How well are new network shows going this year? Not as well as 2007, or 2006. Broadcast erosion continues to plague the industry--and nowhere is that more evident than with new efforts. Through nine weeks of the season--Sept. 22 through Nov. 23--new broadcast shows among the four big networks have averaged a 2.2 live-plus-same-day program rating among 18-49 viewers. This is down from a 2.7 number in 2007, and almost a full rating point under the 3.1 of 2006. "The threshold continues to be lowered," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director for Horizon Media, who put together the report. "Cable continues to offer stiff competition, and the [writers] strike of a year ago hurt development." All this has led to a more conservative approach to launching new shows. This year, among the four networks, there were 15 new shows that launched in the fall. Last year, there were 22 new shows. In 2006, there were 29 new shows. ABC in particular is down, with just two new shows so far this year: "Life on Mars" and "Opportunity Knocks," which has already been canceled. The alphabet network had eight new shows a year ago, and seven shows in 2006. This season, CBS has been the best network performer among the big four for news shows. Through nine weeks, "The Mentalist" is earning a 3.6 rating--the second-best among all new shows. The network's comedy "Worst Week" is at a 3.1 rating, with "Eleventh Hour" at a 3.0 number. The best new show is Fox's "Fringe," at a 3.8 rating after seven episodes. A year ago, ABC's "Samantha Who?" was the best-rated new show, with a 4.5 rating. "Private Practice" was a close second at a 4.3. In 2006, NBC had the best new show--"Sunday Night Football," with a 6.6 rating. After that came NBC's "Heroes" at a 6.1. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" was in third place with a 5.2 number. Ironically, many troubling shows in 2006 that were canceled would be good ratings contenders this year. For ABC, shows like "Help Me Help You" earned a 3.1 rating among 18-49 after nine weeks; "The Nine" was at a 3.2 number; and "Six Degrees" earned a 3.9 rating. CBS had four shows that were above the three rating range: "The Class" (3.0); "Jericho" (3.2); "Shark" (3.9); and "Smith" (3.2). NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" earned a 3.6 after over two months of the season.
The demise of bankrupt radio sales rep firm Interep is complete with Tuesday's announcement that CBS Radio and Entercom, its last sizeable clients, have signed deals with competitor Katz Radio Group. With CBS Radio's 140 stations and Entercom's 110 stations on board, Katz is effectively the only national radio sales rep firm left in business. The news that CBS and Entercom were moving to Katz is not surprising. It comes about two weeks after Interep's bankruptcy trustee, Kenneth Silverman, filed a motion with the bankruptcy court that would allow Katz to solicit Interep's clients and employees in return for a $3.6 million fee that will go to paying off Interep's debts. There were said to be other bidders looking to pick up the defunct rep firm's former clients, but they apparently failed to materialize. Katz Radio was dealing from a position of strength, at least with respect to market dominance. Before this week's announcement, its client roster already included Clear Channel Radio (which owns parent company Katz Media Group) as well as Emmis Communications, Cox Radio, Cumulus, Citadel and Radio One. Katz said it will create a new division based in New York to represent CBS and Entercom, with offices around the country. In late October, Interep elected to have a court convert its Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration from late March into a Chapter 7 filing, which calls for the liquidation of the firm's assets and breakup of the company. With the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Kenneth Silverman was appointed trustee, assuming responsibility for selling off properties to generate cash for the company's creditors. The closing of Interep is the denouement of years of bitter rivalry for clients and employees. Interep's woes can be traced, at least in part, to an ill-advised poaching expedition against Katz Media Group in 2003. In an unusually overt bid to undermine Katz, Interep tried and failed to lure away Katz's senior executives and over 100 staffers, who would presumably bring many of their clients with them. Instead, clients moved in the other direction, with Cumulus, Citadel, and Radio One all deserting Interep for Katz in the following years. Per the terms of the filing with the bankruptcy court, Katz may also hire some of Interep's 340 employees, since they are already familiar with CBS and Entercom ad sales.
