Margins Check: ‘South Park,’ TiVo, SanDisk and more

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.
—MTV Networks announced a deal to make available every episode of the “South Park” animated TV show via its Web site beginning next year. “South Park” airs on Comedy Central, which along with MTV is owned by entertainment giant Viacom. The pact expands on a previous deal that has MTV providing around 13,000 clips from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, and shows content providers are becoming more creative in expanding distribution options that could lead to further growth for wireless.
–Big box retailer CompUSA reported plans to shutter its remaining 103 retail locations following the sale of the business to an affiliate of restructuring and investment firm Gordon Brothers Group L.L.C. The move could prove a blow to the burgeoning unlocked handset business as CompUSA was one of the few retailers offering cellphones not tied to a carrier or contract.
–Time-shifting pioneer TiVo is moving into the metrics business by providing user-behavior information similar to established television monitoring firm Nielsen Media Research. The company has signed deals in the past several weeks with both television studios and advertisers to provide information on viewing habits; the move again highlights the increasing number of content providers going outside the mainstream for both distribution and monitoring.
–Speaking of alternative viewing habits, NBC reported a deal with SanDiskto provide television shows to SanDisk’s Web-based Fanfare service beginning next year. The news comes after NBC pulled its shows from Apple’s iTunes service and shows new entrants, including mobile, still have space in the digital distribution arena.