According to The Nielsen Company, more than 9 million households are not ready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred today. Another 12.6 million households have at least one television set that will no longer work when the digital transition occurs, meaning that nearly one in five U.S. households are either partially or completely unready for the transition.Under government-mandated action, all television stations are required to switch to digital programming by February 17, 2009, which will leave viewers without a television signal unless they purchase digital television sets, connect to cable, satellite, and alternate delivery systems or purchase a converter box.

In a research paper released on Oct 15, Nielsen reported that the number of fully unprepared homes decreased 1.4 percentage points from May 1 to September 1, 2008, leaving 8.4% of all U.S. households still completely unready (click here for the full report).

New details from this report show that households headed by less educated, lower income and blue collar workers are least prepared for the transition. Consistent with trends in previous reports, older, white households are better prepared than their younger, African American, Asian or Hispanic counterparts.

Nielsen also found that nearly a quarter of all “unready” analog sets are not being used to view regular television. These sets, which are in both partially and completely unprepared homes, are being used for DVD, VCR and Video Games.

“Through its representative panels of television households, Nielsen is uniquely positioned to draw a complete picture of the impact of the digital transition,” said Pat McDonough, Senior Vice President, Insights, Analysis and Policy. ”We hope this report will help the broadcasting industry and the government as they accelerate their campaign to educate consumers about the need to transition to digital television.”

These estimates are based on the same national and local television ratings samples that are used to generate national and local television ratings. To conduct the survey, Nielsen representatives observed and tabulated the actual televisions used in its samples. Because Nielsen has developed samples that reflect the total U.S. population including African American and Hispanic populations, these household characteristics in the samples can be projected to the whole country.

Readiness

Highlights of the report show:

• The percentage of Hispanic households that are completely unready for the digital transition is 13%. About one-quarter of the households that speak only or mostly Spanish are completely unready.

• The percentage of African American households that are completely unready for the digital transition is 12.5%.

• Households whose total annual household income is under $25,000 per year are five times more likely to be unprepared than households earning over $75,000.

• Households whose Head-of-House possesses less than a High School diploma are about twice as likely to be unready than ones with a college degree.

• Households whose Head-of-House is in a blue collar occupation are about three-quarters more likely to be unready than one in a white collar job.

Potential Impact of the Digital Transition on Viewing

Other highlights related to the potential impact of the digital transition on viewing include:

• About 15% of primetime viewing among English language broadcast networks occurs on “unready sets,” compared to 26% of viewing among Spanish language broadcast networks. The greatest contribution of viewing to unready sets is among children and teenagers.

• Unready televisions are disproportionately in the kitchen or secondary bedroom, as opposed to the living room or master bedroom.

• In homes that have made the transition from “unprepared” to “prepared” there is a 19% increase in overall viewing.

• Owners of unready televisions are dealing with their sets in a variety of ways. Among households that have done something about their analog sets, 38% of unready televisions have been removed or replaced; 25% have been made ready through a new digital tuner and the rest have either been switched to cable or satellite distribution.

Local Market Rankings

Among the 56 local markets that Nielsen measures with electronic meters, the one that is least ready is Houston, with 15.8% of the households completely unready. The most prepared market is Ft. Myers, with only 2.4% of homes unready.

Least Prepared Local Metered Markets Based on Percentage of Households Currently Unprepared for Digital Conversion

Most Prepared Local Metered Markets Based on Percentage of HouseholdsCurrently Unprepared for Digital Conversion

Nielsen has developed a model for estimating preparedness in non-metered markets. As a result, there are now estimates of digital preparedness for all 210 local markets. For the full list of local market preparedness, click here for the metered markets and here for the diary markets.

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA.

Orange cinema series, symbol of the Orange “Content Everywhere” strategy
For several years, Orange has committed itself to offering its customers content that is always more attractive and more exclusive by providing cutting-edge innovations in terms of content consumption. With the launch of Orange cinema series, Orange is offering cinema addicts a new way of watching films and TV series. Apart from traditional broadcasting, all programmes are available on demand and and can be watched on any screen at any time depending on the circumstances.
Quality, up-to-date films for everyone and previously unseen series
Orange cinema series includes a main “feature film” channel, called Orange cinemax, which is available in HD and groups together the best of recent films and TV series that have never before been seen in France. The offer also includes four other channels that are organised along the themes of family, action, arthouse and classics.

