WATCH: Preview of Marcelito Pomoy’s semifinal song in ‘America’s Got Talent’

MANILA – Marcelito Pomoy advanced to the semifinals of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” last month, and many of his fans have been wondering what he would sing in the next round of the competition.

Over the weekend, they finally got their answer as “AGT: Champions” shared a preview of Pomoy’s semifinal performance.

The video, published on YouTube on February 1, showed Pomoy singing the Andrea Bocelli classic “Time to Say Goodbye” in dual voice.

The full performance will be aired in NBC on Monday night (Tuesday morning in Manila). 

Watch the preview 


Pomoy rose to fame in his home country of the Philippines after winning the second season of “Pilipinas Got Talent” in 2011, which aired on ABS-CBN.

He was first recognized abroad for his “golden female voice” when he appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2018.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, will have free option, ‘The Office’

Despite taking its name from one of the flashiest animals on the planet, NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service is at risk of blending in with the flock.

On Thursday at Rockefeller Center in New York City, the media company, owned by cable giant Comcast, made the case that Peacock would distinguish itself from Netflix and Disney Plus, among others in an increasingly crowded field, because it will rely on advertisements rather than subscriptions to generate revenue, while offering live broadcasts, including news programming and sports coverage in addition to 15,000 hours of TV shows and movies.

The streaming service announced itself to the world with the help of a 15,000-pound topiary peafowl sculpture that towered over throngs of Midtown tourists for much of the day. As the 4 p.m. presentation approached, investors, journalists and ad agency employees headed through the doors of 30 Rock toward Studio 8H, home of “Saturday Night Live,” to hear the Peacock pitch from company executives and stars.

Stephen Burke, chief executive of NBCUniversal who recently announced that he would step down in August, was the first to take the stage. He described Peacock as “the equivalent of a 21st-century broadcast business delivered on the internet” before making way for a procession of NBC talent.

Tina Fey, the “SNL” alumna and “30 Rock” creator, got laughs with a reference to the streaming service’s name. “When I sold my first very TV show,” she said, “I named it after this building. I wanted to name it ‘Peacock’ but was told it was a hard no and that it would not pass the censors.”

NBC late-nights hosts Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon helped make the case, as did NBC News anchors Rachel Maddow, Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie. Dick Wolf, the powerhouse producer whose “Law & Order” shows will stream exclusively on Peacock, sat in the audience. Sizzle reels were heavy with scenes from “The Office,” the enduring sitcom that NBCUniversal wrested from Netflix in a $500 million deal last year.

When it goes live in April, Peacock will have a deep library of content and a smattering of originals. So what will distinguish Peacock from other streaming platforms, other than its affinity for avian references on Twitter? As the two-hour presentation repeatedly suggested, it will be NBCUniversal’s hefty bet on advertising.

Peacock will be available in three tiers. The so-called Peacock Free option will allow viewers to watch current seasons of NBC shows, past series, movies, news, Spanish-language content and one of NBC’s most elaborate productions: the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

In exchange for paying nothing, Peacock Free viewers will sit through commercials from State Farm, Target, Unilever and other brands, making Peacock more akin to YouTube than Netflix. NBCUniversal executives hope the reliance on ads will give them an advantage over streaming services from The Walt Disney Co., Apple, AT&T and other media giants.

Peacock will also offer what it calls Peacock Premium, a plan that comes with commercials and has double the content: more than 15,000 hours of original programming, current series, news and sports. Those who sign on for the top level will have early access to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” Peacock Premium will be free to viewers who subscribe to cable companies Cox or Comcast and will cost $5 a month for other viewers. For $10 a month, the same amount of content will be available ad-free.

Peacock will go live April 15 for certain Comcast customers, expanding nationwide July 15, days before the 2020 Games. NBCUniversal plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to market the platform. It expects to rack up 30 million to 35 million accounts by 2024.

“Peacock is unique because of its advertiser model,” said Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, mentioning the “massive moat of content” available through the platform. “This could be a watershed event in terms of starting to monetize advertising in the streaming world.”

Peacock’s pride is its sprawling library — more than 600 movies and 400 series — which it hopes will draw more advertising dollars.

