News Corp Looking Forward to Apple iPad
News Corp. is looking forward to working with Apple on the new iPad, says COO Chase Carey. An iPad user reading a story in the Wall Street Journal, for example, could switch seamlessly to a Fox News Channel video related to the same story and view a video advertisement.

   Murdoch Eyes Abu Dhabi as Key for Growth
Rupert Murdoch has signaled that Abu Dhabi is to become a key location in his efforts to expand across the Middle East. News Corp.'s Fox International Channels is making Abu Dhabi a regional hub for online advertising sales, satellite television broadcasting and other services.

  
Media Quote of the Day

   Time Warner Seen as Top Bidder for MGM
About a half-dozen companies are expected to place updated offers for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by March 19, the newly set deadline on second-round bidding for the beleaguered film studio. Time Warner is seen as in "the best position to make a compelling offer."

   Disney May Pull ABC from Time Warner Next
Disney, which blocked some viewers from the first 13 minutes of the Oscars amid a dispute with Cablevision, may repeat the maneuver if it can't reach a deal with Time Warner Cable once their agreement ends in August. Disney "may have used Cablevision as a test case."

   Cablevision Seen as Winner in ABC Dispute
Cablevision was the likely winner in its stalemate with ABC owner Disney, but broadcasters may ultimately win the industry's running debate over fees, according to Moody's Investors Service. "We award this Oscar to Cablevision as the likely victor, this time."

   ABC: Oscarcast Most-Watched Since 2005
Some 41.3 million people saw the Academy Awards, making it the most-watched Oscar show since 2005. Viewership was up 14% over last year, keeping with a trend of bigger broadcast audiences for major events after the Super Bowl became the most-watched telecast ever.

   Summit's 'Hurt Locker' Gets Oscar Boost
DVD sales of "The Hurt Locker" spiked after the film won best picture at the Academy Awards, and analysts say its six Oscars may help double box-office revenue. The Iraq war drama quickly became the most-rented movie on Amazon's video-on-demand service and Apple's iTunes.

   News Corp: 'Avatar' DVD Won't Be in 3D
News Corp.'s initial DVD release of "Avatar" this year will not be in 3D, according to COO David Carey. The market for 3D home entertainment is not developed enough yet for a 3D DVD release, he says. A 3D version of "Avatar" could be released in the future.

   Sony to Begin Worldwide 3D TV Launch
Sony will begin selling 3D TVs in Japan on June 10 and worldwide at about the same time, the company says. Sony's first two sets, which are 40- and 46-inch models, will come bundled with two pairs of 3D glasses. Sony will launch six additional 3D TV sets in July.

   ABC Family Acquires 'Alice' from Disney
ABC Family is acquiring the rights to Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" in a deal with corporate sibling Disney Pictures. "Alice," which opened last weekend, will debut on ABC Family in 2012. The cable network has not decided whether it will telecast the movie in 3D.

   CBS to Offer Two March Madness Apps
CBS is again providing a lifeline to iPhone-equipped fans of basketball's March Madness -- two lifelines, in fact. A free "lite" version offers scores, news and video highlights. A $10 "premium" version will support live video and audio streaming of every March Madness game.

   Hulu to Add Hundreds of Clips from NFL
The NFL is expanding its operations online by adding the football league's content to Hulu, the video portal owned by NBC, Fox, ABC and others. The content from NFL Network and NFL Films, encompassing some 600 clips, ranges from team highlights to Super Bowl classics.

   YouTube a 'Legal Liability,' Googler Says
Google, in its $1 billion copyright lawsuit filed by Viacom, has asked a federal court to keep documents in the case under seal. Documents reportedly show that former Google exec David Eun advised management in 2006 to not acquire YouTube, believing it to be "a legal liability."

   Google, Dish Test Service to Search TV
Google is testing a new service with Dish Network that allows users to search content from Web videos and personalize a lineup of television shows. With the test, Google moves into a crowded field of companies that have been trying for years to marry the Web and TV.

