• Research Chief Bolts Adidas Media Shop Carat For Nike, Will Run New Unit by Joe Mandese

    Less than a year after hiring a renowned marketing researcher to run Carat Insights, Carat once again is searching for a new chief research officer. Amy Drill is leaving as senior vice president of Carat Insight to run a new research-based business unit for athletic footwear and apparel marketer Nike, a direct competitor of one of Carat's flagship clients, adidas/rebook. ...Read the whole story

  • Summit Reveals Rift, Raises Issues, Slows Commercial Ratings Momentum by Joe Mandese

    The push for commercial minute ratings appeared to take step backward Thursday during an ad-hoc summit organized by clients of Nielsen Media Research to vet the definitions and methods for the potential new TV advertising metric. The push, which has been gaining momentum ever since June when the major broadcast networks unveiled a plan to begin releasing average commercial minute ratings this fall, has faced opposition from cable networks and questions from Madison Avenue about the validity and composition of the data, as well as the timing of its release. ...Read the whole story

  • Nielsen, Magna Global: DVR Users Watch More TV by David Goetzl

    Network executives, start your engines. Two separate reports from Nielsen and Magna Global may advance the argument that DVR users watch more TV. Nielsen Media Research reported that average American television viewing continues to increase. Better news: the demo considered most likely to use a DVR--18-34s--watched 4 percent more television in prime time. ...Read the whole story

  • Cablevision: Cable Revs Up Nearly 14%, Gets Grand Jury Subpoena by Wayne Friedman

    Amid swirling investigations into its stock-option practices, Cablevision Systems Corp. showed a narrower loss for its second-quarter results--and big-time ad gains for its cable networks. National ad revenue at the Rainbow Media networks--IFC, WE and AMC--saw a sizable 13.8 percent gain. The company said it was able to sell more inventory this year than a year before. ...Read the whole story

  • New York Times Print Revenue Slides, Online Glides by Erik Sass

    The New York Times Co. posted disappointing revenue returns for the month of August on Thursday--with overall ad revenue sliding 3.8 percent across all properties in comparison with the same month last year. The core property, the New York Times Media Group, posted a 4.2 percent drop in ad revenue, which the Times blamed on declining national ad sales. Studio entertainment, telecommunications and technology advertising were all particularly soft in August. Classified ad revenue decreased, led by collapsing automotive and help-wanted categories. ...Read the whole story

  • DraftFCB Creates New Company With Aggressive Platform: The Big Idea Wins by Tom Siebert

    It's a propitious launch date: Jan. 1 is the kickoff for DraftFCB, the newly melded marketing-communications agency created from the combination of IPG sister companies: direct-marketer Draft and creative firm Foote Cone Belding. The top brass promise a new kind of agency that erases the lines between advertising and marketing. ...Read the whole story

  • Belo Sees 6% Rise In August Spot Revenue by David Goetzl

    Despite some sky-is-falling speculation about the local-station business, Belo Corp. reported yesterday that spot revenue increased 6 percent for August over a year ago. Much of the increase, however, can be attributed to it being a political year. ...Read the whole story

  • CBS Wins Wed. Night, ABC Hangs In With 'Grey's' Repeats by Wayne Friedman

    In the first three days of the new season, three different networks came out on top. It was CBS' turn on Wednesday--albeit in a weaker night overall for prime-time TV with ABC in quasi-rerun mode. CBS, thanks to season debuts of "CSI: NY," "Criminal Minds" and new show "Jericho," earned steady numbers, pulling in an overall average of 4.2 rating/12 share in preliminary Nielsen estimates. ...Read the whole story

  • G4 Turns Mel Brooks' 'Spaceballs' Into Animated TV Series by Tom Siebert

    One-time computer-gaming geek cable network G4 is hoping the Schwartz is with them. A new version of "Spaceballs," Mel Brooks' nearly 20-year-old "Star Wars" spoof, is part of the company's expanded programming. The 13-episode series, which debuts in fall 2007, is part of G4's ongoing effort to appeal to male viewers ages 18-34, and to broaden its programming beyond games. ...Read the whole story

  • Mag Bag: New Mag Hip Hop Weekly From Founders Of The Source by Erik Sass

    Having left their previous creation, The Source, in January, Dave Mays and Ray Scott are launching a new magazine covering celebrity news and urban lifestyles called Hip Hop Weekly, delivering news on film, TV, music, fashion, and sports. Published by Hip Hop Global Media, where Mays is CEO, the new magazine will be edited by Mimi Valdes, formerly editor of Vibe. ...Read the whole story

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