In the midst of what may be the tightest race in years in the broadcast late-night time period, the unlikely winner continues to be ABC's "Nightline" -- now the strongest among key younger viewers. ABC says for the first time in any quarter, "Nightline" is the No. 1 show in the 18-49 category. In addition, the show is the best in total viewers and adults 25-54, where it has claimed top-dog status for some time. Still, the race for late-night supremacy is as close as it had ever been. That is partly due to the upheaval at NBC over a year ago, when Jay Leno returned to host "The Tonight Show" after Conan O'Brien's ouster. ABC's "Nightline" beat out NBC's "Tonight Show" by some 10,000 18-49 viewers during the first quarter: 1.27 million to 1.26 million. CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" was at 1.15 million. To give a better example of how close the race is among the big three broadcast late-night shows, "Nightline" and the "Tonight Show" were statistically in a dead heat when looking at traditional measures, both at a 1.0 rating; "Late Show" scored a 0.9 rating among 18-49 viewers. Total viewers also put "Nightline" ahead by 100,000 viewers over "The Tonight Show," at 3.98 million versus 3.88 million; "Late Show" was at 3.59 million. For older viewers, it's another tight race. ABC had 50,000 more 25-54 viewers, for a 1.65 million average (a 1.3 rating); "Tonight" was at 1.60 million (a 1.3 rating); and "Late Show" was at 1.550 million (a 1.2 rating). ABC says "Nightline," for the first time since 1993, is No. 1 at this time of the season among both 25-54 and total viewers. The show is up by 3% in total viewers and 3% in adults 25-54 compared to the same point last year.
NBC wants to take advantage of the popularity of the 89-year-old named Entertainer of the Year by the AP last year. Betty White, who has helped make TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" a comedy hit, will host a hidden-camera show on the network. NBC has picked up 12 half-hour episodes of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (working title). White, a longtime star of "The Golden Girls" on NBC, is also an executive producer. The show, with roots in Europe, has seven senior citizens playing pranks on younger people unaware the cameras are watching. NBC gave no timetable on a release date. "Betty White is a comedic genius who escalates hilarity in any situation," stated Paul Telegdy, who heads alternative programming at NBC. White's award-winning 2010 began with a popular appearance in a Super Bowl Snickers commercial, which led to a hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" and the "Hot in Cleveland" heat. Partly on the backs of "Hot in Cleveland," where a third season is coming, TV Land's ratings have been soaring. The series has been an impetus for the network to launch more original comedies. White also has a book -- "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)" -- coming out in May. The NBC hidden-camera show has been a hit overseas, where it is known as "Benidorm Bastards."
Major League Baseball is launching a pair of unusual campaigns celebrating the new season. One is a TV and Web campaign, amd the other is something else entirely, a Web-directed experiential campaign following the weird "human museum" marketing tactic of putting real people in a kind of public fishbowl -- in this case, a pair of diehard fans. The effort, via new agency of record Hill Holliday, is called MLB Fan Cave -- a physical venue in New York City. The "cave" hosts the winner of the "MLB dream job," promotion, a guy chosen from a pool of some 10,000 applicants for obsession with baseball. The winner, Mike O'Hara, and his friend will inhabit the Fan Cave every day for the entire 2011 MLB season. The two will watch all 2,430 regular-season games plus every post-season game while chronicling their experiences and sharing their viewpoints on baseball and pop culture through Facebook, Twitter, a blog on MLB.com, custom videos and regular appearances on MLB Network. O'Hara moved into the Fan Cave, which is at 4th Street and Broadway, on Thursday. The venue has interactive fan activities, hosts regular visits from MLB players, baseball personalities and celebrities, parties, musical performances, and other events. It also has 32 14-foot windows, allowing constant views of the two fans, who will also be shown online. Production company Endemol USA helped develop the program. The firm will produce a Web series that comprises films that are sharable through social media, which will chronicle the activities and events at the MLB Fan Cave, as well as the two fans' daily interactions. Bobby Maurer ("The Tom Green Show") will serve as executive producer. The cave has 15 Sony Bravia LCD HDTV televisions that will broadcast every MLB game. It also has a branded Pepsi Porch modeled after the Pepsi Porches that are featured in three MLB ballparks. Also launching on Thursday is the "MLB Always Epic" campaign, to coincide with Opening Day. Also via Hill Holliday, the campaign eschews entirely the traditional approach of showing dramatic game footage. Instead, the effort plays on the sometimes-eccentric proclivities of MLB stars. The campaign is also Web-focused, although there is also a raft of TV ads, one of which broke Thursday. The Web elements will be housed on MLBAlwaysEpic.com. The initial salvo of TV and Web creative touts San Francisco Giants' Brian Wilson, American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez and Colorado Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez. The league says that by the time the campaign has unreeled over the course of the MLB season, it will have shone the spotlight on 30 players. Tim Brosnan, MLB's EVP of business operations, tells Marketing Daily that the "Always Epic" campaign is MLB's "most extensive