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Crown Media Promotes Donovan Batiste As VP Research And Media Planning For Hallmark Channels

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:24:08 +0000

Crown Media Holdings has promoted Donovan Batiste as Vice President, Research & Media Planning for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.

Batiste will based in the networks’ Los Angeles office and report to Jess Aguirre, Senior Vice President, Research & Media Planning.

Batiste as VP, Research & Media Planning will continue to provide Nielsen data to assist program executives in the creation, scheduling and acquisition of family-friendly content. He will also have expanded responsibilities for the media plans related to on-air promotional campaigns and strategies to drive ratings for the channels.

Batiste will collaborate with executives in the Programming, Creative Services, Marketing and Ad Sales departments to determine quarterly and long-term priorities and growth opportunities for the channels as well as to ensure that the coordination of on-air and off-air advertising and marketing efforts are aligned.

Previously, Batiste was Research Director for the channels where he tracked and analyzed programming trends, ratings growth and audience composition among cable and broadcast television as well as played a key role in evaluating online user patterns which helped the network refresh its consumer website. He began his tenure at Hallmark Channels as a Senior Analyst.

Prior to joining Hallmark Channels, Batiste was a Senior Analyst for CBS-Paramount Pictures where he was a member of a team that worked on a variety of shows, including “Dr. Phil,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Frasier” and “Judge Judy.”

Batiste holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in mass communications as well as a master’s degree in communications from California State University, Los Angeles. He is a member of Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.

Aguirre said “Donovan has long been a major contributor to the success of our networks and I am delighted to acknowledge his leadership, expertise and dedication.”

Verizon To Launch FiOS TV Service in Liverpool, New York Area

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:55:12 +0000

Verizon will be launching its FiOS TV service in Liverpool, New York area. Verizon’s expansion in the central New York area is possible as the Liverpool Village Board approved a franchise agreement on Monday, June 21.

Verizon will launch its FiOS TV service in Liverpool, delivered over the most advanced fiber-optic network directly to customers’ homes and businesses. After including Liverpool, Verizon is now offering its service in 176 of New York municipalities.

Verizon will launch FiOS TV service in Liverpool with more than 595 all-digital channels, including 138 HD channels. Subscribers can also access FiOS TV’s video-on-demand (VOD) service, with 2,800 HD titles per month and also interactive services including an advanced interactive media guide; social TV, news and entertainment widgets; remote DVR management; multi-room DVR, and more.

Jim Gerace, Verizon president for the New York region, said “Our total fiber network delivers technology innovations like the FiOS TV multi-room DVR and on-screen Twitter and Facebook Widget applications that cable just can’t provide. This franchise agreement recognizes customers’ demand for choice in broadband, television and entertainment services.”

Cox Launches 13 HD Channels in Newport News, Virginia

admin — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:01:22 +0000

Cox Communications has launched 13 new high-definition channels in Newport News, Virginia. Cox has announced that they will continue to expand its HD programming line-up as more channels become available in high-definition.
The new HD channels added are :

Bravo HD

CMT HD

CNBC HD

Hallmark Movie Channel HD

Lifetime Movie Network HD

Lifetime Network HD

MTV HD

Nickelodeon HD

Planet Green HD

Sci-Fi Channel HD

Spike HD

USA HD and

VH1 HD

Cox has added all these channels on November 26 and the subscribers have 48 HD channels.

DirecTV Launch HD Channels And Access Magazine in Argentina

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:16:03 +0000

DirecTV has launched its high-definition service in Argentina. The satcaster recently launched its HD service in Latin America. Same like the DirecTV launch in Latin America, the satcaster will deliver HD DVR which can store 400 hours of SD or 100 hours of HD contents. The channels that are to launched are not very clear in the DIRECTV website, but it will carry DirecTV HD Showcase, Fox HD and HBO HD (doubtful).

DirecTV also launched its magazine ACCESS in Argentina and provide television, sports, cinema, music, celebrities, worlds and entertainment news from Argentina, Peru and Colombia. Access DirecTV Magazine now has more than 800,000 subscribers and expected to grow much more with the launch in the Argentina market.

