News Corp. Creates Weblet My Network TV

 

Anthony Crupi

 

FEBRUARY 22, 2006 -

 

News Corp. Wednesday unveiled a new weblet called My Network TV that will offer original prime-time programming for the 10 local TV stations that were to be left out in the cold after UPN closes shop this fall.

 

Launching Sept. 5, the network will program two English-language telenovelas that are to run weekdays from 8-10 p.m., with a one-hour recap of both strips to air on Saturdays. Both the 8 p.m. series, Desire, and the 9 p.m. strip, Secrets, are repurposed properties "that were developed in anticipation of putting them on prime on UPN," said News Corp. president and COO Peter Chernin.

 

My Network TV will launch in Fox's 10 UPN markets, which include New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, with initial coverage coming in at just under a quarter of the U.S. Jack Abernathy, CEO of the Fox Television Station Group, said he expects the net to attain 90 percent saturation and that My Network TV will be "profitable right from the beginning."

 

Abernathy also said that Bob Cook, president and COO of Twentieth Television, was busy signing up stations "this afternoon."

 

Other shows in development for the new net include the reality strip Catwalk, a gameshow called America's Brainiest and a gritty true-crime show On Scene, which is being produced in conjunction with Fox News Channel.

 

Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox Television Stations and chairman and CEO, Fox News, will oversee the new initiative. Ailes said that Fox had begun looking into an alternative to the UPN model back in September, and that he expects the operation to best the new CBS Corp./Warner Bros. net, CW.

 

"Losing is highly overrated as a learning experience," Ailes said. "When I do things, I intend to win."

just heard about it.

 

• “Catwalk� (Twentieth Television) -- The ultimate search for the next “It� supermodel begins by crossing the country to discover 30 of the hottest, hippest and freshest faces who will compete for the once in a lifetime opportunity to be catapulted into stardom.

 

• “Celebrity Love Island� [Granada (“Nanny 911�)] -- Six gorgeous celebrity and six non-celebrity singletons are thrown together in a fantasy island setting, where a star-studded search for love takes place.

 

• “On Scene� (Fox News) -- This crime investigative series will cover all angles, examine all of the evidence and trace every single clue of the most compelling crimes committed today.

 

• “America’s Brainiest� (working title) [Celador (“Who Wants to Be A Millionaire�)] -- This quiz show, based on the hit British program, will find the country’s smartest individuals and reveal them in an exciting format.

 

• In addition, Twentieth Television is in advanced negotiations with FremantleMedia North America (“American Idol�) on an international format.

If FOX is able to keep MLB rights starting in 2007, this new network could air the Saturday Doubleheaders.

I really, really like Murdoch's push into the web. For the past 5 years, when something like this should have been developed, the major networks and media players all treaded water, afraid to dive fully into web based services.

 

Murdoch has seized this opportunity fully with his aquisitions of IGN and MySpace, and now this project. I dislike the man personally, but have tremendous respect for his buisness prowess. I see his media empire becoming the next viacom like media behemoth.

Murdoch has something Viacom doesn't...worldwide DBS companies.

 

DirecTV in the US, Sky in other places.

 

Biggest thing Murdoch has in the US is the FOX brand. Whether it be FBC, Fox Television, Fox Sports Net, or Fox News Channel.

Directv maybe more of a liability than a good, though. He wanted it for years when it was a true prime property, back when Cable was in the dark ages. He finally got his prize, however when Cable finally expanded with services like On-demand which Direct can't offer.

 

Murdoch is going to need to pump some serious innovations into Direct if it's going to stand out as a real alternative to Cable. He also needs to offer something that counteracts Cable's triple play plans, which could really hurt Direct, if it becomes a real viable option.

I don't have an anti-cable view, nor do I like it....but DirecTV sucks in my personal experiences.

 

That's why I use Dish Network. Comcast/AT&T Broadband/TCI in South Florida wasn't bad, but Time Warner here in the Cape is meh and Comcast in Tallahassee gets a double meh.

 

Comcast's lack of sharing CSN Philly is not good in my mind. Same thing with Cox 4 Padres in San Diego.