Get Closer to TV: Take a Financially Aggressive Position for Favorite Departing Show by Wayne Friedman

Politicians do it, as well as business entrepreneurs. That is, raising money for causes necessary for the public good. Getting money from citizens and/or powerful and unpowerful special interests has been part of the fabric for the American way of life for years. Even some book authors have looked to pre-fund their books through "pledges" for their print efforts. Which makes me ask: How about a TV show? (Stay with me. This is brilliant). ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Buick Talks Tech In New Campaign For EAssist by Karl Greenberg

    Why should a car keep spinning its cam shaft and burning gas when it's not moving? That's a key message for Buick in a new campaign that touts the General Motors division's new eAssist drivetrain technology. The feature mates a compact electric motor and lithium-ion battery to a 2.4L four-cylinder Ecotec engine. The automaker says it boosts fuel economy by 25%. ...Read the whole story

  • apparel Adidas Finds Basketball Game Must Go On by Aaron Baar

    With the NBA season already delayed (and unlikely to start anytime soon) thanks to a labor dispute, Adidas is prepping a new marketing campaign featuring last year's league MVP Derrick Rose as it launches his signature shoe, the adiZero Rose 2. Plans for the shoe's debut were made well in advance of the current lockout. ...Read the whole story

  • Mobile Apps' Prime Time Overlaps With TV by Mark Walsh

    For TV broadcasters, prime time is 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. In radio, programming and advertising are all about morning "drive time." On the Web, the popularity of social networks like Facebook, instant messaging like Skype and video-on-demand services like Hulu are pushing up usage in the evening. ...Read the whole story

  • Gas Station TV Gets Bloomberg Video Content by Erik Sass

    It would make sense if Americans thought about their finances at the gas pump, and Gas Station TV is providing more fuel. A content partnership with Bloomberg Television will deliver personal finance and business news to drivers as they fill up. ...Read the whole story

  • 'X Factor' Music To Social Media by Wayne Friedman

    Although Fox's "X Factor" may not be a slam dunk from a Nielsen ratings perspective, social media-wise, it dominated all other new prime-time shows. SocialGuide says for the first week of the new season, the singing competition show had a 23.3% share of all those unique visitors (51,229) on social media site on Wednesday. ...Read the whole story

  • TV Programming Gets 'High' On Facebook by Wayne Friedman

    More TV programming is getting into the social TV game by incorporating parts of viewers' content into shows. A Web-based series from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution called "Aim High" will run on Facebook, and as part of its story line, will add specific elements of Facebook users into the show. ...Read the whole story

FX's 'American Horror Story' And AMC's 'The Walking Dead' Challenge Content Concerns by Ed Martin

Is it possible for a series that fits squarely into the horror genre to survive on television? The debut of FX's "American Horror Story" and the second season of AMC's "The Walking Dead" will provide answers in the weeks to come. ...More

  • Kutcher's Sneaky Product Placements Surprise CBS by Wayne Friedman

    Broadcast networks are touchy about brand realism on fictional shows -- especially when they don't know about it ahead of time. CBS says it has a rule about product placement -- it will disclose what financial interests are involved when a brand's name is mentioned or seen. But not every network does this. So this week on "Two and a Half Men," when Ashton Kutcher's new Internet billionaire character, Walden Schmidt opened his laptop, lo and behold we saw some stickers of real-life companies including FourSquare, Groupon, Chegg and Flipboard. "Men" executive producer Chuck Lorre thought this was OK -- ...More

  • Using The 'Web Series'? Redefining The Push Toward Original Series For Multiple Platforms by Jeremiah McMillan

    The Web has exploded as a platform for people to watch all or some of their favorite shows and content, both premium and DIY. But there's been a lot of talk lately in the industry if calling your project a "Web series" is good for it long term. It depends on whom you ask -- and what the content is. ...More

  • Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Common Measurement Language - Ratings by Jane Clarke

    For the past three weeks we have explored common usage terms for advertising and audience measurements. This week we continue with this line of discussion with a review of all common ratings terms and their definitions. ...More

  • Is 'The Playboy Club' Offensive -- Or Just Bad? by Wayne Friedman

    NBC's "The Playboy Club" is having trouble finding viewers. Why? Too much association with sex? Too little? Or just not compelling entertainment? Moralists say the low ratings result from all the objectification the Playboy brand brought on women over the years. I'll listen to that argument. But then they toss in the another point, which makes no sense based on the original theory. They say it's also because of "lame" dialogue, which after two weeks gives the show a just-lying-there 1.3 rating among key 18-49 viewers. ...More