Looking to capitalize on the big potential advertising marketplace of new Internet-connected TVs, digital video insertion/management platform Adap.tv has struck a deal with TV applications company Flingo. The companies say the new partnership will enable publishers to reach and monetize from advertisers millions of Internet-connected devices including TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players. Toby Gabriner, president of Adap.tv, says: "We are the first to be working together on this -- bringing some Internet-connected TV opportunities at scale. Flingo has got a lot of traction in the market. We are not talking about a couple of million video streams; we are talking about tens of millions." Flingo, which says it is the largest publisher of TV apps for Internet-connected TVs, provides the application tools on many major TV platforms, such as Samsung, Sony, Vizio and Google TV. Among many applications Flingo has developed, for example, is one with Warner Bros. -- where consumers with Internet-connected TVs can access many TV series, each with a pre-roll ad attached. Flingo owns and sells that advertising inventory and then shares it with the publisher. Another application for TV Guide has videos, which are primarily supported by direct-response advertisers. Instead of having viewers memorize 1-800 numbers, with one click of a remote, Flingo can capture an email address -- a valuable sales-lead tool for marketers. In the deal with Adap.tv, Flingo is looking to develop newer TV advertising formats/opportunities. "These are very early days," says Ashwin Navin, CEO and co-founder of Flingo.tv. "The reason we exist as a company is that we think about programming in a nontraditional way and want to take advantage of the two-way nature of the connected TV platform. We wanted to have partners like Toby and Adapt.tv to push the envelope on the ad experience as well." Interactive advertising will grow -- but Adap.tv's Gabriner says: "It remains to be seen how interactive the consumers are with advertising." In the existing digital video area, Adap.tv provides a number of video management products -- one called Adap.tv for Publishers, which provides ad-serving, yield optimization and post media-buying analysis. Adap.tv also has video management/buying tools such as Adap.tv Marketplace, an advertising exchange for publishers and advertisers, consisting of 2,700 sites, 60 million monthly unique visitors, and "hundreds of campaigns running daily."
TV content owners may be moving quickly on HD programming; TV advertisers for HD commercials are another story. A new study says advertisers using HD in their commercials were just 13% of all the TV creative that ran in the fourth quarter, with 87% of TV advertising running in SD, standard definition. This was relatively flat from preceding periods. The study was produced by Boston-based digital video ad network company Extreme Reach. Two of the biggest ad growth categories for HD "adoption" -- airing as least one HD ad on at least one HD TV outlet -- have been automotive marketers, now climbing to 29% rate, and retailers. Automotive was at a 20% rate in the third quarter of 2010. Retailers are now at 34% in the fourth quarter, from a 29% in the previous period. Overall, looking at all advertisers, the adoption rate -- airing at least one HD commercial on at least one HD network -- has remained steady at 40%. The content side of the business is ahead of advertisers, waiting to accept far more HD commercials. Eighty-three percent of broadcast programming can take advertising content in HD; cable networks are at a 59% level. Extreme Reach says now more than one-third of all local broadcasters can do HD messaging, at 34%, with local cable at 58%. But when looking at the actual receiving of HD ads, that data shows there is room to grow. Broadcast networks are getting 32% of TV ads in HD; cable is at a 27% receiving rate; local broadcast, 7%; and local cable, 5%.
With Comcast adding many TV sports properties to the NBC Universal mix in its soon-to-be-closed merger, NBC is starting up a new in-house ad/marketing agency devoted to sports. The NBC Sports Agency will be run by John Miller, chief marketing officer of NBC Universal Television Group, who last year announced he would transition into semi-retirement. Much like The NBC Agency, which was co-founded by Miller and Vince Manze in the late 1990s to handle marketing and advertising for its entertainment brands and cable networks, the new sports group will target all marketing and media materials for its sports TV brands. In addition to NBC Sports efforts, Comcast-owned TV sports networks include Versus and The Golf Channel, among others. NBC Sports has recently produced campaigns for partners such as the United States Olympic Committee, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League, as well as collaborating with Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, Mercedes, Target, Sears, Coors, DirecTV, and Papa John's. Miller has worked at NBC for three decades. In 2004, he took the title of chief marketing officer. Last year, when he reduced his workload, he left much of the day-to-day marketing responsibilities to Adam Stotsky, president of NBC Entertainment. Along with establishing the new division, Miller is relocating from Los Angeles back to New York, where the sports ad group will be based.
Demand for all media, but especially big, national media outlets like the major TV networks, will continue to expand through 2011, and will culminate in a strong upfront TV advertising marketplace later this year, according to results of a survey of 31 media buyers represent more than $5 billion in U.S. advertising budgets, released Thursday by Wall Street securities firm Deutsche Bank. "Continued strength in the ad market bodes particularly well for large cap media, as within advertising, national is expected to grow faster than local (4.3% vs. 2.5%), and within national advertising, cable networks are expected to take the most share behind only digital, driven in part by continued strength in auto," the firm's equity research team wrote in a report sent to investors. Citing strong four quarter 2010 results, and the most recent advertising sales "pacings" during the beginning of the first quarter of this year, the securities analysts said network scatter ad prices are running 35% or more above last year's upfront advertising rates. "We expect another strong upfront will be on the books," the report concluded, noting, "Our preliminary upfront estimate is strong 8% CPM (cost per thousand) increases for broadcast networks and 6% for cable networks, with total volume up over 10%." Demand is improving among many of the largest TV advertising categories, but especially healthcare/pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and entertainment/media marketers, though consumer packaged goods, technology and retail are also demonstrating relatively strong demand, according to media buyers responding the survey.
The news was unexpected and reverberated throughout the cable world: Keith Olbermann announced that his Friday evening show of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" was his last. No word on whether his departure relates to the NBC/Comcast merger, which begins Jan. 28, but the fiery liberal critic has frequently battled with MSNBC management. Various reports said Olbermann told the network last April he wanted to craft an exit strategy. He was suspended briefly in November after he revealed political donations to several Democratic candidates. In a statement, MSNBC said: "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will be this evening." The network announced that "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell would replace "Countdown" at 8 p.m., with "The Ed Show" with Ed Schultz taking O'Donnell's slot at 10 p.m. Olbermann has two years left on his $7 million-a-year contract. He signed a four-year contract extension in 2008 for an estimated $30 million, per The New York Times. A regular critic of Fox News, he had been the "Countdown" host since 2003 and helped lead MSNBC's march to the No. 2 spot in cable news. An article in the The Wrap suggested Olbermann had his eye on creating his own media empire, similar to The Huffington Post, which would provide him far more control of his brand.
