snapsho9t 12/05/07

Nielsen to unveil Web piracy remedy: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nielsen is unveiling a new service aimed at ensuring that video distributed on the Internet is done only in ways sanctioned by its owners, the Wall Street Journal said in its online edition. The service -- which Nielsen is hoping to offer to media companies such as General Electric Co's NBC Universal, or the Discovery Channel -- could be announced as early as Wednesday, the Journal said.

Privately held information and media company Nielsen has already approached Google Inc and News Corp's Fox about the new service, the Journal said. The service, called Digital Media Manager, will be available in the spring, the Journal said. Digimarc Corp is its partner in the venture, the Journal added.


Christmas Release Schedule Raises More Sales Concerns
Major labels are not enjoying a fruitful holiday season, thanks to lukewarm post-Thanksgiving sales levels. But buying activity over the next few weeks may also be soft, and a release schedule thin on big-name, superstar releases may fail to generate heavy traffic levels.

Multi-platinum heavyweight Mary J. Blige (Geffen) is among the bigger names, though her album, Growing Pains, is not expected until December 18th. Among the others pushing holiday-quarter releases are Birdman (Cash Money), Wyclef Jean (Columbia), Godsmack (Universal/Republic), Too $hort (Jive/Zomba), Wreckers (Reprise), Daft Punk (Virgin), and Wu-Tang Clan (SRC), according a schedule recently published by Hits Magazine.

Those are well-known artists, though previous years have seen more potent rollouts. Meanwhile, bigger superstars have already pushed product into the marketplace, and will probably experience a bump over the next few weeks. That includes the Wal-Mart exclusive Eagles, as well as Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Chris Brown, Celine Dion, and Josh Groban. The soundtrack to High School Musical 2 is also expected to perform solidly.


Why Apple can't do to video what it did to music
From Hollywood to New York City, media executives have spent the last two years fretting that Steve Jobs could wreak havoc on the video distribution business the same way he upended the music industry. The hand-wringing can end; the Apple juggernaut won't be able to do to video what it did to music.