Direct TV Dish

Spike digital and video games has announced that newly designed Spike.com website will be launched on Friday, May 30. Erik Flannigan, executive vice president, digital media, MTVN Entertainment Group and Jon Slusser, senior vice president said that spike.com will offer new look and feel with high resolution and full episode video player and advanced social networking and deeper content channels. Spike TV’s Spike.com has development deal with Playboy.com and will carry original content. Spike.com is now positioned to be the Web’s premier destination for men at the younger end of the 18-34 demo guys who are into the UFC, video games and viral videos,” said Flannigan.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will honor the late Oscar-winning filmmaker Sydney Pollack by presenting the evening with programming. Turner Classic Movies will air following movies

The Slender Thread (1965) — Pollack’s directorial debut

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Tootsie (1982) and

Jeremiah Johnson

The last film and “Three Days of the Condor” mark two of the director’s seven collaborations with actor-filmmaker Robert Redford. Pollack, who hosted Turner Classic’s weekly movie showcase The Essentials from 2003 to 2004, died of cancer Monday at the age of 73.

Fareed Zakaria named editor of Newsweek International in October 2000; presently foreign affairs analyst of CNN will feature in CNN’s new weekly international news show on Sunday, June 1. The new show will focus on foreign affairs and will be aired on every Sundays on CNN from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Liza McGuirk will be the program’s new executive producer. This week Chief guest will be former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

ESPN2, Tennis Channel and NBC are to cover the French Open, the sport’s second Grand Slam tournament, begins May 25 from Paris. ESPN2 and Tennis Channel will provide some 51 and 100 live hours of coverage from the red clay event, while NBC will bring matters to their championship conclusions with its café and croissant coverage of the women’s and men’s finals, live at 9 AM. ET on June 7 and 8, respectively. Three time defending champion, Rafael Nadal, will play to defend his title, while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are also in the race for the title.

The Spanish language network Univision Communications will provide more video on demand thatwere broadcasted on its other networks TeleFutura, Univision and Galavision. Univision is planning to offer 1000 VOD hours from January 2009. The network is also to provide games from the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Univision chairman Joe UVA said “There are great opportunities for distributors and us to work together here and better reach the U.S. Hispanic market, there were fewer than 100 hours of Spanish-language VOD programming currently available in the market. “We have real brand equity with viewers and Univision will be a real driver in this category.”

The Ultimate Fighter 7 “Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest” will be broadcasted in high definition on Spike HD on June 21. The final takes place at The Pearl at The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and will be first time ever on Spike TV in high definition. The three hour event featuring a main event of Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove will start at 9.00 PM.

NBC has presented NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals and earned 1.6 overnight household rating and a 4 share. The Saturday and Sunday coverage of the network has improved the rating by 14%. NBC Saturday’s broadcast of Game 5 between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, won by Dallas 2-1, earned a 25 percent increase over 2007. The game recorded a 14.1/34 rating and share in the Detroit market.

The new pay cable movie channel has announced Mark Greenberg of showtime as top executive of the Channel. The new channel is a joint venture of Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate. The channel, which will include an online presence and video-on-demand option, will operate with the support of Viacom’s MTV Networks. Programming will be a mix of archival and new film titles from the studios, as well as original programming, much like the current model at Showtime and HBO

Martina Navratilova a former World No.1 woman tennis player who serves as primary commentator of the Tennis Channel will create two tennis-themed paintings at City Park that will be auctioned for the benefit of New Orleans’ Youth Tennis Program at the facility. Navratiova is to be accompanied by 200 kids, will hit tennis balls into a pre-designed canvas. The event will mark the first time Navratilova, who will be providing analysis from Paris, beginning May 25 on Tennis Channel’s coverage of the French Open, will showcase her art in the U.S.

ABC affiliate WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio started its local news program broadcast in high-definition. ABC affiliate WSYX-TV is Channel 6 in Columbus started broadcasting Saturday 6 PM. newscast in high-definition. Fox Affiliate and WTTE-TV has partnered to present weathercasts in high-definition in Columbus.