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• Nielsen Unveiling Suite Of Next-Generation TV Meters: Designed To Enhance Compliance, Cross-Platform Measurement Too by Joe Mandese

  In what is likely the most significant change in the methods Nielsen uses to measure TV -- and potentially all forms of video content -- the ratings company this week quietly began informing clients of a major initiative to develop a suite of new audience meters and digital tracking codes that could begin replacing its current meters as soon as 2014. Dubbed "GTAM," which stands for Global Television Audience Metering, the initiative includes the development of four new audience metering technologies designed to deal with the all of the conceivable challenges involved in measuring the viewing behavior of contemporary consumer ...Read the whole story

• Dish Makes Commercial-Skipping Easier With Auto Hop by Wayne Friedman

  Dish Network has created another new feature that won't be making too many friends among TV advertisers. The new feature, called the "Auto Hop," expands the operations of the satellite TV distributor's recently released "Hopper" DVR unit, which automatically records eight days or up to 100 hours of HD prime-time programming on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. ...Read the whole story

• Yahoo, ABC Partner On Interactive TV Using Mobile Devices by David Goetzl

  Using Yahoo's IntoNow system, ABC will allow viewers to enter a sweepstakes while watching freshman drama "Revenge" live. An IntoNow app allows users to "tag" content by pointing a mobile device at the screen, which kick-starts a version of interactive TV. ...Read the whole story

• automotive Car Ads On Technology, Efficiency Resonate by Karl Greenberg

  Non-luxury auto owners and intenders like humorous, clever, entertaining, and unique ads, while luxury respondents are more responsive to ads that have a serious tone, portray a brand they want to be associated with, and show an attractive vehicle. ...Read the whole story

• DirecTV Commissions Original Drama by David Goetzl

  DirecTV's Audience Network, which partnered with NBC to air "Friday Night Lights" and carries the "Dan Patrick Show," has commissioned its first original scripted drama. The series, "Rogue," is set to launch in the summer of 2013. ...Read the whole story

Return-Path-Data Lexicon: What Is Your Address? by Jane Clarke

Origination addresses embedded in the set-top box and in the data stream, which enable household or even viewer identification, must be anonymized to protect consumer privacy. There are two main addresses - the IP Address and the MAC address. While both addresses apply to the set-top box, they are not the same. ...More

• More Family Programming May Mean Higher CPMs by Wayne Friedman

  Want to see more family programming on TV? Then tell advertisers they might have to pay higher CPMs for potentially lower-rated shows. Doesn't sound so good? Well, that might be the only formula that gets networks to shift their programming efforts. ...More

• AMC's Pitch-Perfect New Reality Series by Ed Martin

  Speaking in general terms, AMC's "The Pitch" is the smartest and most entertaining new reality series of the year. On a more specific note, it is also the most enlightening, at least for those of us who often wonder about the creative side of advertising. ...More

• No Wonder We're Stressed: Everyone in Hollywood Has the Same Job! by Karen Herman

  What better time, than while we're checking network scorecards in this year's upfront season, to scan through our Archive of American Television collection to see what makes great content tick? There are thousands of "formulas" for producing bombs (most concerning networks meddling with a creator's vision or bad casting) and there will never be a bonafide formula for producing, selling, and buying a hit. If there were, there'd be an app for that. In the meantime, here are some life lessons that buyers and sellers can all take to heart: ...More