effort to reach our fans, both active and casual, through digital platforms." He says the campaign will be the league's creative platform for the forseeable future. A dozen online and three television executions will feature Wilson, and use his hirsute facial style to play on his talents as a player as well as his affection for ninjas. With an "Inside The Beard" theme, the mini-campaign goes on a journey within Wilson's beard. Hernandez appears in an ad at a county fair, where he plays a carnival game in which he has to down milk jugs with baseballs. As Hernandez starts racking up prizes, he puts the booth out of business. An ad featuring Ubaldo Jimenez has the player trying to find his name on a display of personalized license plates at a roadside tchotchke store. Along with a strong online and social media presence, the work will also run on MLB's network partners Fox, ESPN, and TBS, as well as on MLB Network and MLB.com. Flash banners will drive users to the MLBAlwaysEpic.com site.
NBC is looking to take advantage of the popularity of the 89-year-old named Entertainer of the Year by the AP last year. Betty White, who has helped make TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" a comedy hit, will host a hidden-camera show on the network. NBC has picked up 12 half-hour episodes of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" (working title). White, a long-time star of "The Golden Girls" on NBC, is also an executive producer. The show, with roots in Europe, has seven senior citizens playing pranks on younger people who are unaware that the cameras are watching. NBC gave no timetable on a release date. "Betty White is a comedic genius who escalates hilarity in any situation," stated Paul Telegdy, who heads alternative programming at NBC. White's award-winning 2010 began with a popular appearance in a Super Bowl Snickers commercial, which led to a hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" and the "Hot in Cleveland" heat. White has a book, "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)," coming out in May. The NBC hidden-camera show has been a hit overseas, where it is known as "Benidorm Bastards." Partly on the backs of "Hot in Cleveland," where a third season is coming, TV Land's ratings have been soaring. The series has been an impetus for the network to launch more original comedies.
Video ad technology firm TidalTV raised about $30 million from existing investors, including New Enterprise Associates, Comcast Interactive Capital and Valhalla Partners. Baltimore-based TidalTV offers video advertising, optimization and yield management services to clients. Its AdOSTM technology uses relevant data to improve ad delivery. Launched in late 2007, TidalTV has aggressively raised capital to establish itself as a player in the online video business with its one-to-one ad "decisioning" technology. "Our focus on bringing math and science into the branded advertising space has been well received," said Scott Ferber, chairman and CEO of TidalTV. TidalTV has been described as an outgrowth of Advertising.com, which Ferber founded with his brother before selling the company to AOL in 2004. Ad.com is best known for facilitating the targeting of banner and display advertising. While competition exists, TidalTV is competing for a share of a vastly expanding market. Indeed, eMarketer estimates that by 2015, 76% of Web users -- or 195.5 million people -- will be watching online video each month. In the same period, the research firm predicts online video advertising spending will surge from $1.97 billion to $5.71 billion. Last year, TidalTV raised $16 million in venture capital. In turn, Comcast Interactive Managing Director David Horowitz joined TidalTV's board. TidalTV also 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. Will this latest round of funding, TidalTV plans to continue exploring new markets and media channels. In February, the company launched its mobile counterpart.
TV viewers continue to increase their usage of social media when it comes to TV programs. A new survey says two in five online U.S. adults -- 43% -- have gone to the Web to comment, post, or read something about a TV show. The findings are from Harris Interactive and 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and opinion site focused on the U.S. and global equity markets. Among 80 million+ people, one-third -- 33% -- have done so after watching a TV show or program. Somewhat less -- 18% -- have done so before watching a TV show, and 17% are interacting with social media while watching a TV show or program. Younger online adults 18-34 are the big users of social media here -- 59% have said they have engaged with TV shows this way. The numbers are 40% for older 35- to-44-year-olds; 36% for 45- to-54-year-old viewers/users; and 28% for those who are 55 and older. In looking at key behavior while watching TV, 31% of 18-34 adults say they are interacting while viewing. At the older end of the age spectrum, only 5% who are 55 and older do this activity. Where does this social media activity happen? Fifty-three percent post comments on their own or to a friend's Facebook page, or a Twitter account or a blog. Forty-four percent do so on a Web site or page created by the TV content provider, such as a TV network's Facebook page or site. About one-third do so on related TV/media entertainment or news sites. Women are more likely than men to engage in an individual forum -- 57% to 50% -- while men are more likely than women to do so on a separate media outlet's site: 38% to 27%. Why do people use social media in regard to a TV show? Three-quarters of adults do it to gain more program information, while two-thirds do it for the analysis or summary or as an additional source of entertainment. About half say it's important to engage with other viewers.
