According to The Wall Street Journal, CBS Corporation and The Walt Disney Company are seriously considering a proposal from Apple to kill off cable TV with a subscription based TV show service through iTunes.

The report explains that under Apple’s proposed subscription model, users would have “access to some TV shows from a selection of major networks” and basic cable channels for a flat monthly fee of around $US30.

CBS Corp. could offer programs from both CBS and The CW, including ‘NCIS’, ‘The Good Wife’ and ‘90210′; while The Walt Disney Co. could offer programs from ABC, ABC Family and Disney Channel, including ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’, ‘Greek’ and ‘Hannah Montana’.

As to how this could kill off pay TV, the WSJ notes that the networks could actually make more money per subscriber via iTunes than they do from cable TV providers, with broadcast networks receiving up to $US2-$US4 per subscriber, and basic-cable networks receiving $US1-$US2 per subscriber.

While CBS and Disney have plenty to gain from an iTunes subscription service, the two companies are also quite nervous about giving Apple more control and market-share. Apple already have a stranglehold over TV episode pricing on iTunes, with all episodes priced at a fixed $US1.99 — which lead to a brief fallout with NBC in 2007.

Even if Apple can win over CBS and Disney, the California-based company will have a tough time convincing other networks to join the bandwagon, with NBC Universal and Warner Bros. Television holding significant cable TV interests — with Comcast’s recent acquisition of NBC and Warner’s own TimeWarner Cable.

How this could affect the Australian market remains to be seen. Although it’s worth noting that all major US networks and content providers (sans CBS) currently distribute shows via the Australian iTunes Store.

Provided the local networks have no objections (though that could be a whole other can of worms), would you be interested in seeing a subscription based iTunes TV show service?

Source: The Wall Street Journal via Apple Insider

Lucy Hale - In negotiations to top-line 'Pretty Little Lairs'.

Competition between The CW and ABC Family has really heated up over the last two seasons, with both channels targeting the same young female demographic.

Last season, ABC Family’s ‘The Secret Life of an American Teenager’ even topped the reboot of The CW’s ‘90210’.

Now it looks as though ABC Family are taking a page from The CW’s playbook, with the cable channel eyeing a project from Warner Bros. Television and Alloy Entertainment — the duo behind ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Privileged’, and this season’s breakout hit, ‘The Vampire Diaries’.

The project, entitled ‘Pretty Little Liars’, is based on the series of novels by Sara Shepard.

Adapted for television by Marline King (“Just My Luck”), ‘Liars’ revolves around four 16-year-old friends, Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna, who’ve had a falling out following the disappearance of their manipulative and vindictive “Queen Bee”, Alison. Three years after her disappearance, the girls begin to receive mysterious messages suggesting that Alison is watching them and knows all their dirty secrets. The messages continue to arrive, even after Alison’s body is finally discovered.

‘Privileged’ star Lucy Hale is said to be negotiations to top-line ‘Liars’, with Bob Levy, Leslie Morgenstein and King serving as executive producers.

Alloy and Warner had previously attempted to turn ‘Liars’ into a TV series, with a project in development for The WB back in 2005. Mimi Schmir had penned the script, but it wasn’t green-lit for pilot by the network.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Meaghan Jette Martin, Larry Miller and Lindsey Shaw from ABC Family's '10 Things I Hate About You'.

Just a week after the season finale of ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ went to air, ABC Family have quickly pushed through an order for another 10-episode season of the single-camera comedy.

Based on the feature by the same name, the half-hour show follows the two Stratford sisters, Kat and Bianca, as they try navigate the social shark tank that is high school.

The series was developed for television by Carter Covington (‘Greek’),with original film’s director, Gil Junger, serving as a consultant and director on the series.

With production resuming over the next few months, the series is expected to return for its second season shortly after the new year.

The cast of ABC Family's '10 Things I Hate About You'.

ABC Family have pumped out a number of hit series over the last few years, including ‘Greek’, ‘The Secret Life of an American Teenager’ and ‘Kyle XY’, all of which found strong audience bases in their core teen demographic.

Now ABC Family are hoping to do it once again, but this time with a proven concept pulled right out of the 90’s. ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ is based on the hit 1999 film by the same name, which starred Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger.

The original film was based on William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, though these elements of the story were either omitted for the series, or were not explored fully in the pilot, but the general basis for the series is more or less same as the film. It revolves around two sisters, Kat and Bianca, as they try to navigate their way through high school and deal with their over protective father.

Lindsey Shaw, who played the essence of high school popularity in the short-lived comedy ‘Aliens in America’ does a complete 180˚ for ‘10 Things’. She plays the independent, self confident, feminist Kat, which she delivers eerily familiar to Stiles, with the exception of her being a brunette.

The role of Kat’s younger, impressionable sister Bianca is filled by Meaghan Jette Martina, who also looks and plays the part quite well. Nicholas Braun fills the shoes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s adorkable character Cameron, while Ethan Peck as Ledger’s bad boy character Patrick. Finally, to my great surprise, Larry Miller reprises his role as the sisters crazily protective father, a role which he plays too well.

The spot on casting of the sisters and solid supporting cast has helped the show to capture the same fun attitude that the 1999 film did. It has plenty of great one liners and comedic beats which is surely a result of having the same creative team as the original. Director Gil Junger and writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith all resume their roles on the series. They’re also joined by showrunner Carter Covington, who previously served as a writer and producer on ‘Greek’.