• Orange cinemax: all the blockbusters exclusive to Orange and in High Definition
• Orange cinehappy: cinema for all the family
• Orange cinechoc: all types of action film
• Orange cinenovo: a reference in independent cinema
• Orange cinégéant: cinema classics at your fingertips

a premium exclusive offer
Orange cinema series offers its subscribers more than 1,200 films, 1,000 hours of TV series, 200 documentaries and 300 hours of children’s series each year. To broadcast the best films and series, Orange is leading an intensive partnership policy with prestigious studios. Today many of the greatest Hollywood and French studios have signed an agreement with Orange cinema series: Warner Bros, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, HBO, Gaumont, BAC Films, Wild Side Films and Fidélité Film.
Orange cinema series subscribers will be able to watch several exclusive films from Warner Bros International TV (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ocean’s 13, I am Legend, Dark Knight…), and the new HBO TV series (True Blood, Generation Kill, John Adams, In Treatment…). They may also rediscover successful series from the Gaumont, Warner and HBO back catalogues (Six Feet Under, The Sopranos…).

And to be sure not to miss a single episode or film broadcast exclusively, all programmes shown on the five channels will be accessible on demand during 30 days after the first broadcast. Additional programs on demand including series and films will be also available so that cinema lovers will always have a good film to watch.
Orange cinema series, another form of television

The richness of the Orange cinema series offer goes beyond exclusive programming. In fact, Orange offers many innovations to subscribers that will revolutionise their experience of cinema and series. With the multi-screens approach, subscribers may watch Orange cinema series channels and programmes on-demand on five different screens (TV, PC and portable video players). Furthermore, Orange cinema series offers a catch-up service to see or re-watch programmes that have already been broadcast. In addition, subscribers will be able to pursue their journey in a film director’s world thanks to the “complementary” service that enables them to watch related programmes by theme. For example, when Rocky Balboa is broadcast, the five previous Rocky films will be available on demand as a complement.  From 2009, subscribers who have missed the beginning of a programme will be able to watch the film again thanks to the restart solution.

Users increasinly show their desire for more flexibility to be able to watch films and series wherever and whenever. To satisfy them, Orange cinema series enables them to freely transfer all video content from the five channels and on-demand programmes onto portable video players such as Archos devices and, in coming months, compatible mobile phones.

Orange cinema series, it’s happening now
TV + PC offer: €12 euros/month

• Free access to Orange cinéma séries channels available until 30 November for all Orange TV customers
• For all new subscription, the first three months are free until 14 January 2009

Mobile offer: €6 /month. Free access to Orange cinéma séries channels available until 12 January 2009

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) released on Oct 6 a series of analyses of the new September Portable People MeterTM radio ratings that highlight some of the successes of urban and Spanish-language stations across the eight new PPM^TM markets.

Arbitron today released radio audience estimates for the September 2008 PPM survey month (August 21-September 17) in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Nassau-Suffolk, Middlesex-Somerset-Union, Riverside-San Bernardino, and San Jose.

New York: The Steve Harvey Show on WBLS-FM Ties for Number One among Persons 25-54 in AM Drive
The audience for The Steve Harvey Show on WBLS-FM (owned by Inner City Broadcasting) is Number One in the September PPM report among Persons aged 25-54, a key target demographic.

Persons 25-54 AQH Share Ranker
New York Radio Metro
Monday-Friday 6am-10am
September PPM Survey Month (August 21-September 17)

How to read: In the Morning Drive daypart, Monday-Friday 6am-10am, 6.1 percent of all radio listening by Persons 25-54 in the New York Radio metro was to WBLS-FM.

Chicago: “Piolin por La Mañana” on WOJO-FM is Number One among Persons 18-34 in AM Drive
Univision Radio revamped its morning show on Radio La Que Buena 105.1 in Chicago, over the summer, moving “Piolin por La Mañana,” hosted by Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, to WOJO-FM. The result: a steady increase in audience, earning a number one ranking in Morning Drive for the station’s target demographic – Persons aged 18-34 – during the September PPM survey month.

Persons 18-34 AQH Share Ranker
Chicago Radio Metro
Monday-Friday 6am-10am
September PPM Survey Month (August 21-September 17)

How to read: In the Morning Drive daypart, Monday-Friday 6am-10am, 8.9 percent of all radio listening by Persons aged 18-34 in the Chicago Radio metro was to WOJO-FM.