Greek yogurt is one of the hottest food categories going, with sales up 160% over last year, per Nielsen. This accounts for the barrage of television ads currently airing But which spots are scoring with consumers? Kraft Athenos's new "Yiayia" campaign may have offended some Greek organizations, but its Greek yogurt spot is beating the competition in effectiveness, according to an analysis of recently launched TV commercials within the category conducted by Ace Metrix for Marketing Daily. The Ace Score measures TV commercials' creative effectiveness based on persuasion and "watchability" measures. The persuasion measure reflects the interaction of six elements: desire, relevance, likeability, attention, information and change. Watchability measures engagement with the ad. Featuring a Greek grandmother ("yiayia," in Greek) who is joltingly frank in conveying her disapproval of almost everything except Athenos Greek Yogurt (and the brand's hummus), the Athenos campaign has drawn media attention because of its somewhat risqué humorous creative, particularly coming from the country's largest food maker. (The most controversial spot, in which Yiayia tells a young woman that she dresses "like a prostitute," is for Athenos hummus.) But the campaign is not just grabbing headlines. At least in the Greek yogurt category, it's grabbing the brand's core target audience of young women, as well as outperforming recently introduced spots from competitors on an overall basis. The "Yiayia on Relationships" Greek yogurt spot, which has the old woman telling a young couple that they are "going to hell" for living together, recently pulled an overall Ace score of 528. (The average Ace TV spot score for dairy products as a whole is 519.) The spot with the next-highest Ace, 485, was Chobani Greek Yogurt's "Cho Bike," featuring real brand fan Steven Wright riding his bike 80 miles to visit Chobani's factory. Another spot from the "Real Chobani Love Stories" campaign, "Cho Theft" -- showing fan Stephanie Lane interrogating co-workers and hiding her yogurt after someone at work steals her Chobani -- had an Ace of 484. Dannon Greek Yogurt's "Heaven on Earth" spot -- which focuses on the product's taste ("introducing the most delicious yogurt imaginable") pulled a 479 Ace. Fage's "Total Plain Extraordinary" ("plain will never be the same") -- which takes an artistic approach (striking, eclectic visuals and verse copy, with the product shown only in an end shot) -- scored the lowest, at 426. Among the five spots, "Yiayia" scored highest both with women 21 to 35 and women 36 to 49. Chobani's spots scored next-highest with these groups. However, among women 50 and older, "Yiayia" scored substantially below the Dannon spot, and also below the "Cho Bike" spot. "Athenos's sarcastic humor approach did very well among younger females, and even males, but that approach may not play as well with older demographics," notes Ace Metrix VP, sales and marketing Jack McKee. "Dannon's straightforward 'delicious taste' approach, in particular, and Chobani's 'real love stories' from fans, seem to be resonating more with women 50 and over." Although yogurt category marketing is generally targeted primarily to women, some of the spots, including "Yiayia on Relationships" and particularly "Cho Bike," are clearly inclusive of or focused on men. Ironically, however, "Cho Bike," while scoring 540 among women, tanked with men (430). "A 110-point difference is huge" and rather surprising, notes McKee. Fage's "Plain Will Never Be the Same," on the other hand, seemed to confuse women and men alike. Comments from viewers recorded by Ace Metrix repeatedly employed the words "confusing" and "strange," as well as "artistic." Furthermore, they expressed confusion not only about the brand name (many were unfamiliar with it), but whether the product being advertised is yogurt -- never mind Greek yogurt (although it should be noted that the spot has been viewed on YouTube 585,000 times in four weeks). "With TV, even cable, creative needs to appeal to a broad demographic," observes McKee. Ace's data shows that the "desire" element -- a spot's effectiveness at inspiring viewers to want to go out and buy the product -- is particularly key in driving Ace scores for yogurt in general. Fage's low desire scores are one reason it performed poorly, for example. Higher desire scores for regular/non-Greek yogurt commercials versus Greek yogurt spots is, at least at present, a major reason that the former as a whole perform better than the latter as a whole. The five Greek spots' average Ace was 480, 53 points lower than the 533 average score for five recently launched regular yogurt spots. Among the regular yogurt spots, Yoplait Smoothie Drink Mix's "Delicious Real Fruit Rich Creamy Yogurt" scored highest, at 601. Among the newer Greek spots analyzed, the Athenos "Yiayia on Relationships" commercial was the only one to exceed the 480 average for all Greek spots, and to approach the 533 average for all regular yogurt spots. The commercial scored above Greek spots' norm on both desire and likeability.
