Two Months Before Draper Returns, Weiner Talks 'Mad Men' by David Goetzl

There will be a massive publicity blitz behind the return of "Mad Men" over the next two months as the season premiere approaches. Unlike the unavoidable promos for "Smash" on NBC and other pre-launch deluges, this one will be hard to tire of. "Mad Men" has been off the air for so long and devoted fans are eager enough for its return, it may be one time where clutter is welcomed. Season four ended in late 2010 and the two-hour season five premiere comes March 25. So, it was good to hear from Matthew Weiner on Wednesday, even if the ...Read the whole story

  • restaurants Papa John's Bets On Super Bowl Coin-toss Promo by Karlene Lukovitz

    This year, Papa John's is giving its fans much better odds by making its offer to give a free, large, one-topping pizza and a two-liter Pepsi MAX to its millions of Papa Rewards members contingent on the game's coin toss. ...Read the whole story

  • Sports TV Ads Solid, Cable Big WInner In 2011 by Wayne Friedman

    TV advertising for national TV sports programming grew 6% for the better part of 2011. Nielsen says advertising hit $10.9 billion for money spent on TV from the fourth quarter of 2010 through the third quarter of 2011. Cable TV programmers as a group increased their media dollars substantially. ...Read the whole story

  • Telemundo Confident In Comcast's Support by David Goetzl

    Telemundo chief Emilio Romano spent part of a NATPE appearance touting Comcast's commitment to the Spanish-language broadcaster. Comcast has invested heavily to grab rights to the World Cup away from Univision after 2014. ...Read the whole story

  • 'X Factor' To Get Makeover by David Goetzl

    As significant changes are coming to "The X Factor" this fall, a top executive involved in production suggested the show needs to be more distinctive from the other talent competition series. ...Read the whole story

  • Netflix Pushes Originals, 'Lilyhammer' Debuts In February by David Goetzl

    Netflix plans to have five original series available for streaming by mid-2013, part of its efforts to compete with the likes of HBO and insulate itself from trouble in acquiring content. ...Read the whole story

  • 'Idol' Reigns In TV, Social Media Ratings by Wayne Friedman

    For those believing social media activity and traditional TV ratings can work hand in hand, it was a good week: "American Idol" scored well in both metrics for its 11th season debut. ...Read the whole story

  • Millennials Remain Difficult To Reach by Laurie Sullivan

    Digital ads will become more creative in 2012 to motivate a generation often characterized as "stimulation junkies," as marketers concentrate on capturing 79 million U.S. consumers born between 1981 and 2000. It turns out 93% of those ages 18 to 34, the Millennial generation, are Internet users, compared with 88% of adults ages 35 to 54, and 42% of adults age 55 and older, according to a report released Tuesday. ...Read the whole story

Second Screening by Mike Bloxham

There are a handful of things that are likely to drive success for Second Screen endeavors -- with opportunities for viewer involvement, additional program information, advertising revenues and commerce being most prominent. Every one will depend on a great user experience. ...More

  • Online Video Buy Boosts TV Reach by 14%, Frequency by 18%, Study Finds by Daisy Whitney

    What do you get when you combine a $500,000 online video buy with a $2.6 million TV campaign? A 14% percent boost in reach, an 18% jump in frequency and an 11% reduction in the cost of the impressions. Or so says YuMe, the online video network that partnered with Nielsen to study effectiveness of a cross-platform campaign. YuMe and Nielsen worked with one of media agency PHD's clients, known only as "major consumer health care brand," on the study that analyzed a Sept. 2011 marketing effort. ...More

  • For True Engagement, Follow Viewers' Extra Entertainment Money by Wayne Friedman

    How do you measure true TV engagement? I'm not talking about wistfully sending off an email, a tweet, or a Facebook update about what the girls should be doing on "Gossip Girl," "New Girl" or "2 Broke Girls." I'm talking about old-school pulling-out-the-wallet engagement. ...More