   TiVo Subscriber Losses Accelerate in 2009
TiVo may have scored a major legal victory against Dish Network last week -- worth $300 million or more in damages -- but the DVR company is still struggling to retain subscribers as it lost 730,000 over the last 12 months, a decline of 22% for the period.

   Liberty Media Grabbing Up Satellite Radio
Liberty Media is on the verge of controlling the assets of WorldSpace, a satellite radio company that owns three satellites and broadcast spectrum reaching nearly worldwide outside the United States. Liberty rescued Sirius XM, the sole U.S. satellite radio provider, last year.

  
Media Video Must-Sees

   NBC's 'SNL' Responds to Facebook Push
Betty White will appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in the near future, the 88-year-old actress confirms, following a campaign on Facebook that attracted half a million fans. White inspired the effort after her popular comic turn in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl.

   Facebook CEO Named Media Person of Year
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be honored as 2010 Media Person of the Year at the 57th annual Cannes Lions Advertising Festival in June. The award honors an influential figure in media. (I Want Media's Media Person of the Year honored the Twitter Guys for 2009.)

   Barnes & Noble Creates Job for E-Reader
Barnes & Noble is naming Jonathan Shar to a new position overseeing the development of digital content from newspapers, magazines and other publishers for hand-held reading devices. Shar previously was senior VP and general manager for CNNMoney.com.

   NY Times Preps Book Review for E-Readers
The New York Times plans to offer its Book Review as a separate e-reader product, disaggregated from the rest of the newspaper's content on mobile devices. The "disaggregation" effort aims to identify which content categories should remain as part of the core product.

   Financial Times Mulls Fees for Web Video
The Financial Times could move its online video content behind its pay wall, according to product manager Stephen Pinches. The FT's videos are currently free to view. "We're going to see a transition of video behind that pay wall, but it's going to be a gradual thing."

   Tribune Eyes Clear Channel's Biz Model
Tribune's Daily Press newspaper in Newport News, Va., plans to outsource the editing and designing of much of its content to company flagship Chicago Tribune, in a bid to reduce costs. Tribune execs compare the move to Clear Channel's radio-station programming model.

   Bloomberg, Dow Jones to Broaden Reach
Bloomberg and Dow Jones & Co. are busy making acquisitions and unveiling ventures that are only peripherally related to their core business-information products. "Both companies are trying to broaden their revenue streams. They can't stop swimming. If they do, they'll drown."

   Variety Lays Off Two Critics in Overhaul
Todd McCarthy, chief film critic at Variety, and David Rooney, chief theater critic, are losing their jobs amid a staff cut of eight employees and a reorganization at the entertainment industry trade publication. Says Variety president Neil Stiles: "It's economic reality."

   Conde Nast's Vogue Launches in Turkey
Conde Nast is launching an edition of Vogue magazine in Turkey. The 562-page debut issue boasts 252 pages of advertising, among them ads from Christian Dior and D&G. Turkey "is definitely an emerging market," says Conde Nast exec Jonathan Newhouse.

   Playboy Images Set for New Video Game
Playboy is entering a deal with 2K Games to allow the gamemaker to use some of its vintage covers and centerfold photos in the video game "Mafia II," due out later this year. Characters in the game will be able to collect virtual versions of Playboy magazine.

   Magazine Web Sites Profitable, Survey Says
More than half of the consumer magazines with a monthly traffic of 1.5 million unique users or more are profitable, according to a survey from Columbia Journalism Review. Almost two-thirds of the magazine sites that do make a profit offer their content for free.

   Craigslist Founder Marks Site's 15th Year
"I really don't know when I started, early '95 I think," writes Craigslist founder Craig Newmark on his personal blog about the launch of his online classified advertising service. Newmark quotes a memo on Craigslist's origins: "The approach is as minimalist as I could make."

   Sex.com Internet Domain Name for Sale
Sex.com, often touted as one of the most valuable Internet domain names, is due to head to the auction block on March 18. DOM Partners, a New Jersey lender that backed a 2006 purchase of the domain name for $14 million, is foreclosing on the Internet property.