VXI BlueParrott B100 Specifications download pdf (Page 3)

THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL

quickstart

F

ree broadcasts streamed over the

Internet? It almost sounds like a trap.

Yet that’s exactly what’s going on over at

the Cartoon Network, where the channel’s

insanely popular Adult Swim program block,

which runs from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday

through Thursday, will be streamed over the

Internet on Fridays, for those who can’t bear

to go a day without Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

It’s called Friday Night Fix, and it’s one

example of how the entertainment indus-

try is beginning to acknowledge how the

Internet can help television networks, music

labels, and Hollywood studios bag new

audiences for their content and build more

loyalty among current fans. Paul Condolora,

vice president and general manager of

Cartoon Network New Media told Maximum

PC, “[Friday Night Fix] is intended to at-

tract a new group of users to our site,

who will then experience other aspects of

Adultswim.com, like games and our new

social network dubbed the Fan Collective.

Finally, we suspect there may be people

who do not have cable TV, but might be

able to access our shows on this platform.”

It’s not as if

the entertainment

industry has been

unaware of the way

the Internet can be

used to promote and

gauge the popularity

of content, however.

One of the record-

ing industry’s dirty

little secrets is a

company called

BigChampagne,

which monitors ﬁle-

sharing networks and

reports on what’s

being traded the

most. What’s more,

BigChampagne

gathers as much de-

mographic information as is possible from

the shared folders on users’ hard drives—in

essence, gathering valuable marketing data

from the same ﬁle-sharing networks that the

industry is actively trying to eliminate.

Wouldn’t you know, there remains a

vocal segment of the entertainment in-

dustry that’s unhappy even with the legiti-

mate distribution of creative work on the

Internet. When the UK’s BBC began making

Beethoven symphonies available for free

download over the Internet—a hugely popu-

lar program that netted 1.4 million down-

loads in a single month—recording-industry

representatives whined that the downloads

might cut into their commercial sales.

Ultimately, the entertainment industry

is battling for the attention of audiences

who are turning to the Internet in increas-

ing numbers for their kicks; the result is

a melting away of irrational fears about

Internet distribution and free stuff. As

Condolora put it, “At Cartoon Network, we

believe in letting fans be as big of fans as

they want to be.... We understand what it’s

like to be a fan, and we try to encourage

that behavior on all media platforms.”

Friday Night Fix began airing on

September 16, and is streamed from

Adultswim.com every Friday evening

beginning at 11 p.m. (EST). You’ll need

Windows Media Player and parental per-

mission to watch.

10 MAXIMUMPC HOLIDAY 2005

Put the kids to bed, and then kick back with Aqua

Teen Hunger Force on your laptop.

Get Your Kicks

with

Friday

Night Fix

As the Cartoon Network airs free

streamed broadcasts over the

Internet, Maximum PC wonders:

Are content providers finally seeing

the benefits of digital distribution?

In addition to the usual Adult Swim fare, the Cartoon Network

intends to premiere new shows on Friday Night Fix.

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