• by Wayne Friedman , David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 22, 2006

All business is personal. Given the surge of personalized TV media, NBC is mulling the idea of its own marketing/programming effort under the moniker TV For Me.

This summer, NBC filed for the trademark TV For Me with the federal government. Vince Manze, president and creative director of The NBC Agency, confirmed the move. "With all the my TV, my somethings out there, why not?" he asks.

There are no plans as yet to move forward, and registering the name is just a place saver. It reserves a spot for NBC--if and when it decides to put an organized effort together. As far as Internet registration is concerned, TVForMe.tv is available. But TVForMe.com is owned by Moscow resident Sergei Mikhailovich, according to NetworkSolutions.com.

News Corp.'s new MyNetworkTV broadcast network has laid some claim to this burgeoning area--as well as its hugely popular MySpace.com site. MyNetworkTV is launching in a couple of weeks.

Personalized media may be in the cards for NBC. But right now, the network is focusing on the new fall season as it attempts to escape a lowly fourth-place spot among 18-49 adult viewers.

NBC's new broadcast season kicks off Sept. 18, and Manze says the network's new efforts are tracking well.

Research shows that NBC's new drama "Heroes" has been earning high percentage marks in viewer awareness. The show has an "Intent-To-View" score of 50. "That's a huge intent to view," says Manze, who adds that there are some 60 fan-sites already devoted to "Heroes."

Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is also scoring well, registering higher than average scores of 40-plus on the "Intent-To-View" scorecard. Somewhat lower--but still higher than average--are "Friday Night Lights" and "Kidnapped," which are getting scores in the 30s.

"We have a lot of shows with a lot of buzz and critical reviews," says Manze.

Part of that is growing Internet buzz, says Manze. But while it is important, it may not add much to the marketing mix of launching a TV show. "My feeling is, it can't hurt," he says. "But I'm not sure it helps as much as people think."