The service has nailed down exclusive digital rights to shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” while also lining up reboots of “Saved by the Bell” and “Battlestar Galactica.” A series based on the true crime podcast “Dr. Death,” featuring actors Jamie Dornan and Alec Baldwin, is on its way, as is an adaptation of “Brave New World,” with Demi Moore.

Fey will produce a Peacock original series, “Girls5Eva,” about a washed-up 1990s band. NBCUniversal company Telemundo will provide 3,000 hours of Spanish-language original programming. And Peacock will also try to attract viewers through a licensing deal with Lionsgate, known for films like the “John Wick” action series, while also becoming the exclusive streaming home for new films from Universal.

Peacock will also run a comedy special and an interview series from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud company, new animated episodes of “Curious George” and “Where’s Waldo,” and Premier League matches.

Other streaming services, like the Disney-owned company Hulu, offer discount plans that come with ads; and the still-gestating short-form video app Quibi, set to start streaming April 6, will also go the ad route.

Comcast does not expect Peacock to be profitable in its first five years, executives have said. The cable company, which has 21.4 million video subscribers and 28.2 million broadband subscribers, plans to inject $2 billion into Peacock over its first two years.

“Getting in the game with Peacock is the right way to preserve an audience, but it will be very, very expensive,” said Peter Supino, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein.

Peacock will give companies a lot of advertising options, with tech that will allow for ads that show up when viewers hit pause and others that will appear during bingeing sessions. The service will have five minutes of ads per hour or less, according to NBCUniversal, which is also capping the number of times an ad can appear for the same viewer. The company said that it will use customer data from Comcast set-top boxes, advertising partners and its own collection to deliver relevant ads.

“Ad-supported streaming is about more than giving consumers what they want; it’s also about giving advertisers what they desperately need,” said Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal’s ads chief.

The platform will become the main digital repository for shows like “SNL” and “The Tonight Show,” content available on YouTube that NBCUniversal would prefer to bring more securely into the corporate fold.

Some analysts have expressed the concern that NBCUniversal may be cannibalizing itself to support Peacock, forgoing licensing arrangements and other revenue-generating deals for popular shows like “The Office” to provide exclusive streaming content to its customers. By offering early peeks at its late-night programs, NBCUniversal may alienate station affiliates and cable operators that pay to carry those broadcasts.

Peacock went through a choppy development process, with a shake-up in its leadership team less than a month after the service was announced in September, and it faces intense pressure from competitors like Disney, which unveiled Disney Plus with a great marketing push in November.

The new platform must also contend with viewers who, faced with more entertainment options than ever, are battling streaming fatigue. Multiple studies have concluded that people are willing to pay for only a few services.

“There’s a battle for market share, and they’re going to have to fight tooth and nail for consumer eyeballs,” Ives said.


2020 The New York Times Company

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Netflix cozies up to brands as it shuns commercials

Netflix subscribers like being able to glide through entire seasons of “Stranger Things” and “The Crown” without sitting through commercials for insurance and SUVs with bows on the hood. Subscriptions, rather than advertising, drive its nearly $16 billion in annual revenue, and being commercial-free “remains a deep part of our brand proposition,” Netflix said in a statement.

While it is the dominant streaming platform, with 158 million global subscribers, Netflix also has a $12 billion pile of debt. And it is facing competition from deep-pocketed streaming newcomers like the Walt Disney Co. and Apple. Research firm eMarketer said this month that Netflix’s “days at the top may be numbered,” and many analysts and executives wonder if, in order to keep its revenue strong, it will have to embrace ads.

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t,” said Peter Naylor, head of advertising sales for streaming platform Hulu.

Even as Netflix resists commercials, it is finding ways to work with brands. Last month, Netflix worked with sandwich chain Subway to start offering a Green Eggs and Ham Sub (spinach-dyed eggs, sliced ham, guacamole, cheese) tied to the new Netflix series “Green Eggs and Ham,” based on the Dr. Seuss book. The sandwich generated a lot of publicity for Netflix in the lifestyle press while also putting the Netflix name in front of the millions of people who buy a Subway sandwich each day.

“We believe we will have a more valuable business in the long term,” Netflix said, “by staying out of competing for ad revenue and instead entirely focusing on competing for viewer satisfaction.”

