Aereo TV streaming service from Barry Diller faces showdown with News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch, who threatens to take FOX cable-only, as Intel cooks up its vision of future of TV.

Apple, which can now trademark iPad mini in U.S. and captured 74% of mobile app revenue in Q1, reportedly will release new iPhone 5S in "at least" two screen sizes.

Billabong in talks to sell out for $300 million.

Airbus juggles order book to meet record demand for A320neo Jet.

AT&T joins Boeing in backing U.S. cyber bill facing privacy fight.

Audi promotes in-vehicle Wi-Fi in new TV campaign.Continue reading...

Swatch Group's new year surprise — that it's paying $1 billion to acquire the luxury unit of Harry Winston Diamond Corp. — is making observers beyond the jewelry business watch both brands more closely.

Canada's Harry Winston Diamond Corp.’s $1 billion sale ($750 million plus $250 million in debt) of its luxury business to Switzerland's Swatch Group AG provides the cash for Winston to invest more in diamond mining, a business that last year was more than twice as profitable as jewelry.

Shares in Toronto-based Harry Winston rose 4.4 percent on Monday after the deal was announced. The high-end company's chairman and CEO, Robert Gannicott, told The Globe and Mail that the company planning will use the cash to focus primarily on mining after eight years as a luxury jewelry brand. His plan: purchase the 60 percent stake of the Diavik mine it doesn’t already own from Rio Tinto Group.

In addition to Winston exiting the luxe jewelry-selling business, the deal will have an impact on Swatch Group's (relatively) cheap and cheerful Swatch brand.Continue reading...

With the debris settled after the latest James Bond success, it seems that all of the bellyaching about Heineken's role in the film was about nothing. Daniel Craig as Bond reclines and sips a green bottle here and there, the label never visible. Without the ruckus surrounding Heineken's tie-in, none would be the wiser. Indeed, without the ruckus, movie reviewing icon Roger Ebert never would have known what brand to mention when he called Bond a Heineken sell-out. But then the ruckus was the point. A $45 million point that backfired on Heineken.

Just one of the slaps in the face to Heineken from Skyfall's filmmakers came in the form of Macallan whisky, which is poured throughout the film by Bond villains and M alike. At one point, a bottle of "50-year old Macallan" (£1,400.00) is even identified Bond's "favorite drink." Macallan, by the way, paid nothing for the honor.Continue reading...

Country? England. Gun? Shot. Agent? Provocateur. Murder? Employment. Skyfall? Product placement.

The latest James Bond film hit the US this weekend, letting audiences decide for themselves what all the product placement hubbub was about. The verdict? Meh. Some valuations have nailed down some dollar numbers on just how much exposure Skyfall brought its top-line brand partners, but what about the unidentifiable brands on-screen?

Despite no label ever being seen, at least one already has backorders going into 2013. And what to make of Bond's glorious return to tobacco?Continue reading...

Just as it did with the last Spider-Man movie, Sony has released a movie tie-in commercial for the upcoming James Bond movie that showcases the Xperia TL, the official smartphone of Skyfall. Sony Classical has also announced that it will release the Skyfall soundtrack on Nov. 6th.

Sony joins Heineken, Walther, Coke Zero, Omega, Tom Ford and other brands tapping into Skyfall fever. As  Anderson Cooper's recent 007 profile on 60 Minutes reported, "companies don't pay to be placed in a Bond film but agree to spend millions marketing the movies. Heineken, 007's beer of choice in Skyfall, is spending $75 million on a worldwide ad campaign."

The sure-to-be-blockbuster's most unexpected product placement so far?Continue reading...

For 50 years, James Bond has been finding his way out of life-threatening situations and winning hearts on the world’s silver screens. Friday, Oct. 5th marks the 50th anniversary of Bond on the silver screen, which is being promoted as Global James Bond Day. And in about a month, the British spy will come striding onto the big screen once again, so that means the heavy media push is now on.

The upcoming Bond film, Skyfall, has already been raising some eyebrows with the news that 007 will enjoy a Heineken during the film and not his typical martini tipple, with fans encouraged to help the new Bond girl, Severine, "crack the case" in a Facebook mystery game. But plenty of other marketers are jumping on the film’s release as well to encourage consumers to be more like the women-objectifying, consistently drinking, hidden-weapon-wielding Bond.Continue reading...

That's Team USA gymnast (and five-time Olympic medalist) Nastia Liukin, above, doing the splits with the special London 2012 Summer Olympics edition Dora the Explorer doll. Mattel's Fisher-Price will sell the interactive Fantastic Gymnastics Dora doll starting in August for $50. What makes the latest doll from the Nickelodeon hit series interactive? Consumers can download the free, Fantastic Gymnastics Dora augmented reality app on retail shelves or download from Apple's App Store.Continue reading...

The description on this video by Omega, offical timekeeper of 25 Olympic Games, says it all: "It's been 80 years since OMEGA first timed an Olympic Games, and as Official Timekeeper for London 2012, OMEGA will once again bear witness to Olympic glory. It has also been 50 years since the Rolling Stones became a band and 31 years since "Start Me Up" first entered the charts! To mark these occasions, OMEGA has released an extended Olympic Games-themed television commercial (a short version has also been released). The footage features the Rolling Stones' classic hit "Start Me Up", remixed especially for the commercial by producer Don Was. The on-screen footage features Chinese diver Qiu Bo, U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin, British heptathlete Jessica Ennis, U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, South African swimmer Chad Le Clos and U.S. pole vaulter Jenn Suhr — all Olympic hopefuls and OMEGA brand ambassadors. The focus is on the athletes' routines and concentration in the pivotal minutes and seconds before competition, a moment in time for each athlete that can set the tone for a potentially life-changing performance. Join the conversation on Twitter by using #StartMeUp and by following OMEGA on http://twitter.com/omegawatches" ("Start Me Up" was only used once before in a commercial, for Microsoft's Windows 95 launch.)

Below, watch the Omega London 2012 Countdown Clock in London's Trafalgar Square: 

"The OMEGA Countdown Clock starts ticking in Trafalgar Square, London. Swiss watchmaker OMEGA is the Official Timekeeper for the London Olympics 2012 and the OMEGA countdown clock will show the days, hours, minutes and seconds remaining to the start of the Opening Ceremony. OMEGA sport watches are favoured wherever timekeeping is essential and the Swiss watchmaker duly has a long history of involvement with the Olympic Games. The video shows some of the evening's events and features interviews with the Olympic host city's mayor, Boris Johnson, and sports personalities who were on hand to celebrate."