Too many smart TV manufacturers going in different directions has at least two TV makers thinking of a more streamlined approach to development.Big TV companies LG Electronics and TP Vision (which manufactures Philips-branded TV sets in many territories) have started the Smart TV Alliance, intent on creating a "non-proprietary ecosystem for application developers to create attractive, platform-independent services."The two companies believe this will save on time and money in creating new systems/services."Before today, the Smart TV industry was a very difficult market for both application developers and TV manufacturers and as TVs, from different brands using different platforms and technologies," stated Bong-seok Kwon of LG Electronics, President of Smart TV Alliance.Alain Perrot, a TP Vision senior executive, says: "Instead of spending valuable time on porting and testing on different platforms, developers can focus their creativity solely on realizing apps that consumers will enjoy." TP Vision is 70% owned by TPV and 30% by Royal Philips Electronics. It is headquartered in the Netherlands.Smart TV Alliance is making the first version of its software development kit available on its Web site, where developers can download at no cost to develop applications. Web technologies, such as HTML5, will allow Web applications to run on Smart TV's from participating members, regardless of the underlying platform.
Huggies is targeting Hispanic parents with a campaign featuring Mexican TV personality and father of two, Poncho de Anda. The effort includes a webisode series on Huggies Latino Facebook page featuring behind-the-scenes look at the family's busy life. The series will feature the experiences of de Anda, his wife Lina Amashta, and their two children (ages 2 and 10 months) as they deal with the challenges that come with being a parent. De Anda is the host of Univision's "Dale con Ganas" and the co-host of Univision's highest-rated Spanish language morning show, "Despierta America." The Facebook page also will feature additional videos that will be gradually released and feature “parenting moments.” Also on the Facebook page, parents can become fans and share tips and stories with other Huggies parents and also give feedback on how they've put new and improved Huggies diapers and wipes to the test for a chance to win a fully stocked Huggies diaper bag. In addition to the partnership with Poncho de Anda, Huggies is launching a full Spanish-language marketing campaign including TV, print and online advertising. "By documenting Poncho and Lina's parenting experiences and giving others the opportunity to watch, relate to and learn from them, we hope to give Hispanic parents a sense of empowerment and connectedness," said Erik Seidel, vice president, Huggies marketing, in a release. "Poncho and Lina have unique insights to offer on keeping up with busy careers and still making time for their family, and they can also show others how some of our new and improved products can help make their lives a little easier."
Looking at the last third of the TV 2011-2012 season -- over a broader week-long viewing metric -- broadcast networks sank in viewership versus the year before. TV cable networks were virtually flat. The four major English-language networks lost 9% in 18-49 ratings points to land at a collective 8.0 in 18-49 ratings. At the same time, the top 10 cable networks inched up 1% (a 6.5 rating) and all ad-supported cable networks (some 60-odd networks) showed a 2% rise (to a 18.0 rating). This is per Turner Broadcasting research, which blended live-program-plus-seven-days of time-shifted ratings (L7) for the second quarter and live-program-plus-same-day ratings (June 4-17). For the season overall, the four networks were flat with its 18-49 viewership, versus a year ago, to stop at a total 18-49 rating of 10.2. The top 10 cable networks rose 2% to a 6.7 collective rating in this category -- with all advertising-supported networks 3% higher to a 8.9 rating. As in other metrics, Fox was the leader among the broadcast networks for the season -- averaging a 3.2 rating in the L7 program metric, with CBS next at a 3.0 rating, and ABC and NBC tied for third with a 2.5. In terms of overall viewership for the season, the four networks kept pace with all cable ad-supported networks, both rising 1%. The top 10 cable networks rose 2% in the period. Total TV viewing in the second quarter 2012 is down slightly from the previous quarter, but up from two years ago. Total TV viewing was at 32.7 hours a week, with live viewing at 30.1 hours and time-shifted viewing at 2.6 hours. Just looking at prime-time viewing, total TV was at 8.2 hours, with live viewing at 7.3 hours, and time-shifted viewing at 0.9 hours.
Getting a push from his recent "Celebrity Apprentice" appearance, Arsenio Hall will restart another late-night syndication TV talk show. In the early 1990s, Hall had a late-night syndication talk show produced and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television. CBS Television Distribution will distribute the new show. Paramount is now part of CBS Corp. The new show will air on big market Tribune Broadcasting stations -- WPIX-TV New York, KTLA-TV Los Angeles and WGN-TV in Chicago, as well as 14 other TV outlets. Tribune will also be a production partner in the series. Overall,TV markets covering 52% of the country have been cleared. The show will debut in fall 2013. "The Arsenio Hall Show," which ran from 1989 to 1994, was the only modern-day success story in the late-night syndication/ntertainment talk genre. Other late-afternoon, early-evening talk shows hosted by Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas did have long runs in earlier decades.
