Business News

• News Corp. set to announce national sports nets at March upfront
  News Corp., during its first-ever sports upfront early next month, will finally provide details about its plan to launch national sports channels to compete with ESPN, sources said. Fox Sports Media Group reportedly is working to create a pair of sports networks from its existing Speed Channel and Fuel network that will focus on Major League Baseball, college football, NASCAR, professional soccer and ultimate fighting. Former daytime talker Regis Philbin is in talks to join the main channel's lineup for an afternoon show, according to sources. Fox will also share details about programming for its 22 regional sports networks at the upfront. Reuters (2/8), Multichannel News (2/8)     

• NBCU to transform G4 into Esquire Network
  NBCUniversal is preparing to remake its G4 video-gaming-themed channel into the Esquire Network, which is being pitched as "an upscale Bravo for men." The TV version of the magazine will cover similar topics, such as cars, politics, travel, fashion and cooking, without duplicating the print content. NBCU owns the channel, but Esquire parent Hearst Magazines has "a strong interest" in its success, according to Hearst Magazines President David Carey. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/10)     

• Other News

• Report: Allegiance will close 20 Kansas systems outside of BCI Broadband deal
  Multichannel News (2/8)     

Programming News

• AMC gets real on Thursday nights
  AMC on Thursday will unveil its block of unscripted series, which are part of its goal to offer original programming every week of the year; currently the net has original shows for 43 weeks. The Thursday block starts at 9 p.m. with the second-season opener of "Comic Book Men," followed at 9:30 by the debut of "Freakshow" and the 10 p.m. premiere of the taxidermy-themed "Immortalized." Adweek (2/11)     

• Other News

• Discovery taps Chris Cooper for lead role in "Klondike" miniseries
  The Hollywood Reporter/The Live Feed blog (2/8)     

Eye on Video

• TiVo Mini set-top is on offer from Suddenlink
  The TiVo Mini set-top, which gives users the ability to screen programming from its Premiere DVR in any room of their homes, is now being offered by Suddenlink Communications. The monthly rental fee ranges from $6 to $11, based on the particular market and customer-service tier. FierceCable (2/8)     

• Other News

• Time Warner Cable expands VOD streaming library to PCs, Macs
  Multichannel News (2/8)     

Marketing Trends

• Brands are putting celebs to work with lofty title handouts
  Marketers at top brands have been granting celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Marc Jacobs and Victoria Beckham such titles as chief creative officer, head of creative design or chief innovator. The deals are an attempt to go beyond the typical endorsement, and they can backfire if there's a falling out or a history with another brand, but analysts say the practice likely has little downside. "Most is hype. But no doubt some people become celebs because they are truly creative people, so why not experiment?" says Pete Favat, chief creative officer at Arnold. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (2/11)     

• Truck stop TV network is venue for Warner Bros. 3-D movie ads
  Warner Bros. is promoting its forthcoming 3-D release "Jack the Giant Slayer" via ads on Travel Plaza TV, which is available at 300 gas stations and truck stops in 42 states. The place-based network's screens have the capability of displaying 3-D images without the need for special glasses. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (2/10)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by CTAM SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Report: Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt will exit at end of 2013 (The Wall Street Journal)

• Charter will pay $1.625 billion for Optimum West (Multichannel News)

• NBCU hands reins of cable entertainment nets to Bonnie Hammer (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Cable network salaries went up 4.2% in 2012, survey shows (Multichannel News)

• Cable unit proves key to Time Warner's 51% profit jump (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Association News

• Recognizing excellence in cable and content marketing
  Mark your calendars for the 2013 Mark Awards call for entries on Feb. 20. Visit the Mark Awards website or join the CTAM Mark Awards group on LinkedIn for updates and/or answers regarding the application process.     

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Is this about my wife? My wife is beyond approach. She is, after all, my wife." --Alexei Karenin (Jude Law), "Anna Karenina"      This title and more are available On Demand! Movies & TV shows from NBCUniversal: digital.nbcuni.com.