In another recent cross-promotion, Netflix charged the clothing company Diesel a license fee to make outfits inspired by “La Casa de Papel,” one of Netflix’s most popular shows. Online ads from Diesel hammered home the connection by showing the Netflix name, mentioning “La Casa de Papel” and featuring characters in the distinctive red jumpsuits worn by the show’s protagonists.

Netflix is “actively beefing up its marketing team,” according to research firm Forrester. “They’re being more flexible in the types of partnerships they can offer,” said Ellie Bamford, an executive at marketing agency R/GA.

When Netflix worked with Samsung and Aviation American Gin on a commercial last month featuring actor Ryan Reynolds and his new Netflix film “6 Underground,” no money changed hands. For Netflix, such deals are mostly about keeping people aware of the Netflix brand.

Netflix declined to say whether deals with companies would become a larger revenue stream in the future.

But companies have long been eager to go into business with Netflix, even before it scored 34 Golden Globe nominations this month. The platform has something brands crave: a young audience. Its average viewer is 31, part of a group highly sought by companies as younger people avoid broadcast and cable television and are known to hate ads.

“Brands want to be in front of this audience,” Bamford said. “Reaching these unreachables, these cord-cutters who don’t want to be fed an ad, is a huge concern.”

Major companies flirt with Netflix on social media, and Netflix is flirting back. This month, the company’s Twitter account, with 7 million followers, participated in a saucy meme about things people say during sex, trading quips about it with the Wendy’s Twitter account (3.4 million followers) and Penguin Random House (1.3 million followers). Last spring, Netflix posted a tweet that included a photo of nine cast members from one of its original shows, “Sense8,” as they appeared to be celebrating in an Audi convertible, and then had a joking exchange about it with the Audi account (2 million followers).

In contrast to its cheery social-media tone, Netflix is “not necessarily the easiest to work with” on promotional partnerships with companies, said Stacy Jones, chief executive of the entertainment marketing company Hollywood Branded. She described Netflix as “very picky,” saying it “wants to be the lead.”

“They’re in a power position right now,” Jones said. “They know the market, and they’re controlling it and keeping it very tight.”

Netflix is careful to guard its reputation, asking some of the companies it has worked with to avoid putting its logo on dart boards, paper napkins and doormats. But marketing executives said Netflix was increasingly open to lending its name to outside projects, including joint marketing campaigns and products based on its shows.

With so much content, Netflix has had trouble sustaining attention for some shows, which can come and go in a weekend of binge-watching, never to be mentioned again. The arrangements with the brands are one way it can keep attention focused on a given program. This month, Netflix posted a job listing for someone who would develop products, games and events to “drive meaningful show awareness” and make them “part of the zeitgeist for longer periods of time.”

Netflix has a brand partnerships group, led by executive Barry Smyth, which works with companies to use Netflix’s name in promotional campaigns and has recently hired people away from Fox, Lionsgate and other media companies. In a recent job listing for a position in Europe, Netflix said it wanted to “amplify the scope and impact of our marketing campaigns when we work with other brands.”

This summer, Netflix’s biggest series, “Stranger Things,” a supernatural sci-fi show set in the 1980s, struck deals with 75 companies. In one, Netflix teamed up with Baskin Robbins on new ice cream flavors like the chocolate-icing-topped Eleven’s Heaven, named after the character Eleven, and Upside Down Pralines, a reference to the alternate dimension in the show, the Upside Down. In another deal, Coca-Cola briefly revived the failed 1985 beverage New Coke, which appeared in “Stranger Things” episodes, adding to its retro atmosphere.

The brands did not pay to appear on the show, but Netflix took a licensing fee for a “Stranger Things” promotion in London designed by immersive-theater company Secret Cinema, which recreated a mall from the series that sold special cosmetics from Mac and products from Coach. The pop-up mall opened in November, four months after Netflix made the show’s third season available to subscribers.

The platform does not need to make money from major companies to benefit from working with them. The idea is to fuel subscriptions by drumming up interest in its shows through alliances with “brands where we feel like their audience will love our content as much as our audience does,” Netflix said in a statement.

In a conference call with analysts this year, Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said the “Stranger Things” promotions were intended “to get more people excited about ‘Stranger Things,’ so they join Netflix, they tell their friends about it.”