Riverside-San Bernardino: Spanish Adult Hits on KLYY-FM is Number One (Persons 25-54)
Radio José FM 97.5, Entravision Communications’ Spanish Adult Hits station in Riverside-San Bernardino, has been a consistent top performer among the key target demographic of Persons aged 25-54. In the July and August “pre-currency” reports, the station was Number Two and Number One respectively. In the September 2008 PPM Survey report, the station is a solid number one for the total broadcast week.

Persons 25-54 AQH Share Ranker
Riverside-San Bernardino Radio Metro
Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight
September PPM Survey Month (August 21-September 17)

How to read: For the total broadcast week, Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight, 8.8 percent of all radio listening by Persons aged 25-54 in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro was to KLYY-FM. Four of the top ten radio stations in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro program a Spanish-Language format.

San Francisco: Hip-Hop/R&B on KMEL-FM is Number One (Persons 18-34)
106 KMEL, the Clear Channel Communications Hip-Hop and R&B station in San Francisco, has been a consistent top performer among the target demographic of Persons aged 18-34 in the PPM radio ratings. In the July and August “pre-currency” reports and in the September 2008 report, the station was a solid number one for Persons aged 18-34 for the total broadcast week.

Persons 18-34 AQH Share Ranker
San Francisco Radio Metro
Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight
September PPM Survey Month (August 21-September 17)

How to read: For the total broadcast week, Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight, 10.8 percent of all radio listening by Persons aged 18-34 in the San Francisco metro was to KMEL-FM.

Also in the top 5 among Persons aged 18-34 in San Francisco: KSOL-FM, Estéreo Sol 98.9-99.1 FM, the Univision Radio Mexican Regional station; KYLD-FM, WILD94.9, the Party Station, owned by Clear Channel and KRZZ-FM, 93.3 LA RAZA, a Mexican Regional outlet owned by Spanish Broadcasting System.

Listening levels by African-Americans and Spanish-Dominant Hispanics are highest of all groups across new Portable People Meter radio markets

Persons Using Radio Ratings
Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight
Persons age 12 and older

How to read: In New York, the average audience in any quarter hour Monday-Sunday 6am-Midnight consists of 11.9 percent of all African Americans in the market, 9.6 percent of all Hispanics and 9.2 percent of all Others (non-black, non-Hispanic persons).

About the Portable People Meter
The Arbitron Portable People Meter system uses a passive audience measurement device – about the size of a small cell phone – to track consumer exposure to media and entertainment, including broadcast, cable and satellite television; terrestrial, satellite and online radio as well as cinema advertising and many types of place-based electronic media. Carried throughout the day by randomly selected survey participants, the PPM device can track when and where they watch television, listen to radio as well as how they interact with other forms of media and entertainment.

The PPM detects inaudible codes embedded in the audio portion of media and entertainment content delivered by broadcasters, content providers and distributors. At the end of the day, the meter is placed in a docking station that extracts the codes and sends them to a central computer. The PPM is equipped with a motion sensor, a patented quality control feature unique to the system, which allows Arbitron to confirm the compliance of the PPM survey participants every day.

About Arbitron
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is a media and marketing research firm serving the media – radio, television, cable, online radio and out-of-home – as well as advertisers and advertising agencies in the United States. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The company has developed the Portable People Meter, a new technology for media and marketing research.

Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with The Nielsen Company, Arbitron provides additional media and marketing research services to the broadcast television, newspaper and online industries.

Arbitron’s marketing and business units are supported by a world-renowned research and technology organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron’s executive offices are located in New York City.

###

Portable People Meter^TM and PPM^TM are marks of Arbitron Inc.

Arbitron Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding Arbitron Inc. and its subsidiaries in this document that are not historical in nature, particularly those that utilize terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” ”expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” or “plans,” or comparable terminology, are forward-looking statements based on current expectations about future events, which we have derived from information currently available to us. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our results to be materially different from results implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, in no particular order, whether we will be able to:

