As questions persist about the fate of Dish Network's automatic ad-skipping technology, there is at least one answer: money and handshakes go together. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves has said unless Dish abandons the Hopper DVR, he won't allow the satellite operator to carry CBS content. But he's also suggested he'd drop that push if Dish paid CBS $5 a month per subscriber. Station groups seem to have the same idea.

A group that might have at least slowed government approval of the proposed Nielsen-Arbitron merger through loud defiance signaled it will not stand in the way. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) believes the deal could enhance cross-platform measurement for the industry and won't have any impact on stifling competition in the TV arena.

There was a slowdown in Nielsen's proposed acquisition of Arbitron last week. After conversations with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), both companies agreed to give the regulatory body more time to review the matter. Arbitron had indicated it expected the deal to close as early as March 15. Now, Nielsen will re-file documents with the FTC, the key regulatory body reviewing the acquisition, as late as March 8. Does the delay offer any sign that the government will nix the deal? No. But it could signal that the FTC believes the deal isn't as simple as Nielsen merging an unrelated …

Yes, nirvana in TV measurement is knowing how many people saw a particular spot and then bought the advertised product, or took the other hoped-for action. But just knowing how many people watched a specific ad isn't a bad consolation prize. The Association for National Advertisers (ANA) has been pushing for that data to be made available since at least 2004. It finally seems to be getting some traction.

Subway isn't likely to win any awards for advertising creativity anytime soon. Its TV ads can be some of the most basic, ho-hum out there. A college film major with a C+ average could probably put many of them together. Ok, a B+.

There aren't many numbers that generate as much widespread interest as the cost of a Super Bowl spot. People perk up when they hear the numbers each year.

Ouch. There was no malice intended, but the advice column hurt. It was intended for PR professionals, but journalists had to feel pain. Nonetheless, while the column listed a bunch of phrases that are trite and should never be used, some have to at times and a Super Bowl analysis isn't a bad one.

The NFL and CBS clearly weren't thrilled with the Super Bowl's partial stadium blackout. But marketers at Subway and Anheuser-Busch may have been high-fiving. The turmoil looks to have given them free spots in the most expensive TV property out there. It was just one of the interesting aspects of the advertising in the Super Bowl, where there was plenty worth discussing. How about Gildan and Jeep offering winning ads and Calvin Klein failing horribly?

Networks and by extension their affiliates might be mad enough at Dish Network to refuse any of its ads, not just the ones backing its Hopper DVR functionality that automatically skips commercials. So, with that as a backdrop, it's worth questioning their wisdom in accepting any ads at all that plug DVRs - any from DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, etc.