Many cable and satellite operators are turning to foreign-language channels as a way to attract customers. Conventional wisdom holds that the market for subscribers is saturated. Notable growth will not come from bringing in first-time customers, but peeling them away from competitors. Dish Network, the satellite operator with nearly 14 million subscribers, recently kicked off a DishMexico package of some 50 channels designed to appeal to a U.S. Mexican audience. And at least one of the channels, launched Tuesday, will be exclusive to Dish in the U.S.--at least for now: Pasiones, an all-telenovela network, airs 24/7. (It is also available on the DishLatino offering.) Pasiones, which was launched in Latin America in July, will draw on soap operas from that region: Argentina to Uruguay, Brazil to Mexico. Titles include "Puerto de los Milagros,""Tormenta de Pasiones" and "Metamorfosis." Telenovelas have propelled much of the ratings and revenue gains at the dominant U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision--although like the market at-large, the advertising slowdown has recently affected the network as well. Juan Pablo Santos, Pasiones general manager, said the telenovela outlet offers "a multicultural approach," referring to its aim to appeal to a U.S. Mexican audience. The DishMexico package costs Dish subscribers an additional $9.99 a month for an initial six months, and then the cost rises to $19.99. "Dish Network is continuously looking to satisfy the Latino community's entertainment needs through unique and exclusive high-quality programming," said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming at the satellite operator. Not to be outdone, Dish competitor DirecTV last month began carrying Telecentro--a channel that offers programming from Central America, including newscasts and live soccer games, and the History Channel's Spanish-language offering. Both are on its DirecTV Mas Spanish-language service. According to Nielsen, Hispanics are still the fastest-growing national segment of the population, with TV households increasing by 4.4% in 2007 versus the previous year.
Way back in the 1950s, the nascent National Basketball Association used the famed Harlem Globetrotters trick basketball team to generate an audience for the new pro sport in the U.S. Now, the NBA and Globetrotters are taking that strategy global. As part of a program to make the team the unofficial basketball ambassador to the world, the NBA will help plan, promote, and market the Globetrotters' international games and events. Kurt Schneider, CEO of the Phoenix-based Globetrotters, says the two organizations can help each other: the Globetrotters, which have been around for 80 years, have been trotting the globe--literally--for the past 50, playing nearly 150 games a year overseas. What they don't have is a marketing program there. "What this really is, in basic form, is a combining of our two strengths to help grow basketball worldwide," says Schneider. "To their credit, [the NBA] saw us as a way not to cannibalize their current business but grow incrementally. They have incredible leverage and infrastructure, great relationships with sponsors, TV networks, merchandising, and mobile companies. [The Globetrotters are] another piece of content for their arsenal while we can tap into their clout overseas to grow our business," he says. The NBA says its games are televised in 215 countries and in 41 different languages, and that it has hosted more than 135 international events in 25 countries. The association has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Toronto, and 75 international players from 32 countries and territories. "Until this point, their business internationally has been one-dimensional, just the shows, but we see an opportunity to marry their business with our international business lines," says Emilio Collins, who is NBA senior vice president, International Development and Partnerships. Schneider says the Globetrotters have a strong fan base in Spain, England, France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and even Romania. "There's a generation around the world whose first exposure to basketball was the Globetrotters." Collins says there is particular opportunity for NBA/Globetrotters collaboration in China and a chance to build brand value. "The Globetrotters have an amazing heritage, and are ingrained in the memories of fans. Anytime we can tap into that to build the business around the world, we will," he says.