• successfully implement the commercialization of our Portable People Meter^TM service;
• successfully maintain industry usage of our services in light of governmental regulation, legislation, litigation, activism or adverse public relations efforts prompted by various industry groups and market segments;
• successfully design, recruit and maintain PPM panels that appropriately balance research quality, panel size and operational cost;
• complete the Media Rating Council (“MRC”) audits of our local market PPM ratings services in a timely manner and successfully obtain and/or maintain MRC accreditation for our audience measurement business;
• renew contracts with large customers as they expire;
• successfully execute our business strategies, including entering into potential acquisition, joint-venture or other material third-party agreements;
• effectively manage the impact, if any, of any further ownership shifts in the radio and advertising agency industries;
• respond to rapidly changing technological needs of our customer base, including creating new proprietary software systems and new customer products and services that meet these needs in a timely manner;
• successfully manage the impact on our business of any economic downturn, generally, and in the advertising market, in particular;
• successfully manage the impact on costs of data collection due to lower respondent cooperation in surveys, privacy concerns, consumer trends, technology changes and/or government regulations; and
• successfully develop and implement technology solutions to measure new forms of audio content and delivery, multimedia and advertising in an increasingly competitive environment.

There are a number of additional important factors that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risk factors set forth in the caption “ITEM 1A. — RISK FACTORS” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and elsewhere, and any subsequent periodic or current reports filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition, any forward-looking statements contained in this document represent our estimates only as of the date hereof, and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change.

News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A), and VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) announced on Oct 7 the sale of VeriSign’s minority share of the mobile entertainment joint venture to News Corporation for approximately $200 million.

The joint venture was created when News Corporation acquired controlling interest in VeriSign’s wholly-owned Jamba subsidiary in 2007 and combined it with the Fox Mobile Entertainment unit.

“This sale is an important step in our effort to focus on our core businesses in Internet infrastructure,” said Jim Bidzos, executive chairman of the board of directors, president and chief executive officer on an interim basis of VeriSign. “News Corp. has been a good business partner and we wish them well as they continue to operate an exciting mobile entertainment business.”

About News Corporation
News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of June 30, 2008 of approximately US$62 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$33 billion. News Corporation is a diversified global media company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers and information services; book publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin.

About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, VeriSign helps companies and consumers all over the world engage in communications and commerce with confidence.

Following the acquisition in April 2008 of Editions Massin, France’s leading publisher of home decor magazines, Lagardère Active, now the No. 1 in this market in France, offers unrivalled reach and coverage with:

• 8.83 million copies sold per year (ODJ DFP 2007) and 11.5 million readers (AEPM 2007).
• A range of 6 titles with multifaceted and complementary orientations: aspirational / emotional / regional interest / action: Elle Décoration, Le Journal de la Maison, Campagne Décoration, Mon Jardin Ma Maison, Art & Décoration (ex-Massin), Maison & Travaux (ex-Massin).

To this same end, Lagardère Active is investing in the digital medium by launching a search engine dedicated to decoration: Dekio.fr. This innovative service-centred site complements the magazine offering, which focuses on specialised editorial content.
It should be remembered that Lagardère Active is already the France’s leading media group on the Internet, with nearly 12 million non-duplicated single hits and the ninth-largest audience group. (Source Médiamétrie/NetRatings)

The Sony Reader can store up to 160 booksand provides access to a wide range of reading materials on a compact mobile device.
The Reader will be available exclusively at Fnac stores and via Fnac.com as of late October, or by reserving a unit in advance at Fnac.com starting in mid-September.Once the Reader goes on sale, it will only be possible to download books from the Fnac.com website, which will offer a catalogue of some 2,000 books selected by Hachette Livre.

The initial selection comprises some 2,000 titles published by Hachette Livre (from Fayard, Jean-Claude Lattès, Grasset, Le Livre de Poche, Hachette Littératures, Armand Colin, Calman-Levy and Marabout) and its partners, Albin Michel in particular. The catalogue, which will be expanded every week, offers enduring works from our backlist, including bestsellers from such authors as Michel Onfray, Max Gallo, Erik Orsenna, Benoîte Groult, Bernard-Henri Levy, Boris Cyrulnik, Katherine Pancol and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, as well as new releases, including a large selection of titles published this fall, such as Le Fait du Prince by Amélie Nothomb and Miserere by Jean-Christophe Grangé (both from Albin Michel), Ce Que Nous Avons eu de Meilleur by Jean-Paul Enthoven (Grasset) and Du Cristal à la Fumée by Jacques Attali (Fayard).

“This partnership allows us to offer a complete package based on the Reader. It’s perfect for those who want access to a large selection of books on a compact mobile device. The Reader’s launch in France opens new opportunities for book lovers,” says Philippe Citroën, managing director of Sony France.

