• Facing 'Staggered' Contract Suit, Nielsen Extends 'Landmark' Contract With Time Warner by Joe Mandese

    Already facing an antitrust suit alleging that it is maintaining its "monopoly by securing, from time to time, multi-year, staggered contracts," with big TV companies, Nielsen Media Research Tuesday announced an extension of its first such long-term contract: It's a "landmark" seven-year contract with Time Warner. ...Read the whole story

  • NFL Ad Sales Stay Strong While Prime Time Viewers Decline by Wayne Friedman

    NFL advertising sales is selling strongly and at higher price increase levels than against the prime-time adult programming upfront market just concluded, say media buyers. Coming on the heels of the somewhat lackluster upfront prime-time market, media buyers say that NFL programming on CBS, ESPN, Fox and ABC is being priced, on average, anywhere from 6% to 8% versus a year ago. These increases are higher than the 4% to 5% price increases the broadcast prime-time general-interest programming received a few weeks ago. ...Read the whole story

  • The Other Jackson Verdict: Old Hits Receive Radio Spike, While Court TV Scores Its Own Hit by David Kaplan

    The not guilty verdict reached by jurors in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial not only saved Jacko from the slammer, but the outcome may have led to a resuscitated career for the one-time "King of Pop." Radio airplay increased dramatically after the decision was handed down on June 13, according to Mediabase 24/7, the Premiere Radio Networks-owned research company said Monday. ...Read the whole story

  • Study: Microsoft To Dominate Next Generation Of Video Games, Market To Achieve Critical Mass by Shankar Gupta

    Microsoft's Xbox 360 is poised to take an early lead in the market of next-generation console-based video game systems, and the flood of titles for all three systems--Xbox 360, Sony's PS3, and Nintendo Revolution--will drive the U.S. market for console software to more than $8.1 billion by 2008, according to preliminary projections of a study scheduled to be released next week by Kagan Research. By 2010, Kagan estimates that 54 million U.S. households will own at least one console system, and most will own both a fixed and portable system.

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