Fanta is moving to a consistent, global marketing platform with the latest evolution of its five-year-old "More Fanta, Less Serious" campaign. The strategic unification is a necessary next step for the brand, given its large and expanding global footprint, and is also designed to enhance marketing productivity, said Coca-Cola Company EVP and chief marketing and commercial officer Joe Tripodi, during a press Webcast Tuesday announcing the campaign. At the same time, the new platform provides flexibility for individual markets to address their specific business needs, he said. The campaign will run in 190 markets around the world -- more than Coca-Cola's 2010 World Cup campaign -- and reach regions representing 90% of the brand's global sales volume in 2011. Tripodi declined to specify Coca-Cola's investment in the campaign, saying only that the company is devoting "substantial" and increasing resources to both Fanta and Sprite to ensure that these major flavor brands get as much attention as Coke. Fanta is one of four Coca-Cola Company brands with more than $10 billion in global retail sales (industry estimates put sales at $12 billion-plus), and the company's second-largest sparkling brand outside the U.S. Its largest markets are Brazil, the U.S., Mexico, Thailand and Spain, and it is also seeing rapid growth in China and India, in particular, according to Selman Careaga, senior global director of Sprite and Fanta. The creative for this worldwide evolution of the "Less Serious" campaign, which has been implemented in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia for several years, will debut in the U.S. Wednesday on Fox's "American Idol." The unifying concept -- that Fanta is "a giggle in a bottle" -- came out of research showing that teenagers, the core target audience, "admire other teens -- and brands --that bring less serious moments into their lives," reported Jonathan Mildenhall, VP of advertising strategy and content excellence. Specifically, in all cultures, the most popular kid in class is the one who uses humor to turn serious moments into moments of levity, he said. The creative, from Ogilvy & Mather and the Psyop animation shop (also creators of Coke's Happiness Factory), with music from Human Music Worldwide, uses animated, multicultural teenage characters spanning a range of personalities, but all sharing a playful attitude toward life. The first 30-second TV spot to air on "American Idol" will be "Chase," showing friends chasing a teenage male on a skateboard, drawn by the scent and sparkle of the Fanta he is carrying. That spot exemplifies "irresistible taste" -- one of the three marketing focuses within the platform, along with the "less serious" theme and new product news or specific attributes, noted Mildenhall. Individual markets can choose which focus to employ, while having access to integrated, culture-appropriate creative for each approach that spans media including television, "mom" print, out-of-home, digital ad banners, a branded YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter and "digital goodies" like ringtones and wallpaper, he said. In addition, Fanta.com has been unified to provide a consistent user experience and core brand themes, while enabling messaging relevant to local markets. The site will be used by more than 100 of the markets. Animation not only travels well across markets, but enables teenagers to personally identify with the characters, explained Mildenhall. Videos that are animated are very often ones that "go global" on social media, and the Coca-Cola Company excels at creating "enigmatic worlds," as exemplified in its polar bear and Happiness Machine creative, he noted. Given the goal of having Fanta become a "badge brand" among teenagers 16 to 18, the characters and scenarios are designed to appeal to consumers in their late teens. "We were careful not to go too young," Mildenhall said. The unified campaign is also designed to appeal to the entire family, and reinforce mom-approved brand qualities such as all-natural flavors and no caffeine, added Caren Pasquale Seckler, VP, flavor brands portfolio for Coca-Cola North America. Fanta -- which was reintroduced in the U.S. in 2001 -- is now the #1 fruit-flavored soda brand in the country, with a 40% and growing share, according to Pasquale Seckler. "There is latent equity in this brand," and the parent company's partnership with "American Idol" represents a perfect platform to leverage that twice weekly, she said. Fanta will air other new creative, such as a "Bounce" spot that focuses specifically on the fun/less serious theme, on subsequent "Idol" installments. According to Beverage Digest, in 2010, Fanta was the 10th-largest carbonated soda brand in the U.S., with a 1.8% market share (flat with 2009's share). It sold 170.5 million cases, for a 1% gain in volume.
