Google Thinks Out Of The Box, The Set-Top Box, That Is by Joe Mandese

Two of the most significant developments for the TV industry this week took place not on Broadcast Row, or even Madison Avenue, but out west in Silicon Valley: The disclosure that Google plans to spin off the set-top box division of its Motorola Mobility acquisition to focus on its new "Google Play" play; and Apple's overhaul of Apple TV. Both will help accelerate the migration of TV viewing from coax, satellites and over-the-air to their operating systems. In the case of Google Play, its Google's push to finally turn the Android Marketplace into the kind of one-stop entertainment marketplace that ...Read the whole story

  • Time Warner Cable Launches 'Enhanced' iTV by Wayne Friedman

    In the wake of the cable industry's new advertising effort Canoe Ventures scaling back, more companies continue to talk up their future interactive TV services for advertisers. ...Read the whole story

  • ANA Slams 'Today' Carnival Ad Placement by Steve McClellan

    Bill Duggan, group EVP at the Association of National Advertisers, has taken NBC to task for sloppy coordination last week between the editorial and ad traffic departments. A story ran on Today about Carnival Cruise Lines and its recent ship disasters, which was immediately followed by an upbeat commercial for the same company. ...Read the whole story

  • NBC, Ford Rev Up Saturdays With Real-Time 'Escape Routes' by Wayne Friedman

    Looking to build some momentum on what has become a throwaway night on broadcast TV, NBC will start up a road/adventure reality series, "Escape Routes," with Ford Motor Company as a main sponsor. ...Read the whole story

  • NBCU To Participate In Digital Content NewFronts by Wayne Friedman

    NBCUniversal is joining other big digital companies in participating in a digital media version of a TV-style "upfront" event -- becoming the first traditional media company to do so. NBC says it will "present innovative solutions for marketers across its vast portfolio of Web, social and mobile properties, both standalone digital companies, like iVillage, and its TV-related digital properties. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Ford Gets Real For 2013 Escape by Karl Greenberg

    Given what the automaker has been doing around vehicle launches and (especially) pre-launches, the upcoming TV-based platform for the 2013 Ford Escape is a natural extension of what its M.O. ...Read the whole story

Netflix's Real TV Competitors In A Year Or Two May Not Be Who You Think by Wayne Friedman

"Who is your real TV competitor?" That has always been the question haunting Netflix -- and now, even more so. A little while ago, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the answer wasn't what some analysts might think -- TV networks, cable or satellite TV distribution companies. He said the closest competitor was HBO Go, the mobile streaming video service of HBO. In that regard, the news that Netflix is now talking to major multiple system cable operators about a possible programming deal shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. ...More

  • Return Path Data Lexicon: Frequency by Jane Clarke

    This week we explore frequency. When paired in the discussion of reach, frequency is the number of times each individual target has been exposed. But in another part of the media industry, definition of frequency is quite different. In the electronics realm, frequency is an electromagnetic wave cycle. That is the fun and the challenge of creating a common industry language. ...More

  • No Oprah Effect In Social Media? by Dave Morgan

    "Every1 who can please turn to OWN especially if you have a Neilsen [sic] box." With that tweet to her 9 million followers at 9:03 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, Oprah Winfrey caused a stir in the TV world and drew a rebuke from Nielsen for violating its rules against trying to bias the TV ratings sample (but, apparently, not for misspelling the company's name). ...More