With Blockbuster filing for bankruptcy protection next week, we lose an institution, a part of our culture for so many years, and lead the way to a possible monopoly of Netflix and or Hulu with their online streaming strategies.  Redbox’s surge to acceptance can not be ignored as well.

From Digital Media Wire:

Los Angeles - Video rental giant Blockbuster(NYSE: BBI) told the six major movie studios that it is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing sources. The company is strapped with nearly $1 billion in debt and unwanted leases on more than 500 of its underperforming rental store locations, and has lost a total of $1.1 billion since the outset of 2008.

Blockbuster is likely to enter a “pre-planned bankruptcy,” wherein many creditors are included in the process before the court weighs in.

The company, which has already shuttered more than 1,300 stores, has faced increasing competition in DVD rentals from Netflix and Redbox, and in the home video market from pay-TV video-on-demand, as well as online services like iTunes.

Apple is currently in talks with News Corp to offer 99 cent TV show rentals.  They are also in talks with other media firms according to Bloomberg.  The service would provide 48 hours of commercial free viewing time for the 99-cent rental fee.  Programs will apparently be available within 24 hours of their first broadcast.

Good Luck!

We have been trying for over an hour starting at 6:20am.  I am sure Apple knew there was going to be high demand for pre-orders, however, they just cannot seem to keep their site functioning.  I made it to the final order screen, only to be denied when I hit the order button, and returned to the “We will be back shortly” screen.  FRUSTRATING on so many different levels

Update : 8:32

Site still not functioning properly

Update : 9:46

PATHETIC – Apple’s Website is incapable of taking any orders, and AT&T’s site is unavailable altogether

Update : 1:02pm

Forget it….  does not appear that Apple can get their site together enough to take any orders.  Nearly 6 hours and nothing but error messages, and cannot complete your request errors…

I wonder if Apple will change the ship dates to later than June 24th like they did with the ipad

Update 5:19 – No luck… Reports out that ATT has compromised user data yet again.

Facebook caught sharing secret data with advertisers

The privacy issues that have been hounding Facebook may be coming to a head. A report in the Wall Street Journal indicates that the Facebook, along with MySpace, Digg, and a handful of other social-networking sites, have been sharing users’ personal data with advertisers without users’ knowledge or consent.

The data shared includes names, user IDs, and other information sufficient to enable ad companies such as the Google-owned DoubleClick to identify distinct user profiles. Some of the sites in question, including MySpace and Facebook, stopped sharing the data after the Journal asked them about it. The surreptitious data sharing was first noticed (PDF) by researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and AT&T Labs in August 2009, who brought it up with the sites in question. It wasn’t until WSJ contacted them that changes were made.

Not surprisingly, Facebook appears to have gone farther than the other sites when it comes to sharing data. When Facebook’s users clicked on ads appearing on a profile page, the site would at times provide data such as the username behind the click, as well as the user whose profile page from which the click came. “If you are looking at your profile page and you click on an ad, you are telling that advertiser who you are,” Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman told the Journal. Advertisers contacted by the paper said that they were unaware of the additional data and did not make use of it.

Facebook has tweaked its privacy policy throughout its history, with the most recent moves to open up more user information to the public drawing heavy criticism and FTC complaints. Users have also had a tough timenavigating the site’s often-Byzantine privacy controls, which has led to a trickle of user defections. With these latest revelations about Facebook ignoring industry standards, not to mention its own privacy policies, that trickle may turn into a torrent.

Article by Eric Bangeman @ Ars Technica

FCC Chairman

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced today an FCC backed effort to increase the speed of Internet access in the US to 100Mbps and higher.  The initiative was dubbed “100 Squared” and would provide 100Mbps to 100 million homes in the use by 2020.

Wall Street Journal

Apple has apparently been shopping iTunes as a TV service to television network executives according to a report from allthingsdigital.com..

No word on whether any networks have actually signed on to the idea yet, however it appears that the service would be subscription based, cost about $30 per month and put Apple in direct competition with cable and satellite companies.

On the plus side this would be a great boost for the highly under-rated Apple TV platform as a distribution platform for on demand programming, hopefully without the high $$ associated with buying content currently available.

Microsoft confirms new round of job cuts

Microsoft confirmed today that the company has eliminated an additional 800 positions.  The company is closing in on their originally announced projection of 5000 job cuts announced last January.

