CTIA-The Wireless Association said Monday it plans to announce a mobile application rating system with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). on Tuesday, Nov. 29.  The CTIA in March unveiled plans to develop a ratings system for mobile apps by year’s end based on its existing Guidelines for App Content Classification and Ratings, but won’t provide further details until next week. It’s likely the system will mirror the ESRB’s ratings for video games, which use a letter-based scheme to classify titles according to seven age-specific categories from early childhood (EC) through teen (T) to Adults Only (AO). The aim is …

More original TV from Netflix? The streaming video/DVD mail-order service now says it has plans to revive 20th Century Fox Television's comedy "Arrested Development" -- the TV critic favorite show that was cancelled in 2006. Plans are to bring back the show -- with the reruns of older episodes -- in 2013. Previously, Netflix says it struck a deal to start up new dramatic series -- based on the BBC series -- called "House of Cards."

Sarah Kramer has been promoted to President, Client Services, at MediaVest USA, effective immediately. She will continue to report to Bill Tucker, CEO, MediaVest. In her new role, Kramer will oversee the agency's Client Services capability focusing on best practices and approaches for client business management. Kramer remains based in New York. Kramer was previously Executive Vice President, Global Managing Director, for Starcom MediaVest Group's global Procter & Gamble account. She will continue to serve in that capacity in addition to the responsibilities of her new role. A 17-year veteran of SMG, Kramer joined MediaVest a decade ago as a …

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A new teardown analysis by IHS finds that, like the $79 Kindle e-reader, Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire at a loss. The research firm estimates the Amazon tablet, which retails for $199,  costs $201.70 to manufacture. “Amazon makes its money not on Kindle hardware, but on the paid content and other products it plans to sell the consumer through the Kindle,” said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director teardown services for IHS, in a release today. Indeed, the Kindle devices serve as distribution platforms for Amazon’s growing selection of digital content including books, magazines and newspapers, music, movies and TV …

Advertisers increased their spending on U.S. radio outlets 2% to $4.527 billion during the third quarter, making the seventh consecutive quarter of upward ad spending for the medium, according to results of the Radio Advertising Bureau's quarterly tracking report.

Political media campaigns can frequently be a little like opening Pandora's Box. Now they can be literally. Online music service Pandora just unveiled new ad targeting features giving political campaign strategists a contemporary and more personal way to reach voters.

What’s the hot gadget this holiday season? Well, it’s something like a four-way tie, according to the latest survey by consumer electronics site Retrevo.com. The Amazon and Kindle Fire lead the way, with each device cited by 10% of those surveyed as the tech toy they want most this year. But close behind was a smartphone (9%) and HDTV (8%), followed by a laptop and digital camera (6% each), and Amazon Kindle reader (4%). Asked which items they’re looking for a deal on, on Black Friday, 32% said a tablet, 25%, an HDTV, 24% a laptop, and 19% a …

After launching a video ad format earlier this year, mobile ad network Greystripe said Thursday it has already seen a 300% increase in the number of campaigns booked so far for the fourth quarter compared to all of the third quarter. Since June, more than 30 brands have run campaigns utilizing video ads on Greystripe, acquired by ValueClick in April. The company boasted that it’s benefiting from “the massive shift of broadcast advertising budgets into mobile.” Huh? We’d like to see the evidence of that. On a less hyperbolic note, Greystripe said consumers have watched an entire video ad half …

Mobile barcodes as marketing tools have been alternately heralded as the next big thing and dismissed as little more than a novelty. A new white paper from the MMA aims to help demystify barcodes by providing a white paper that explains “in clear language” how the technology can be applied to different media, retail store locations, coupons, and other contexts. It also includes definitions, attributes of different code types, and examples of barcodes currently in use. The paper further outlines best practices such as creating a compelling experience; telling consumers why and how to engage; setting up a campaign …