The same logic may extend to product placements. Netflix has typically left such decisions up to individual producers, saying in a statement that “most of the brands that appear in shows and movies are added by creators who believe they add to the authenticity of the story.” Netflix added that “instances where those placements are paid are rare and not a business focus for us.”

That is a contrast with many of Netflix’s rivals, which have actively courted companies with offers to display their products on-screen — even introducing them to showrunners and providing them with script drafts. Hulu, for instance, has a team dedicated to working brands into its shows, with the number of paid arrangements increasing 200% from 2018 to 2019, it said. Netflix does not have an equivalent team.

Still, products have appeared in Netflix shows for years. (In 2013, a blogger posted a slideshow of at least 57 corporate mentions on “House of Cards.”) Research last year suggested that more brand-name products appeared on shows tagged as Netflix Originals compared with the ones it streams from other studios.

In the recent post-apocalyptic series “Daybreak,” characters comment on the array of products stockpiled in an apartment: Red Bull energy drinks, Settlers of Catan board games, Tide Pods and more. None of the companies paid to be included. But such product placements can be a boon to producers who are looking to have realistic props in a scene without having to pay for them.

In the new Netflix holiday movie “The Knight Before Christmas,” a character spends nearly three minutes exploring a Sony television and Amazon’s Echo smart speaker. Both products were included free, but their presence set off a flurry of news articles and discussions on social media. Although much of the commentary was mocking, it drew attention to an otherwise standard seasonal film.

Such appearances are part of a long history of corporate cameos, like Ray-Ban in “Top Gun” and Reese’s Pieces in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Mike Myers even joked about product placement in “Wayne’s World”: “I will not bow to any sponsor,” he declared, posing with a slice from Pizza Hut.

Some streaming subscribers have deemed the constant presence of products to be annoying and “a big turnoff.” And many companies have tired of the effort that goes into negotiating product placements, wondering whether a few TV commercials and billboards could reach the same number of people with less trouble.

Carrie Drinkwater, executive director of integrated investments at the Mediahub agency, said her team once tried to fit a client into the plot of the Netflix show “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” only to balk after the production company involved set an “astronomical” price.

“It’s a lot of money to integrate,” she said, “and it’s really hard to do it in an authentic way, and you don’t know how much it will resonate.”

2019 The New York Times Company

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Streaming TV war kicks into gear with Apple, Disney launches

SAN FRANCISCO - The streaming television war is set to enter a new phase as titans Apple and Disney take direct aim at market leader Netflix, vying for consumers abandoning their cable TV bundles for on-demand services.

The shift away from "linear" television is likely to escalate with powerful new entrants to streaming coming this year and in early 2020.

The new landscape has important implications for longtime segment leader Netflix, which is now locked in a battle with deep-pocketed rivals for actors, directors and producers to win and keep audiences.

"The Cinderella ride that Netflix has been on has some stormy weather ahead," said Wedbush Securities equity research managing director Daniel Ives.

"You are talking about some of the biggest brands in technology involved in this battle."

An Apple TV+ service will launch November 1 in more than 100 countries at $4.99 per month. Apple is spending heavily on new content and promises a "powerful and inspiring lineup of original shows, movies and documentaries."

Entertainment colossus Disney will launch its own online streaming service, chock full of popular franchises such as "Star Wars" and Marvel superheroes, on November 12 in the US, Canada and the Netherlands, before rolling out worldwide.

And more competition looms on the horizon, as AT&T's WarnerMedia will launch its "HBO Max" in early 2020 after reclaiming the rights from Netflix to stream its popular television comedy "Friends." 

NBCUniversal's Peacock service is also launching next year.

Disney chief executive Bob Iger told investors on a recent earnings call that "nothing is more important to us" than the Disney+ platform.

As well as offering Disney's enormous back catalog, including all animated films and Pixar movies within its first year, it will feature freshly commissioned shows. It will cost $6.99 a month in the US.

Spotlighting originality

Netflix, which began streaming television to subscribers online some 12 years ago, has so far stayed ahead of Amazon Prime and Hulu, key rivals in the US market.

Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said he is unfazed by the new rivals.

"Disney will be a great competitor," he told analysts recently. "Apple is just beginning but, you know, they will probably have some great shows too."

The budget for original shows at Netflix this year is $15 billion, and the California-based company this week announced plans to issue $2 billion in notes to have more cash for uses including creating and acquiring content.