You don't have to be a sheep and you don't have to accept conditioning. No, it's not a political slogan from a George Orwell novel. It's the theme of Hyundai Motor America's new ad campaign for the 2011 Elantra. The automaker is touting both Elantra and Sonata with four new ads, some of which will run as part of its buy on the Super Bowl. The ads, via Innocean Worldwide Americas, will first air this weekend during the broadcast of the AFC Championship game on Sunday. Also in the two weeks leading up to the Bowl game, the spots will run as unbranded, viral online videos. And print, digital and direct marketing elements will also start before the Super Bowl, during which Hyundai will run three ads. This is the fourth consecutive year in which the Fountain Valley, Calif.-based auto company has advertised during the national Super Bowl broadcast, and the first time it has tied the media buy to a campaign starting during the divisional championships. "Over the years, the Super Bowl has provided a great avenue for us to reach a significant audience, and this year we are expanding that reach by jumpstarting the campaign two weeks early during the AFC Championship game," said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America, in a statement. "Having a fully integrated campaign leading up to the Big Game next month will allow us to build a story that makes a dramatic statement." The two Elantra ads, with a "Snap Out of It" theme, suggest that people are driving ugly, unstylish, cramped compact cars because they have been conditioned since birth to accept those constraints. One ad about how roomy the new Elantra is shows home movies of little kids crammed into little toy cars and car-shaped swings, and beds from which their legs protrude. The other spot shows people in an Elantra noticing that all of the other cars around them being driven, literally, by sheep (not gerbils -- that would be Kia Soul's campaign). The company says the Super Bowl campaign will involve a viral campaign using 10 online parody spots that discuss a global "conspiracy" behind "compact car hypnosis." The shorts, like the ads themselves, are shot to look like consumer-generated content. They direct viewers to an unbranded microsite that expands upon the compact car conspiracy. Only on Super Bowl Sunday will Hyundai reveal the truth about the ads, and then it will also launch the other two "Snap Out of It" ads.
A top syndication executive said first-run hits can give a station "more leverage" in retransmission consent negotiations, since the content is exclusive in a particular market. "You need to have your own identity and your own place in the market," said Mort Marcus, co-president of Debmar-Mercury, on a panel at the NATPE convention. So the rush for retrans cash could filter down to help syndicators such as Marcus. On the flip side, stations are looking to trim costs and offer more local news in place of syndicated content. Much of that switch is planned for the time periods to be vacated once Oprah leaves daytime, which highlights -- along with Regis Philbin's impending departure -- the difficulty in finding that next wave of first-run successes. While those two personalities will leave a gap, syndication executives have less fear about the impact of Mary Hart about to leave "Entertainment Tonight." Nancy O'Dell will replace her. And John Nogawski, who heads "ET" distributor CBS Television Distribution, said the show "will go on for another 25 years." Marcus said that while Hart is a legend, "ET" is less dependent on her wattage than some other shows may be on their headlining hosts. "I think the content actually overweighs the host in that particular case ... Regis is a whole different thing," he said. With some turmoil in first-run syndication, Sean Compton, who heads programming at the Tribune station group, argued that the industry should show patience while seeding new talent. Tribune is content with shows starring Maury Povich, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos, but that hasn't always been the case. "We can't expect viewers overnight to find and fall in love with personalities, especially someone who's an unknown," he said on the panel. Nogawski's CBS group has dating show "Excused" coming in the fall, and he said stations are paying cash plus barter. The cash is "not flowing out of the pocket," but coming nonetheless, he said. The show looks to be inexpensive to produce, which could help CBS and stations.
With two new judges and maybe some viewer fatigue in its 10th season, "American Idol" posted sharp drops for its season premiere Wednesday. The Fox show also had its lowest debut ratings since season one in 2002 when it was a virtual unknown. The two-hour premiere averaged a 9.7 in the 18-to-49 demo, down 18% from the 11.8 a year ago in "live plus same day" ratings. The debut this year was on a Wednesday versus a Tuesday in 2010. Among total viewers, "Idol" drew 26.2 million, down 12% from a year ago. The show did not face much competition. ABC hit comedy "Modern Family" came closest to challenging it with a 4.6 in the 9 p.m. hour among 18- to-49 year-olds, but that was less than half what "Idol" had in the half hour. The "Idol" premiere marked the largest year-over-year drop for a season debut in both the 18-to-49 demo and among total viewers in its 10-season history. Still, its debut still makes it the No. 1 show on TV by a long shot, topping "Grey's Anatomy" and "Modern Family," which both have a 4.9 in the 18-to-49 demo. "Sunday Night Football" averaged 8.0 in the 18-to-49 demo. In 2002, when both "Idol" and judge Simon Cowell were little-known, "Idol" premiered in June with a 4.8 in the 18-to-49 demo, and 9.9 million viewers. The show then became a phenomenon and the September finale averaged a 10.7 in the key demo and 22.8 million viewers, respectively.
Looking even better for Comcast -- as the company will close on its NBC Universal deal at the end of the month -- NBC reported its best quarterly profit results in six years. NBC witnessed a big 38% jump in fourth-quarter 2010 to $830 million in profits versus fourth-quarter 2009. Quarterly revenue moved up 12% to $4.8 billion. The main credit for NBC success is no secret: its cable networks. Net revenue gained 15% to $1.5 billion with net profit 16% higher to $740 million. General Electric, still the owner of NBC Universal, noted that Bravo and Oxygen were key players in this growth. USA Network and Syfy also contributed their usual strong results, although GE CFO Keith Sherin said both those channels have been facing some ratings pressure. As for profits at NBC's core broadcasting business, GE was not very specific -- only saying it was "positive." Still, revenues for its broadcast properties improved 11% to $1.8 billion. NBC witnessed advertising strength from its news programming and NFL ratings, as well as local political TV advertising dollars. Universal film and theme parks witnessed a 9% gain in revenue, as operating profit climb of 80%. There was a record year as attendance and double-digit percentage increases at the theme parks, due to some new attractions, including "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" and King Kong experience. Another ray of hope in the troubled home entertainment market for Universal Pictures -- its DVD sales improved 15% over a year ago. NBC's end-of-year results made up for its rough start at the beginning of 2010, when profits declined almost 50% in the first quarter. For the full-year 2010, NBC Universal's profit was about flat at $2.26 billion; revenue for the full year climbed 9% to $16.9 billion.
BMW wants people to know that its new X3 crossover comes in all sorts of flavors -- and that it is, by the way, built in the U.S. The company, which is advertising in the forthcoming Super Bowl broadcast on Fox, will get these messages across both in the TV spots and via an associated social-media push. The campaign dangles a two-year lease on the vehicle for the person who gets the exact configuration of the X3 featured in the spot. "The X3 Matchup" program running through Feb. 10 directs consumers to BMW's USA Facebook page, where they can upload one configuration try per day. The company says the point of the program is to talk about the fact that there are something like 10 million configurations for the X3 and that the crossover vehicle is being built at BMW's U.S. plant in Spartanburg, S.C. The winner of the contest gets a trip for two to the plant to pick up the vehicle, a tour of the facilities, and a two-day performance driving school class at the BMW Performance Center there. The company will also give awards to 10 other winners. "The X3 Matchup allows us to highlight, in a fun way, the near-infinite number of ways BMW customers can personalize a new X3 and the fact that this vehicle is made right here in America," said Trudy Hardy, manager BMW marketing communications and consumer events, in a release. If the number of automakers lighting up ad pods during the Super Bowl is any indication, the economy is healthy indeed. Eight or so car companies will advertise in and around the game, with Audi back for the third year in a row. The automaker will promote its new A8 sedan with a somewhat confrontational ad via San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners suggesting Mercedes-Benz vehicles represent old-school stuffiness and gluttony, a message not shockingly different from what Cadillac has begun saying in its "Red-Blooded Luxury" campaign. Cadillac isn't naming names, but the ads start out with a "cold-blooded" -- perhaps even dead -- couple staring at each other from across a dinner table. The Audi ad does not audibly name a competitive brand, but a Mercedes E-Class sedan is shown briefly outside a house full of museum-piece mementos of elitism. Last year, sibling brand VW had skin in the game. Mercedes-Benz, for its part, is also going to advertise. Another brand -- Hyundai -- is using the game and the weeks prior to tout its 2011 Elantra and Sonata vehicles. General Motors is also promoting its brands in the game, including Chevrolet, and Chrysler is reportedly also going to advertise in the game. Ford has the last 30 minutes of the pre-kickoff media bracket to itself, but plans no ads for the actual event.
