Briefs

Cable World, May 8, 2000

MALIBU MADNESS

Fast Lane to Malibu, the world's first erotic feature film, will peel out on Playboy TV at 11 p.m. ET/PT, Saturday, May 20. The flick tells the tale of Zack and Brian, college roommates who encounter provocative women and erotic surprises as they hit the road to a wild party on Malibu's fabled shores. Five times during the story, viewers will be presented with plot choices that help determine how the main characters proceed. Votes are submitted via phone, fax or by visiting www.playboytv.com. Live intermissions will announce results. "Viewers on the East Coast could choose an entirely different story from the West Coast," said Jim English, president of Playboy TV Networks Worldwide.

HONG KONG HEAT

"Hong Kong Heat" premieres June 2 on Starz Encore's Action channel and features talents that have spear-headed the Hong Kong invasion of Hollywood such as Jackie Chan (Rush Hour) and director John Woo (Mission Impossible 2). Chan's chopsocky antics can be seen in Mr. Nice Guy July 7, while Woo's eye for ballet-style shoot-outs can be witnessed in The Killer, August 4. The films of "Heat" showcase over-the-top action sequences that have influenced American directors like Quentin Tarantino, among others.

OPTIMUM EXPOSURE

Cablevision Systems and Delsener-Slater Enterprises are sponsoring the New York area Optimum Online Concert Series. The Jones Beach Theater will hold this summer's concerts, named for Optimum Online, Cablevision's high-speed Internet service. Starting May 26, more than 35 shows are planned, covering a wide variety of artists from blues man B.B. King to the time-tested Beach Boys to retired Police man Sting. Delsener-Slater and Cablevision will offer Optimum Online customers ticket giveaways, exclusive info and special promos and online events.

TEAM SPIRIT

Discovery Pictures, the specialty film division of Discovery Communications, has rounded up a new marketing and business team to oversee its current releases Africa's Elephant Kingdom and Wildfire: Feel the Heat, as well as the large format film, The Human Body. Jana Bennett, executive in charge of Discovery Pictures and EVP/GM of TLC, said, "Our team is charged with translating the impact of what viewers will see on the giant screen into innovative marketing strategies, creative materials and business development opportunities."

VIEWING CABLE

A recent report by Veronis, Suhler & Associates shows that cable viewing represents 21.4% of time spent with consumer media -- 18.3% for ad-supported cable.

GOING DUTCH

France Telecom Inc.-owned cable operator, Casema, is using Terayon Communication Systems broadband technology to deliver telephony services in central and southwest Netherlands. Casema has more than 1.3M subs.

CAP STANDARDS

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has formed a standards development group, the Cable Applications Platform (CAP), to explore if SCTE should coordinate with the International Telecommunications Union -- Telecommunications (ITU-T), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and other organizations in developing applications platform development standards.

BILLING INTERFACE

CSG Systems and DIVA Systems launched a proprietary interface which enables CSG to support its clients rolling out DIVA's VOD products and services. The solution includes back office functions, such as automatic VOD movie purchase provisioning on the same bill as basic fees and sub services; capturing account data; verifying sub eligibility and credit limits; and monitoring equipment.

ACQUISITION

WorldGate Communications acquired Digital Video Art, a supplier of custom technology software designs and solutions for the interactive TV marketplace.

CONTENT CONFAB

A conference June 28-30 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles will bring together a guest list of movie studio execs and Web experts to discuss Internet content. EMediatainmentWorld will focus exclusively on development and distribution of Internet entertainment. Superpanel sessions have drawn names including Kevin Tsujihara, EVP-new media for Warner Bros.; Leonard Washington, president-digital entertainment for Paramount Pictures; Mark Greenberg, EVP-corporate strategy and communications for Showtime Networks; and Jeff Morris, president/CEO of Yack.com. For info, see www.emediaentertainmentworld.com.

THE UNVEILING

Microsoft unveiled its latest reader incarnation, Windows Media Player 7, last week. The beta version's upgrades include 3-D audio enhancement technology, the ability to transfer digital music files directly to portable players and 60-frame-per-second video playback.

VIDEO OUTLOOK

A forecast in research service publication Digital Broadcast and Programming/Webcast Track predicts video usage on the computer screen will grow at close to double-digit rates through 2002. By 2002, about 240M streams will be served to broadband users, creating a potential ad market value of $380M.

ALL THAT'S FIT TO PRINT

Hewlett-Packard said it would produce printers compatible with AT&T's Broadband Interactive TV, which is scheduled for launch this year. The printers look like a VCR. While the companies did not disclose terms of the deal, HP of Palo Alto, Calif., will have a site on AT&T's service that allows users to purchase HP equipment from their TV. TV watchers can print e-mail, shopping receipts, family photos, coupons, maps, event tickets and other content.