerry screen featured on the latest episode of the red-hot television potboiler, “Gossip Girl,” could be a veiled Foursquare moment. The text message on the screen reads, “Elizabeth Fisher just checked in at the Algonquin Hotel.” Sorry, Dennis, not so, as there is no time in the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite to check in, especially since they are all too busy checking each other out.

Ford to Enable Wi-Fi Hotspots in Some Cars: BoomTown Rejoices

Kara Swisher in News on December 21, 2009 at 3:00 am PT

Last week, when BoomTown was taking a taxi from JFK Airport, I was more of a geek loser than usual, using my USB broadband modem to connect and write a post. But the jostling cut off the connection several times, which was frustrating. Now comes news that Ford will make the next generation of its Sync-enabled vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots, allowing you to connect to the Internet everywhere much more seamlessly in a moving car. Oh, joy! Now, I can obsessively Gowalla myself while moving at 80 miles per hour, which should freak some people out.

MySpace Poised to Hire New Ad Sales Head as It Preps Music- and Entertainment-Centric Strategy and Redesign

Kara Swisher in News on October 7, 2009 at 1:57 am PT

In a week, the entire advertising sales staff of MySpace will gather at a swanky new seaside resort about 20 miles south of Los Angeles to get a first glimpse of the fresh direction the company is preparing to take under its new management. The beleaguered social networking site has been in the midst of an effort to reinvigorate its image, spur innovation in its product and–most of all–pull itself out of a too-long slump, even as longtime rival Facebook has seen explosive growth. On the possible agenda: A new strategy aimed at music and entertainment; a new look; and, perhaps, a new boss for the ad sales team.

Time Warner Clips–But Not Shows–Land on YouTube

Peter Kafka in Media on August 19, 2009 at 10:59 am PT

Another feather for the “we’ve got real stuff” cap that YouTube is showing off these days: Google’s video site has hammered out a deal with Time Warner to show clips from the media conglomerate’s cable networks, TV shows and movies. But you won’t be seeing full-length shows or movies from Time Warner on the world’s biggest video site–it’s saving those for cable companies that play along with its “TV Everywhere” plan.

Do That Thing You Do: After Cuts, Both Yahoo and MySpace Need a Little Something

Kara Swisher in News on July 16, 2009 at 7:02 am PT

A few weeks ago, when I was having breakfast with legendary Silicon Valley entrepreneur Marc Andreessen about his new venture fund, he talked about what he thought was critical to being successful as an Internet company. Ticking off names, from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Andreessen said he always favored technical entrepreneurs for one key reason: “You need someone who lives and breathes product.” It’s a refrain I have heard a lot recently from a wide range of people in the sector, most especially when talking about two of the more challenging renovations of key Internet brands going on of late. That would be: Yahoo and MySpace.