MICROSOFT has unveiled LiveStation, a peer-to-peer television broadcasting application. Built on the Silverlight platform, LiveStation will offer a major feature that Joost currently lacks: live TV. Microsoft is testing the application now, and a final version is due this October.
NBC may stop creating original programming for Friday evenings, according to co-chairman Marc Graboff. In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Graboff said “something has got to give” as advertisers shift dollars away from broadcast TV. He said that the networks can no longer afford to pay for 19 hours a week of original high-quality programming.
FACEBOOK‘s user base has grown 89% since last year, according to a report issued by comScore. The site reached 26.6 million unique visitors in the U.S. during May. Page views are up 143% since May of 2006 — at almost 16 Billion page views. The surge in activity is the result of opening registration to the general public last September.
MSN is planning extensive coverage of Live Earth this Saturday. The site will offer 9 live feeds from the concert, backstage footage, interviews, social-networking functions, and searchable on-demand content after the event is over. Senior Director Lisa Gurry expects the concert to be “the most highly watched entertainment event online.”
ESPN is planning multi-platform coverage of David Beckham’s MLS debut on July 21st. In addition to hours of television coverage, featuring a skycam, robotic goal cams and super slo-mo shots, ESPN will offer one especially unique feature online: a Beckham-only camera that follows just the soccer star throughout the entire game. The online coverage will be available from ESPN360.com.