As the radio business struggles to win back billions in ad spending, some of the key factors in getting advertisers to sign will be ease and accountability in terms of planning, buying, reporting and analyzing radio ads. Some of the major players in the radio business are introducing new Web-based platforms for tracking and analyzing radio spending and planning new radio ad campaigns. Arbitron, the dominant radio ratings research firm, has partnered with Media Monitors to create new interactive tools offering users the latest radio ad campaign data from all markets covered by Arbitron's Portable People Meter. The platform, called "Get a GRiP," allows Arbitron clients to see the frequency and reach of specific ad campaigns, which they can sort by advertiser, client, market, station, station genre, demographic target and schedule. Among other things, "Get a GRiP" allows clients to conduct competitive comparisons for ad campaigns, breaking data down by GRPs, percent share of GRPs, commercial units and percent share of commercial units. Users can track station GRPs over time, as well as by hour and client. Get a GRiP's tools should allow them to calculate spending and cost per point for various campaigns at the market level. All this data is available within two days of spots airing, meaning that advertisers can check on the effectiveness of radio buys and tweak them, if necessary, with a much faster turnaround time. Also this week, Marketron announced the launch of a new, integrated online platform for reporting, analyzing, planning and buying radio inventory, and other media, if users wish. The new Marketron platform, called MediaScape, offers users access to a suite of capabilities that already exist independently -- including its Exchange, revenue builder and mobile platform. "in one common operating environment that allows me to execute campaigns across different channels," according to Marketron CEO Steve Minisini. Users can also build in data integration from third-party services -- for example, for online measurement or ad-serving. Because it is an open platform, Minisini said MediaScape can easily be expanded to interface with online exchanges for buying and selling other kinds of media, including print, TV, online, out-of-home. "We've built an open application layer that allows everyone to play together." To that end, MediaScape can import financial and inventory information from other media, for example, to a common analytics dashboard; it can also be modified to handle billing for different sorts of media. Minisini concluded: "Anyone else in the industry can participate, and plug their services into the framework here."
Pushing another social promotional tool for its shows, NBC is launching a live social stream of conversation called NBC Live that will be synced to live airings of the network's prime-time shows. NBC Live, accessed through mobile devices like the iPad and laptops, will initially work with weekly live events, synced to the on-air broadcasts of the "The Office," "The Celebrity Apprentice," "The Biggest Loser" and the upcoming singing competition show "The Voice," which begins April 26 at 9 p.m. NBC says NBC Live is a moderated live social conversation allowing fans to interact with each other and the NBC Live staff. Fans can also share their comments across Facebook and Twitter and follow other users. NBC Live content features polls, trivia, insider commentary, and character quotes that will also run synced to the broadcast of shows. Actors, writers and others will host special events. For NBC's new big wannabe "American Idol"-type show "The Voice," from producer Mark Burnett, users will be able to vote for their favorite contestants. Vivi Zigler, president of NBCUniversal Digital Entertainment, stated: "We want to provide a place for fans to gather and provide them with unique insider information about each episode as it airs. It creates a live viewing experience that they can't get anywhere else."
Ready for the final push into the season-ending May period, Fox kept up its dominant ways with "American Idol" taking most of a mid-April Thursday's rating points. Fox averaged a Nielsen 4.9 rating/14 share among 18-49 viewers, this was a one-tenth rating point less versus a week ago. While "Idol" has been under its seasonal average for viewership in its results shows versus a year ago, the show earned a 6.2/19 -- the same rating number as a week ago. The second-best-rated shows of the night were two 9 p.m. shows -- Fox's "Bones" and NBC's "The Office" in a tie at a 3.9 rating/11 share among 18-49 viewers. ABC's "Grey Anatomy" and CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" were in repeats, helping out "Bones" and "The Office." Networks shifted around repeats this week from last week. NBC had originals, for example, while CBS was in reruns the entire night. ABC was also in repeats -- except for "Wipeout," which earned a 1.7/6, this versus a not-much-better 1.5 rating a week before with a rerun. NBC had "Community" with a 1.4/5, down 22% from its last original. But the worst news was that NBC had one of its alums from its 1990s heyday, Paul Reiser, offer up a new series, "The Paul Reiser Show." The comedy ra a microscopic 1.1/3 running at 8:30 p.m. after "Community." NBC's "Parks & Recreation" had a 2.6/7 at 9:30 p.m. up 8% from its last original episode; "30 Rock" at a 2.2/6, up 16%; and "Outsourced" at 1.7/5, up 21%. CW didn't move much: "Vampire Diaries" at a 1.2/4 in 18-49 viewers and 1.3/5 in 18-34. "Nikita" was at a lower 0.8/2 in 18-49 viewers and 0.7/2 in 18-34. In the bigger demo, NBC came in at second place for the night after Fox, with a 2.2/6. CBS scored a 1.6/5; ABC and Univision tied with a 1.3/4; CW reached a 1.0/3.
