HBO Go Positioned For Both Now And Later by David Goetzl

It startled plenty when Netflix CEO Reed Hastings indicated last year his company's principal opposition was not Hulu or Amazon, but the Cadillac of premium TV content -- HBO. After Netflix had suffered from a marketing mess and resulting stock price plunge, no one could accuse Hastings of a lack of confidence vis-a-vis a challenge to HBO Go. That's the much-lauded streaming service that gives HBO subscribers access to loads of its original series and movies on platforms such as an iPad or Xbox and soon the Kindle Fire. HBO is confident a combination of its subscription package and exclusive ...Read the whole story

  • TV Universe Continues To Contract, Nielsen Attributes Declines To Census, Technology Too by Joe Mandese

    Nielsen this morning released preliminary estimates for television's so-called "universe" -- the percentage of U.S. households with at least one conventional TV set capable of receiving at least one conventional TV signal -- and for the second year in a row, it has declined, albeit at a miniscule rate. Like last year's decline, Nielsen executives attribute some of the reduction to changes in the U.S. Census's estimates for the number and composition of U.S. households, which the TV universe estimates are based on, but they say at least part of it is a function of changes in the media technology ...Read the whole story

  • Revs For Viacom TV Nets Up, Films Disappoint by Wayne Friedman

    Amid still-troubling TV network ratings concerns -- and some weak advertising results -- Viacom's media networks were the highlight of its quarterly earnings report. ...Read the whole story

  • Nielsen: Americans Love TV, Viewing Options Change by David Goetzl

    Nielsen data indicates that Americans continue to love the traditional TV set, but their ways of watching TV content are changing. The average American watches close to five hours of video a day -- 98% on a traditional TV set. But gaming consoles, for one, offer a "secondary gateway" for content and are available in 45% of TV homes. ...Read the whole story

  • retail Men's Wearhouse: Not Your Father's Suit by Aaron Baar

    Looking to change the idea that being or wearing a "suit" is somehow undesirable, Men's Wearhouse is targeting a younger, hipper client in a new advertising campaign that encourages young men to show off their inherent, individual styles. ...Read the whole story

  • electronics New Nook Heals 'No. 1' Bedroom Woe by Aaron Baar

    Barnes & Noble positions itself as marriage savior in a new campaign for its latest e-reader innovation, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, the first "E-Ink" reader that illuminates to accommodate reading in darkness. ...Read the whole story

Web Video and TV Hooking Up by Jack Loechner

According to Digiday's semi-annual poll of predominately digital agencies, brands, publishers and ad networks or intermediaries, the rate of planning television and online video ads together will grow by more than 50% in the coming year. Specifically, 48% of advertisers and agencies already are planning TV and video together, and 25% more will be doing so within the next 12 months. Among leading video buyers, nearly three quarters of all online video buyers will be planning TV and interactive video together by this time next year. ...More

  • Our Devices, Ourselves -- Or, How My iPad Became A TV, And What That Means For Social by Catharine P. Taylor

    I'm hoping that even all of the techno-forward people who read this column still experience occasional moments of wonder at what all of these gadgets we own can do. I had two such moments this week: ...More

  • Improving Local Measurement With Return-Path Data by Charlene Weisler

    Of all the potential uses of return-path data, (RPD) local measurement arguably offers one of the top initial values. Recently I interviewed Pat Dineen, SVP Nielsen about his work using RPD in conjunction with Nielsen's current local panel methodologies. Pat spoke of hybridization of RPD with the Nielsen panel in all three types of local market methodologies - the People Meter Markets, the Household meter markets and the Diary measured markets. This method offers the ability to include Nielsen demographics while expanding the household sample size. ...More

  • Return-Path-Data Lexicon: Advanced Television Organizations by Jane Clarke

    Let's give a nod this week to organizations in the advanced television space, specifically the ATVEF (the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum) and the ATSC (the Advanced Television Systems Committee). Both of these groups are actively involved in advancing compliance by helping to form and advance technical standards for industrywide use. ...More

  • Bloomberg Moves To Better 'Neighborhood,' But What About Other Independent Channels? by Wayne Friedman

    We exist in a media a la carte world when it comes to new digital platforms. After all, the program -- or the content -- is the thing. Less importance is based on a program's association with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon or YouTube. But in the old TV world - specifically the current cable TV scenario - that means a lot, especially to the likes of independent network owners such as Bloomberg Television. For its part, Bloomberg wants to be in the next to the big cable news networks -- all to help push along its business. ...More