• by Wayne Friedman , June 23, 2010

Major TV advertisers are making a renewed effort to get big TV networks to commit to family programming, but are looking at digital platforms too. To aid in the effort, the Association of National Advertisers' Alliance for Family Entertainment said it has started a $10 million media fund to support family entertainment for the broadcast networks.

"We are starting the program with broadcast network partners, as that is a first stop for many consumers as a primary source for entertainment, but hope to expand to numerous platforms in the future," stated Marc Goldstein, chief content officer, ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment, and founder, Media Solutions.

The group includes blue-chip advertisers, such as Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

"In creating this fund, the participating Alliance marketers are demonstrating that they will collectively support family programming with their advertising dollars," adds Goldstein. The Alliance for Family Entertainment, a group of nearly 40 national advertisers, represents about 30% of all U.S. television ad dollars. It began more than a decade ago as The Family Friendly Programming Forum.

"People think of 'family-friendly programming' as a cause," ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson, who touted "Modern Family" as a contender, told The Hollywood Reporter. At Fox, entertainment president Kevin Reilly pointed to "Glee" as an example of a family-friendly show.

The Alliance's efforts are different from the approach it took a year ago. The media fund announced last year was to support script development, a partnership made with Humanitas, the Hollywood organization that annually honors excellence in film and television writing by awarding its prestigious Humanitas Prize.

It had a role in providing script-development money, bringing 20 family prime-time programs to air, including "Friday Night Lights," "Chuck," "Everybody Hates Chris," "8 Simple Rules" and "Gilmore Girls."

Previous contributions from Family Friendly advertisers could see networks get up to $2 million per TV project for script development.