Writers strike could have lasting effect on TV
The ongoing Writers Guild strike has network programmers and marketers considering new models for TV programming, according to this article. Among the ideas being kicked around are a shortened, eight- to 10-episode TV season and an end to the current method of commissioning pilots for new shows. Advertising Age

• Networks scrambling to fill schedules as strike drags on: As the writers strike continues into the TV season’s second half, the networks are trying to stretch their scripted series to fill programming gaps. Each is taking a different tack, based largely on how many new episodes they kept in reserve, according to this article. The New York Times

MySpace grows up
MySpace has evolved from a grassroots social-networking site to a powerful media and advertising tool with a presence in some two dozen countries, according to this article. The site, which News Corp acquired for $580 million in 2005, is projected to generate $800 million in revenue, mostly from ad sales, in fiscal 2008. The New York Times

YouNewsTV signs 50th station partner
WLNE-TV in Providence, R.I., recently became the 50th affiliate of YouNewsTV, a social-networking and user-generated community news-gathering service from Broadcast Interactive Media. In the coming weeks, BIM will debut a content-exchange feature on the platform to allow outlets to share video, according to this article. Broadcasting & Cable

HBO to put content online for subscribers
Time Warner’s HBO this week will unveil an online service that will enable its subscribers to download films and original programming to their Windows PCs. HBO on Broadband will be tested in the Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wis., markets before being gradually rolled out to the rest of the U.S. The New York Times

Column: Why “Friday Night Lights” is losing the ratings game
The reason why NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” is such a compelling show for critics and its small, core audience is the very reason it seems destined for failure: It stands alone as a piece of drama, without benefit of multiplatform brand extensions, according to columnist Virginia Heffernan. “The fault of ‘Friday Night Lights’ is extrinsic: The program has steadfastly refused to become a franchise,” Heffernan writes. The New York Times

Report: NBC’s Silverman to sell production company
Shine Ltd., a London-based production firm owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, reportedly has reached a deal with NBC Entertainment co-Chairman Ben Silverman to acquire Reveille, the company behind such hits as “Ugly Betty” and “The Office,” for at least $125 million. Silverman instigated the sale of his company, which is one of NBC’s top program suppliers, to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest vis-a-vis his role at the network. The deal would give Rupert Murdoch’s daughter an “immediate toehold” in the U.S. market, according to this article. Los Angeles Times (free registration)