MGM "Switches On" New Channel And Oscar Upshots

MGM turning its library into a HD Movie Channel
MGM has a huge library of titles -- 4,100 movie titles, about 1,200 of which are available in high-definition, plus hundreds of hours of TV content. So the movie studio is putting that library to work, and is in talks with cable and satellite operators to launch its first domestic TV channel by the end of the year -- MGM HD. TV week reports that DirecTV's HD initiative, which is rolling out with content from TBS, USA, and FX this fall, is sparking an industrywide frenzy for HD content. The MGM content is huge, it includes nearly all its library since 1986, plus all of the United Artists Library, and most of the film and TV library from Orion Pictures, and the Samuel Goldwyn library from before 1996. This isn't MGM's first TV channel, the standard-def MGM channel is available in 120 foreign countries.

Oscar Upshot
So who wants to bet that Jerry Seinfeld gets the job next year? That was totally an audition he was doing. In the big marketing bonanza that is the red carpet, the tally is in. Giorgio Armani got more exposure than any other brand, receiving $550,000 of in-broadcast exposure value, according to Joyce Julius & Associates, a company that specializes in measuring the impact of sponsorships and promotions. The firm does the calculation by comparing each verbal mentions (three times on ABC and three more times on E!) compared to the cost of a commercial. The couture house dressed Beyonce, plus a handful of men nominated for Oscars, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Clint Eastwood. Number two was shoe brand Vaneli, with $333,335 worth of mentions, followed by Vera Wang, which brought home just over a quarter billion worth of mentions.

Questions? Comments? [e-mail]