Multichannel News articles from December 2005

Multichannel News archives from December 2005

Almost all in the family: clean tier supported by top cable firms.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Basic and expanded basic may soon have to make room for a "family choice" tier of programming on cable-system lineups. The president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Kyle McSlarrow, is very likely to tell the...

Digging for gold in content for kids.(SPECIAL Report)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Programmers such as Nickelodeon and Disney are finding gold in connecting kids to online content and services. One lucrative addition: Non-skippable ads, in front of broadband programs. Meanwhile, programmers are struggling to provide...

AZN restructures, lays off half its staff.(THIS JUST IN)(AZN Network)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Comcast Corp. last week laid off more than half the staff of its Asian-American targeted AZN Network. Network managing director Steve Smith was one of as many as 50 of the network's approximately 80 employees receiving...

Study: YES wins out-of-home.(THIS JUST IN)(Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network )(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... NEW YORK -- A Nielsen Media Research study commissioned by Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network indicates that the regional sports service would ring up 14% increases in the New York DMA among men 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, and register a 10%...

Finding a clean solution.
December 12, 2005... There's no answer yet to the question: What ,would be on a "family tier of cable-TV programming. Five years ago, the satellite service DirecTV Inc. launched a family tier which included Boomerang, SoapNet, Oxygen, Biography Channel,...

Much ado about multicasting: broadcasters getting new nets off ground.
December 12, 2005... There's plenty of movement in the digital multicast spectrum these days, as plans from public broadcasters and members of the Big Three begin to take root. Public television stations, which will roll out lifestyle-centric Create next...

The 5,000-channel man: W. Va. resident's dozen dishes pull in the world.
December 12, 2005... Al Jessup has rather eclectic taste in television. He doesn't care much for movies on the boob tube, but he loves viewing TV stations and networks from not only across the country, but around the world, from Russia to the Mideast. He enjoys...

Cable nets: we win with free podcasts: downloads can pack promotional punch.
December 12, 2005... Nicollette Sheridan and Tony Shalhoub aren't the only TV stars that can be screened on a video iPod these days. Users can also see comedians Larry David, George Lopez and Bob Newhart on the portable media device--and they don't have to pay to...

Microsoft could boost PC video in '06: CableLabs Spec makes media center more cable-ready.
December 12, 2005... Plans by Microsoft Corp. could, within a year, test the cable industry's willingness to market video packages that reach beyond the television into personal computers. Time Warner Cable is testing such a service for video subscribers in...

Deals rev up NASCAR's rights purse.(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc.)
December 12, 2005... NASCAR is on victory lane after completing new eight-year deals with Fox/Speed Channel, Turner Network Television and ESPN/ABC Sports that rev up its annual TV rights fees by 40% over the current deal. The agreements, worth a collective...

Discovery testing video encyclopedia: internet service to make debut in first quarter.(Discovery Communications Inc.)
December 12, 2005... Discovery Communications Inc. is getting into the encyclopedia business. Only it's not going to sell hard-bound books door to door. Instead, it will deliver video clips via the Internet into homes and surround them with brain games and...

Slipping through the screen: permitting the wrong installer into homes wrecks lives ... and bottom lines.(SPOT LIGHT)
December 12, 2005... Jeffrey W. Schrader will not be coming to a television household near you. The 49-year-old Colorado man in September applied to be a technician for U.S. Broadband, the contractor used by Cox Communications Inc. to establish Internet and cable...

On NCTA's tricky balancing act.(MY TURN)(National Cable & Telecommunications Association )
December 12, 2005... Item: Multichannel News reports the National Cable & Telecommunications Association endorsed a proposal that would have made basic-cable networks subject to federal rules barring "indecent" content on broadcast channels. That story, in...

Volume control: voices from everywhere on coolness.(OPINION)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... "In the old days, we had phones, TVs (some with cable), stereos and later, VCRs and a membership at the local Morn & Pop video store. Now we're supposed to have music subscriptions for our MP3s, online tickets to concerts, subscriptions for...

MCN online poll result.(OPINION)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... FCC chairman Kevin Martin expressed support for a la carte programming sales. This will lead to: A la carte programming 29% sales Family friendly tiers 71% Go to Multichannel.com to vote on our next online poll:...

Five steps to start a boom.(ACCESS)(cable television providers)
December 12, 2005... Is cable television passe? Is all the interesting stuff happening on the Internet? Doesn't have to be that way. Here are five steps to start getting venture capitalists and entrepreneurs excited about trying out their big new ideas on...