MSNBC might feel a little pinch from advertisers now that Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" -- one of the network's highest-rated programs -- has ended. "It could bring down the average rating [of the network]," says Gary Carr, senior vice president and executive director of national broadcast for media-buying agency Targetcast TCM. "There will be some upset people." "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" had been averaging 1.05 million total viewers since September. Still, Carr says many advertisers don't just buy one show on any cable network. Typically, advertisers buy run-of-schedule media buys; they purchase many TV shows on a network's prime-time lineup -- and for other dayparts as well -- rather than cherry-picking specific shows. That said, "Countdown" has generally been MSNBC's top-rated show for the last couple of seasons. TV executives credit Olbermann with helping to push MSNBC past CNN ratings in overall ratings in recent years. He has been a big drawing card for regular TV news advertisers. According to media executives, pricing for the show was roughly around $4,000 to $4,500 for a 30-second commercial prime-time spot. That amounts to a $15 cost per thousand 25-54 viewers, the key TV news demographic. Since last September, Olbermann has been averaging around 275,000 25-54 viewers. But other MSNBC shows have been doing about as well. "The Rachel Maddow Show" has been pulling in 273,000 25-54 viewers; "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" has been getting 255,000 viewers in that demographic. "It was a bit of surprise," says Carr, of the departure news. "'Olbermann' is one of the higher-rated shows on the network. Certainly, he has helped the network's ratings. But we buy a number of shows and dayparts on the network. Certainly, we are disappointed. But our buys are guaranteed." An MSNBC spokesman said: "We're in the process of talking to clients now. We haven't had any issues." Could Olbermann's exit hurt MSNBC? "Potentially," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president/corporate media director for Horizon Media. "These networks are driven by personalities. He was someone that went beyond the show -- his feuding with Fox News, for example. It helped the network boost their profile." Still another media-buying executive said it was just Olbermann's highly controversial opinions that got him into trouble and made some advertisers shy away. Said the executive: "Far more advertisers buy MSNBC and exclude Olbermann (there are many) than just buy him in a vacuum."
Sherwin-Williams is expanding its partnership with HGTV to include a new exclusive line of paint launching in the second quarter. "HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams" will include eight color collections of low-odor paint, as well as an array of tools. Sherwin-Williams will support the line's launch with a comprehensive marketing plan from Carmichael Lynch Spong, including national advertising, public relations and new in-store merchandising and color features. Products will be available in stores by June. Sherwin-Williams has a relationship with HGTV that precedes the new line. The Cleveland-based paint company is one of the sponsors of the HGTV Dream Home 2011, joining GMC, Delta, Charmin, Bissell, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Ethan Allen and Lutron. Contestants can enter to win the Stowe, Vt. home through Feb. 18. "The new alliance capitalizes on the strengths of both organizations, incorporating HGTV's popularity and design knowledge with Sherwin-Williams trusted expertise and high-quality products," said George Diver, senior vice president of marketing at Sherwin-Williams, in a statement. Sherwin-Williams launched a new campaign in May positioning the paint stores as experts that help consumers "make the most of their color" with the best paint. Created by McKinney, the campaign for the retailer includes TV, print, online and rich media. A new tagline is featured: "Make the most of your color with the very best paint." That creative showcases Sherwin-Williams' wheel of 1,500+ paint colors available at more than 3,300 Sherwin-Williams neighborhood paint stores nationwide.
Another new digital video venture has launched -- this one more as a program guide looking to aggregate information and links of TV reruns, from "Man From Uncle" to "Family" to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The site, the Corvallis, Ore.-based RerunCentral, acts as a search platform of sorts, offering up links to TV shows at Internet destinations such as Hulu, Crackle and TVLand. Users click to the location of these shows -- which, according to RerunCentral, is "legal studio-produced online videos." RerunCentral offers its service as a guide to all reruns from 1948 to 1999 -- some 300 TV series -- as well as a prime-time schedule guide of when those shows appear. The schedules can be browsed by year, weekday and network. "Web users have increasing opportunity to view a wide variety of TV shows online," stated Bob Poulsen, president of RerunCentral.com, "and yet locating a desired show to watch can be challenging." RerunCentral.com also gives users links to purchase their favorite shows on DVD. Over 2,400 DVD products of more than 500 TV series are available, such as "The Lone Ranger," "Mork & Mindy" and "M*A*S*H." The release didn't say what, if any, business deals the company has with the Hollywood Studios that produced these shows.
As it moves into the comedy genre, CMT is deploying a marketing campaign that stretches from a popular Facebook game to the more traditional direct mail and mall signage. Hoping to jump-start "Working Class," starring former "Reba" star Melissa Peterman and comedic legend Ed Asner, CMT will integrate links to a trailer for the show within Facebook's "Social City." Players who watch the video can receive bonus items. Part of Viacom's MTV Networks, CMT is also a sponsor of female blogger convention Blissdom, where it hopes to seed attendees with information about "Working Class" and turn them into evangelists for it. Asner plays a disgruntled neighbor to Peterman's mother character in the show, which launches Jan. 28. CMT has ordered 12 episodes. The series is CMT's first original comedy. Also part of the launch campaign, which carries the "Something's Funny on CMT" tagline, are signs in supermarkets. Promotions are also inside Valpak mailers. CMT has also bought time on female-oriented networks Bravo, Oxygen, Lifetime, WE and TLC, and pages in People, Entertainment Weekly and several other national magazines. "We really have pretty much pulled out all the stops," said Amanda Phillips, who oversees consumer marketing at the network. The campaign's budget appears to be the highest in CMT history. The network targets 18- to-49 year-olds, but Phillips said the campaign is aimed at a 25-to-49 subset, skewing female. In recent years, CMT's original shows have been reality ventures, such as "World's Strictest Parents" and the "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" franchise. But the network has found comedy performs well with both films and stand-up specials with Jeff Foxworthy. Mary Beth Cunin, who runs programming at CMT, said research shows the audience is not looking for "deep" or "intense" content, but comic relief and "comfort food." Heartening CMT is the success fellow Viacom networks TV Land and BET have had with original comedies "Hot in Cleveland" and "The Game," respectively. "We're definitely always looking to expand our programming opportunities and scripted is the way we're going right now," Phillips said. Cunin said, "Working Class" was already in development when 89-year-old Betty White helped TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" soar, so she's optimistic that the 81-year-old Asner will have a similar effect on "Working Class." "It made us a little more confident in what we we're doing," she said. Famous for his role on the "Mary Tyler Moore Show," Asner plays the curmudgeonly neighbor/friend to Carli Mitchell (Peterman), a single mom with three kids searching for a better life in an upscale suburb.