“The partnership provides Fnac customers who are passionate about both books and technology with a turnkey solution. Electronic books make reading easy, enjoyable and practical. Our goal is to add all of our editorial products to our digital catalogue by the end of the year so that we can offer our customers the widest selection, ranging from classics to bestsellers, as we do in our stores,” says Christophe Cuvillier, chairman and CEO of Fnac.

”Through this partnership with Sony and Fnac, Hachette Livre is taking a significant step forward in implementing its digital strategy, as it did in the United States. The partnership will let readers experience a whole new way of reading based on an extensive list of titles that will expand over time,” adds Arnaud Nourry, chairman and CEO of the Hachette Livre group.

Product information

Weighing only 260 grams and with a battery that allows readers some 6,800 pages on the go, the new Reader will serve as a trusty companion during the daily commute or trips abroad. In addition to books, the Reader supports personal and professional documents in a number of formats (ePub, Adobe PDF, RTF, TXT, BBeB book and MS Word, automatically converted into RTF by the software provided) as well as images in the JPEG, PNG, GIF and BMP formats plus mp3 and AAC audio files.
The device’s storage capacity can always be increased by adding a memory card (SD or Memory Stick™*).

And thanks to its “E Ink®”* electronic screen, it offers the same reading comfort as a traditional book. What’s more, it has three zoom options that allow the reader to enlarge the text size.

* E Ink is a trademark of E Ink Inc.
* Memory Stick is a Sony trademark.

Continuing efforts to make television advertising more relevant, accountable and measurable, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced on Sept 25 that the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION network will make national cable advertising time in the U.S. available through the Google TV Ads™ platform. By offering self-service buying opportunities through Google TV Ads, the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION network will expand its reach to a wider range of advertisers, including those that are new to the medium. With the addition of BLOOMBERG TELEVISION inventory, advertisers using the Google TV Ads platform can not only reach the high-net-worth BLOOMBERG TELEVISION U.S. audience but can also gain access to viewership data at an unprecedented scale. Google’s TV Ads platform can report second-by-second data from millions of anonymized set-top-boxes, allowing advertisers to measure viewership of their ads more precisely than ever before. With this data, advertisers can better understand what consumers are responding to and make real-time adjustments to their campaigns to maximize the return on their TV ad investments. Google’s digital platform also makes it easier for advertisers to find relevant programming through its keyword search functionality.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with BLOOMBERG TELEVISION to continue to make TV advertising more relevant and measurable,” said Mike Steib, director of Google TV Ads. “We will now be able to give advertisers, many of whom have never tried TV advertising before, access to the desirable BLOOMBERG TELEVISION demographic.”

“The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION audience is the wealthiest and most powerful in cable television,” said Trevor Fellows, head of advertising sales at Bloomberg. “As high net worth viewers are extremely difficult to quantify using traditional methods, we believe that involvement with Google TV Ads from an early stage will help us and our advertisers learn more about our audience.”

Google TV Ads offers greater accountability in advertising. With Google’s auction-based pricing system, advertisers only pay for impressions delivered to their ads, and they can receive integrated digital reporting within 24 hours. The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION network joins Google TV Ads’ growing list of inventory, which also includes NBC Universal and DISH Network.

“We’re very happy with the progress of Google TV Ads,” said Michael Kelly, executive vice president for DISH Network, Google TV Ads’ current inventory partner. “Google TV Ads has brought more accurate, accessible, and up-to-date viewer measurement to the industry, enhancing value to our advertisers.”

The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION service is the only 24/7 business and financial news television network. BLOOMBERG TELEVISION content is created exclusively by the global BLOOMBERG NEWS service, with 143 bureaus in 69 countries. BLOOMBERG TELEVISION programming offers viewers a snapshot of the markets with fast, accurate reporting of world indexes, currencies, U.S. Treasuries, commodities futures, agricultural futures, and exchange traded funds, as well as special features, insight and analysis, and proprietary coverage of leading stocks and industry sectors. The worldwide service broadcasts in seven languages.

About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Apple and NBC Universal  announced on Sept 10 the return of NBC programming to the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) including NBC networks’ top 10 series available immediately for purchase and download in both standard definition and stunning high definition. iTunes customers can choose programming from NBC, USA Network, SCI FI Channel, Bravo, Sleuth and NBC News including favorites such as the award-winning and critically acclaimed “Heroes,” and the Emmy award-winning programs “The Office,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “30 Rock.” NBCU standard definition television shows on the iTunes Store are $1.99 per episode and HD programs are available for just one dollar more at $2.99 per episode and select library content is available for $.99. Additional NBCU programming from Oxygen, Telemundo, Mun2 and NBC Sports will be available on iTunes soon.“The return of our shows to iTunes is terrific news for everyone who loves television and the ease and convenience of Apple’s iTunes,” said Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal. “And now, by offering consumers a variety of new options, our fans have even more ways to enjoy our content.”