Ives said Netflix remains the leader until proven otherwise.

"Netflix is on the top of the mountain and will continue to be the leader, but there are legitimate opportunities for number two and number three players with Apple, HBO, and Amazon in the running," the analyst wrote.

Big-name entertainment industry talent has been recruited to make shows for the competing services, and Netflix is also showcasing local talent from countries around the world.

Cable TV obsolete?

As Disney and other major studios begin streaming directly to viewers, and keep coveted shows or films on their own services to attract subscribers, traditional cable companies "should be very concerned," according to IHS Markit analyst Fateha Begum.

"The cable service provider as a middle man bundling content is no longer needed," Begum said.

"I don't think cable TV will die, it still provides the one place for content you want, but this will push cable and pay TV services to innovate further."

Cable TV companies may have to end revenue-boosting tactics such as charging monthly fees for boxes needed to access their services.

Online streaming services accounted for a third of paid video subscriptions worldwide last year, with the rest going to traditional pay TV, according to IHS Markit media platforms executive director Maria Rua Aguete.

She expected the number of streaming subscribers worldwide to grow 19 percent to 921.8 million next year, and then another 16 percent to 1.1 billion in the year 2021.

"With the new flexible services threatening to convert more consumers into cord-cutters and into leaving the pay-TV ecosystem behind, besieged pay-TV providers are justifiably feeling the heat," Aguete said.

Meanwhile, the expense and complexity of accessing a variety of streaming services for shows could give rise to aggregators that bring options together in a single place, perhaps in the Amazon Prime style of mixing subscriber content with films for purchase or rent.

More than 50 streaming television services have launched or will launch in the year ahead, according to Mobilocity analyst Gerry Purdy.

"Until now, it has been Netflix's world and everyone else has been paying rent," Ives said.

"Over the next three to six months, we are going to see an all out battle for consumer mind-share."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Facebook trumps radio, newspaper as news source: SWS

MANILA — One in 5 Filipino adults use Facebook daily as a source of news, higher compared to the combined number of those who rely on radio and newspapers, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Saturday. 

The March 28 to 31 poll found that 21 percent of adult Filipinos or an estimated 13.9 million individuals use Facebook daily for reading the news. 

A majority 60 percent or 40.4 million adults still consume news daily through television, while only 15 percent do so through radio and only 2 percent read newspapers daily, said SWS. 

"Thus, Facebook as a daily news source is more common than radio and newspapers combined, and is second only to television," the pollster noted. 

FACEBOOK MEMBERSHIP 

As of March 2019, 99 percent of adults who use the internet or around 30.3 million individuals have a Facebook account, said SWS. 

YouTube is the second most popular social media site among adult Filipinos, with 11.7 million individuals or 38 percent of adult internet users saying they have an account at the video-sharing platform. 

The survey also found that having a Facebook account is more common among urban dwellers (56 percent) than rural dwellers (38 percent).

By major geographic areas, the proportion of adults with Facebook account is highest in Metro Manila at 64 percent, followed by other Luzon areas at 48 percent, Mindanao at 39 percent, and the Visayas at 33 percent. 

Reading the news through Facebook is positively related to educational attainment, added SWS. 

Half of adult Facebook members who read the news daily using the site are college and high school graduates, both 49 percent. This is higher compared to 37 percent among elementary graduates and 36 percent among non-elementary graduates, said the pollster. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICS 

Respondents were also asked if they use social media sites for political activities. 

Of the estimated 30.4 million adults who have at least one social media account, 31 percent or 9.4 million individuals use social media to “like or promote material related to political or social issues that others have posted", the survey found. 

Meanwhile, 14 percent use it to follow political figures, 6 percent post their opinions on political or social issues, 5 percent re-post political or social content by someone else, and 4 percent share links to political stories or articles, said SWS.

Only 2 percent use social media to encourage other people to take action on important political or social issues, while 1 percent encourage people to vote. 

Fifty-one percent or 15.4 million individuals volunteered answers that specified other social media uses and activities, SWS said. 

The survey had 1,440 respondents and sampling error margins of ±2.6 percent for national percentages, and ±5 percent for regional figures. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Clinton, Powell, Albright to guest star in 'Madam Secretary'

LOS ANGELES -- Three former U.S. secretaries of state - Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright - will make guest appearances in October on political television drama "Madam Secretary," broadcaster CBS said on Tuesday.

