“Jailbreaking” an iPhone will soon be a thing of the past now that the Library of Congress gave Apple smartphone users a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Comcast will launch a network version of their VOD Fearnet channel — suggesting that VOD-only distribution isn’t ready for prime time. Or that prime time is still the best time for ad supported content.

As the 2010 Tour de France prepares to climb the Pyrenees, TV ratings are up while TDF numbers are down. Crashes and injuries have forced 20 cyclists to drop out.

But riders’ pain may be cable’s gain. Versus’ live morning coverage is setting ratings records.

One of this summer’s “hottest” new shows is a reality based sports drama featuring daily updates each morning. It raises the usual reality fare a few notches, including spontaneous fistfights, a psychopath who has been kicked off the island, illicit drug use and egos which dwarf anything that Hollywood could imagine. This production uses real world class athletes competing for big prizes. And instead of unseen producers manipulating the circumstances to imitate reality…it uses reality.

Nielsen has announced organizational changes which will give set top box data greater visibility in the ratings company as well as testing to see how STB data compares to the ratings currency.

Canoe Ventures may not always be on time but yesterday they were certainly on message. “Interactivity is here,” was the message CEO David Verklin repeated numerous times at the Advertising Research Foundation AMS 4.0 Conference in New York.

Arbitron is going high tech with their portable people meter rolling out a replacement for the 80’s-like pager-looking device with hardware that uses cell phone technology.

High Definition TV has been good to TV manufacturers, program producers and consumers. HD helps sell more high-end TVs to consumers who like the Big Picture and richer viewing experience. Now new research suggests there might be good HD news for media buyers and sellers, too.

If you find yourself going online to learn what’s going on around town, you’re not alone. More Americans are using digital tools to complement face to face encounters with neighbors and friends to keep current on what’s up — downtown.

The ratings are in on the ratings company’s planned IPO. The NYT likes Nielsen’s prospects, the WSJ not so much.

Here’s an up to date scorecard — and what Van Morrison might have to say about it all.