With one night to go, ABC all but wrapped up a November sweeps win among 18-49 viewers with a big performance from its strong "Dancing with the Stars" finale. ABC took in a Nielsen preliminary 4.6 rating/12 share among 18-49 viewers Tuesday night--just edging out Fox, which had a 4.5/12. ABC earned a 5.1/13 from the two-hour "Dancing" finale from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., in which model/host Brooke Burke took top honors. The downside for ABC: the finale was 20% under the 6.4/15 number of a year ago. Fox ran a close second, thanks to its usual big-rated tag-team dramas "House" and "Fringe," which earned a 5.1/14 and a 3.9/10, respectively. "House" was the best-rated 18-49 viewer show, easily winning top marks among 18-34 viewers with a 4.9/15. Both "House" and "Fringe" were down a bit from the week before. CBS looks to come in at a strong second place in the November sweeps--although it only got to third place on Tuesday because of competitive heavyweight programming. CBS earned a 3.3/9, with its "NCIS" continuing to surprise--showing good results with a 3.7/10 in the 8 p.m. time period and falling second place to "House." "NCIS" actually moved up from a 3.5/9 the previous week. NBC took it on the chin, with its "Biggest Loser 6" drifting down to a 2.6/7 from a 3.2/8. Also because of the big competition--specifically the last hour of the "Dancing" finale--"Law & Order: SVU" went lower: 2.9/8 from a 3.7/10 the week before. NBC landed with a 2.8/7 average for the night. Univision stayed consistent for the month, earning a 1.6/4 from a combination of "Cuidada con el Angel," "Fuego en la Sangre" and "Aqui y Ahora." CW gave "90210" and "Privileged" the night off and ran a theatrical movie, "How to Deal"--which brought in a 0.4/1 among 18-49 viewers, way down from its previous 1.2/3.
Industry Honors Stewart, Moore While no one questions the accomplishments of the two women, the timing seems, well, off. This week, the Magazine Publishers of America and the American Society of Magazine Editors honored Ann S. Moore, the chairman and CEO of Time Inc., and Martha Stewart, the founder and presiding domestic goddess of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia--following weeks of layoffs and magazine closures across the industry, which have contributed to a general sense of impending apocalypse. Moore was named the recipient of the MPA's Henry Johnson Fisher Award, in honor of the founding publisher of Popular Science. Martha Stewart was inducted into ASME's magazine editors' hall of fame. The prowess of both women is undoubted. First as executive vice president and then as chairman and CEO since 2002, Moore has steered one of the world's largest magazine publishers through good times and bad. Similarly, Martha Stewart has established herself as a leading taste maker for middle-class American women, turning her domestic genius into a multiplatform media juggernaut. Still, it's probably just about the worst timing imaginable. In recent months, the magazine industry has sustained a series of blows without precedent in recent years, including Time Inc.'s announcement that it will cut about 600 positions across the company. Overall, ad pages are down 8.5% through September, compared to the same period last year, according to MIN Online, and Time Inc.'s total pages are down 9.3% through September, according to TNS Media Intelligence. In November, Time Inc. announced that it was closing Cottage Living, heralding a spate of closures by other magazine publishers. Rick Warren To Launch Publication Mega-evangelist Rick Warren will indeed be launching a new magazine inspired by the editorial spirit of his best-selling book, "The Purpose-Driven Life." The magazine will be published by Reader's Digest Association, according to Folio, with the first test issue due out in Fall 2009. The magazine, with the working title Purpose, will be edited by Joe Treen, formerly of People and Discover. LAT Magazine Names Jones Publisher Penn Jones has been named the publisher of the new LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine. In addition, Nora Gervais has been promoted to associate publisher. The launch of the new magazine has stirred some controversy: The previous incarnation was shut down earlier this year, and the new magazine--essentially a replacement--launched under the control of the LAT's business operations, rather than its editorial staff.
Diane Mermigas will return next week.
