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NBC has announced it is buying back its internet spinoff, NBCi, and is likely to scrap the NBCi brand entirely. The company says it does plan to retain the nbc.com domain name to promote its TV network. But it plans to sell off many NBCi segments. NBC officials remain unspecific as to which parts of NBCi they’ll keep, but it looks like the network intends to discontinue NBCi.com as a full-fledged portal. The buyback is bad news for NBCi staffers, since NBC plans to begin drastically downsizing its workforce of more than 300 people. The company is spending about $85 million to acquire NBCi’s 62.8 million outstanding shares. NBC already owns almost 39 percent of NBCi. NBC’s official line is that an unprofitable portal is too difficult to sustain in the current economic climate. Specifically, NBC leaders say that the weak advertising market simply cannot support a horizontal portal such as NBCi. NBC notes that its more targeted approaches, such as CNBC.com, are faring better, in part because other companies are involved. Like many online content companies, NBCi has been troubled and unprofitable. NBCi lost $46.9 million in the fourth quarter of last year, and in January, it laid off 30 percent of its staff.
Hacker dishes out spam at Warner Bros.
An apparent hacker broke into Warner Bros. Online’s computer network on Thursday and fired off an unsolicited email to newsletter subscribers. According to Warner Bros., only the recipients of a particular adult television newsletter received the spam. The spamming prompted Warner Bros. to email an apology and explanation to its newsletter subscribers on Friday. The apology noted that Warner Bros. did not write the email. This particular piece of spam, which has been circulating around the web since January, touts a pyramid investing scheme. Its subject line is “Five is the key to my freedom, it could be yours.” Warner Bros. is not saying if any other sensitive customer data was stolen, or how many people received the spam.
American Airlines slaps a fee on paper tickets
In a move meant to drive consumers to buy e-tickets, American Airlines says it will begin charging a $10 fee for some paper tickets. American says it is trying to cut back on the distribution costs it incurs in printing and mailing out tickets. But rather than impose the fee on all paper tickets, the airline says the charge will apply only in situations where travelers could have purchased an electronic ticket instead. Likewise, travelers who buy full-fare tickets, who belong to the top level of American’s frequent-flyer program, or who use a travel agent to book the trip will be exempt from the fee. American will also waive the fee in the event of flight cancellations due to weather or employee strikes. So far, none of the other major airlines have followed American’s lead, although a much smaller rival, Alaska Airlines, has been charging a $10 fee on most paper ticket sales for the past two years.
RealNetworks will webcast live video of NBA games
In what is being touted as the first live video webcast of a professional sports league , RealNetworks will stream a game between the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings this Friday. The game can be watched free of charge on NBA.com starting at 8:30 p.m. EST. RealNetworks officials say that this webcast is a preview of upcoming services. RealNetworks also offers audio webcasts of National Basketball Association games, but it charges a $9.95 a month fee to partake of the games and other Real services such as music, software and games. The Mavericks and the Kings are not generally regarded as the most popular NBA teams, suggesting that RealNetworks and NBA.com did not want to risk being overwhelmed by traffic--as they likely would if the game were between the big-name teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The webcast is aimed at Kings and Mavericks fans who cannot access the Dallas and Sacramento TV stations that will air the game. RealNetworks also webcasts audio coverage of Major League Baseball games, also for a fee.
Naked News hires buff male newscaster
NakedNews.com, the online news service that features (what else?)--nude anchors--will introduce its first male newscaster this week. Thirty-three-year-old Lucas Tyler of Montreal joins the Toronto-based site’s four female anchors. Like them, Tyler will peel off his outer clothing and undergarments as he reads news stories. Tyler, who worked as an investment advisor with a Canadian national bank in his previous career, beat 200 other male applicants to get the Naked News job. The casting call, for fit, attractive and articulate applicants, was announced back in January. The company will unveil a second male newscaster sometime later this month, and more female newscasters will be trotted out soon as well. Naked News’s strangely annoying gimmick is that au naturel newscasters are in some way less subjective about news events than the ones who leave their garments on. Web surfers apparently agree, since about five million of them visit Naked News each month.
April 10, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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