BRIEFS

Cable World, Jan 13, 2003

* COX, MEDIACOM PUSH START BUTTON ON G4 GAME NET

G4, Comcast's video game network, signed carriage agreements with Cox Communications and Mediacom. The network is already running on some systems owned by both operators.

* SHOWTIME PLANS NIGHT WITH JAY-Z AND MIKE TYSON

Showtime has a big night planned for Feb. 22. First, Jay-Z will perform live from Memphis, one of the first televised full-length concerts by a hip-hop artist. The concert will be followed by the Mike Tyson-Clifford Etienne heavyweight boxing match, then the premiere of the new reality series Family Business.

* NCTA TAKES MOVIEWATCH

The National Cable Television Cooperative finalized an affiliation agreement with Moviewatch, which will provide programming about movies, including pay-per-view and VOD releases. DirecTV already agreed to distribute Moviewatch, which is not charging a sub fee, and hopes to add to its distribution before a launch in the first half of this year.

* ESPN REIGNITES WITH ROME

Jim Rome will return to ESPN as host of Rome Is Burning, a weekly live, one-hour, sports talk show beginning May 6 at 7 p.m. The network will launch Bill Walton's Long, Strange Trip, a weekly reality show following the former NBA star's life, on Feb. 2. ESPN said its next original movie will be The Ice Bowl, looking at the famous 1967 Packers-Cowboys championship game. It's slated to premiere in December 2003.

* GAME SHOW TO AIR DOC

Game Show network is planning to air its first documentary, Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal, on March 16. The network also said it changed the name of its upcoming reality series to Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned (the host co-wrote the No. 1 song Naturally Stoned, which will be the show's title song). Game Show also renewed Whammy!

* USA CABLE SAYS WHOOPI

Whoopi Goldberg and her production company, One Ho Productions, will develop long-form and series projects for USA Network and USA Cable Entertainment. In active development is Sullivan's Travels, an original movie in which Goldberg will star.

* YADDA YADDA FROM TBS

TBS Superstation last week began airing two episodes of Seinfeld in prime time on Wednesday nights.