Video ad technology firm TidalTV on Monday is expected to name Brad Herman as chief product and media officer. In this newly created position, Herman will be responsible for setting and executing product strategy, while also managing the supply side of TidalTV's operations, including driving inventory strategy and managing publisher relationships. Most recently, Herman served as senior vice president of digital operations at MTV Networks in New York, where he oversaw digital sales operations, along with digital strategy, new product development and campaign operations. "During my time at MTV Networks, I worked closely with TidalTV," Herman said on Friday. "It was clear they were a leader in data-driven online video advertising." Prior to MTV, Herman held sales, publishing, operations and corporate development positions at Advertising.com, which is actually a precursor to TidalTV. TidalTV CEO Scott Ferber founded Ad.com before selling it to AOL in 2004. TidalTV offers video advertising, optimization, and yield management services. Its AdOSTM technology attempts to leverage data to guarantee delivery of a brand's message against a target demographic, and help content creators and publishers to better monetize their audiences. Last year, Baltimore-based TidalTV raised an additional $16 million in venture capital from Comcast Interactive Capital, New Enterprise and Valhalla Partners. In turn, Comcast Interactive Managing Director David Horowitz joined TidalTV's board. Also last year, TidalTV tapped ad monetization platform Adap.tv to buy inventory sold via the company's online video marketplace. In turn, TidalTV agreed to use its technology on behalf of clients to deliver pre-roll ads.
A year after a relatively quiet launch to serve financial services professionals, FINS.com, a job search and career management site and service from The Wall Street Journal, is getting ready to make a splash with a multimedia advertising and marketing campaign that will include television, Internet video, print and social media. "We launched a little more than a year ago, and in the last few months we've added two additional verticals [in sales and marketing and technology]," Kevin Hatfield, general manager of FINS, tells Marketing Daily. "This is an opportunity to leverage a much larger audience to expose them to the collection of FINS sites." FINS is different from other sites, Hatfield says, because it not only provides resources for active job seekers, but leverages content from The Wall Street Journal intended to keep people updated on the trends and needs specific to their industry. "It's editorial that meets job board," he says. "We're a site that's safe to look at at work because we're about your industry. We're keeping you abreast of your career and your industry simultaneously. That gives us an opportunity to build an audience not just with active job seekers but passive job seekers, as well." Television ads for the site, which will begin airing the week of Jan. 24, use a tongue-in-cheek approach to build brand awareness, showing people what not to do during job interviews. One video, for instance, depicts a man surrounded by his dogs at a conference table. When the interviewer explains that the position for which the man is applying will require extensive travel, the man responds that it's not a problem. It takes a few more subtle points from the interviewer (the travel will involve conferences, hotels and airplanes that may not be pet friendly) before the interviewee gets the hint. The spot concludes with the message "Tip #23: Leave the Dogs at Home." Onscreen messaging introduces Fins as a property "from the Wall Street Journal" where people can find a job and manage their careers. "The whole process of job search is not fun for anybody, especially in this economy," Hatfield says. "We wanted to make it a fun experience [with] the collection of interview tips that are very lighthearted." Although FINS.com serves a dual purpose, the ads focus on the job search aspects as a way to draw people in, Hatfield says. "We've got 30 seconds to get your attention," he says. "Once you get there, you can quickly see it's more than just a job site." The company will leverage its association with Dow Jones parent News Corp. for its media, running on properties such as Fox News and the National Geographic channel, as well as other outlets, Hatfield says. A concurrent print campaign will also begin running next week, with heavy weight on Dow Jones properties such as The Wall Street Journal, as well as financial magazines like SmartMoney and More. The company also has plans for radio advertising as well as a social media component, Hatfield says.
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is operating in 10% more Walmart stores nationwide in the 2011 tax season. The Parsippany, N.J.-based tax service provider set up shop in 1,800 Walmart locations during 2010, the first year of its exclusive national arrangement with the retailer. This year the kiosks will be in 2,000 stores. As Walmart's exclusive provider of in-store tax preparation services, Jackson Hewitt is undertaking an "extensive, all-inclusive" marketing campaign to reach the more than 130 million customers who visit Walmart stores in the United States on a weekly basis, as well as the 1.6 million associates working in those stores. Leading the campaign is a national TV spot that highlights the low opening price at Jackson Hewitt locations in Walmart stores, with tax preparation as low as $38. There will also be in-store marketing ranging from signage and point-of-sale materials throughout several departments as well as advertising on Walmart's TV walls. Online ads will appear at Walmart.com, including a co-branded Walmart/Jackson Hewitt site (www.Walmart.com/JacksonHewitt). There will also be advertising on Walmart's associate's Web site and editorial articles and advertising in the employee Walmart World magazine. External components include direct mail, ads in Walmart's circular tab, local radio advertising, public relations and promotion within all Jackson Hewitt offices of Walmart's $3 check cashing services. In an effort to further reach various target audiences, the company's 2011 promotional program is comprehensive and includes harder-hitting TV with a stronger message including tax preparation starting at $38, says Debra K. Dowd, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. "Jackson Hewitt's commitment to delivering superior tax preparation services and customer value aligns very well with Walmart's commitment to saving people money to help them live better," Dowd tells Marketing Daily. "Additionally, both companies have a similar customer profile so the partnership works to both companies' advantage, as taxpayers can utilize both Jackson Hewitt's tax preparation services and Walmart MoneyCenters without leaving a Walmart store." This is the first time that Jackson Hewitt is advertising the $3 check cashing service message with Walmart. The company is also expanding its signage throughout Walmart. Last year, signage was only at Jackson Hewitt's kiosks and Walmart's MoneyCenters.