BET taps wireless market: looks to ring up sales with branded video, ring tones.(PROGRAMMING)
December 12, 2005... Black Entertainment Television is going mobile. BET will make available original content and music videos to wireless phone users in first quarter 2006 as part of a major mobile initiative that is expected to ring up incremental revenue for...

CMT sets its first on-demand offering.(QUICK HITS)(Country Music Television)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Country Music Television has entered the video-on-demand rodeo. The network last Friday launched Its VOD offering, including spotlights on country stars and music specials, as well as past season of such original series as...

'Chappelle's lost season to refuse on comedy.(QUICK HITS)(Comedy Central )(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... NEW YORK -- Comedy Central will present unaired third-season episodes of Chappelle's Show, produced before comedian Dave Chappelle left the network. Sketches equating to about four episodes sans the traditional introduction from the...

TCM takes its cut at director's life story.(Turner Classic Movies Inc.)
December 12, 2005... Turner Classic Movies is revisiting the world of American Western films this month, highlighted by A Man Can Do That, an original documentary examining the life and work of director Bud Boetticher. Lost in the shadows of such notables as...

Startup auditions itself for carriage: gospel Music net builds a fan base with events.(MARKETING)
December 12, 2005... The year-old Gospel Music Channel is trying to prove its worth to operators by gathering data on potential subscribers as it firms up its ties with the Christian music community. Currently in less than 4 million cable homes, the network...

Charter taps Ex-AOL marketer.(PERSONNEL)(Charter Communications Inc.)(America Online Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... ST. Louis--Charter Communications Inc. CEO Nell Smit continues to build his executive team. tapping into some of the talent that shares his background in leadership at America Online Inc Smit last week named Robert Quigley as the...

Callbright rings in deal with Vehix.com.(QUICK HITS)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... SALT LAKE CITY -- Vehix.com, the Comcast Corp.-backed online destination for finding and buying a car. has selected Callbright Corp. to power its toll-free telephone leads for some 1.500 automobile dealerships nationwide. Inventory...

Charter-sponsor trio enroll with ESPNU.(QUICK HITS)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... BRISTOL, CONN. -- ESPNU has signed Allstate, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cisco Systems Inc. and Energizer as charter sponsors. In addition to running spots on ESPNU. which is now available in some 8 million households each advertiser will have...

ABC Family stunt spreads holiday cheer.(MARKETING)
December 12, 2005... One could forgive advertisers with schedules in ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" for already being in the holiday spirit. Sponsors who bought time in the annual stunt--which this year encompasses 150 hours of branded holiday-themed...

Luring the passionate fans: channels serve up hefty quantities of sports for different ethnic audiences.(SPECIAL Report: MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMMING--CHANGING THE WORLD VIEW)
December 12, 2005... The increasing diversity of sports channels--combined with the growing number of African-American, Asian and Latino viewers--is driving a boom in sports programming aimed specifically at multicultural audiences. "There is a lot of...

The children's challenge: networks are a long way from mirroring the kids audience.(SPECIAL REPORT: MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMMING--CHANGING THE WORLD VIEW)
December 12, 2005... The amount and diversity of multicultural children's programming has not kept pace with demographic changes. According to Census Bureau estimates, 39% of children 6 to 14 are African-American, Asian-American or Hispanic. But nowhere near 39%...

All the news that fits? News coverage is a spotty situation on some minority-focused channels.(SPECIAL REPORT: MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMMING--CHANGING THE WORLD VIEW)
December 12, 2005... The funeral of Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks last month drew widespread coverage from the major cable news channels. CSPAN even carried the seven-hour funeral live and replayed it several days later. Yet cable's three major...

Riding the kids wave: 2005, 2006 are tipping points for broadband video targeting young.(SPECIAL Report: TV OR NOT TV ... THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND CONTENT)
December 12, 2005... Ask why so many kids' programmers are adding broadband to the mix, and the answer is reminiscent of Willie Sutton's famous quote about banks. "That's where the audience is," says Mike Skagerlind, senior vice president and general manager of...

The real revenue in fantasy sports: the statistics, players and profits are authentic; just the teams aren't.(SPECIAL REPORT: TV OR NOT TV ... THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND VIDEO CONTENT)
December 12, 2005... Once upon a time in world where people typed letters on typewriters and watched television on three networks, Bill Winkenbach introduced his friends to a game he devised called fantasy football, which allowed fans to create statistical teams...

To have, and to have not: not all broadband portals are Gung-Ho about video content.(SPECIAL REPORT: TV NOT TV ... THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND VIDEO CONTENT)
December 12, 2005... Content may be king online, but among cable and telco broadband providers, there are the haves and the have-nots when it comes to offering video. Not surprisingly the largest high-speed providers--Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable,...