LG and Netflix announced a partnership today that will make its on-demand streaming movie service available on LG HDTVs beginning this spring. Netflix has also previously announced deals with Xbox 360 and blueray players.

What continues to mystify me is the constant attention to the TV in the living room or den. Sure, the majority of people watch broadcasts from their primary television set, and, wouldn’t it be nice if you did not have to attach another set-top box. The reality is that most people will continue to have a set-top box/dvr/tivo for on-demand viewing from their cable or satellite provider. Having multiple boxes produces confusion and clutter. Point taken.

However, todays technology is making it easier and easier to consume content when you are NOT parked in front of the big screen. Netflix’s continued arrogancy that “There’s a limited market for people who want to watch a 2 1/2 hour movie on a 2 inch screen” (Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey) is a very “DEC-esque (Digital Equipment Corporation/Ken Olsen “there is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.”)

The reality is that we can consume content anywhere, on many devices. Like many of you, who have a love for great content, I do not have the luxury of being able to watch everything on the TV. Tivo and DVR’s are GREAT, however, they are not going to do me any good if I am on a train to NYC, at the gym, at the airport, on a plane, or anywhere I might have some spare time, but not being connected to my TV or the internet. I would never get to watch some of the great content out there if it wasn’t for ipod or iphone. Blackberry is getting in the game, and those running smartphone with android or windows mobile are getting better options for viewing content.

Content comes in many shapes and sizes today. There are full featured movies, TV shows, Corporate training, educational programming, e-learning programs, and much more. The most important issue at hand is: How do I effortlessly get that content to any of my devices so I can truly watch it anytime/anywhere. Apple certainly has a stronghold in this area. Case in point scenario:
1)Launch itunes
2)Choose content (Movies, TV shows, Video Podcasts, personal video)
3)Sync to ipod or iphone
4)Done. Period.
(Note: you can also watch web content from youtube or quicktime movies delivered over the internet)

Let’s not forget another important point.  Once I have purchased content from itunes (also generally less expensive than buying the DVD), I now have a :

1)Digital version of the content stored in a digital library (goodbye to the closet shelf system for DVD’s)

2)I can watch it on my TV(via apple tv), ipod, iphone or PC (hello to more time not spent converting it to all the different formats)

The ability to consume content anyplace/anywhere is a tremendous leap for content providers and distributers. Why is it that Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, believes that the future is delivering web and web video to the television set? How many years has it been that we still cannot view flash or flash video over devices other than a web browser? I am not sure I have the patience anymore, certainly not now with the availablity of innovative programs created for the iphone and android.

One advantage, however, that Netflix does have, is its extensive library of titles.  Apple still needs to do better in securing distribution of more content from a variety of content providers.

There is a lot of discussion and examples about how every single day, someone, somewhere is discussing something important to you and your business; your brand, your executives, your products, your competitors, your industry. Are they hyping-up your company, building buzz for your products? Or, are they criticizing you, complaining to others about your products or services.  A great brand can take years and millions of dollars to build, and it should be the asset you hold most indispensable to your success.

So why after all that investment, do you fail to monitor your business activities online?

I know the information overload is overwhelming for companies and staff to keep up with, however,  if you are going to invest in it, also plan for the unexpected things people do.

Fox News has many online initiatives ongoing, one of which allows users to post comments online, and have them displayed in the lower third of the current program.

This is a great example of poor community management and allowing something inexplicable to be shown to millions of viewers online.

I am interested in how this will affect FOX.  Will the groundswell produce outrage at their irresponsibility to put procedures in place to avoid these types of mistakes?  Or is this something that will pass.  Surely, someone has to be accountable for any social / new media initiatives, good AND bad.

After Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang announced its earnings back on October 21, It was also announced that yahoo intended to layoff approximately 10% of the company or about 1500 jobs.  All things Digital reports the layoffs could reach 2000 by this Wednesday.

“Things have changed since these layoffs were announced,” said one source close to the situation. “But those additional cuts might not come Wednesday, but through attrition and a hiring freeze first.”

Yang, who agreed to step down from the helm at yahoo last month, has yet to leave.  It may be the perfect time for yahoo to announce his replacement and take the focus off this continual stream of bad news….

Time for the Microsoft acquisition rumor mill to start again…..  After all, it’s just business…