The three have already filmed their episode, which involves fictional Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, played by Tea Leoni, turning to her more experienced peers for advice when the series returns for a fifth season on October 7.

“It was a privilege to experience their perspectives and discourse both in and behind the scenes,” Barbara Hall, creator and executive producer of "Madam Secretary," said in a statement.

"Madam Secretary" portrays McCord's efforts to balance delicate diplomatic issues as well as personal stories and her family life.

The show launched in 2014, a year after Clinton stepped down from her post at the State Department after four years. In 2015, the Democrat declared she would run for president in 2016 but was defeated by Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton has appeared briefly on entertainment shows as herself, including a cameo on comedy "Broad City" in 2016 and with "Saturday Night Live" doppelganger Kate McKinnon in 2015.

Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state, served under Democratic President Bill Clinton. Colin Powell, secretary of state under Republican President George W. Bush, was the first black man to hold the post.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'Wallpaper' thin TV grabs spotlight at CES gadget gala

LAS VEGAS - LG Electronics showed off a "wallpaper" thin television as TV makers vied for the spotlight ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show officially opening here on Thursday.

As in years past, the South Korean consumer electronics giant staked out the opening slot in a day rich with back-to-back press briefings by industry titans.

LG and rivals touched on hot themes at this year's show -- including robots, appliances equipped with artificial intelligence, and self-driving car technology.

A surprise star of the presentation was a strikingly thin LG Signature OLED flat-screen television simply branded "W."

The super high-definition TV measured just 2.57 mm thick in a 65-inch screen model. LG boasted that a larger screen model garnered a CES Best of Innovation Award.

"Why the 'W'?" LG Electronics USA marketing vice president David VanderWaal asked rhetorically during the presentation.

"Wallpaper. Window. Wow," he said.

The screens are designed to affix to walls with magnetic brackets, protruding less than 4 mm.

TCL OUT TO GROW

China's fast-growing television-maker TCL was at the show with a mission to expand its market.

TCL unveiled 25 new Roku-enabled TV models heading for North America, boasting improved high-definition imagery and enhanced audio.

"We are here today because we are investing in the future of technology, specifically smart TVs," TCL marketing executive Ranjit Gopi said during a press briefing.

"We are, as of 2016, one of the fastest growing brands in the world."

TCL partners include internet titan Google and its Android TV offering.

TCL is investing some $7.7 billion in high-quality television screens and is aiming to make the world's slimmest curved television, according to Gopi.

He introduced a new flagship "X" series television that will launch first in China and then be rolled out elsewhere.

South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung unveiled a new 75-inch QLED TV model at its CES press gathering, along with a company-first gaming laptop.

"Despite some challenges, we've made big strides in 2016, gaining market share in TVs, home appliances, wearables and smartphones," said Samsung Electronics America chief operating officer Tim Baxter.

"We are delivering on our vision of the future – one that is powered by connected and elegantly-designed products and services that put consumers firmly at the center."

EYE-GRABBING SCREENS

Samsung ramped up its smart TV platform with an offering tailored for sports lovers, and added a new entertainment application. Features in the new models included being able to recognize who is speaking while being commanded by voice.

Sales of televisions globally have been slipping, a seeming result of viewers turning to smartphones, tablets, and computers for video, according to Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at the US Consumer Technology Association trade group behind CES.

Koenig forecast that $105 billion will be spent this year on televisions, down from $108 billion last year.

However, those who do buy televisions are expected to prefer 4K high-definition models, with the number of those screens sold jumping to nearly 82 million this year compared with just shy of 53 million last year, according to Koenig.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tablet computers the new electronic babysitter

WASHINGTON — Move over TV. Tablet computers are the new electronic babysitter.

A Nielsen survey published this week broke down the ways tablet-owning parents of children under age 12 are using gadgets such as the iPad to keep the kids occupied.

More than half of parents—55%—said their kids used tablets for entertainment while traveling and 41% said they give the children the device to use in restaurants.

Some 77% said their children play downloaded games on a tablet while 57% said they access educational applications.

Forty-three percent watch television shows or movies on their tablets.

Only 15% of children use tablets to communicate with friends or family.