With the addition of the Bowl Championship Series and live sports becoming more popular, ESPN said it posted its strongest first quarter ever in viewership numbers. The network averaged 1.08 million viewers for total day tracking -- up 17% from last year, which marked the previous record. ESPN also averaged 854,000 households, up 14% from the 2010 previous record. The BCS, which included the most-watched program in cable history, came to ESPN in January for the first time. The January-March period also included more popular NBA games and college basketball. The viewing numbers go back to 1992 and actually cover Dec. 27-March 28. Lest the BCS be considered the sole driver of ratings jumps, ESPN said it also set records for the February and March months. ESPN said it outperformed all other cable networks in both total day and prime time among men 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. The BCS national title game between Auburn and Oregon averaged 27 million viewers-plus. Also, the five BCS games mark ESPN's highest-rated broadcasts in history, save NFL games.
African-American U.S. homes used their televisions more than all other U.S. ethnicity groups -- double the amount of Asians, who watch the least TV. African-Americans were at 7 hours and 12 minutes per day, more than the U.S. average of 5 hours and 11 minutes, according to Nielsen. White TV homes were at 5 hours and 2 minutes; Hispanics, 4 hours and 35 minutes: with Asians at 3 hours and 14 minutes. White homes added more DVR ratings points to TV shows than any other ethnicity -- 5.0 ratings, giving a 15.4% lift over live airings. Total U.S. DVR average is adding 4.3 rating points for a 13.0% gain over live TV airings. Asian households give programs a 13.8% lift -- 3.1 rating points; Hispanics, 7.2%, 2.4 rating points; and African-Americans, 6.9%, 2.7 rating points. On average, 38% of U.S. TV homes have a DVR. White TV homes were the highest, at 40%; and Hispanic homes, the lowest, at 30%. In November 2010, when the survey was done, the top-rated show among White TV homes was a Fox network Thursday night NFL game, with the top non-sports TV show "Modern Family. The top cable show was ESPN's "Monday Night Football." Among African-Americans, the top-rated show was a Fox NFL Sunday night game. The best cable shows were ESPN "Monday Night Football" followed by BET's "Soul Train Awards." Hispanic TV viewers flocked to Univision's "Latin Grammys" as the best-rated broadcast show. On cable, it was Galavision's "Futbol Liga Mexico." Asian homes also voted for football -- a Fox NFL Thursday game. The best non-sports show was Fox's "Glee." The best cable show was an ESPN "Monday Night Football" game. African-American homes used more DVD and video games that other groups, according to Nielsen.
I was recently asked about how to counter a price objection from a small advertiser. I spend a lot of time in rooms with groups of salespeople helping them think about ways to fight the sales fight in the toughest environment I have ever known. Of course the price objection happens across the board; from big and small advertisers and in the business-to-business market as well as consumer market. There are so many choices for advertisers, and there seems to be a whole new media category every year; location-based social marketing, anyone? How can a digital salesperson counter the objection that the buyer can buy around her property? Customers with price objections have been around since the biblical flood, but buyers have never had more alternatives than today. Publishers of high quality content seek to hold the line on advertising pricing, while blog networks and aggregators offer lower pricing and advertising networks and social media offer even lower pricing and extravagant claims for reach. For years owners of premium broadcast content like sports and hit TV shows have successfully maintained their status and both their larger audiences and their higher costs per thousand (CPMs), while advertisers had the opportunity to buy around them. Can we learn anything from them? While broadcast and cable alternatives multiplied, ad prices for hit shows went only one way: up. We went from three networks to five, and from a dozen cable channels to hundreds, but it wasn't until the near-economic melt-down following the housing bubble that TV pricing took a hit. Why have owners of top TV content been able to hold the line and demand an advertising premium? Traditional advertisers can buy television advertising at very low CPMs across networks and cable networks. They can even buy around the Super Bowl. But these same advertisers spend top dollar to buy prime time or other special event programming. Whether it is the Super Bowl or "60 Minutes" or "Mad Men," the best quality demands serious premium CPMs because the broadcast industry believes in their own value proposition and they have learned how to negotiate. Readers and viewers are aware of the quality and value of the content they consume and they attribute more trust -- if unconsciously -- to the advertisers in those environments. We know this instinctively, but the Online Publishers Association published research to back it up last June: "A Sense of Place" compared branded environments to portals and social media sites. The research conducted by Harris Associates finds that "Sites with trusted content correlate strongly with the sites' advertisers being perceived as reputable." And because we are known by the company we keep, advertisers know (but sometimes need to be reminded) that they too are known by the company they keep. This is the second supporting value for premium pricing in first-class online media environments. When I started in sales in magazines, the first thing a prospect