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* Richter to join Tonight Show. * Senate hears Ticketmaster, Live Nation case. * GMail crashes, GTalk phished. * Microsoft investing in R&D. * Liz Smith fired from NY Post. Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

* Richter to join Tonight Show. * Senate hears Ticketmaster, Live Nation case. * GMail crashes, GTalk phished. * Microsoft investing in R&D. * Liz Smith fired from NY Post. Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

SUPER BOWL XLII was the most-watched sporting event on record and the second most-watched TV program in history. Nielsen says an average of 97.5 million viewers watched the Giants-Pats contest. The most-watched program is still the M*A*S*H finale, which drew 106 million viewers in 1983. THE FCC is facing a lawsuit from six cable programmers over the new dual must-carry regulations. Scripps, A Project Infinity, the company s goal to massively increase its on-demand content offerings. NEWS CORPS Peter Chernin told analysts that Fox will not abandon the upfront, calling it a valuable platform to interact with our advertisers. Fox will, however, make fewer pilots than in the past. In related news, Rupert Murdoch put to rest any lingering speculation that News Corp. would challenge Microsoft for Yahoo, saying simply and clearly We are definitely not going to make a bid for Yahoo. MYSPACE launches its developer platform today, one month before third-party widgets and applications are unleashed on the top social-networking site. Until then developers will test their apps on up to five users at a time. When the program goes live developers will keep all revenue generated by their widgets. Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

* FCC launches auction of coveted analog spectrum today. * NBC clarifies pilot season stance. * MINDSHARE research shows impacts of strike on TV viewers. * CBS unveils ad-supported on demand music via Last.fm. * NETFLIX beats earnings and reaches 7.5 million subscribers. * MYSPACE to add BBC video content. Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

* THE FCC begins spectrum auction this Thursday. Will post bids online. * COMCAST begins marketing TiVo software for DVRs. * NBC chooses YuMe to serve ads for NBC Direct. * HD DVD disc sales falling off. * VERIZON sues COX for VOIP patent infringement. Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

THE DGA strikes a deal with the AMPTP. TIME WARNER CABLE to raise prices for heavy downloaders. COMSCORE releases November online video stats. YAHOO joins OpenID alliance. DOUG LIMAN launches digital production company with WGA deal. Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

NETFLIX drops streaming restrictions. Offers 6,000 titles. APPLE iPhone was the top mobile device on Google during Christmas. IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS tech to squeeze more into same bandwidth. DGA enter negotiations with AMPTP. HAVAS acquires BLM Quantum. Get the full story at Media30.com

FRONTLINE WIRELESS has reportedly shutdown operations following a failed attempt to bid in the upcoming wireless spectrum auction. The company missed Thursday s deadline for submitting the $128 million auction deposit after being unable to acquire funding. A company spokesperson released a statement saying Frontline is closed for business at this time. We have no further comment. KEVIN MARTIN said the date for the transition to all-digital broadcasts is a hard date with no chance for delay. Speaking at a CES Q s leadership and the internal workings of the Commission. THE DATAPORTABILITY WORKGROUP received a major boost yesterday when Facebook, Google and Plaxo all announced plans to join. In doing so the companies are committing to open standards and interoperability for online data. In related news, Google, IBM and VeriSign are reportedly in talks to join OpenID, the foundation dedicated to creating a single login and password for users across as many online services as possible. GOLDEN GLOBES sponsors have begun to withdraw from the stripped-down news conference version of the awards ceremony. Overall, the debacle will cost NBC between $10 million and $15 million. Meanwhile, fear is mounting that the Oscars will face a similar fate putting ABC s $80 million payday for the broadcast in peril. In other strike news, Jon Stewart derided the Writers Guild on-air for not cutting a deal with him, even though he had convinced Viacom to sign-off on it. The WGA affirmed that it will not negotiate with individual shows. MICROSOFT has bid $1.2 billion for Fast Search and Transfer, a Norwegian company that creates software to search internal corporate data. Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft s business division, says the acquisition will make Microsoft the clear leader in enterprise search. Analysts believe that the acquired technology could also help Microsoft compete with Google in the consumer search market. VIACOM announced online syndication deals with Veoh, Dailymotion, iMeem, MeeVee and GoFish. Content from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and other Viacom properties will soon be available on the video sites. SPRINT confirmed an April launch for its WiMax service and unveiled prototype devices that connect to the network. * Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com *

CHINA has issued draconian new rules restricting the broadcast of online video to state-owned and state-controlled sites. The regulations go into effect on January 31st and major online video companies are waiting to see how tightly the government will crack down on independent video sites. A YouTube spokesman called the developments a cause for concern. JAY LENO is drawing complaints from the WGA about his scripted monologues for The Tonight Show. During Wednesday s show Leno said he was writing his own monologues. Leno claims Guild West president Patric Verrone gave his personal approval of self-written monologues, while Verrone says otherwise. The Guild now claims Leno is in violation of strike rules and risks being brought before the Strike Rules Compliance Committee. MOTOROLA will introduce a new dedicated mobile television device at CES. The DH01 will play live TV using the DVBH standard and allow users to pause live broadcasts for up to five minutes. The device will also offer on-demand video and the ability to play content stored on a DVR. The DH01 will officially launch sometime this month. SAMSUNG and STARZ are teaming up to allow users of the Samsung P2 media device to download content from the Vongo service for mobile viewing. Vongo offers access to 2,500 titles for $9.99 per month. The P2 will join seven other media players with support for Vongo, including players from Archos, Creative and Toshiba. ALBUM SALES dropped 15% during 2007, falling to 500 million albums after a 2006 total of 588 million. Meanwhile, album downloads jumped 53% to 50 million. DVD unit sales fell 4.5%, the first major decline in the history of the format. Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

