"Meet the Press" Should Stick to the Issues by David Goetzl

NBC's "Meet the Press" continues to be a commendable venue to catch up on the week's news. Yet, it is curious why host David Gregory continues to ask just about any guest who could run for President whether he or she will. It does his reputation as an interviewer no favors. Frankly, it lowers it, and moves him away from serious policy discussion and into the superficiality of cable-style infatuation with politics. If it is a candidate in the race, it's one thing, but wading into the guessing game could be left behind. ...Read the whole story

  • packaged goods Soap Opera Demise Expands P&G, NBC Efforts by Karl Greenberg

    Rich DelCore, P&G's director of global brand entertainment and VP of its Productions unit, says one impetus that set the company looking for new media platforms was the demise of soap operas P&G has historically been involved with -- "Guiding Light," and "As The World Turns." ...Read the whole story

  • Mind Games: Nielsen Acquiring Brain Prober, Thwarts WPP Bid by Joe Mandese

    Nielsen Co. has agreed to acquire NeuroFocus, one of the leading companies applying neuroscience to advertising, media and brand research, MediaDailyNews has learned. The deal, which is expected to be announced soon, follows a bid by WPP Group, the largest advertising and media services company in the world, and an arch rival to Nielsen in marketing and media research. ...Read the whole story

  • TiVo Adds Hulu Plus To Offerings by Wayne Friedman

    TiVo continues to amass digital video services -- this time Hulu Plus -- to keep its time-shifting service top of mind. TiVo Premiere has added Hulu Plus to its 3 million TiVo subscribers, who also have access to Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon Instant Video and YouTube services. ...Read the whole story

  • Bluefin Labs Uses Social Media To Test TV Ad Impact by Gavin O'Malley

    Semantic technology start-up Bluefin Labs has begun testing tools for marketers to monitor and measure TV's influence via social media. The plan is to debut an automated platform to help advertisers understand the interplay between TV and social media. ...Read the whole story

  • CW Kicks Off 4 New Shows, Reaches Beyond Core Demo by Wayne Friedman

    Looking to add some new viewers beyond its core young women crowd, CW will launch four new series for the fall -- three dramas and a reality show. ...Read the whole story

  • Major IPTV Adoption Means $27B Revs By 2014 by Wayne Friedman

    Subscriptions from IPTV (Internet-Protocol TV) based companies will almost double in three years to 70 million, forecasts SNL Kagan. IPTV video service revenues will more than double in three years -- growing to $27 billion in 2014 from $12.9 billion in 2010. ...Read the whole story

  • hospitality Choice Hotels Unites Brands For Campaign by Tanya Irwin

    Choice Hotels is a true "brand of the people," said Bruce Dincin, senior director of marketing and advertising for Choice Hotels. "This campaign is a reflection of our commitment to listening to our guest's needs and desires and giving voice to the average value seeking American traveler," Dincin tells Marketing Daily. ...Read the whole story

  • Veteran NBC Sports Chief Dick Ebersol Resigns by Wayne Friedman

    Shocking the TV sports programming world, longtime sports TV executive Dick Ebersol, chairman of the NBC Sports Group, has resigned. His association with the Olympics has been his biggest success for NBC over the last few decades. ...Read the whole story

  • upfront CW's Shopkick App Promotes Shows, Ad Deals by Wayne Friedman

    During the present upfront ad sales process, CW is pushing two mobile apps looking to support TV marketers' sales efforts. The mobile app Shopkick rewards CW viewers with special discounts and rewards from advertisers while they watch their commercials. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Honda Puts Both Engines, Marketing Into IndyCar by Karl Greenberg

    Honda, which became sole provider of the Indy V-8 engines that power the cars in the IndyCar series starting in the 2006 season, has a big marketing push on deck for this year's keystone event of the series, the Indianapolis 500. In addition to sponsoring the pre-race show on ESPN, as well as on ESPN.com, Honda has a whole fleet of print, TV, and interactive ads during the coverage. ...Read the whole story

  • tourism Wisconsin, Denver Launch Summer Tourism Ads by Tanya Irwin

    The strategic vision for the Wisconsin campaign was based on research conducted by the Department of Tourism over the last three years. Research showed Wisconsin held a unique position in that travelers across the Midwest not only viewed Wisconsin as a fun destination, but also judged it more fun when compared to other states competing for the same traveler dollar. ...Read the whole story