DirecTV To Launch Fox News Channel in HD Today

admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:25:52 +0000

DirecTV is expected to launch Fox News Channel in high-definition today. This is according to Swanni’s TV Predictions. DirecTV has not added any new HD channels in recent times as other operators are rushing with many new HD channels and the satcaster has been adding local HD channels in many markets. DirecTV claims that they offer 130 HD channels, including 20 PPV channels in HD. DirecTV subscribers are expecting more HD channels from the leading satellite television provider. Verizon is doing an excellent HD expansion job launching many new HD channels and delivering more HD content.

Oceanic Time Warner Cable Launches Four New HD channels in Kauai and Oahu

admin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:37:08 +0000

Oceanic Time Warner Cable has launched four new high-definition in Oahu and Kauai islands on Monday, Oct. 6. The cable operator is now offering 42 HD channels, which includes Discovery HD Theater, ESPN HD, National Geographic Channel HD, HBO HD, Showtime HD and four local broadcast networks. Following are the new HD channels launched:
Big Ten Network HD
FOX Business HD
Hallmark Movie Channel HD and
Travel Channel HD
Oceanic Time Warner Cable spokesperson said “We are delivering more HD content in this region and have lined up more channels in near future.”

Time Warner Cable Adds Five New HD channels In Buffalo

admin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:28:05 +0000

Time Warner Cable launched five new high-definition channels in its HD programming line-up in Buffalo area. According to www.bizjournals.com, the cable operator has added 20 new HD channels in Buffalo in recent times. Time Warner announced the launch of five HD channels in this area on Sept.18.
The cable operator now serves 33 high-definition channels in Buffalo area. The new high-definition channels added are:
ABC Family
National Geographic
Sports New York
The Learning Channel and
Toon Disney

Terence Rafferty, Time Warner Cable Western New York division president said “At the pace we are moving, we will have more than 50 new HD channels well before year-end.”

Time Warner Cable Launches Five New HD Channels In Buffalo

admin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:08:41 +0000

Time Warner Cable has announced that they are launching five new high-definition channels in Buffalo area. Following are the HD channels to be launched in Buffalo area:
Animal Planet HD
CNN HD
Discovery Channel HD
Science Channel HD and
TBS HD
Time Warner was first to add ESPNU HD in August, when the channel was launched in high-definition.

Blue Ridge Communications Launches Seven New HD Channels

admin — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:20:11 +0000

The regional cable television, Internet and VoIP provider Blue Ridge Communications that serves much of the Poconos area and central Pennsylvania has launched seven new high-definition channels in its programming line-up. Blue Ridge has added these new HD channels in Lehighton / Stroudsburg areas from September 15. The new HD channels are:
PBS HD
Discovery HD
NHL HD
Planet Green HD
QVC HD
Science HD and
TLC HD
The cable operator has also announced that MLB in high-definition will be added to its Sports Programming line-up from January 2009.

PBS KIDS GO Launches Full-Screen Online Video Player

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:58:26 +0000

An educational television of PBS has launched PBS KIDS GO for kids with advertising-free, streaming video player offering hundreds of video clips and dozens of full-length episodes. This PBS KIDS GO is a video player is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Kids will also be presented with new shows, full screen video, closed captioning, and Spanish audio tracks on selected clips and episodes, as well as give favorite shows a recommendation trophy and share videos with friends.

PBS KIDS GO serves for kids of age group 6 to 8 with quality educational programming and also new shows and episodes which include: Animalia, Arthur, Cyberchase, Design Squad, Dragonflytv, Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, Kids World Sports, Kratts’ Creatures, Martha Speaks, Maya & Miguel, Postcards From Buster, Wishbone, WordGirl and Zoom

“This is just the beginning,” said Jason Seiken, PBS senior VP of Interactive, explaining that the player launch represents the first phase of a comprehensive, three-year video expansion focused on education at PBS KIDS GO! “Our future plans for the player include new community features, as well as interactive videos, to allow kids to play educational games while they watch videos.