Breyer's Cagey on camera coverage.
December 12, 2005... No justice of the U.S. Supreme Court has endorsed TV cameras inside the high court and Justice Stephen Breyer kept that tradition alive in a lengthy C-SPAN interview Dec. 4. In a one-hour discussion with C-SPAN founder and CEO Brian Lamb....

Adelphia integration moving: Hobbs; Time Warner Cable is working out the back--office kinks.
December 12, 2005... BY MIKE FARRELL NEW YORK -- Time Warner Cable has about 200 employees working to integrate the Adelphia Communications Corp. systems it's buying, and plans to continue introducing some of its newer programs, such as "Start Over" and...

Liberty signs $477m deal to buy Provide Commerce.(Liberty Media Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Englewood, Colo. -- Liberty Media Corp. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Provide Commerce Inc. for $477 million in cash, or $33.75 per Provide share. Provide Commerce is an electronic-commerce marketplace of Web sites for...

Weekly movers.(Illustration)
December 12, 2005... WEEKLY MOVERS Top 5 Percentage GAINERS Knology Inc. 14.36 TiVo Inc. 11.20 World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (H) 11.00 ValueVision Media Inc. ...

DVD sales, pay-per-view events fuel WWE.(Digital video disks)(World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.)
December 12, 2005... WWE stock rose more than 8% ($1.19) between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, after the wrestling entertainment company reported strong fiscal second-quarter results. WWE nearly tripled its earnings in the period ended Oct. 28, to $11.7 million (17...

Closing prices.(Illustration)
December 12, 2005... CLOSING PRICES DECEMBER 6,2005 Price Price 52-Week 52-Week Company 12/06/05 11/29/05 % Change High Low Adelphia 0.06 0.07 -14.29 0.59 ...

Powerful stuff.(Outdoor Life Network's donations)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... OLN donated $79,075 for Habitat for Humanity's "Operation Home Delivery"--a benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims--by auctioning off a Professional Bull Riders-themed powerbout at the PBR World Finals. Pictured (l. to r.): John West, star of...

In pearl's shadow.(introduction of digital video disk)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Introducing the DVD of The White Shadow at the NBA Store in New York: NBA TV's Rick Kamla; White Shadow star Ken Howard; and New York Knicks legend Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

'Birds' over Seattle.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Turner Classic Movies and Comcast brought The Birds to Seattle's Egyptian Theater. On hand (l. to r.): Comcast's Nancy Crawford; TCM host Robert Osborne; Birds star Tippi Hedren; Comcast's Sean Brushett and Amber Brushett; and Matt Zavala,...

Everyday people.(television programs)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... National Geographic Channel brought its "Everyday Explorer" public-affairs initiative to Frederick Douglass Academy in Manhattan. With students (l. to r.): Nat Geo's Dr. Mike Heithaus holding "Sierra," a 13-year old female gray wolf; Todd...

The X Factor.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... G4's Adam Sessler (l. to r) and Morgan Webb were on hand when Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 at its "Zero Hour" party in the Mojave Desert.

BellSouth.(appoints Rex Adams, David Scobey, Keith Cowman)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... BellSouth Corp. named DAVID SCOBEY president, retail markets, as part of a company restructuring. Also, KEITH COWAN was named chief field operations officer, network services; and REX ADAMS was named Web Development Officer.

Comcast.(appoints Erica Smith)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Comcast Corp. has elevated ERICA SMITH to regional senior director of communications, Central California. She was regional director of communications, Bay Area.

CMC.(Comcast Media Center appoints Heather Sullivan-Clish)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... The Comcast Media Center named HEATHER SULLIVAN-CLISH senior director, human resources and training. She was regional director, human capital at TeleTech Holdings Inc.

CSN.(Comcast SportsNet appoints Jeff Halikman)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia has elevated JEFF HALIKMAN to producer, Phillies baseball. He was associate producer.

Discovery.(Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Networks U.S)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Discovery Networks U.S. reported several staffers under an advertising sales realignment, including: JOHN BARRY to senior vice president, advertising sales, TLC and Discovery Home Channel; SCOTT FELENSTEIN, to senior vice president,...

ESPN.(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network appoints Gerardo Casanova)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... ESPN has named GERARDO CASANOVA its general manager, Mexico, based in Mexico City. He comes from Grupo Televisa, where he was director, international business.

FSN Bay Area.(appoints David Drutz)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... FSN Bay Area has named DAVID DRUTZ as local sales manager. He had served as the regional sales manager for FSN.

Gospel Music.(appoints Janice Moore)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Gospel Music Channel has added JANICE MOORE as senior vice president, marketing. She most recently served as senior VP, marketing, for WE: Women's Entertainment.