IFC is big on corporate alliances -- the latest with Aloft and Zipcar to pitch its new six-episode offbeat comedy "Portlandia," which premieres today. To pitch the show's unique regional edge, IFC and Aloft Hotels have partnered on a national sweepstakes, "Portlandia State of Mind," and a customized Aloft Hotel package: "I © Portlandia." Customers can enter until Feb. 18 at the IFC Web site or Aloft's site on Facebook, which includes scenes from "Portlandia." The winner gets a trip for two to the city, airfare and a two-night stay at the Aloft hotel in Portland, Oregon. 50 first-place winners receive a "Portlandia"-themed gift bag. Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of specialty select brands for Starwood, called the partnership a natural fit, "since our Gen Y audiences share similar sensibilities." In addition, Zipcar, the hipster rental-car service, created the "Surprise & Delight" promotional package with the network. Drivers who book a car at Zipcar locations throughout New York City and Portland will get a show gift bag. Plus, Zipcar is hosting "Portlandia" screening parties in both cities for Zipcar members. As part of its social-networking efforts, Zipcar is asking members to film their best "Ziptrip" and post it on the company's Facebook page to win $500 in car credits and an IFC prize pack. "Portlandia" stars Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live" and Carrie Brownstein, the vocalist/guitarist of Sleater-Kinney. But it's pushing its cool cred with guest stars, such as Selma Blair of "Legally Blonde," Heather Graham of "The Hangover" and Aubrey Plaza of "Parks and Recreation." "Aloft and Zipcar have a similar customer-base and brand sensibility as IFC, making this an ideal marketing opportunity for each company," stated Kent Rees, IFC's senior vice president of marketing. IFC is part of Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of Cablevision.
Sunbeam Television, which owns the Fox station in Miami, has dropped two charges against Nielsen that alleged the measurement company engaged in unfair trade practices and breach of contract. Instead, Sunbeam intends to focus on separate allegations that Nielsen has operated a monopoly and violated antitrust laws in South Florida. Sunbeam, however, faces an uphill climb in succeeding in the antitrust arena. Judge Paul C. Huck, overseeing Sunbeam's case against Nielsen in Miami federal district court, issued a ruling earlier this month that turned aside Sunbeam's charges about a Nielsen monopoly. While that decision is appealed, Sunbeam to find an appellate judge willing to hear the case. A representative said the company opted not to move ahead with the trade practices and contract matters in order to "focus on the antitrust part" of the case filed against Nielsen in 2009. Nielsen, for its part, has won a victory with Judge Huck's ruling and now has avoided the two charges. A Nielsen representative said "there are no further claims currently pending against Nielsen in this lawsuit." The case has roots in Nielsen bringing local people meters to Miami to generate ratings in the market. Sunbeam has said in court papers that the implementation has hurt its business with a loss of $1 million-plus in lost ad dollars a month, while the value of the Fox affiliate, WSVN, has dropped by $100 million-plus. In court papers, Sunbeam cited significant ratings drops for its late news and "American Idol" broadcasts once the LPMs were in place. Also, Sunbeam alleged that Nielsen blocked competitors from entering Miami, which might offer an alternate ratings system. It also charged that Nielsen has used monopoly power to inflate prices, raising the amount WSVN had to pay by 20% in 2008. That ties into the now-dropped breach-of-contract claim. Sunbeam noted that it agreed to pay Nielsen about $66,000 a month starting in 2007, which would escalate to about $88,000 over the 57-month length of the contract. Court filings noted it paid its bills, but Nielsen knowingly provided defective ratings and failed to correct the process. Sunbeam also owns an NBC-CW duopoly in Boston.
The newly merged Comcast NBC Universal's biggest problem isn't outmoded prime-time ratings or over-the-top threats to cable television. It is the absence of a compelling, coordinated social-networking strategy to aid the challenging integration of its content and distribution businesses. Without it, the $30 billion union faces an uphill battle in building value, and profits hinged on the interaction of consumers, advertisers, content producers and service providers. This same imperative haunts even Google, whose co-founders in an earnings call Thursday addressed the importance of social to their search business with more platitudes than results. Even hardware king Apple is wrestling with the social networking phenomenon with its nascent "Photo Streams," "Media Streams" and "Find My Friends" features embedded into in its operating system and iPad-iPhone ecosystem. An effective social strategy has eluded most media companies that consider posted reader comments and clickable interactive ad gestures. Of course, it doesn't help that the analytics of mining and measuring social media are, admittedly, all over the map. But Comcast's unusually big bet is on its ability to create synergies and new revenue streams leveraging NBC's cable and broadcast TV assets, which largely push out content and services rather than engage in an interactive exchange. There is little about the united venture that is social. The once monopolistic television sphere is increasingly being squeezed by the larger broadband universe where streaming video streams across all screens, all the time. Comcast NBCU's television domain must fit into the broadband dynamic -- not the other way around. To that end, the slow adoption of TV Everywhere and Canoe Ventures on the Comcast side of the ledger, and Hulu on NBCU's side, won't jump-start the merged company's interactive stance. Even paying billions for future Olympic Games rights will not generate adequate returns without formulating an innovative company-wide social strategy that pulls viewers, marketers and athletes through the experience as fully engaged participants. So much of the regulatory merger review has been focused on how Comcast might seek to sabotage the broadcast networks' pathetically slow entry into the digital age, such as pulling NBC programs from Hulu.com or slow the streaming video service's competing traffic. Too little time and energy has been fixed on using the wealth and know-how of Comcast-NBCU to advance its digital fortunes. Steve Burke, NBCU's new CEO, will quickly become engulfed in the reorganization, asset reshuffling and overall cost-cutting that overwhelms every corporate merger. He must as keenly focus on ways to generate new business models and revenues that reach beyond the familiar TV mechanics. That can only be possible if Comcast and NBCU executives accept there is way more to interactivity than cable subscribers ordering programs and films of choice, or shifting NBCU content to Hulu and Netflix. The meteoric growth of Google's YouTube provides a bridge from old school to new school ad-backed video. They also are going to have to identify new ways to interface with Facebook as well as create compelling interactive social frameworks for the merged companies' most popular content and services. Why? Because Facebook is the new universal media filter. Facebook and other social-networking forces have whipsawed every kind of media by nabbing and using their audiences to create a new filter for accessing content that can charge connector or finder fees (ala Google's successful AdWords). Despite the recent Goldman Sachs' $500 million funding debacle that hangs a $50 billion valuation and IPO cloud on Facebook, the social networking king is worthy of emulation. Facebook reaches 70% of all U.S. Internet users, who spend about 10% of their time on the service. More than half of its members use Facebook Connect monthly as a bridge to frequented places on the Web and use the Facebook as a game-playing platform, according to JP Morgan. Facebook already generates nearly $2 billion in advertising revenues and is the fourth-most-used search site in the world. While marketers and media alike have created their own Facebook pages, few have demonstrated a clear, creative embrace of social networking on their own turf. That has contributed to setting the new status quo adrift: Facebook has replaced Google as the most visited site in the world, reaching more people in more proactive ways than all of the TV networks combined. Facebook-inspired GroupOn is jolting advertisers with more effective real-time consumer connections and transactions than can be achieved virtually anywhere else on the media spectrum. For its part, Comcast and NBCU are tethered to conventional advertising sales based on ratings, which it will cheer during its kick-off town hall meetings Jan. 27 in New York and Los Angeles. Instead, it needs to view its combined future in true digital interactive terms that set an industry pace. What's a newly merged media behemoth to do to set its social compass? Here are a few suggestions: *Launch alliances with major advertisers that are a good fit for viewers of specific shows and services to experiment with real-time social elements. *Create social buzz around the TV Anywhere product, shared with Time Warner, with a pro-active web of program-related viewer recommendations, comments and actions shared across all screens. *Use NBC owned and affiliated TV stations to piggyback Facebook's growing appeal to small business as a cost-effective, proactive marketing and sales tool. Comcast's dominant cable platform and NBCU's powerful entertainment and information networks should find every way to proactively align with Facebook. **Create more lively, functional communities around content. The company's diverse news and information products that sweep from NBC News and E! to CNBC and MSNBC provide a unique portfolio for news junkies to bring their digital habits to: from tweeting to texting. ** Learn to mine social for relationships and impact. Comcast got into trouble several years ago for collecting and trying to use subscriber data. Enough has changed since then so that matching consumers with programming, information and marketing opportunities relevant to their lives and interests can be molded into a very vital and profitable venture. Comcast NBCU has all the right assets and connections to make it happen. **Align Comcast's Daily Candy and NBCU's iVillage to create a vibrant social chain of viewers, marketers, content producers and special interest groups that can use the combined platform for more relevant enterprise. Get all the right people interacting with each other in real-time, and a social enterprise will take on a life of its own. It's time for the new Comcast NBCU to ask, what is more dangerous: a merged media giant tangled in its own legacy or the untapped power of interactive social networks?