The cancellation of the product-placement-fueled action series "My Own Worst Enemy" should trigger broadcasters and advertisers to seek additional metrics and options for "make goods" on product placement. Brand managers are mandated: Only what gets measured, gets bought! It's as simple as that. There should be no exception for branded entertainment deals. Given these economic times, we need to cut the luxury fat of having metrics just as a passive aggregate of information. Advertisers need metrics to help them proactively do better business on future deals. The "Enemy" partnership was well thought out--having started at NBC's "infront" for advertisers last spring. Ben Silverman is guiding his network toward branded entertainment on all of its programming, which is, given the industry climate, the way to go. Nielsen revealed that the combination of product placement and commercials increase brand awareness by 20%. Advertisers are working with broadcasters to strategically package and maximize their branded entertainment opportunities. Some current and upcoming shows that have product placement include TNT's "Leverage," which will be presented by Hyundai Genesis on Dec. 7, and Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio," which recently debuted its 15th season with Infiniti as its exclusive sponsor. In addition, MTV recently teamed up with IT Company Hewlett-Packard to create the reality series titled "Engine Room," while Nickelodeon followed that trend by signing a deal over the summer with AT&T to put branded entertainment on the hit show "iCarly." Similarly, Dodge has sponsored episodes of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," while Bravo mainstay "Top Chef "kicked off its new season Nov. 12 with various sponsors, including Toyota, Clorox and Quaker. As for NBC, in addition to "Enemy," the network has ordered a full season of "Knight Rider," a show whose star is a talking Ford Mustang. The network will also launch a highly anticipated mid-season drama with Ian McShane called "Kings." That show will boast Liberty Mutual as a key sponsor. The trend is growing on the Web as well, with CBS Interactive set to launch "Novel Adventures" with Saturn as a sponsor. ConAgra is partnering with MSN on a new branded online sketch comedy series called "The Working Lunch." Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers brand will be featured in the series. Furthermore, TNT has a new micro-series titled "RPM," which has the automaker's Lincoln MKS as a key component of the show. Marketers are moving forward with branded-entertainment opportunities; proactive accountability and limited risk is the driving force to closing these deals.
This fall, DirecTV has been offering a season of NBC drama "Friday Night Lights" with no ads. It does, however, have a sponsor and frequently touts that the show is "brought to you commercial free by new Vaseline Men Lotion." As a result, a tempting debate emerged from a recent episode: Did Vaseline subtly slide in perhaps not a commercial, but surely a plug? Here's how it went down. Football player Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) is morose and finds himself in a classroom, where a female tries to cheer him up, tapping the keys on a piano and singing: "I know a girl who thinks of ghosts She'll make ya breakfast She'll make ya toast She don't use butter She don't use cheese She don't use jelly Or any of these She uses Vaseline Vaseline Vaseline" She didn't make the hilarious lyrics up. They're from "She Don't Use Jelly," a 1994 hit from The Flaming Lips--described as an "idiosyncratic ... experimental rock band," also known for offbeat song names. The frequently covered "Jelly" is the group's most successful song to date. The "FNL" appearance (one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX) wasn't the first time the catchy, fun tune found its way onto a network drama. The band itself showed up on a "Beverly Hills, 90210" (the original) episode to sing it, prompting actor Ian Ziering's character to say: "I've never been a big fan of alternative music, but these guys rocked the house!" The quirky song about quirky characters moves away from the Vaseline girl in verse one to a man who blows his nose with magazines, and then to a girl who dyes her hair with tangerines. Vaseline, magazines and tangerines ... a near rhyming trio. Back to the "FNL" episode--after the piano rendition, the woman and Clarke later reunite as part of a garage rock trio. Both play the guitar and excitedly perform "Jelly." They're gleeful, reveling in the beat and lyrics. "Jelly" is an exceedingly catchy, humorous, upbeat tune. The Flaming Lips' Web site says it's "a happy little ditty about strange people and their individual idiosyncrasies, with pretty melodies laced throughout." After hearing it twice in the episode, it's sure to prompt viewers who know the song to sing it in the shower. And for those hearing it for the first time, perhaps some Web searches and eventual iTunes purchases. Did Vaseline's sponsorship of the series somehow lead to the song's inclusion? Hard to believe it was a coincidence. And while an impudent cynic might suggest that it stretches the credulity of a "commercial- free" pledge, a strict constructionist might respond that product/message placement is not really a commercial. Even if there may be a gray line, Vaseline gets a pass. The underhanded promotion was a touchdown--cleverly conceived and splendidly executed. Whether "She Don't Use Jelly" translates into any sales increase for a new version of a brand once marketed as "Petroleum Jelly" is, of course, TBD.