On Jackson death, old media “did the heavy lifting”: This is an actual paragraph from a Chicago Tribune story about how the news of Michael Jackson’s death spread:

“Gossip site TMZ.com, owned by Time Warner, was out in front with Jackson news and digital-era pipelines spread the word, as has happened before with other major celebrity news stories. But it was old media stalwarts that did the heavy lifting, with giants such as The Associated Press and the Web site of the L.A. Times, sister paper of the Chicago Tribune, reporting the fastest, most credible information on the emergency call for paramedics and ultimately his death.”

Cable companies begin web video test: Looking to protect their multi-billion dollar investments in television distribution while growing a web video presence, Time Warner and Comcast have teamed up on a technical test of “TV Anywhere.” In essence, the system checks to ensure you’re a Comcast subscriber before you can watch a Time Warner TV show on Comcast.net or Fancast.com. “It’s called playing defense,” writes Martin Peers in WSJ, explaining why he believes the plan isn’t ready for prime time.

Or as Dan Frommer puts it, “How about letting subscribers watch more TV on their TVs?”

Don’t count TiVo out just yet: One of television’s biggest innovations, TiVo once was a household word. But when cable and satellite operators began offering their own DVRs, TiVo’s growth stalled. But now, after winning a key federal patent battle against Dish, TiVo is back in the game, reminding operators with their own DVR technology that they may have violated its patent. And today, TiVo is reportedly in talks with Time-Warner to power their DVRs, and acquisition rumors are beginning to swirl. Will DirecTV buy TiVo? Amazon? Apple? Netflix? Stay tuned…

Also: TiVo teams with Quantcast to measure TV-web link in real time

When can we stream live from our iPhones? The new iPhone hit store shelves today with a built-in video camera, simple editor and the ability to send clips to your friends or post ‘em straight to YouTube. That’s a big step forward — essentially a wireless Flip Camera — but it still doesn’t allow live streaming. TechCrunch asked Qik and Ustream if they plan on launching streaming apps — without hacks — and both companies said it’s too early to tell if the new camera API will allow it. The likely reason: live mobile streaming would become wildly popular and take down AT&T’s distribution network, which is struggling to keep up with new iPhone features. But as network capacity continues to grow — AT&T is working to upgrade its network later this year — live “one-touch” streaming is inevitable, and it will no less than revolutionize citizen journalism.