would do was open the magazine and page through it to see who else was advertising. They knew they were going to be judged by the company they kept. This is what also explains why Vogue can still publish a telephone-book-sized September issue. The advertisers want to be associated with their peers. And for good reason. That is why Mercedes will be interested if they see Tiffany advertising, and it's why Estee Lauder will be interested if they see Donna Karan advertising in a particular property. Only one part of the solution for supporting quality media environments is in the research or the logic. Even more important is the matter of a self-confidence that sellers need to build for themselves. While it's true that advertisers have more alternatives than ever before, it is also true that online salespeople have more prospects than ever before. Salespeople need to develop their territories and their prospect lists with this in mind. Hanging their hopes on a few "good" prospects is a formula for disappointment. A salesperson doesn't have to say yes to a price concession demand from the person in front of them unless they have no other alternatives. If they have lots of prospects, salespeople will know that they will find another buyer. Smart media companies like ESPN and TBS made the decision a few years ago to eliminate the ad-network ads from their sites. Yes, that made it harder to fill unsold inventory, but it eliminated the buyers who were trying to buy the brand without paying the price. The best consumers still want the best content. And the value of that content and its environment is there -- only if sales people can explain how the value is delivered, and sales management demands it.
At last June's D8 Conference, Steve Jobs made some astute remarks about the TV industry's seemingly insurmountable roadblocks to innovation. Critics and fans alike posited that Jobs was posing as a decoy, while Apple geared up for a sneak attack into the TV space. "The problem with innovation in the TV industry is the go-to-market strategy," he said. "The TV industry has a subsidized model that gives everyone a set top box for free. So no one wants to buy a box. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us... ask Google in a few months. "So all you can do is ADD a box to the TV. You just end up with a table full of remotes, a cluster of boxes... and that's what we have today. "The only way that's going to change is if you tear up the set top box, give it a new UI, and get it in front of consumers in a way they're going to want it. The TV is going to lose in our eyes until there is a better go-to-market strategy... otherwise you're just making another TiVo." Now, let's fast-forward nine months later, to March 2011. First, in a little-noted PR release, a Tampa Bay-based company, Savtira Corporation, announced that it had reached an agreement to provide set-top boxes to America's Center, an IPTV provider to small to mid-market residences. A revolutionary attribute of the Savtira set-top box reportedly will be its ability to provide subscribers with access to Savtira's new cloud-based video game library, e-commerce platform and Entertainment Distribution Network (EDN). Further substantiated by a release yesterday concerning Savtira's alignment with Juniper Networks, Savtira imagines a world where set-top boxes compete directly with game consoles and personal computers, once again reigning supreme over the clutter of boxes vying for the scraps of a TV's limited inputs: "All types of software and digital media (business applications, games, music, movies, audio/ebooks) are available to consumers on a rental or subscription basis. Not only is no download or installation necessary, but consumers will also have the ability to seamlessly switch between devices, pausing media on one device and resuming it on another as all data, state and configuration is stored within the cloud." Then, last week, 4G penetration gained further momentum, as AT&T announced its T-Mobile acquisition plans. 4G poses the first real wireless threat to traditional cable and satellite delivered TV content; indeed, a 4G-version of a cloud-enabled IPTV box, like the one Savtira has announced, could ultimately decimate corded TV content delivery. Meanwhile, the air attack continued today, as Amazon announced its intention to enable Cloud Drive, enabling cloud-based music streaming of one's own purchased music library. Almost immediately, insiders opined that video streaming would not be far behind, with music industry and Hollywood already rattling sabers in an effort to stop the rain of music and movies from the Amazon Cloud. Finally, reports have surfaced this week that Apple's AirPlay -- proprietary technology currently licensed only to connected device makers, to enable streaming audio -- may soon be licensed to "electronics makers" so as to enable streaming video to devices such as web-connected TV's. This would make getting multimedia content from an iPad, iPod, iPhone, and potentially a myriad of other non-Apple devices, directly onto an AirPlay-ready TV set, without needing a Mac, or special input cables. Based on the ideas of March, Steve Jobs' observations nine months prior appear to have birthed an aerial attack on the TV set. With limited inputs and sorely lacking processing power, today's TVs increasingly seem to be relegated to merely serving as the biggest, but not most important, display in the house, with every new box resembling an electronic remora, seeking to cling to the TV shark, while simultaneously nudging out another weaker and more obsolescent box. Beyond adding wireless connectivity, and enhanced, passive 3-D viewing characteristics, innovation in TV seems to be, at best, up in the air.
