ADverse: Atkinson on Advertising
Commentary and analysis on the business of television advertising—from the upfront and scatter markets to TV events like the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Olympics—courtesy of Broadcasting & Cable Business Editor Claire Atkinson.
Scripps/Cablevision PR Battle Escalates
Senior management at Cablevision and Scripps Networks may cross paths today when the sparring companies present Jan. 6 at Citi’s global entertainment and media investor conference at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Last night, however, their separate PR teams were in DefCon 1 mode seeking to explain to three million furious viewers in the New York region why they can’t see Food Ne ...... Read More
Comments (2)Xfinity and Beyond: A Guide to Comcast’s New “TV Everywhere” Service
Last week Comcast unveiled Fancast Xfinity TV, the nation’s first “TV Everywhere” service, which aims to preserve the cable business model by enabling cable subscribers to access premium programming online by “authenticating” that they are indeed cable subscribers. The big push behind Fancast Xfinity TV (which replaces the OnDemand Online trial service) raises qu ...... Read More
Comments (1)Big Media's Year-End Reshuffle
Big media companies are in major reorganization mode as the year closes out, and reshuffling the deck is an annual ritual as contracts expire and senior executives decide whether they have the stomach for another tumultuous twelve months. The overhaul is perhaps most pronounced at the Walt Disney Co. where the departure list includes top Washington D.C. rep, Preston Padden, who announced his ...... Read More
Comments (0)Could CBS and Golf Channel Suffer Tiger Ratings Drop?
Tiger Woods’ bank balance isn’t the only thing likely to be hit by the endless swirl of press surrounding the golfer’s affairs. TV channels with golf rights are set to suffer some ratings fall-out, given Woods statement Dec. 11, that he was taking an indefinite break from the sport. Pali Research media analyst and commentator Richard Greenfield suggests that the Tiger Woods tr ...... Read More
Comments (2)The Biggest Loser A Winner For Product Placement
When it comes to engaging the audience NBC’s The Biggest Loser is tops for most effective product placements, according to a new list from Nielsen. Sandwich chain Subway which featured on the show “derived the greatest percentage of viewers who both recalled and cited an improved opinion of the integrated brand,” said Nielsen Friday, December 11. The Biggest Loser, from produ ...... Read More
Comments (0)Disney's Iger: Broadcast Ratings Drop Can Be Stemmed
Disney CEO Robert Iger said ratings declines at broadcast networks aren’t inevitable–and pointed to Disney’s ABC network as an example. Speaking Dec. 9 at the annual UBS media conference in New York City (click here for complete coverage), Iger said, “It’s inevitable there will be more choice, but not that ratings will fall. You can stem the tide with good progra ...... Read More
Comments (0)Comcast-NBCU: Oh, the Drama!
It’s been two months since news broke that Comcast and General Electric were in talks about turning G.E.’s NBC Universal unit into a new joint venture. And as we wait for word that the deal nearly everyone has pronounced inevitable has indeed been done, let’s take a moment to observe how much this M&A has played out like a marriage plot in a novel or stage farce: We know t ...... Read More
Comments (0)A Comcast-Backed Telemundo Could Grow Hispanic TV Marketplace
Related Content: Vivendi: No Decision Yet on NBCU Stake Comcast’s imminent deal to acquire a majority stake in NBC Universal may change the balance of power in the Hispanic TV world and possibly give a boost to the operator’s efforts to sell its services to the Hispanic community. NBC Universal owns Telemundo Communications Group, which encompasses not only a Spanish-language b ...... Read More
Comments (0)Kay Jeweler Signs On To Syfy Movie Special
Kay Jeweler has signed a wide ranging sponsorship with NBC Universal’s Syfy channel which will see the marketer support a new movie event from Reunion Pictures and RHI Entertainment’s Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. Kay will advertise its products around Alice, a TV-movie based on the children’s book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewi ...... Read More
Comments (4)CIMM meeting: Where's Canoe?
The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement convened at MTV Networks’ headquarters in New York’s Times Square today (November 10) to hear how the research industry can use set-top-box data to improve knowledge about viewing habits and potentially help tie that data to purchase decisions. Advertisers these days are less interested in TV ratings and more interested in defining the c ...... Read More
Comments (0)Bewkes Calls for Measurement Innovation
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes touched on the great video measurement debate yesterday (November 4) on the company’s third quarter earnings call. Prompted by an analyst’s question on the topic Bewkes said: “What the industry, the network and show producing industry wants to see is to have them [Nielsen] move forward, which they are trying to do and to investigate any other method ...... Read More
Comments (1)CTAM Wrap: Taking the Pulse of the Cable Biz
If you weren’t able to make it to the CTAM Summit in Denver this week-or you made it but were too busy in meetings to get a sense of things-not to worry. Here’s a summary of the highlights and pearls of wisdom from the panel sessions and cocktail conversations. Cable’s Next Big Thing According to Comcast COO Steve Burke, the two big opportunities facing the cable industry are ...... Read More
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