  • 1800 Tequila Debuts New Spots With 'Sopranos' Star by David Goetzl

    Proximo Spirits said it is rolling out eight new spots for its 1800 Tequila brand with former "Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli continuing as spokesman. The $18 million effort is to run on ESPN and other cable networks. ...Read the whole story

  • Univision: More Original Shows For 2011-'12 Slate by David Goetzl

    Univision confirmed it has three new cable networks coming in 2012, one each focusing on news, sports and telenovelas. There is also a big push in the reality genre, with "Protagonistas," a cross between "American Idol" and "Big Brother." ...Read the whole story

  • Vme Airs Spanish-Language Version of 'Kennedys' by David Goetzl

    The Vme network will offer "Los Kennedy," the Spanish-language version of the controversial mini-series. The 3-year-old network moved into the upfront market by offering what it calls "brand entitlements." ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Troy-Bilt Gets Technical In New Mower Campaign by Karl Greenberg

    Troy-Bilt is taking a different approach both in medium and message. The company is talking about the quality and technological savvy that goes into its walk-behind mowers with a campaign focusing on a series of online videos. The effort is, in fact, Troy-Bilt's first campaign to rely solely on digital media. ...Read the whole story

  • 'Billboard' Makes Music For ABC by Wayne Friedman

    With CBS already done with its Sunday finales of a week ago, it was ABC's turn this time to grab a win -- the last Sunday night of the season -- but it came via the return of "The Billboard Music Awards." ...Read the whole story

Broadcast Networks: Survival Means Mastering Multi-Rev Streams by Diane Mermigas

The broadcast networks will become less viable for their general branded scheduled platforms and more for their TV studios. That new dynamic could ultimately give the broadcast network companies an edge over their cable rivals. ...More

  • Coaching, Courage & TV Advertising by Mark Lieberman

    As you may know by now, readers, I am a lifelong hoops player and fan. So you won't be surprised to learn how much I enjoyed the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Court of Honor Foundation gala last week, which honored Nike Chairman and Co-Founder Phil Knight. At the risk of sounding like a little kid, it was one heck of an enchanted evening, blending my passions for basketball, media, and accountability. ...More

  • Is Netflix Poised To Replace Much Of The TV Syndication Business? by Wayne Friedman

    Netflix continues to be a game-changer. But its new business model may be a reincarnation of an older formula, at least for one area of the TV business. Long known for offering older TV and movie content, the 22 million-plus-subscriber service may now look to take away one of the big pieces of the traditional syndication business: reruns. ...More

  • NBC And Fox Maximize The Value Of Traditional Upfront Events by Ed Martin

    Last Sunday, as I was thinking about the week to come, I found myself wondering if there was still any point to traditional broadcast upfront presentations. I felt this way because of the unprecedented amount of information about the networks' new series and scheduling plans that had gushed forth online last week, some of it put into play by the networks themselves, the rest by involved parties interested in stirring the pot. ...More

  • Two Cheers For 'Glee' by Gary Holmes

    Has there ever been a more exasperating TV show than "Glee"? This is a program with the potential to be one of the most memorable TV series of all time, one that reaches powerful, throat-tightening heights, yet it keeps undermining itself with dumb plotting and inconsistent character motivation. ...More

  • A TV Show By Any Other Name Now Carries More Weight, Innuendo, And Education by Wayne Friedman

    What's in a TV title? Intrigue, a tease, and perhaps a number. CBS seemingly puts value in the word "two," adding two programs to the likes of "Two and a Half Men": the comedy "2 Broke Girls," and mid-season drama "The 2-2". All of which could be too much for some. ...More

  • Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Watermarking by Jane Clarke

    Unique identifying code is vitally important in a variety of fields, whether to prevent theft or, in the case of media, for example, copyright infringement. The watermark that is embedded into content after its point of creation has to be permanent, imperceptible, standardize-able and constant -- capable of withstanding changes or modifications in that content over time. ...More

  • New Network Shelf Space: Forgotten Time Periods, Inventing 'Schnursday' by Wayne Friedman

    Looking for something different in network television? Or just maybe more quality content? With apologies to time-shifting devices everywhere, it still comes down to finding more time periods for programming. ...More