In a move reminiscent of Viacom's attempt to sue YouTube for copyright infringement, Zuffa's Ultimate Fighting Championship has sued Justin.tv for allegedly not taking enough proactive steps to prevent users from uploading pirated streams. "Since its inception, Justin.tv's members and users have employed the website and its technology as a platform to illegally distribute, stream, perform, copy or broadcast UFC live events," the UFC alleges in a complaint filed late last week in U.S. District Court in Nevada. Companies like Justin.tv typically respond to these types of allegations by arguing that they are protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor provisions, which say that Web sites are immune from liability for infringing material uploaded by users as long as the sites remove material upon request. But UFC alleges that Justin.tv's procedures for responding to takedown notices aren't satisfactory. Although Justin.tv provides an online tool that's supposed to allow UFC to request the takedown of streams as they are occurring, that tool "does not always function correctly," UFC says in its complaint. UFC, which offers paid broadcasts of wrestling matches, kickboxing competitions and the like, says Justin.tv should do more to prevent pirated material from ever appearing on its site -- including assigning employees to monitor the site and remove unauthorized streams, deploying an "algorithmic solution disabling potential copyright infringement," and using watermark technology to match user uploads against copyrighted material. Viacom made a similar argument in its lawsuit against YouTube, contending that the video-sharing site should proactively use digital fingerprinting technology to prevent unauthorized clips from appearing. But U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton dismissed Viacom 's lawsuit last year, ruling that YouTube met its obligations under the DMCA because it removed user-uploaded clips upon request. Viacom is appealing that decision. This lawsuit against Justin.tv isn't the first time that UFC has made it known it's unhappy about online copyright infringement. In December of 2009, UFC CEO and Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta testified at a House Judiciary Commitee hearing that Justin.tv and other streaming sites were "making fortunes by aiding in the theft of our content and making it available through their website."
Consider this: For all the talk about how many advertising dollars are migrating online these days, there's still no bigger ad bucket than TV. Advertising on television accounts for about $70 billion in spending per year. Yet advertising on TV is still the least-innovative ad medium around. Don't get me wrong -- there has been some innovation in advanced TV advertising in the last couple of years. Companies like Invidi, Visible Worlds, and Black Arrow are rolling out addressable advertising, ad insertion, and ad versioning in interesting ways. And of course, the technology behind Smart TV (which I discussed in my first post) is just beginning to help marketers engage viewers more interactively. But there's been very little innovation in linear TV advertising, and it seems to me that this particular old-media problem is ripe for a little more new-media-style attention. Allow me to indulge in a moment of nostalgia. Four years ago, many in the media world were commiserating about the slackening of the TV ad market and the desperation of advertisers and networks who wanted more accountability from TV advertising. A single conversation with a major media exec about the inadequacy of the status quo sparked an idea: What if we took a page from the new-media playbook, and brought to TV some of that digital accountability? Hence, a real-world problem became a very real opportunity. Three-and-a-half years, thousands of development hours, and a few patent claims later, the industry is augmenting traditional ratings by using consumer purchasing information to inform the buying and selling of media. What's more, advertisers, networks, and agencies are now using these nontraditional indicators to hone their media strategy. Of course, this is just one example of how real-world problems can be redefined as real-world opportunities. In our digital world, such examples are legion. But not every new-media innovation starts with a problem; some begin with a solution. For instance, as some readers know, PayPal was originally developed to enable wireless payment. At the time, though, nobody wanted to make payments wirelessly. The solution was there, but it didn't match the problem. It wasn't until eBay was looking to help its users avoid sending checks through the mail that PayPal found -- and solved -- a problem. This is the rare exception to the rule of defining the problem first. Moral of the story: The innovations that will move the TV industry forward -- and keep the dollars flowing -- are going to come from some unexpected sources. After all, there's an incredible amount of opportunity at the intersection of television and technology right now. My advice to potential problem-solvers is this: Find your "spark" and run with it. Play to win, be willing to fail, and correct course as the market requires. Whatever you do, do something. The industry needs you more than ever. The more the merrier.
The scandal around "Jersey Shore"? All that seems quaint now -- especially looking at what "Skins" is going through. Concerned that "Skins" may have gone over the line, maybe breaking child pornography laws, five major advertisers at last count -- Taco Bell, Subway, H&R Block, G.M. and Wrigley -- have pulled their advertising from the program. Is this a financial concern? I doubt the series is commercial-free yet, guessing MTV still has a few other marketers in the program. MTV always seems to be traveling in this risky TV land. Early on "Shore" got into a bit of trouble because of how it depicted young Italian-Americans, gellin' and yellin' around the environs of the New Jersey Shore's Atlantic Ocean coastal haunts. Was that going to keep advertisers away? Not for long. That show, which grabbed a healthy 5 million viewers on average in season two, is now rocketing the network up to new heights -- near 9 million viewers in the second episode of its third season -- as well as getting big numbers in the 12-34 demo. Advertisers love to hear that. "Skins" has underage performers -- meaning under 18 years old. It's a scripted show with lots of racy content. The New York Times says there has been increased concern in MTV's New York offices about the producers possibly going over the line by breaking child anti-pornography laws. All this brings MTV to another level. No longer can the network be worried only about how a show portrays a certain group of U.S. citizens -- and the morality behind that. Now, it might have to worry about how a show might be engaging in criminal activity. Many cable networks let producers -- especially those from independent companies -- have free reign in content selection. But MTV programmers always need to have a fine eye as they getto the bleeding edge of subject matter by focusing on the relevant. The reality here is that underage kids do have sex. The problem is how to present this -- or, some might ask, whether to present it at all. MTV is an established network. Could it have missed some of these obvious problems? MTV runs the show at 10 p.m. and warns specifically that it is targeted to adult viewers. That said, we have long known that the network makes its bucks from that uneasy demographic, 12-24 year olds -- a group consisting of both above legal-age adults and below legal-age teens. All this is different than say Fox's "Glee," where many of its leading actors are well into their 20s. "Skins" purposely uses real teenagers to get the right approach to a real-life subject matter. Where do advertisers fit in? Surely, what morality they feel towards any show is one thing; whether or not it fits their media plan is another. But a third would be whether they might be supporting some sort of illegal activity. The last is obviously a killing point for marketers, and for any viable TV network. Given MTV's long history, and its intended core audience, content controversies seem to be its mandate. How it addresses those issues will always be the harder road to travel.