Events.(PEOPLE & CALENDAR)
December 12, 2005... December 12 International Radio & Television Society Foundation, Holiday "Casino" Benefit, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. Contact: Marilyn Ellis, (212) 867-6650 x 306 or Marilyn.Ellis@irts.org. 13 New York Women in Film &...

Horror Channel.(appoints Vini Bancalari)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... The Horror Channel, a broadband-content distributor of horror, terror and suspense programming, has named VINI BANCALARI as executive consultant, programming and acquisitions. He is the founder and president of Elite Entertainment.

IFC.(Independent Film Channel appoints Elektra Gray)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... ELEKTRA GRAY was named vice president, consumer public relations at Independent Film Channel. She had been director, public relations at IFC.

Spike TV.(MTV Networks Inc. Spike TV appoints Dario Spina)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... DARIO SPINA was promoted to senior vice president, marketing and promotions at Spike TV. He was VP.

Time Warner Cable.(appoints Gerry Campbell)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... GERRY CAMPBELL was elevated to executive vice president, phone operations at Time Warner Cable, based in the Stamford, Conn., headquarters. He was senior VP, voice.

Turner.(Turner Broadcasting System Inc. appoints Chris Eames)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Turner Broadcasting System Inc. has named CHRIS EAMES senior vice president, New Media Advertising Sales and Marketing. He was senior VP, Turner Entertainment and Sports Sponsorship Sales and Marketing.

Viacom.(appoints Carl D. Folta)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... CARL D. FOLTA was named executive vice president, office of the chairman of the post-spinoff Viacom Inc. and the post-spinoff CBS Corp. He is executive vice president, corporate relations of the current Viacom Inc.

WWE.(World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. appoints Dorothy Brill)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... DOROTHY BRILL was named senior vice president, human resources at World Wrestling Entertainment inc. She was VP, human resources at Synapse Group, a customer-mangement service provider to consumer-magazine publishers.

Major shows.(Calendar)
December 12, 2005... January 5-8 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas. Contact: www.cesweb.org. 10-12 Society of Cable & Telecommunications Engineers, Conference on Emerging Technologies 2006, Tampa, Fla. Contact:...

E!'s Harbert orders up 'soup' cracks.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Joel McHale, host of The Soup on E! Entertainment Television, had some great fun at his network's expense on the Dec. 2 edition, cracking wise about the network's decision to make season four of the party princesses-meet-Podunk saga that is...

ACA executive's 'real surreal life.(American Cable Association)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Robert Shema, a Comcast Corp. veteran who is now chief operating officer for the American Cable Association, has a lot be thankful for this holiday season. He and his family walked away from a nasty car accident, without injuries, after his...

Party funds spent on hope.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... The embattled cable industry, under political pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin about indecent programming, is evidently in no mood to party. About this time each year, Washington notables are wined and...

Not beaming over to another channel.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... FX officials last week were quite insistent that actress Jessalyn Gilsig, part of the cast of Nip/Tuck, does in fact know what network the edgy show airs on, contrary to what was reported in Steppin' Out Magazine. The weekly...

Cable gobbles up sweep: channels pad their lead in November's ratings tally.
December 5, 2005... Cable networks are establishing a Thanksgiving tradition--taking the November sweep from broadcasters. For the second year in a row, cable won the November sweep period in primetime, outperforming the broadcast networks and continuing its...

WE's mantra: add originals.(Women's Entertainment programs are amongst the highest rated )
December 5, 2005... A week shy of her anniversary on the job, WE: Women's Entertainment general manager Kim Martin continues to stay true to her original-programming mantra. WE--which has seen original productions account for eight of its 10 highest-rated...

Stevens wants 'decent' action: voluntary curbs sought for racy cable content.
December 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is pressing the cable and satellite TV industries to come up with their own solution to address concerns about indecent content. "I would prefer to try and work out a...

Icahn taps Lazard in Time Warner battle.
December 5, 2005... Corporate raider Carl Icahn has turned up the heat in his battle with Time Warner Inc., hiring investment banker Lazard Ltd. to identify strategic alternatives and identify a new slate of directors for the media giant. Icahn put out a...

Martin digs for legal leverage: wants grounds to impose a La Carte.
December 5, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Kevin Martin not only thinks that cable systems should sell programming by the channel, in a menu of a la carte choices--he's also looking for legal grounds that could force the issue on cable. The Federal Communications...

Analysts: much Ado about so little.(BY THE NUMBERS)
December 5, 2005... Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin came out swinging last week in favor of letting cable viewers pay just for the channels they want to watch. But the potential savings of so-called a la carte service might not amount to...