A new wave of digital TV users has arrived: video consumers 50+.A study from the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) and research concern Chadwick Martin Bailey found that nearly 40% of the 50+ crowd have viewed a premium TV show or movie in the past week.This represents a significant demographic shift, while younger viewers have hit a plateau, according to the study. Research comes from 1,500 U.S. broadband consumers ages 16-75, who watched at least two hours per week of TV shows or movies.Even with the growth of digital video, there is plenty of confusion -- especially when it comes to what TV shows and movies are available.“The content licensing intricacies that shape the competitive landscape are ill understood by the typical consumer, particularly mainstream pay TV subscribers,” stated Chris Neal, vice president of tech and telecom practice for Chadwick Martin Bailey.It's not just availability, it's also understanding of different aspects of the Internet.For example, 53% of those surveyed said they were unfamiliar with the cloud; 43% didn't know why some movies are available online before others; 42% were not familiar with the reasons that apps are used for TV viewing; 39% didn't know why there was limited availability of movies online; and 21% didn't know the difference between streaming and downloading.“CTAM has observed that baby boomers are fast followers of technology,” noted CTAM President and CEO Char Beales. “They have to be convinced the tool has staying power, and then they embrace it in a big way.”
New research may indicate that Netflix’s appeal vis-à-vis HBO, Showtime and pay-per-view films is less than expected, given the relatively low cost. Parks Associates found that 17% of those watching HBO and other premium networks consider going with Netflix instead. Also, 16% of broadband users consider going with an online video-on-demand service while watching a movie via traditional VOD. Still, Parks Associates said its research shows that consumers appreciate the lower cost of Netflix and “viewing flexibility,” which leads to higher customer satisfaction than other services. "Consumers can pay for a month of Netflix for about the same amount as for two pay-TV VOD movies," stated Brett Sappington, the director of research at Parks. He added that research shows “consumers know the quality” of Netflix is less than pay TV, “but the cost-benefit comparison is enough to affect their purchase decisions." Netflix does suffer from lesser “picture quality,” stated Parks Associates’ John Barrett, although he added: “Pay-TV providers need to develop alternative services that counter Netflix's advantages in cost and flexibility." Some efforts are underway by cable and other operators to offer their own over-the-top services, but Parks Associates said the initiatives are hurt because the brands have far less awareness than Netflix, including Comcast and Dish Network. Those, however, are only available to subscribers. Well-funded Verizon and Redbox, which has marketing advantages with machines nationwide, are planning a Netflix-style stand-alone streaming service for later this year. If priced in line with Netflix, it could pose a serious challenge.
Evan Scheffel was promoted to senior vice president, worldwide pay television and subscription video on demand for Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.
Sponsorship Group for Public Television hired Marc Lehner as managing director sponsorship sales.
Piracy is still a big issue for big entertainment concerns. But for consumers, the microscope focuses heavily on the one area where people can more easily pick out the victims: musicians.Here is a New York Times headline: "NPR Intern Gets an Earful After Blogging About 11,000 Songs, Almost None Paid For." What if we were to replace the word "songs" with "TV shows"? Would that make sense? Would we be concerned about a TV producer, writer or actor?For consumers, one immediate nonreflective reaction might be -- I don't pay for any TV shows. It's free. But think a bit longer: the TV set, the laptop, or the tablet, all cost money. Then there's the cable service, the broadband service, and/or satellite or telco service.You can do some of this math with music, where the big device manufacturers and the technology companies remain the current beneficiaries -- all of which leaves the content owners on the outs, the musicians or the music rights holders (record labels).The intern says her huge library comes through sharing files with friends and other sources, and that a very tiny amount of it came -- perhaps -- from illegal means. Many people blogged her back -- including musicians -- to retort that in the most politeful way that she was, in fact, scamming the system.This continues the current longtime thinking by a generation of young people: They believe they should not have to pay for music -- apart from buying tickets at concerts. (Which the intern says she has.) Making the same leap -- perhaps more easily -- those same people believe they shouldn't have to pay for TV shows -- or perhaps movies for that matter.TV shows, as entertainment, come in a different business model than music or movies. It's built under a longtime business eco-system that advertisers, for the most part, pay the freight. In more recent years, we can add the fact that revenues from consumers' monthly fees of multichannel programming services are now firmly in the mix. Now, broadcast network stations are new beneficiaries of this revenue stream, too.But what do we hear more recently? That now 17.8% of U.S. television homes are only getting broadcast stations -- freely, or through cheap over-the- top TV providers. Are some of those people blogging about free TV? Maybe they are keeping quiet.What will change people's point of view? When they have to start thinking about the cost of TV shows of a la carte basis -- or at least recognizing that TV shows, like movies, like individual songs, cost real dollars?There doesn't have to be an actual transaction. Perhaps, every time a TV show went on the air, and a $0.25 logo appeared briefly in the corner of TV screen -- as a running tabulation of one's monthly usage -- it would stick in the minds of consumers that TV shows aren't a free download.And all paid for -- by someone.