2008 04-14 MediaBytes: Google - Advertising - Victoria Lindsay - Blockbuster - Circuit City - Salesforce.com

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube.

SHELLY PALMER discusses the connections between 8 teenagers in Florida, kidnapping, assault and online video. Read this week’s essay, “What We Can Learn From Eight Florida Teens”.

GOOGLE will soon open up its beta TV ad-buying service to the general public, ending the beta period and allowing ordinary users to purchase a TV spot on 94 participating networks on the DISH satellite service. Advertisers will know exactly how many DISH boxes played an ad and only pay for those that did. Targeting will be available by geography, demographics, daypart and network. Official launch is expected sometime in the next few weeks. In related news, Google will integrate Salesforce.com’s CRM software with its suite of online office applications. The combined offering should provide a stronger competitor to Microsoft’s CRM and Office software.

BLOCKBUSTER has offered to buy CIRCUIT CITY for at least $1 billion. However, the struggling electronics retailer has refused to let Blockbuster conduct its due diligence by giving it access to financial records. Blockbuster has responded by making its bid known to the public. Both companies have struggled in recent years, with sagging profits and troubled stock prices.

THE NY LEGISLATURE passed a bill that would force online retailers to collect sales tax for items sold to state residents. Governor Paterson will most likely sign off on the bill, ending the tax-less purchases at Amazon and other top online sites.

ESPN.COM saw golf-related traffic jump 117% during the week of the Masters. Congratulations to the new champion, Trevor Immelman. The Masters Video Podcast was the most downloaded sports podcast on iTunes during the Thursday to Sunday period. On television the event saw the highest golf ratings in cable history during Friday’s round.

CBS SPORTS announced final stats for the online performance of March Madness. 4.7 million unique viewers tuned into March Madness on Demand, up 164% from the 1.8 million uniques last year. In total, the service streamed close to 5 million hours of basketball. A number of viewer-friendly changes added to this year’s success, including dropping online blackouts, not requiring registration and letting online users link directly to games.

FOX NEWS will soon reveal the details of Fox Fusion, a new ad-buying initiative that will let advertisers purchase time on Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, Fox-owned sites and Dow Jones sites including WSJ.com. Details are expected soon.

AOL’s Platform A won the right to handle all of Verizon’s online advertising.

DISH NETWORK lost an appeal of its recent loss in the TIVO patent trial. The satellite operator plans an appeal with the Supreme Court.

SAG has offered AFTRA the chance to rejoin it at the bargaining table with the AMPTP. AFTRA has until Wednesday to respond.