The writers have thrown in a number of references to the film, which fans of the original will easily recognise. There’s even a call back to the song “I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick which has been covered by all-female Californian rock band KSM. The song was infamously covered and performed by Letters to Cleo in the film.

With so much of the original team involved and some great peformances, ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ looks to be another hit in the making. That is if these teens today are still able to appreciate what was once one of the kings of 90’s teen comedies.

4 out of 5 stars

Lindsey Shaw, Ethan Peck and Meaghan Jette Martin star in ABC Family's new series ‘10 Things I Hate About You’.

Based on the hit movie ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ comes the new ABC Family series by the same name.

The series is based around sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford. While trying to adjust to their newfound social lives at Padua High, they must also learn to deal with their over protective father, especially when it comes to boys.

Like in the movie, Kat is strong-willed and all about feminist power, while Bianca is more concerned with her appearance and popularity.

The series is set to premiere on July 7th, 2009 on ABC Family.

Gil Junger, who directed the film, also directed the pilot; which was written and produced by Carter Covington.

The series stars Lindsey Shaw (‘Aliens in America’) as Kat Stratford, Meaghan Jette Martin (‘Camp Rock’) as Bianca Stratford and Larry Miller as Dr. Walter Stratford, a role which reprises from the original film.

The cast also includes Ethan Peck, Nicholas Braun, Kyle Kaplan, Dana Davis and Chris Zylka.

Watch a preview for the series below.

If you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Lindsay Lohan, think again.

Lohan’s latest comedy flick ‘Labor Pains’ will make its debut on cable TV over the (US) summer with a DVD release planned shortly after in August.

The comedy film, set to air on ABC Family, has so far been unable to secure a domestic theatrical release. A source close to the project has said that one of the producers is currently looking to raise prints and advertising funds for a small theatrical window.

‘Labor Pains’ stars Lohan as a woman who fakes a pregnancy to keep her job, only to find she must keep up the ruse for the full three trimesters. The film also stars Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines and Janeane Garofalo.

The film was was produced by Nu Image/Millennium Films in association with Overnight Productions and Plum Pictures.

Lohan was last seen on ABC’s ‘Ugly Betty’, where her role in the comedy series was cut short due to Lohan’s on-set antics.

Just to keep you up to date with the news, here are a few noteworthy headlines from the past week.

• American Dad gets fifth season pick up.

• Courtney Cox signs on to pilot for ABC sitcom Cougar Town from Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence.

• FOX to wrap King of the Hill at the end of this season.

• The CW and CBS Paramount Network Television are discussing possible reboot of Melrose Place, à la 90210.

• ABC Family commit to new pilot based in the competitive world of gymnastics, dubbed Perfect 10.

• BBC’s Australian produced soap Out of the Blue finds new home on UK channel Five.

• Andrew Denton calls it quits for Enough Rope.

• Underbelly picks up 8 nominations for 2008 AFI Awards.

Sources: Variety, TV Tonight, Herald Sun, AdelaideNow, Australian Film Institute.

Greek the ABC Family television show which airs alongside The Secret Life of the American Teenager is now coming to Australia on FOX8.

The show revolves around the life of Rusty Cartwright, a self proclaimed geek from high school trying to start a new life in college.  To begin his new life he pledges a fraternity hoping to gain popularity.  However Rusty’s sister who is beautiful and popular already deeply associated with the top Sority.

For more information on the show, listen to Episode 13 of the podcast. Follow the links on the main page.

Greek premieres 8:30pm Thursday, September 18th on FOX8.

While The CW were still riding their 90210-high yesterday. ABC Family were spinning their numbers, only to find that their own teen series The Secret Life of the American Teenager actually rated higher than the Beverly Hills drama.

The cable network scored its second highest ratings figures ever, beating the first hour of The CW’s 90210 debut, in viewers 12-34 (2.42 million vs. 2.40 million) and females 12-34 (1.92 million vs. 1.71 million).

So step over Beverly Hills kids, it looks like you’re not the only American teenagers on Tuesday nights!

It’s that time of year again. So jump in front of the tube and get ready for hours of tears, laughter and joy. The US fall season is here!

Prison Break, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The Closer and The Hills headlined today’s festivities, while tomorrow kicks off the anticipated series premiere of 90210 and the return of The Shield and ABC Family’s Greek.

Stay tuned as we review some of this season’s most anticipated series returns and premieres.

It’s a new season of television! And boy is there a lot to talk about. In our first post-olympics podcast, we discuss Packed the Rafters, All Saints, Idol, Make Me a Supermodel, ABC Family, and plenty of Aussie Drama. The return of Cult Show of the Week and our new segment So You Think Concepts.  We wrap up by discussing the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

For those of you who are unaware Kyle XY makes its Australian television debut this week on Foxtel’s FOX8 channel. The show begins this Thursday the 28th of August at 7.35pm AEST.

The show begins with the pilot episode which aired back in June of 2006 in the USA on ABC Family. It centres around a teenager (Kyle) who wakes up one day with no recollection of who he is and how he got there, he is taken in by a family and with the help of them and new found friends he attempts to figure out exactly who he is.