Nielsen said seven out of 10 children under age 12 in tablet-owning households are using the devices.

source: japantoday.com

Sharon to star in new TV5 show; addresses 'haters'

MANILA, Philippines – Megastar Sharon Cuneta is set to make a TV comeback next month.

Speaking in a taped interview on “Juicy” aired Feb. 16, Cuneta announced her impending return.

“Yes, ‘Sharon’ is starting sa March na po. Monday to Friday ng hanapon. Abang niyo po ‘yan. Mas malaki ang puso, mas mae-enjoy niyo po. Mas makabuluhan ito compared to all the shows that I’ve done,” she declared enthusiastically.

Cuneta inked a five-year contract with the Kapatid network November last year for a talent fee allegedly amounting to two billion pesos, which the Megastar has neither confirmed nor denied. Reports say that the projects for Cuneta, as per her contract, include a daily show, a reality show and a film.

While on a break from TV projects, Cuneta busied herself interacting with her fans via her official Twitter account (@sharon_cuneta12). However, just a little over two months since joining the microblogging site, the Megastar already has had bitter a taste of what haters were like.

Days after Valentine’s Day, the Megastar apparently did not receive “love” from her haters as she posted a salvo of tweets addressing their bashing her.

“My gulay same ole bashers are crowding my page! They are probably panicking bigtime... They all sense that 2012 is gonna be DIFFERENT and big for me!! They're looking like demons trembling in fear cos they're about to be cast out! How some people choose to use their time -- so unwisely in this case, instead of doing good or for self-improvement -- I will never fathom. God sees everything. God is good. And he made me FEISTY!!! Hahahahahahahahaha!” wrote the award-winning actress on her account.

“Funny how some people call u 'fake' or 'plastic' then when u reply you're 'pumapatol!' They can't even make up theirlittle minds about what I supposedly am! Defend yourself cos you're being real, keep quiet & ignore - it's damned if u do & damned if u don't,” she further lamented.

Cuneta then fired back, “Well -- here's a thought: they focus on ME. And I don't know who they are (who does?)! So they can pretend to be better but I KNOW I'm a better human-being. I hope they've at least changed some lives in their lifetimes, or kahit touched some lives lang. I doubt that they have! Here's big news for them: YOU HAVE NO POWER. Over me or anyone in this page. Or in this country. Except siguro those littler than u who know you! Soap your mouths! And thanks for all the energy & time & effort that u put into bashing me! I feel so important that I seem to be your scariest threat! family time guys! I slept so well that I dunno how I'll sleep tonight! Oh, no!!!”

After cooling down from her unexpected Twitter outburst, Cuneta then told one of her followers that she had to say her piece because “It's unfair lang that people who have never even met me think they have the right to describe me in such a hurtful way.”

source: mb.com.ph

Girls Generation makes debut on US TV

MANILA, Philippines - Korean pop group Girls Generation made their successful debut TV performances on two popular talk shows in the US.

The girls performed their English song “The Boys” on “Late Show with David Letterman” on Jan. 31 and “Live with Kelly” on Feb. 1.

At the David Letterman show, fans and media waited for the arrival of Girls Generation. Before entering the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the show is recorded, Girls Generation members met with fans and signed autographs.

During the Jan. 31 show, the guests were Bill Murray, Regis Philbin and Girls Generation.

Before their spot, Letterman introduced the girls: "Our next guests are a very popular group from South Korea who have just released their first album in America, it’s entitled ‘The Boys.’ Please welcome, making their network television debut, Girls Generation.”

After Girls Generation performed, Letterman told them “Kamsahamnida” or “Thank you” in Korean.

At the “Live! with Kelly,” the girls also performed “The Boys.” Fans waited outside the studio to see the pop group.

Co-host Howie Mandel took notice of the fans inside and outside the studio.

Ripa quipped “That’s incredible” while Mandel said, “Isn’t that amazing?”

During the interview portion, Mandel said, “I love your dancing. Your moves were tremendous.”

After the show, Ripa posted a photo of herself with Girls Generation on Twitter with the caption “GG! [Girls Generation] With the newest GG member? Lol.”

Ripa on her personal Twitter account posted, “Yes I am! Love @GirlsGeneration love!!!” to answer a fan’s post that she was becoming a fan of the girls.

source: mb.com.ph