“We are thrilled that NBC is back on iTunes in time for the Fall TV season,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “NBC has some of TV’s most popular shows and now customers can purchase and download them from iTunes in SD or stunning HD.”

iTunes customers can also purchase a Season Pass which allows viewers to buy an entire season of programming at a discounted price. In addition, NBC Universal is offering one free episode from each of their top series, available in either SD or HD, on the iTunes Store for the next two weeks. The premiere episodes of upcoming NBC shows, such as “Knight Rider,” “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Kath & Kim” will be available on iTunes a week before their broadcast premieres later in September and October, with subsequent episodes available the day after broadcast. NBC is also making full episodes of several vintage television shows available on iTunes for $.99, including “The A-Team,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Miami Vice,” “Kojak” and the original “Battlestar Galactica.”

The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced on Sept 10 that it has completed its sale of the Performics search marketing business to Publicis Groupe (EURONEXT Paris: FR0000130577). Chicago-based Performics, one of the leading search marketing services providers, helps to improve the performance of advertisers’ investments and maximize client campaign effectiveness.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top Web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall Web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

As part of its continuing effort to offer innovative advertising solutions to its clients, NBC Universal (NBCU) will join forces with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to form a strategic multi-year advertising, research and technology partnership. The two companies will work together to develop more effective advertising metrics, attract non-traditional advertising partners to NBCU and incorporate self-service buying opportunities through the Google TV Ads™ advertising platform. The announcement was made on Sept 8 by Mike Pilot, President, NBC Universal Sales and Marketing and Tim Armstrong, Google’s President of Advertising and Commerce, North America.

On the national level, NBCU will offer advertising time from several of its cable networks to Google’s TV Ads platform. Inventory from Sci Fi, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Sleuth, and Chiller will be made available to Google in the coming months, with potential to expand onto other NBCU properties in the future. With the addition of NBC Universal inventory, advertisers using the Google TV Ads platform can reach NBCU Cable’s national audience and gain access to viewership data at an unprecedented scale. With this data, advertisers can better understand what consumers are responding to and make real-time adjustments to their campaign to maximize their ROI.

“We’re extremely pleased to join forces with Google on this effort, which will help us develop better accountability and ROI metrics for our advertisers and attract an entirely new group of clients to television advertising,” said Pilot. “This is another step in our commitment to trying innovative advertising approaches and testing new technologies that can help benefit our clients.”

“The Google TV Ads platform is making television advertising more accountable and measurable and we’re pleased with our progress to date,” said Armstrong. “Our partnership with NBCU will help us bring the power of television to a broader set of advertisers as well as give our current advertisers increased reach through our system.”

On the local level, NBCU and Google have also agreed to work jointly on adapting the Google TV Ads platform for local market use.

“This is a great way to reach clients who are interested in buying television advertising but may not have previously had the resources or ability to do so,” said Frank Comerford, President, Platform Development and Commercial Operations, NBC Local Media. “A self-service ad platform will be a great complement to our existing sales efforts and help us further connect our clients to their customers.”

As part of the agreement, NBC Universal will maintain its direct relationships with agencies and advertisers and can set parameters around the purchase of the available ad time. NBCU will also gain access to the large base of advertisers using Google’s AdWords™ online advertising program, many of whom are not currently television advertisers. The two companies will share in all ad revenue and explore innovative ways to expand the partnership in the future, including adapting the platform to add local inventory.

As part of their effort to help drive value for advertisers, NBCU and Google will also collaborate on a series of custom marketing and research projects using the Google TV Ads platform. Through its partnership with DISH Network, the Google TV Ads platform can report second-by-second set top box data allowing advertisers to measure viewership of their ads more precisely than ever before. The two companies will also take advantage of joint research that will help advertisers and agencies better understand their media mix and optimize their ad campaigns.

“We’re pleased that NBCU will make some of its inventory available on Google’s TV Ads platform,” said Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group. “The partnership will generate real value for our clients by providing us with a more measurable–and actionable–understanding of how consumers engage with content.”

About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.