DirecTV and Google have announced a strategic advertising partnership making Google the sales representative for much of the ads on 11 different channels carried on DirecTV. The partnership, which is entirely advertising-related and not content-based, means that advertisers looking to advertise on certain networks carried by DirecTV will go through the Google TV advertising system to place these ads.
For more on the new partnership, keep reading.
My iPhone will soon become my universal remote, allowing me to control my TV, DVD player and sound system with a small adapter and an app. What other media can you control with an app and your iPhone or iPod Touch? The answers to your questions are right here, my friends.
I'm not sure how I lived without a DVR — though I've only had it for a few years, it's a convenience that I don't think I can live without! I've already told you how to program your TiVo online, and now DirecTV subscribers can set their DVRs on the go. The DirecTV iPhone App for iPhone allows you to access and edit your account and recording schedule.
Sign into the free application using your DirecTV account to access and change your preset recordings and schedule new recordings from your phone. You can also customize the application to include only channels you receive within its listed shows. Even if you're not a DirecTV customer, you can use the app to search current shows by channel, title, or date and time, plus read episode information and summaries.
Similar to TiVo's disclaimer that the service isn't guaranteed to be error-free, the app does include a warning that "in rare instances, scheduled recordings may not be recognized," so if you're recording something super important, it's best to program that from home.
DirecTV and NBC's deal to keep Friday Night Lights on the air was seen as groundbreaking, but it might just be the start of things for the satellite TV service: A recent New York Times story stated that DirecTV wants to be more like HBO, creating more original series and helping revive or continue neglected network shows. Executives reportedly want another season of FNL, and they're also going to be airing numerous TV movies as pilots for potential series. Getting DirecTV instead of cable is a big decision (and not one that's open to all of us — say, apartment-dwellers), but tell me: If DirecTV were more like HBO, would you want to subscribe?
There's so much great TV on tonight (including the premieres of Pushing Daisies and Private Practice), and yet the one show I'm really pining for is the one that will be hardest to watch. Friday Night Lights returns tonight for its third season — if, that is, you have DirecTV.
I'm trying not to be too bitter; after all, DirecTV is basically the reason we're getting a third season at all. Under a unique deal, NBC and DirecTV are sharing the costs of producing this 13-episode season, with DirecTV getting the rights to air the episodes first on its 101 Network. NBC plans to air the episodes as well, tentatively in February, but they'll be slightly edited from the extended versions airing commercial-free on DirecTV.
Back at TCA, I got some hints about what's coming up, and I'm heartened to hear from some critics who have already seen the premiere episode that the show seems to have returned to its roots after a second season that occasionally went off-course. It's a shame so many of us will have to wait to see it, but the fact that it's coming back at all is enough to make me smile.
After the jump, you can watch two promos for this season: a spooky, moody number set to "Devil Town" (shades of the season one finale), and another with one of Coach Taylor's best speeches (I dare you not to get chills). Will you be watching on DirecTV? Holding out for NBC? Scouring the web for, um, other ways to watch? Check out the videos and let me know when you read more
OK, so it's just a rumor right now, but it's a credible one: Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Friday Night Lights will be renewed for a third season, thanks to a partnership with DirecTV. No deal has been officially announced, but another report says it's just waiting for a signature.
In essence, the deal will have NBC and DirecTV sharing the costs for producing the show. What, exactly, does that mean for us actually getting to see these new episodes of FNL? Unfortunately, that's not clear yet. I'm hoping the deal looks something like the NBC/USA arrangement with Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where episodes air first on USA and later on NBC; as a non-DirecTV subscriber, it would be sad to have to wait, but knowing I'd see the show eventually would be good enough. What I'm hoping won't happen is what NBC did with Passions, which made the episodes available only on DirecTV and nowhere else.
So, until the details are announced, I'm only going to consider this about 85 percent good news. But hey, that's better than nothing, right? Meanwhile, the Save Friday Night Lights folks still have more mini-footballs on the way, so we fans are definitely being heard. Say it with me now: Clear eyes, full hearts . . .
