Brands to Watch: Apple, BBC, Cisco, GM + more

• American Idol's former owner, Robert F.X. Sillerman, wants it back.

• Apple is renaming Apple TV to iTV (adding apps, losing 1080 HD video playback) and patches "gaping" security hole.

• BBC's iconic Top Gear faces a tough audience when an American version launches on the History Channel this fall.

• Cisco profit soars 79%, but revenue falls short of Wall Street expectations.

• GM may file its IPO by Friday, says the New York Times.

• JetBlue listens, finally addresses Steven Slater incident with a blog post.

• John Madden is still big in video games, but misses TV.

• NHL franchise lets fans name their own ticket prices.

• Old Spice actor Isaiah Mustafa lands two movie roles.

• Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's support of former HP CEO Mark Hurd sets rumor mill humming.

• P&G pulls Charmin ad after Kimberly-Clark complaint to US advertising watchdog.

• Saab is looking to expand in Latin America.

• Samsung is offering half a million dollars for the best TV app (US only).

• Tiger Woods and Roger Federer: not the sports brands they once were.

• Twitter rolls out "fast follow" feature and other SMS advances.

• Unilever and other branding giants are refining outreach to Muslim consumers.

• Verizon FiOS scores first NFL 3D broadcast with Sept. 2 Giants/Patriots game.

• Viacom files notice it intends to appeal YouTube ruling.

• And in a Maytag repairman twist for our times, LG's new washer-dryer combo flags technical issues with sonic mobile alerts to a technician.

More about: Brand News, American Idol, Apple, BBC, Charmin, EA, FiOS, GM, Google, History Channel, HP, iTV, JetBlue, John Madden, Kimberly-Clark, LG, Maytag, NHL, Old Spice, P&G, Roger Federer, Samsung, NFL, Oracle, Tiger Woods, Top Gear, Twitter, Unilever, Verizon, Viacom, YouTube

via brandchannel.com

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