There are a number of undercurrents presently being felt within what we broadly define as the TV business, but which now includes so much more than The Box In The Corner. Now that "TV" is increasingly taken to encompass video across any platform that can deliver it and in any location audiences can be reached, naturally the industry has to redefine terms, processes and practices accordingly, to rise to challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. One of these -- and certainly one of the most volatile right now -- relates to advertising formats.

A few weeks ago there was an article written in The New York Times about a letter that Verizon Wireless has sent to its customers. Essentially, it informed them that it would begin sharing information from their calling records with its "affiliates, agents and parent companies." The caveat: if customers didn't want to have their information shared they had 30 days to "opt out." I must admit that as a Verizon customer in good standing - two landlines and two wireless delineated across three separate monthly statements - I don't remember seeing the note. Maybe that is the point.

Or so it would seem. Last May, I penned an article entitled, "If I Were Steve Jobs For A Day." Check out number eight on the list -- "Launch original online programming channels in iTunes"-- and then try and tell me I wasn't right. Why? Because today marks the day that iTunes launches its first EXCLUSIVE film, "Purple Violets." Written by one of my favorite actor-writer-producers Ed Burns, this is a first for Apple and Burns alike.

No, I am not talking about the environment -- I am talking about content. Forgive the diatribe that I am about to embark on -- but I feel that these words lend themselves well not only to the what is happening to our environment but serve as a calling card to how we should be approaching the development of content for a multiplatform world.

Among 103 emerging television networks measured in a recent study of 8,000 Americans surveyed on their perceptions and attitudes towards media, regional network Plum TV and Gospel Music Channel, along with Spanish-audience targeted Voy Network, are leaders in capturing the hearts of their viewers and delivering greater value to their advertisers.

Let me begin by tossing a question out there to the five or six of you who don't work for a monopoly or oligopoly: What ever happened to the idea of REQUIRING competition? Seriously, how many of you feel safe and secure knowing that the Nielsen Company claims that it has "no choice" but to strike a deal with Google, after Nielsen has left YOU with no choice for the better part of half a century?

Prior to the introduction of DVRs, researchers alleged that 45% of commercials were not viewed in TV households -- both analog and digital. Studies indicate that DVR households skip upwards of 80% of commercials. However, we do not believe that DVRs will have significant impact on commercial viewing in the aggregate and do strongly believe that the next iteration of DVR advertising propositions will meaningfully add to the marketer's arsenal of applications to connect to its potential customer for the following reasons....

Nothing has quite the dramatic effect on your media habits, purchasing behaviors, and sleeping pattern than the introduction of a new baby into your household. Remember those first days? Experiencing them right now? Or just shuddering at the thought of it? The behavior changes are swift and resonate throughout your entire household all day, every day. This is why a "vertical marketing list" of new-parent households is such a valuable marketing tool. During these periods of lifestage changes, our previous attachments to brands and products destabilize and we become open to new-product offers.

Last week, I weighed in on the state of the new television season, comparing the fall season to the baseball season - looking for hits in a lackluster season. My regular readers know I'm a big-time Yankee fan with season tickets and a passion for baseball, so baseball analogies come easy to me (although their relevance is often less than obvious).

Recently, I was asked to give a presentation on the "New World Order" for advertisers and media owners. What a daunting challenge. New means it's fresh, different and up to date.mOrder means there are things in their place; logical and systematic. World means wide scale, outside the boundaries and all inclusive and embracing. It sounds utopian, with lambs gamboling across Elysian Fields with bucolic joy. It's just wonderful, and it's perfection. But it's not a reality; a new world order is a pipe dream.