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Universal, Eminem & Direct TV Set to Launch Porn Channel
Political Palace ^ | 010404 | Reuters

Posted on 01/31/2004 5:01:49 PM PST by the invisib1e hand

Universal Music Mulls Music TV Venture

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Universal Music Group, the world's largest record label, is teaming up with satellite broadcaster DirecTV and business partners behind a prominent pornography video company to launch a music channel featuring uncensored videos.

According to a report on Friday in the Los Angles Times Universal, a unit of Vivendi Universal_(NYSE:V - news), is in negotiations with DirecTV to offer the new subscription-based channel, known as "1 AM."

Universal and the entrepreneurs of Vivid Entertainment Group founders, which is known for porn videos such as "Bad Wives" and "Women In Uniform," are expected to split ownership of the venture, the newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Other partners in the channel will be the Endeavor talent agency and Shady Records, the Universal-backed label managed by rap superstar Eminem (news - web sites).

General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - news) unit, NBC, is in the process of combining its television broadcast and cable networks with Universal's parks, film and TV studios.

Representatives of Universal, Vivid, DirecTV, News Corp., and Endeavor were not immediately available for comment.

The newspaper said ownership stakes of the channel are not set in stone, but Universal and Vivid entrepreneurs are likely to each own 45 percent stakes, while Endeavor and Shady Records will have 5 percent apiece.

The main players behind the channel are Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Universal's Interscope label and Ari Emanuel, a founding partner of Endeavor, according to the report.

The channel is the latest in a string of efforts to challenge MTV's dominance of music video and pop culture programming.

Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:CVC - news)-owned Rainbow Media Holdings launched Fuse earlier this year as an edgier upstart. Another venture, Hype TV, backed by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, recently landed distribution through the television unit of Playboy Enterprises Inc._(NYSE:PLA - news).

DirecTV, the largest satellite broadcaster in the US with 12 million subscribers, is under the control now of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NCP.AX)(NYSE:NWS - news) in a deal that cleared regulatory approval in December.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: directtv; directv; eminem; ge; generalelectric; nbc; porn; rupertmurdoch; universal; vivendi
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'art' imitating nature...for a buck.
1 posted on 01/31/2004 5:01:52 PM PST by the invisib1e hand
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To: the invisib1e hand
MTV wasn't edgy enough. The spiral continues.
2 posted on 01/31/2004 5:04:37 PM PST by NetLiberty
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To: the invisib1e hand
Above all else, pornography is b-o-r-i-n-g.

Much better to have a real life.

Most humans eventually come to this realization.
3 posted on 01/31/2004 5:15:38 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Its just getting worse and worse. here and i liked directv. Didn't the FOX guy buy this service?
4 posted on 01/31/2004 5:17:08 PM PST by blackfarm
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To: blackfarm
tell you what. why not write to each the companies mentioned. get to their websites and look for 'investor relations.'
5 posted on 01/31/2004 5:19:23 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
What is the invisible hand that you speak of?
6 posted on 01/31/2004 5:52:00 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
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To: All
Vivendi Universal Investor Relations Page (Vivendi owns Eminem's label. you can write to the company with your concerns).

Vivendi Universal at Yahoo! Finance (you can write to major shareholders).

General Electric at Yahoo! Finance (you can write to major shareholders. GE owns NBC which is merging with Vivendi-Universal's entertainment group.).

General Electric Home Page (you can write to the company with your concerns. Be sure to read "Our commitment to integrity" and "Our commitment to social performance" before clicking over to "Investor Relations" to tell them what you think.).

News Corp's Investor Relations page. News Corp also owns Fox Entertainment.

News Corp at Yahoo! Finance.

The NYSE ticker symbols are as follows: General Electric (GE), News Corp (NWS), Hughes Electronics (HS).

These companies are publicly held on US exchanges and therefore are accountable to the US public for the way they conduct business. If you believe that they engage in morally destructive activities, you owe it to your country to speak up. People who benefit from the free enterprise system have a moral obligation to 'first do no harm' to those they seek to capitalize.

You might have to hunt a bit for contact links but they are there. You will also have to be persistent and follow up if you're given the run-around.

Trust me, it's worth it. If the company ignores your concerns, you keep writing anyone and everyone, SEC, representatives, Wall Street Journal, etc. until they hold themselves accountable to the people whose money they are trying to take.

7 posted on 01/31/2004 5:56:22 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: ItisaReligionofPeace
What is the invisible hand that you speak of?

The One, The Only, The Invisible Hand, spoken of by Adam Smith.

8 posted on 01/31/2004 5:58:18 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Perhaps there is a demand for this service? Of course, I guess you would argue that you writing the company is part of the equation, and I guess you're right.
9 posted on 01/31/2004 6:28:47 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
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To: ItisaReligionofPeace
Perhaps there is a demand for this service?

there's apparently a demand for crack cocaine, too. demand itself isn't enough to make a business legitimate.

there is a moral obligation on that part of businesspeople that makes for responsible business citizenship, even as there is for individuals.

you know, the whole 'self-government' thing...

10 posted on 01/31/2004 6:34:01 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Fair enough.
11 posted on 01/31/2004 7:00:26 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
demand itself isn't enough to make a business legitimate.

Nor is someone's else's idea of how the rest of us should live enough to
make a business illegitimate.
12 posted on 01/31/2004 9:16:57 PM PST by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com/)
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To: gcruse
Nor is someone's else's idea of how the rest of us should live enough to make a business illegitimate.

ummm, so, is this your idea of how 'the rest of us' feel?

13 posted on 01/31/2004 9:19:03 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Porn is legal. Therefore, money made from it is legitimate.
Those who think it is evil are advised to not buy any.
14 posted on 01/31/2004 9:22:13 PM PST by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com/)
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To: gcruse
abortion is legal, too. it generates a profit by killing little defenseless humans. in my book, that's bad business.

your prior post is a tangled contradiction. I invite you to think it through a bit more.

15 posted on 01/31/2004 9:26:05 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
How so?  Is not porn legal?  If so, just as abortion, money made in producing
and charging for it is legitimate.  What am I missing here?  Are you conflating
legitimacy with your own morality?
16 posted on 01/31/2004 9:34:17 PM PST by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com/)
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To: gcruse
Porn is legal. Therefore, money made from it is legitimate. Those who think it is evil are advised to not buy any.

Ah, yes. Kind of along the lines of "if you don't like abortion, don't have one.

And about as reasonable, too.

17 posted on 02/01/2004 6:47:57 AM PST by Reactionary
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To: gcruse
Are you conflating legitimacy with your own morality?

this argument was settled centuries ago. i'd merely like to point out that morality is not 'my morality.' it was here before I got here and will be here after I'm gone.

and I admit I'm going to have to look up 'conflating.' but hey, i'm just a simple-minded moralist who inhabits this bubble where all human action has a moral dimension...

18 posted on 02/01/2004 7:58:05 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Sex sells!
19 posted on 02/01/2004 7:59:28 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: the invisib1e hand
O'Reilly will love this!
20 posted on 02/01/2004 11:39:40 AM PST by citizen (Write-in Tom Tancredo President 2004!)
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