Read the latest updates about media and entertainment at Checkonomics.Checkonomics research team updates data daily on media and entertainment news, reports, analysis, market research.

M&E News: May 04- May 17 2013

Last Updated: 24-May-2013

North America

1.  NBC Says Olympic Ad Sales Are Strong  (WSJ)

May 16 2013: Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal unit is projecting advertising sales of more than USD800 million for the Olympic Games in 2014  in Russia, which would be a record for the Winter Games, despite the decision of two longtime sponsors to pass on the event.

Seth Winter, executive vice president for sales and marketing for NBC Sports, said the company had sold 75%-80% of its television inventory, putting it about four months ahead of the pace of most recent Olympic sales drives.

2.  Amazon adds NBC shows like 'Grimm' to streaming catalog (cnet news)

May 16 2013: Amazon  added several NBCUniversal titles to its Prime Instant Video streaming catalog, including Grimm and Suits.

3.  At Least Two Pay-TV Operators Circling Hulu (WSJ)

May 15 2013: At least two pay TV operators, including cable giant Time Warner Cable Inc., are weighing an investment in Hulu as the online video site considers a range of strategic options, according to people familiar with the matter.

It isn't clear how much Time Warner Cable is willing to pay and whether it is considering purchasing a minority stake in the site or an all-out acquisition.

4.  USA Network's Dividing Line With Twitter (WSJ)

May 15 2013: Several television companies have announced deals with Twitter Inc. in recent weeks, looking to take advantage of the popularity of tweeting while watching shows. But not all TV companies believe tying up with the social-media site is such a great idea.

Comcast Corp.'s USA Network is expected to  unveil a rebuilt Web and mobile platform that will bring more of the real-time conversation about USA shows happening on Twitter, Facebook Inc. and other social-media outlets onto its own site.

5.  Google close to launching streaming music service (cnet news)

May 14  2013: Google is close to unveiling its streaming music service, as it prepares to take on Pandora, Spotify, and possibly Apple.

In March 2013, Google signed a deal for two streaming services with Warner Music - one tied to YouTube, the other to Google's Android music platform, Google Play. And now Google has struck deals with Universal Music as well as Sony Music, according to a report in The Verge, which suggests that Google could make the announcement at tomorrow's big developer conference, Google I/O.

6.  Watch ABC app arrives with live TV for iOS, Web (cnet news)

May 14 2013: ABC's new live TV video service Watch ABC has arrived on smartphones, tablets, and the Web, though its availability is highly limited for now.

7.  Time Warner Cable promises major upgrade to Android app (cnet news)

May 08 2013: Android users who employ the TWC TV application will soon have far more functionality available to them.

Time Warner Cable announced that the upgrade to its Android application will deliver access to more than 4,000 On Demand TV shows and movies. The app will also allow for out-of-home access to some On Demand programming and live TV viewing over a Wi-Fi connection. Time Warner Cable says mobile users will have access to over 1,100 On Demand shows and movies and live television from news, sports, and entertainment channels.

8.  Disney Parks, Cable Drive Profit (WSJ)

May 07 2013: Walt Disney Co. reported a 32% increase in net income for its fiscal second quarter, driven by significant growth at its theme parks, continued strength from the ESPN cable network and newfound stability at its film studio.

The only trouble spots for the media giant, which has seen its stock surge 33% so far this year, were its ABC broadcast network and its long struggling interactive unit.

9.  Marvel's 'Iron Man 3' Takes in USD175.3 Million at Box Office (WSJ)

May 05 2013: Iron Man 3, the latest superhero release from Walt Disney’s Marvel Studios unit posted the second-biggest domestic opening of all time and a world-wide gross that already was higher than the total for  Iron Man 2.

Iron Man 3 sold an estimated USD175.9 million in tickets abroad over the weekend. It opened in most countries a week before it did in the US and has brought in a total of USD505 million overseas.

The movie's performance in China was particularly strong. Since opening there, Iron Man 3 has collected USD63.5 million in the country, easing worries that Chinese moviegoers were becoming more interested in domestic productions than in Hollywood imports.