Dish Ad-Zapper Yields Largely Unknown Upfront Player by David Goetzl

An executive impacting much of the discussion this upfront week isn't part of a network's business operations in New York or creative side in Hollywood. He's steeped in technology and works in flyover country. It's safe to say not many in ad sales know his name. But, they now know his product quite well. And, they're pretty ticked off about it. ...Read the whole story

  • ABC Upfront Pushes Comedies, Endorses C7 Ratings by Wayne Friedman

    Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment Group, told reporters at an upfront press conference that the network's brand is "emotional." He was equally forthright about ratings: "We led with pushing for C3. We would be pleased to see C7 as well." ...Read the whole story

  • NBC's Harbert Posits Ratings Change: Time to 'Consider' C7 by David Goetzl

    It won't happen this upfront, but Ted Harbert, the chairman of NBC Broadcasting, moved the ball down field on what could become a major battle on Madison Avenue: whether to shift to C7 ratings. Buyers are likely to resist since it would give a network higher ratings, which would raise ad prices. A ...Read the whole story

  • The Case For Video Advertising, During Upfront Season by Ross Fadner

    With upfront season in full swing -- and many TV watchers predicting record commitments to new programming from ad buyers -- now is the perfect time to remind everyone in the media ecosystem about live television's inexorable decline. ...Read the whole story

  • Telemundo Ups Original Shows, Olympic Coverage by Steve McClellan

    Telemundo, the Comcast-owned Spanish-language media company, is boosting its original program production output by 40% to more than 800 hours for the 2012-13 season. It will add six new novellas as part of its programming mix, along with a record amount -- 170 hours -- of original Olympics-related content for the upcoming London games. The brand will also get repositioning this fall and a new logo and tagline in the future. ...Read the whole story

  • Trad TV Competes With Mobile For Video Viewing by Wayne Friedman

    Worldwide video usage on computers is now as common as watching it on traditional television among online consumers. The growth is helped by the rise of video usage of mobile devices. Looking at 56 countries, Nielsen says 84% of viewers watch video on computers at least once a month. ...Read the whole story

  • Foxconn Denies Working On Apple Smart TV by Ross Fadner

    Last Friday, China Daily reported that Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn would begin working on "iTV, Apple Inc's rumored upcoming high-definition television." On Monday, Foxconn refuted these claims. ...Read the whole story

  • Unilever, NBCU Mix 'Best Night' Campaign With TV, Online Video by Wayne Friedman

    Unilever will use some unusual input from consumers and NBCUniversal for a series of on-air and online advertising to start up a new campaign for Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy. The campaign "Best Night Ever" uses technology called Interlude to let users decide what happens next in the story of two characters, Chloe and Logan. ...Read the whole story

  • transportation Mobile Mini Takes To TV by Aaron Baar

    Taking advantage of the planning many consumers may be putting into packing up a house or dorm room for new adventures, Mobile Mini touts its new long-distance moving and storage services for consumers in a television advertising campaign, a first for the brand. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive BMW Touts Ultimate Service In Campaign by Karl Greenberg

    The campaign shows fictive customers in humorous ads where they do not believe a service advisor when told their maintenance is no cost, and mistakenly think they are being given special treatment. ...Read the whole story

What Do We Mean By 'Television'? by Charlene Weisler

We all think we know what television is. After all, we talk about it all the time. But my concept of what television currently is has been changing. Three recent events confirmed to me that television is evolving in a direction that requires a change in definition. ...More

  • TV's Upfront: Six to Nine Times Bigger Than Online Video Spending for the Whole Year by Daisy Whitney

    This is a tough week for online video to get any attention. It's TV upfront time, and the broadcast networks are touting their new fall lineups to Madison Avenue. Sure, digital extensions and online video add-ons will be part of many shows' marketing efforts during the season, but the reality is online video won't get much play at the TV upfront. ...More

  • Social TV Is Already Over, At Least For Some Players by Wayne Friedman

    Have social media and television together become too much of a good thing? Seemingly everyone wants to get a foothold in social media, believing it is the next entertainment or marketing platform for all things television. Now comes warning of a collapse, or at least a consolidation of players. ...More

  • The Office: Unreality Bites by Gary Holmes

    What a disappointment the previous season of "The Office" turned out to be. A show that was once a glory of television comedy has now become merely "pretty good." Last year at this time, I pondered whether any sitcom could retain its creative energy for more than seven seasons, especially after the departure of its main star, and now I think we have the answer. Unlike other great comedies that decided to go out on top ("The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Cheers" and "Seinfeld"), "The Office" clearly lingered past its natural end point. ...More

  • Do Big Upfront Food Events Translate To Big Ad Dollars -- Or Ratings Indigestion? by Wayne Friedman

    To party or not to party? Everyone likes a good schmooze -- especially when it's connected to big-time television, and you can hang with Zooey Deschanel. ...More