High school and college yearbooks can now utilize video, opening up a new ad opportunity. The system is reasonably simple: a person points a smartphone at a page and a related video pops up. It dovetails with the video world students have grown up in. QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) power what yearbook publisher Balfour is referring to as an "interactive memories" option. The barcodes that look like an intricate maze allow a user to experience additional content with a point-and-click app. They have become increasingly popular in ads in magazines, which also are looking for ways to turn print into something more dynamic. In Balfour's case, the option might include a code on a yearbook sports page, where a video of a memorable touchdown would appear instantly on the aimed phone. One high school in Kentucky is considering placing a code on its cover, providing access to a video of the commencement ceremony. The technology is in testing and is expected to be rolled out in full next school year. Many schools rely on advertising to help fund the yearbooks. A local auto advertiser, for example, could place a code on its ad that could lead to a video of a new model. Ads that feature a family member congratulating a graduate can lead to a home video of when the graduate was young. Balfour, which has been publishing yearbooks since 1939, hosts the videos on a secure platform to prevent hacking, where they can be available in perpetuity. The Austin, Texas-based company says it is the first to integrate video in the printed yearbook. Alyce Alston, Balfour CEO and an ex-magazine executive, stated that the aim is "enriching the traditional yearbook experience by bringing sight, sound and motion together and delivering those special memories in formats that are clearly more relevant and in demand by our consumers." Fenway Partners, a private-equity firm, owns Balfour, as well as 1-800-CONTACTS and Easton Bell Sports, among other properties.
Fans of the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged "Friday Night Lights" can own a piece of the show -- via an online auction coinciding with the final season airing on NBC, which started Friday. NBC Universal's consumer products arm is engineering the auction for props and wardrobe items used on the show, starting April 19. New items at an NBCUAuctions.com will come up weekly through September as the final 13 episodes of the series unfold. Other show items not used in filming, such as jerseys, will be sold on an NBC store Web site later this month. Proceeds from both sale avenues will go to youth football programs, via NBCU's "Green is Universal" program. The fifth season's 13 episodes have already aired on DirecTV. Some episodes from last season are available on NBC.com to try and drum up interest. Auction items include the playbook used by the football coach in the show and his team's trophies. "A worldwide platform and unparalleled access to items directly from the set of "Friday Night Lights," is how Mark Kaminky, of VIP Partnership Group, which is helping run the auction, describes it. "Through the weekly NBCU auctions, fans will be able to bid on and purchase their favorite items ... using their computer, iPad, iTouch or mobile device," he stated. "Friday Night Lights" likely would have been canceled in its early years except for a deal with DirecTV, which helped offset production costs. DirecTV received rights to air new episodes first on its exclusive content channel before they moved to NBC.
Discovery Communications' studio arm said it has development arrangements with producers behind hits such as CBS' "Undercover Boss" and NBC's "Biggest Loser." The studio said it will work with All3Media and Shine Group, respectively, on a nonexclusive basis. All3Media's Studio Lambert is behind "Undercover Boss" and Shine Group's Reveille is behind the NBC competitive weight-loss hit. Discovery will also work with Australia's WTFN. Discovery referred to the deals as part of an initiative looking to develop "major content franchises for its global channels business," which operates in 180-plus countries. All3Media is a UK-based consortium of companies that also includes Lion Television, which is behind Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab." Shine Group, also an amalgam of outfits, was recently acquired by News Corp. It is well-known in the U.S. for its Reveille studio, which produces NBC's "The Office." WTFN has created shows carried by Discovery's Animal Planet in Canada and an outlet in Germany. Discovery's international business earns the bulk of its revenues from distribution deals last year -- hitting $760 million, which was up 6%. Advertising is growing rapidly, up 23% to $422 million in 2010. The U.S. networks earned more in advertising -- $1.22 billion -- than distribution, which was $1.05 billion.