More live TV on iPads and tablets? Everyone wants a piece of this growing business. But who owns this space -- content providers, or traditional and expanding cable operators? More importantly, can you count the audience -- especially when watching TV on their iPad in the bathtub? We are sure Nielsen will offer up a clean answer to this -- someday. Right now Time Warner Cable and Cablevision are getting a lot of heat from TV networks -- broadcast, cable and otherwise - for their new mobile apps that easily funnel the TV programming experience into viewers' hands. But for other interested parties, it's a case of ownership: TV networks executives believes those viewers are their viewers because it's their content. Cable-centric TV operators believe otherwise -- that any consumers paying for existing cable TV services, are under their control. The future is about a closer association with seemingly restless TV consumer public. TV networks want to have a much stronger connection to viewers -- all in the hopes of more money from TV advertisers. Think of it. When you are watching "American Idol, "Gossip Girl" or "Modern Family," are you thinking about how Cablevision, or Charter, or Comcast, or DirecTV brought that show to you? Maybe some are. But the majority think first about the show, to a lesser extent the network, and to an even lesser extent, the video programming retailer who brought you the TV stuff in the first place. All to say future TV apps -- from whomever -- will be heavily branded from their creators. Right now, there is confusion. Doesn't ABC have its own iPad app? It sure does. Does DirecTV? Nope. But Time Warner does. So as a viewer, where do I turn for my mobile device? One more bit of confusion -- right now, anyway. How does one measure this stuff? If Nielsen is working on compiling viewership for TV shows everywhere, will mobile video apps be included in the mix, and multiple providers for each of those screens? Whew! What about TV advertising that runs on those apps? If ABC has an app, and its designated retail dealer -- Time Warner, Cablevision, or DirecTV -- also has one, what happens to the commercial messaging? Do video retailers get to sell some of this time? Yes, we all know about revenue-sharing when it comes to advertising. But someday this model will change in a big way. Everyone not only wants a bigger slice of the pie, they may want to eat alone.
I decided a long time ago not to second-guess The Weather Channel. And I am not referring to their weather forecasts, where (like everyone) I can quibble here and there. No, I mean their far-sighted view of media. In my earliest days of covering mobile media (we're talking 2004-2005), I recall several conversations with Louis Gump, a pioneer of their mobile unit who is now with CNN. He told me that video had a huge future on mobile. I was skeptical. This was long before smartphones made their appearance, and we were still amazed at getting a still image of a weather map on a Samsung flip phone. But TWC was already gearing up with content strategies and ad sales staff aimed at moving clients across screens. Today they are, arguably, one of the most successful and advanced cross-platform media players around. And tonight they launch a new experiment in multi-screen programming with the four-screen premiere of nature adventure series From the Edge with Peter Link. Showing on TWC TV at 8 pm it will also be available on an on-demand stream via the Web, the iPad app and on mobile. It will also be shown live on a Times Square billboard. Link is a colorful and adrenaline-pumped nature photographer who brings viewers on exotic shoots. Following a new trend in second screen programming, TWC has released an iPad app for the show that will work in synch with the program. Using Nielsen's Media-Sync platform the app will be able to hear the episode playing and unlock content in the app as you watch the TV screen. Second screen programming has proven to be a tough thing to get right. Leveraging the smartphone or tablet to offer parallel, synchronized content is easier said than done and poses a wholly new programming challenge for video producers. It is very easy for the second screen to be more of a distraction and a burden than an enhancement. ABCs attempt to second screen the Oscars this year (with its multiple backstage screens and parallel commentary) left me feeling like a stage act spinning plates. We will see how TWC handles the challenge, but it sounds as if their approach is to treat the second, third and fourth screens as an on-demand enhancement for the TV stream, unlocking content that encourages deeper engagement after the fact and allows the mobile or Web user to re-engage the episode as well for the lean back experience if they prefer it.