STRIKE NEGOTIATIONS have broken down, signaling a turn for the worse in the ongoing labor dispute. The AMPTP claims the current problems stem from radical demands being made by the WGA, such as the right to join strikes on behalf of other industry guilds. The producers are insisting that the WGA remove certain demands before talks can resume. The WGA says it rejects that ultimatum, as the strike enters its sixth week. NBC will be giving cash refunds to advertisers this holiday season because they have no inventory left for make-goods. In fact, inventory is tight across all of the broadcast networks. The CW has been out of sale for weeks and CBS, ABC and Fox will be doing make-goods in the first quarter of next year. WALT DISNEY s Steamboat Ventures has invested $6 million in content delivery network EdgeCast. A Steamboat spokesman said that optimizing online delivery of digital content is a strategic imperative for Disney. Steamboat provided funding for Move Networks earlier this year. DIRECTV has seen positive results for YES Interactive, an application that offers on-screen stats and extra camera angles during Yankee games. Newly-released stats show that 42% of households with access to Yes Interactive used it consistently during the 2007 season. On average, interactive users watched games for 54% longer than standard viewers. The feature will return in 2008 with increased advertising support. THE NBA will begin using MICROSOFT s Silverlight platform to deliver video content for NBA.com, WNBA.com and NBADevelopmentLeague.com. NBA VP of Interactive Steve Grimes said Silverlight will integrate with existing Flash applications and offer higher quality video playback. The NBA will begin using Silverlight video after the holiday season. IMEEM has struck a deal to give users free streaming access to UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP music and videos. In exchange, Universal will take a cut of advertising revenue on the social networking site. Imeem now has deals in place with all four major record labels. * Get the fully story at Media30.com *

* YAHOO licenses SONY BMG music for UGC. * DGA reaches tentative agreement with major networks. * APPLE may have to unlock the iPhone in Germany. * ABC STUDIOS in agreement to pay writers for webisodes of Lost. * NEWSPAPERS suffer more ad declines. Get the Story at Media30.com.

* GOOGLE prepares for wireless auction bid. * BLOWTORCH brings user-generated content to theaters. * MAGNA GLOBAL predicts 9% decline in TV viewers during strike. * AMAZON to launch e-book device on Monday in NY. * THE STRIKE grows contentious. Get the Story at Media30.com.

* BLACKARROW aims ads at VOD and Internet TV. * MAVEN to launch online ad platform, minus pre- and post-rolls. * DISCOVERY buys HowStuffWorks.com for $250 million. * P&G launches online show. Tide to play supporting role. * TMZ's new TV show takes off. National IQ suddenly drops. Read more at www.media30.com

* GOOGLE morphs AdSense network into a YouTube video network. * BITTORRENT uses P2P to improve video quality. Signs Brightcove. * TIVO adds RHAPSODY music service to its DVRs. * THE FCC pushes back wireless auction date. * SONY launches in-game ad unit for Playstation. Read more at www.media30.com

* NBC U to offer free, ad-supported downloads. * ABC adds shows to AOL. * APPLE brings iPhone to Germany. * STARZ MEDIA distributing via Unbox and Xbox Live. * DIRECTV VOD is coming soon. Read more at www.media30.com

* ABC switches course, looks for online partners. * NAB fights unlicensed, "white space" devices. * DIRECTV uses TANDBERG's workflow system for VOD. * CBS adds affiliates to its Audience Network. * MYSPACE distributes videos for MY DAMN CHANNEL. * WPP buys SCHEMATIC. Read more at www.media30.com

* NBCU sells TV shows on AMAZON Unbox. * YAHOO acquires BLUE LITHIUM ad network. * APPLE hosting "special event" at 1 PM Eastern time. * HBO purchases film made in the Second Life "virtual world." * VIDEOEGG gets $15 million in funding. Read more at www.media30.com

* NBCU tells Apple it won't renew iTunes contract. * DAILYMOTION draws $34 million in funding. * JOOST lets developers make widgets. * MTV plans multi-platform push for video award show. * NBC to begin streaming Conan O'Brien. Read more at www.media30.com

* FACEBOOK developing new, targeted ad system. * SONY adding TV functions to Playstation line. * COMSCORE gets suspended by TRUSTe. * GOOGLE still planning to join the spectrum auction. * SOUNDEXCHANGE offers Internet Radio reduced royalties. Read more at www.media30.com

* ADOBE adds support for H.264. * MTV NETWORKS teams with REAL NETWORKS. * GOOGLE offers refund to Video Store customers. * PARAMOUNT and DREAMWORKS choose HD-DVD. * FCC sets auction date: Jan. 16, 2008. Read more at www.media30.com