In the ‘If you can’t beat them, join them’ category, the New York Times reports today (free registration required) that ESPN has signed a 15-year deal with Electronic Arts giving EA exclusive rights to the ESPN brand in video games. Guess EA is looking at that NFL deal as an even smarter move now. So the big question is – will the new NFL flagship EA game have some Frankenstein-like title? I’m sorry, but ‘ESPN-Madden NFL2k6’ just doesn’t roll off the tongue.
NFL Podcasts
Well, not exactly. It’s not an XML feed – it’s a pay-to-download deal the NFL has struck with Audible.com to offer day-after recordings of the remaining playoff games, plus the Superbowl. Games should cost users $10 each, or up to $5 for game highlights. Yawn. Who wants to listen to a game after the fact. Especially football. I hope Audible didn’t pay too much for this deal. Read more in this AP story.
Hello, McFly
In what seems to be a Ken Russel film gone awry, Crispin Glover has a new ‘art film’ he’s working on featuring some boobies, quite a few actors with Down Syndrome, snails, salt, blackface, swastikas and the eponymous Mr. Glover. Weird, weird, weird. Quicktime preview here (mildly NSFW).
TiVo Blows Off Comcast?
The gray lady reports today that Tivo was close to a deal with Comcast (free registration required) to put TiVo technology into Comcast’s set-top-boxes, but TiVo’s board backed out based on the recommendation of Michael Ramsey, then CEO and Chairman. Now, Ramsey has resigned the CEO position, but remains as chairman. An interesting read, for sure. If TiVo continues to make boneheaded moves like this, the company won’t be worth much more than the spiffy plush TiVo mascot I have on my office shelf. Sad, really.