In this roundup we have an update to yesterday’s top story about this weekend’s NFL game, the continued relaunch of late night TV shows, the Apple iTunes “rental” announcement everyone has been expecting, and an idea of how much it costs to advertise during the College Football Bowl games…

Comedy Central hosts back on air Jan. 7 without writers
Comedy’s Central late night hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert — following similar announcements by rivals Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel — on Jan. 7 plan to resume their shows, without their writers, who have been on strike since November. The hosts, who are Writers Guild members, said their preference would be to return with the scribes. “If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence,” they said. The New York Times

CBS, NBC to telecast Pats-Giants game
CBS and NBC, in addition to the NFL Network, will air nationally the “potentially historic game” between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on Saturday, the league announced Wednesday. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who was seeking a wider audience for the Pats-Giants game, lauded the NFL for its decision. The New York Times, Multichannel News, The Wall Street Journal

Source: Fox studio to rent out flicks via Apple’s iTunes
Apple reportedly is teaming with 20th Century Fox for a new video-on-demand service that will allow iTunes users to download digital “rentals” of the studio’s DVD releases. The arrangement is expected to be officially announced next month. Financial Times (free content), Multichannel News

Fox Sports’ college bowl ad inventory sold out
Fox Sports, approaching the midway mark of a four-year deal with the BCS, has no ad spots left for its slate of college bowl games, according to this article. For the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls, Fox charged $500,000 for a 30-second spot. For the BCS National Championship game between Ohio State and Louisiana State, a 30-second spot commanded $950,000 versus about $800,000 last year. TVWeek.com

Driver crashes van into Chicago TV news studio
An Illinois man who crashed a van into the studio of Chicago’s ABC 7 on Sunday just after the start of the 10 p.m. newscast has had behavioral issues and medical problems in the past, according to his sister. Police have charged Gerald Richardson, of Evanston, with reckless driving and gave him a citation for driving without insurance. Chicago Sun-Times