NBC Universal’s Hulu.com (an online VoD service) are imminent. Warner Bros. is also in the process of creating its own ad-supported channels. An animation channel (working name T-Works) will go live this month under an unspecified brand. Studio 2.0, which will create short videos for broadband and mobile, is working on more than 20 projects, at a total cost of less than what it takes to make an hour-long broadcast network drama. Rosenblum went on to say that by cutting out the networks, studios will make more money than they have in the past. However, he cautioned, Warner Bros. will have to spend a lot to make itself the brand that viewers connect with a show. Book Exposes Spielberg’s Affair Valerie Bertinelli’s new book, “Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time” (Free Press) chronicles much more than just the actress’s battle to lose weight. In her new autobiography, the onetime One Day at a Time star gives candid accounts of her shaky marriage with rocker Eddie Van Halen and a long-ago romance with director extraordinaire Steven Spielberg. In the book, Bertinelli, who has a son, Wolfgang, 17, with ex-husband Van Halen, revealed that she met Spielberg when she read for a part in his Raiders of the Lost Arkmore than two decades ago. She didn’t get the part, but she did get the man. The next day, Spielberg sent flowers and a short-lived romance blossomed. She met Van Halen shortly thereafter and married him in 1981. The couple divorced in 2007. Another tidbit exposed in “Losing It” is the fact that she and Van Halen cheated on each other during their marriage. Bertinelli’s been quoted as saying that their son, Wolfgang, won’t be reading the book anytime soon. AP R I L 2 0 0 8 Bavaria Media Television is a corporate member of german united distributors Programmvertrieb GmbH. www.bavaria-media.tv MEET US AT MIPTV STAND 20.01 (GERMAN UNITED DISTRIBUTORS) BAVARIA'S BEST SHOWREEL PRESENTATION MON. APR. 7, 5:30 PM AUDITORIUM K YOUNGER THAN EVER THREE NEW YOUTH SERIES SERIES 13 X 25’ SERIES 26 X 26’ SERIES 52 X 25’ (Continued on Page 8) (Continued from Page 4) Murdoch Dishes Out DirecTV In February, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved an $11 billion deal between Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and DirecTV Group Inc. The deal will allow Murdoch to exchange his 41 percent interest in El Segundo, California-based DirecTV for a larger stake in his own media company. Former cable executive John Malone and his holding company, Liberty Media, will receive Murdoch’s shares, as well as three of Fox’s regional cable/satellite channels and $625 million in cash. In return, Malone will hand over his 16.3 percent equity stake in News Corp. DirecTV has 17 million subscribers in the U.S. and five million in Latin America. Originating in 2004, the agreement has been delayed by much red tape, as both parties are hoping for a tax-free swap. This type of exchange requires approval by both the FCC and the U.S. Justice Department. Murdoch’s aim, in buying back more of his company, is to consolidate his hold on News Corp. and streamline his assets. Some FCC officials who are against the consolidation of giant media conglomerates were reluctant to endorse the deal, and warned that both parties better abide by arbitration provisions imposed on them in 2003. At press time, Justice Department approval was still pending. Martha Stewart Buys Emeril Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. “kicked it up a notch” in late February when it bought the Emeril Lagasse franchise. The acquisition, which cost the home-making maven’s company $45 million in cash and $5 million in stock, included the rights to Emeril-brand cookbooks, television shows and kitchen products. Not included in the deal were Lagasse’s 11 restaurants and corporate office. Lagassse’s cooking show, The Essence of Emeril , was launched in 1993 on the Food Network. Since its debut, he has hosted over 1,600 shows and currently reaches more than 85 million homes daily. The franchise, which brought in $14 million in revenue in 2007, is expected to add an additional $8 million per year to Martha Stewart Living’s earnings. The deal will be closed in the second quarter of 2008.
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