Horizon Media, the New York-based independent media shop said today it was launching a new research effort called the "Horizon Proving Ground" in partnership with WNCE-TV an independent TV station in Saratoga Springs-Glen Falls, New York. The agency said the "Horizon Proving Ground" would provide a testing facility for new technologies, consumer and social media sentiment as well as channel planning and engagement theories for Horizon and its clients. "In today's rapidly changing media world, the opportunities to create connections between brands and consumers are limitless," stated Bill Koenigsberg, ceo, Horizon Media. "With the 'Horizon Proving Ground' we have a …

Leo MacCourtney and Craig Broitman have been named co-presidents of Katz Television Group.

Jim Hoffman, John Kelly and Seth Winter have been promoted to executive vice presidents from senior vice president at NBC Universal's network TV sales division. They report to Marianne Gambelli, President, Network Ad Sales.

Yahoo is partnering Vuguru, the digital video studio founded by Michael Eisner’s Tornante Company, as part of its broader effort to ramp up original video production. Under their agreement, the companies plan to jointly develop multiple scripted series for distribution through Yahoo Screen, the Web portal’s video hub. Vuguru most recently released “The Booth at the End,” starring Xander Berkley and distributed by Hulu, and “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” a film adaptation of Marc Wolf’s one-man Off Broadway show. Last year, the studio financed and produced seven full-length scripted projects and announced a major partnership with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment …

Sparks & honey may sound like a new form of molecular gastronomy, but it's actually the name of Omnicom's newest baby: an agency that will "disrupt traditional models by which market research, creative development and media disruption are executed."

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that oversees operation of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), has rejected ICANN's bid to continue overseeing the IANA functions of the Internet, instead extending ICANN's current contract for a short six-month period.

Sharona Sankar-King has joined GroupM's MEC unit as senior partner-director of digital analytics from vice president-strategy and analysis at Omnicom direct shop Rapp.

Even though Facebook's minimum age for registering a user is 13, more than half of parents responding to an online poll said they had children under 13 with a Facebook account. Fifty-five percent of 1,000 adult respondents to the SodaHead poll cited children 12-years or younger as having a Facebook account, while 19% cited children 10-years or younger.

One of the more obvious big marketing spenders at SXSW was Chevy, which showcased its 4G LTE concept car in addition to an entire fleet of cars to shuttle show attendees around Austin.

With so many developers attending SXSW, it seemed only natural for someone to run a healthy tech completion, which is what AT&T did with its Mobile App Hackathon.