Acccording to new data from The Nielsen Company, State of the Media 2010, the average US household has 2.5 TV sets, with 1.9 standard definition TVs and 0.6 high-definition TVs. Furthermore, Nielsen data shows that HDTV households have more sets than the national average. 31% of Americans own four or more TVs. Average Number of TV Sets Per U.S. Household All SetsStandard DefinitionHigh Definition Total US 2.5 2.6 0.9 SD homes 2.1 2.1 HD Homes 2.7 1.2 1.5 Source: the Nielsen Company, January 2011 The average American watches 35.6 hours of TV week, or close to the equivalent of a full-time job. Looking at age demographics, Americans older than 65 watch an average of 48.9 hours of TV each week. In contrast, Americans age 2-11 watch an average of 25.8 hours of TV per week. TV WatchedAge groupHours Watched/Week Adults over 65 48.9 Average Americans 35.6 Kids 2-11 25.8 Source: the Nielsen Company, January 2011 The percentage of consumers with broadband internet access but no cable TV remained fairly consistent between January 2008 (3.2%) and January 2010 (3.9%). Meanwhile, the percentage of consumers with both broadband internet access and cable TV grew about 21%, from 54.8% to 66.3%. This suggests few consumers are attempting to splice their cable broadband internet access to obtain free cable TV Broadband & Cable Ownership (% of Population) % of Population Installed Jan 2008 Jan 2009 Jan2010 Broadband only 3.2 3.9 3.9 Cable & Broadband 54.8 61.6 66.3 Source: the Nielsen Company, January 2011 Television Purchase Plans (In Next 12 Months; North America) Intent% of Respondents Definitely will purchase 3% Probably will purchase 3 Might of might not 16 Probably won't 17 Definitely won't 59 Source: the Nielsen Company, January 2011 Additional TV Findings
Please forgive me if I'm not shaken to my core over Comcast's acquisition of NBCU. What does it do? It merely creates the largest single media company in the United States of America. There's been so much written in the past few days about why this is bad for us as consumers. Comcast, the distribution source, will now control massive amounts of content -- broadcast network NBC, over 20 cable channels, Spanish-language Telemundo, Universal Pictures, and Hulu being the company's major holdings. It will certainly be poised to create a chokehold over what consumers watch and how they watch it. Prices will go up. Net neutrality will suffer. The new company will be able to suppress content from competitors and favor its own. All of that is possible -- maybe probable, even with some "voluntary" restrictions imposed by the FCC factored in. I'm still somewhat unfazed. Sure, it's a megalith. Joe Torres, writing for the Huffington Post, suggests that the company will "control one out of every five TV viewing hours." I hate to break this to you, Joe, but 20% of TV will not be "controlled" by Comcast/NBCU. As it stands now, NBC "controls" about 20% of all English-speaking broadcast TV hours -- and it has since the consolidation of the WB and UPN. Actually, it's a bit more, as Fox and CW don't fill as much national airtime as their Big Three cousin networks. Yes, I'm skeptical about the new company's stated strategy contributing to the progression of "media anytime, anywhere." In reality, it's much closer to "Comcast/NBCU anytime, anywhere." In the press release, Comcast joyfully proclaims that this is "an exciting day for Comcast." It's not as exciting for the consumer, as reduced competition rarely is. But is it a disaster? Right now, I can't say that it is. Think about it: NBC has been a wounded participant in prime time for several years now. The network has no identity, no healthy, dependable franchise, and has looked to the luxuriant days of "Seinfeld," "Friends,""ER" and "The West Wing" for respectability and overall content strategies, even now that those days are long past. Network executives have forced their hand with many short-sighted and misread deals that have locked them into a solid fourth place overall. The most egregious and recent of these was anointing Conan O'Brien the host-in-waiting of the "Tonight Show," creating a firestorm of PR snafus and reactive strategies. It goes without saying that NBC is no longer "must see" for anything anymore. I still adhere to the adage that content is king. With no real appointment prime-time content coming from the flagship brand, this is the best time for Comcast to make this move. But all the distribution bottlenecks in the world won't make much difference if its Grade A material is made up of "30 Rock," "The Office, and the NFL in 4th Quarter. Granted, it's possible to turn things around on the strength of one top-line hit, but NBC hasn't come close to showing it's capable of that lately. Comcast/NBCU will have to give up managing rights over Hulu, although it will still have a financial stake. That's one concession to antitrust regulations that was able to remain. So in theory, it won't be able to give an edge to its owned content as it appears on Hulu. Another thing we won't need to worry about: one of those nasty retransmission battles between Comcast and NBC. Won't THAT be refreshing? As I recall, GE was lambasted when it first took ownership of NBC. "What would an appliance manufacturer know about content?" was the outrage of the time. For a while, it seemed GE had a pretty good idea about what made for good TV. Lately, the best that's come of it has been the "30 Rock" VP of Programming and Microwave Oven gags. Similarly, Disney was once thought to be on its way to media domination with its ABC and ESPN properties. But we survived that as well. During his campaign, then-Senator Obama declared support for distributed media power. There's no hiding that position, now that his administration has green-lighted this merger. Yes, it's been written that Comcast may have made a campaign contribution or two to some who signed off on this deal. This deal became public in 2009. We've long known it's been on its way. But suddenly, we should be "mad as hell"? Nope. You had all of 2010 to wave the outrage flag. Why am I not frightened? Because every "Future of Media" conference I've attended or read about in at least the past five years has proffered one invariable, inevitable truth: The Consumer Is In Control. That's the big reason that I'm less frightened about this becoming an out-of-control monopoly. Consumers know that they have control now. We're content creators; we build our own monopolies. YouTube and Facebook weren't created in a boardroom, they were created by their own users. Corporations glommed on after both entities achieved some critical mass. Consumers have the power. As our media choices evolve, we'll always find a work-around for things that don't work for us -- or we'll cut the cord altogether. Comcast/NBCU will do better for itself by not underestimating who's the boss here. I mean, c'mon -- it can't be all that dire. Ricky Gervais didn't make one mention of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski during his Golden Globes roast on Sunday night. Maybe next year, right?