"Mad Men"'s financial tussle is way less mad than you may think. The easy question concerning AMC's delays and changes concerning the show is this: How can you run a big-budget cable TV drama that has far less advertising revenues than many other cable dramas? Answer is: You can't. According to Deadline.com and others, negotiations over AMC's four-year-old show are in a pickle over whether there should be more product integration in the show and at least two more minutes of commercial time. The irony here is heavy. In the pre-cable, pre-Internet, world, there were fewer big broadcast TV shows overall to run ads against -- so clients of the fictional "Mad Men" 1960s ad agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce would be happy to see more product placement and other ad messages on the existing shows. Now, it seems that's not good enough for Matthew Weiner, the creator and executive producer of the show. A couple of years ago, in the last contract go-round, the main issue was the same as now: adding two minutes of commercial time, which would mean two minutes less of content. The issue was resolved by letting the show run longer, which gave it more content time than other cable dramas. But now, if AMC gets its way, "Mad Men" will have added at least four more minutes of commercial time -- eight thirty-second spots. Given the increasingly higher price of cable dramas, it makes sense that AMC needs to monetize its efforts just like a USA Network or TNT. But that was also the case four years ago when the show was starting. "Mad Men" has already offered a number of integrated brand entertainment activities -- with BMW, Clorox, Canada Dry and others. Not only have real-life branded products/services been mentioned in the show, special vignettes have also appeared -- in a similar "Mad Men" '60s theme -- during non-content time. Unilever did this for six brands -- Dove, Breyers, Hellmann's, Klondike, Suave and Vaseline. Some logic went into the theory that AMC was charging premium prices for this kind of association with the show. But obviously this was not enough for AMC, and to a certain extent "Mad Men" seems to have been running in deficit -- on someone's part. Though the show is the TV's preeminent drama - on either broadcast or cable - having won multiple high-profile Emmy awards, its big umbrella marketing effect for all of AMC can only go so far. AMC has a different profile than other ad-supported networks. It has a much more limited commercial load in its shows versus say USA or TNT. Many analysts believe it is more like HBO. Weiner pushes for more of that kind of drama -- having been a key writer on "The Sopranos." I'm just wondering when this storyline "drama" over TV producers and advertisers will make its way into the show itself. Negotiations are probably too touchy at the moment. But look a few years out and you might hear some grousing by Draper about "commercial glut."
Over-the-top boxes are still in their infancy and hold only a small fraction of the video on demand market. But each of the early players is jockeying for position with unique content offerings and experimental models. Arguably, Roku has been among the most interesting collections of niche content providers. The library includes classic and obscure media apps, some of which charge incremental monthly or annual fees to access their Web-based "channels" of content. This week the Sony Crackle app gets updated to bring ad-supported VOD to the platform. Sony also announced that its ad-supported film library would be available via the PS3, Bravia TVs and Sony Blu-ray players. We checked out the Roku implementation.A modest library of recent and classic films and TV shows make up this initial library. Crackle says there are hundreds of flicks and thousands of episodes, but I see a good deal fewer than Netflix or perhaps even Amazon offer. Nevertheless, there are some recent features like "The Da Vinci Code" and "United States of Tara."Ad-supported streaming, especially in full-length film material, can be tough to pull off well. We ran a couple of films and saw commercial breaks about every fifteen minutes. Alas, they don't always work. The first spot in "Ghost Rider" was an abrupt and seemingly arbitrary break in the action. The film cuts to a screen reminding you that this is ad-supported Crackle and that the film will resume momentarily. Then we get a buffering icon and the ad. On the upside, the ad itself seemed well pitched to movie-lovers, a promotion of Crackle owner Sony's Facebook tie-it to the upcoming "Priest 3D" theatrical release. On the downside, the rest of the commercial breaks were empty, although the flow of the movie was interrupted to jump to the interstitial screen and then back into the movie. A commercial break without the actual commercial: that is something you don't see every day. In other words, the in-stream ad serving mechanism is not quite ready for primetime.Certainly, Crackle has access to enough premium assets to make a serious play in the space as a free alternative to the Netflix and Amazon Prime streaming subscription services. Some of the content in this library already echoes the titles that show up in the rival libraries. If Sony decided to push even more of its high value content into the ad-supported space, it could challenge the pay service pretty effectively. And there is an audience for this. According to Roku, in the week Crackle's new ad-supported film and TV streams have been available it has moved into the top five most installed and watched channels on the system.