Let a la carte come, if the market bears it.(ways and means of blocking the cable channels)
December 5, 2005... "You can always turn the television off and, of course, block the channels you don't want. But why should you have to?"--FCC chairman Kevin Martin Chairman Martin clearly has an agenda, as Ted Hearn demonstrates in "What's Really on...

Volume control voices from everywhere on a la carte pricing.(OPINION)
December 5, 2005... "In my mind, there's no question that the cable companies can survive and thrive in this [a la carte] world, but they'll have to get a lot smarter about creating simple, smart packages rather than a bloated tyranny of too much product...

MCN online poll results.(OPINION)
December 5, 2005... WEEK OF 11/21 When Nielsen begins measuring DVR playback, will broadcast primetime ratings increase 4% over a seven-day period? 71% Yes 29% No

Getting up to PAR.(Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources)
December 5, 2005... Like no other sector, the cable business exemplifies U.S. industry at its most dynamic. Replete with zealous entrepreneurship, tireless workers, new frontiers, innovative ideas and a dichotomy of old and new methods, this is an industry that...

Cisco moves to boost IP: new product pair to help providers sync with wireless, handle more video.(Cisco Systems Inc.)
December 5, 2005... Cisco Systems Inc. is introducing two new major products to its Internet protocol-based next-generation architecture, both aimed at helping platform providers, including cable companies, cope with the demands of rising amounts of video on...

Samsung signs accord for conditional access.(Samsung Electronics)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... LOUISVILLE, COLO. -- Samsung Electronics America Inc. has signed an agreement with CableLabs to put downloadable conditional-access system (CAS) technology in consumer devices, becoming the first consumer-electronics maker to sign such an...

Video without boundaries signs two-way accord.(Cable Television Laboratories Inc. enters into an agreement with Video Without Boundaries Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... LOUISVILLE, COLO. -- Video Without Boundaries Inc., which build home entertainment devices, has an agreement with CableLabs to place OpenCaNe Applications Platform-compliant middleware on VWB's next generation MediaREADY media centers. ...

Slinging TV, all over the world: two baseball fans' frustration turns laptops into portable televisions.(On Demand: Where Content Meets Technology)
December 5, 2005... Blake and Jason Krikorian are San Francisco Giants fans. The two brothers--who founded id8 Group, a Silicon Valley firm that advised a host of consumer-electronics and related companies on product strategies--were walking around Tokyo a few...

90 days that shook the industry: video's own revolution is being televised--everywhere, and on lots of screens.(ON DEMAND)
December 5, 2005... Inflection points--people talk about them all the time. We know they are of historical importance, but we're often not quite sure when we've really seen one. Ladies and gentlemen, I've got news for you. In the last 90 days, the mainstream...

Premium programming.(Television programs index)
December 5, 2005... Highlights from November's subscription video-on-demand offerings from Home Box Office, showtime Networks Inc., Starz Entertainment Group, Here TV! Playboy TV, Ten on Demand, Uncensored on Demand, World Picks on Demand and WWE 24/7. Home...

First-run features.(Information about the Box Office Gross of all the movies just after release)(Illustration)
December 5, 2005... The following tables list upcoming first-run and continuing movies in the video-on-demand window from the major studios that supply product to cable operators: Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century-Fox, Warner Bros., New Line...

Bravo's reality mix stirs well: with ratings up 25%, six shows on tap.(Bravo Cable Network program's ranking)
December 5, 2005... Warring spouses and recovering divorcees could become the subjects of new Bravo series next year. The network hopes to turn at least half of its six pilots in development into full-fledged series as it continues to build on its eclectic mix...

E! lets 'Simple Life' go on for Paris, Nicole.(E! Entertainment Television Inc. enters into contract with Twentieth Century Fox Television)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Los ANGELES -- Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will reunite on E! Entertainment Television in 2006. The network has acquired the rights to The Simple Life, including 10 all-new episodes to debut next spring under the banner The Simple...

ESPN film tackles west point 'code' violation.(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)(Movie Review)
December 5, 2005... Football seems to be the favorite subject for ESPN Original Entertainment. The unit's CodeBreakers uses the sport as a backdrop, but the film has more in common with coming-of-age dramas like School Ties. The docudrama focuses on the...

'Pulling' in ad dollars: TiVo joins forces with agencies in on-demand model-building effort.(MARKETING)
December 5, 2005... As part of the seemingly never-ending search for an on-demand advertising revenue models, TiVo Inc., in partnership with ad agencies, media buyers and sales representatives such as Comcast Spotlight, will offer a television-based advertising...