The first episode of "American Idol" is down a lot, ratings-wise. Does that change anything? For Fox, not really, especially looking at the bigger picture going into next season. Even with a 9.7 rating among 18-49 viewers for the show's season premiere -- down 18% from season nine's 11.8 premiere number -- the ratings for "Idol" are virtually twice that of other top network TV shows. "Idol" was also down 13% in total viewers -- but with a still-big figure of 26.1 million. The bottom line is, these figures still may give Fox what it needs to 1) probably win the season again in 18-49 viewers; and 2) have another booming upfront advertising sales period. With all other network TV shows averaging just south of a three rating, Fox can be comforted that the delta -- the ratings points between "Idol" numbers and the next best-rated show -- is still big. That may be a key selling point for next year's advertisers. "Idol"'s new schedule -- Wednesday-Thursday airings versus its long-time previous Tuesday-Wednesday format -- has it competing with different shows in its tenth season. On Wednesday, ABC's "Modern Family" at 9 p.m., running against a two-hour "Idol," didn't get hurt too much. "Family" still got a very decent 4.6 rating among 18-49ers. This may play out much the same way on Thursday, where "Idol"'s results show will go head to head with another solid sitcom, CBS' "Big Bang Theory." While it could seem a big deal for both shows, Fox and CBS executives believe there might be little damage for either "Idol" or "Bang" because they have somewhat different audiences. The fact that "Idol" ratings were down isn't much of a surprise. It's a 10-year-old show, with some major cast changes like Simon Cowell's departure, and more competition from other TV shows in the reality entertainment-contest genre. But that's not the end of the story for Cowell and Fox: He'll be back on the network in the fall as a judge on his new highly touted "X Factor" show. Fox will still have its cake and eat it, too. Two cakes, actually.
CIMM's Set-Top-Box Data Lexicon contains over 850 terms and definitions associated with Set-Top-Box data, measurement and procurement. This reference guide was designed to create a common language of terms and definitions for the Set-Top Box data space and is an important step in expanding the understanding and ultimate adoption of Set-Top Box data as an accepted industry measurement. The CIMM Word-A-Week column, culled from the Lexicon, is designed to help implement a common language for Set-Top-Box data that will ideally expedite the data usage in the industry. Last week we began with defining Set-Top Box, which is not as simple a task as it sounds. Generically, these boxes span the range from Analog (those that can only deliver data in one direction which is to the box) and Digital (those that have the ability to deliver data in two directions, which is to and from the box). Because they have the ability to deliver data back from the box, it is only the Digital Set-Top Boxes that can provide Set-Top-Box data. Digital Set-Top Boxes vary in level of sophistication, which can impact the amount and quality of data the box can deliver back to the source Here are the ranges of STB types and their definitions: Advanced Set-Top Boxes See also: All-In-One Set-Top Box, Digital Set-Top Box, Enhanced Set-Top Box, Integrated Set-Top Box, Set-Top Box CIMM DEFINITION : Set-Top Boxes that are considered "fully integrated" with good processors, ample memory and optional large hard drives. These boxes have more advanced features and are more likely to be integrated with such services as DVRs, high-speed internet access, interactive TV, digital video recording and gaming. (Source: itvdictionary.com) NOTE - These boxes may or may not have connected back paths. This should be noted; only satellite has digital STBs that are often not connected to upstream paths. (Source: TRA) Advanced Digital Set-Top BoxesSee also: Set-Top Box CIMM DEFINITION : Same as Advanced Set-Top Boxes Definition currently under review by CableLabs. All-In-One Set-Top BoxSee also: Advanced Set-Top Box, Digital Set-Top Box, Enhanced Set-Top Box, Integrated Set-Top Box, Set-Top Box CIMM DEFINITION : Set-Top Boxes that have more advanced features and are more likely to be integrated with such services as DVRs, high-speed internet access, interactive TV, digital video recording and gaming. Definition currently under review by CableLabs. Enhanced TV Set-Top Boxes See also: Advanced Set-Top Box, Digital Set-Top Box, All-In-One Set-Top Box, Integrated Set-Top Box, Set-Top Box CIMM DEFINITION : Another name for an Advanced Set-Top Box. These boxes all have backchannel return path as well as online and VOD capabilities. Definition currently under review by CableLabs.Media Center Set-Top BoxSee also: Set-Top Box CIMM DEFINITION : The ability to link up the Set-Top Box to the computer so content can be viewed on the computer instead of via the television set. 2. Typically refers to devices such as the Media Center PC, Xbox 360 or PS3 that have the capability to provide linear TV services in conjunction with other forms of media entertainment such as music, video games, internet browsing, streaming videos (aka Netflix), etc. (Source: Rentrak) 3 : Media Center PC: a personal computer with a tuner and video card that allows the user to view Linear TV and often has a PVR to record programs as well. (Source: TIVO) Please refer to the CIMM Lexicon online at http://www.cimm-us.org/lexicon.htm for the full range of secondary-sourced definitions to these terms.
Piers Morgan didn't wait for the marketing machine at CNN to take its normal course. The new digital world perhaps forced this. Twitter also had a hand. Since "Piers Morgan Tonight" replaced "Larry King Live," Morgan's new style of politician/celebrity interview show has been reflected through his unusual marketing and promotional efforts. Most recently Morgan was found pleading with a New York Times reporter that he deserved some big press. His private Twitter message to reporter Brian Stelter asked, "Now that Oprah's called me 'My toughest interview for 20 years,' shouldn't you be interviewing me for NYT to talk about it?" Winfrey actually said it was "one of the toughest interviews" anyone had done of her. Toughest? A bunch of reviews said Morgan threw a hefty amount of softballs Winfrey's way as well. Even Morgan noted that if the interview did well, Winfrey might just tell all her friends about it. No doubt CNN did a major job in marketing and public relations work on the show. But Morgan admits to being a full-time self-promoter. Replacing 25-year-veteran King was no easy task. And Morgan isn't the first TV or entertainment personality to actively take the reins of their own marketing efforts. Morgan, of course, knows a thing or two about big spin, having edited one of the most notoriously edgy and scandal-oriented daily newspapers, News Corp.'s News of the World in the U.K. Of course Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann or Bill O'Reilly may also do promotional shout-outs for their respective shows. But, as Morgan says -- as many might say -- it's all about creating "noise." Perhaps Morgan isn't your straight-ahead news anchor/news reader/news analyst, which makes it easier. Coming from the likes of "America's Got Talent," he has already set out a profile as someone who will blur the lines. You have to wonder. Why don't more TV and entertainment stars do this? Some would say that concentrating on their work -- lines, characters, interviews, or journalism -- takes precedence. But considering the new TV and digital space, marketing/promotion efforts can't stop at a TV Critics tour or with on-air and off-air marketing campaigns. Lots more needs to be done. Think marketing first? Maybe that doesn't make sense. But these days marketing needs to progress pretty closely and aggressively with content, whether for a news program, scripted drama, comedy, or interview/talk show. The results? Morgan's first show with Winfrey pulled in 2.1 million viewers, three times King's most recent average. Still, that was only the first show -- and Fox's competing Sean Hannity, interviewing Sarah Palin, drew more viewers, 2.36 million. The next night, with Howard Stern as guest, Morgan dropped to 1.2 million viewers. All to say, reporters beware: Your private Twitter message from Piers Morgan will be arriving soon.