Steve Miller Musings

US Leads in Mobile Web Adoption

2008-07-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

The mobile Web has hit "critical mass" in the U.S., where it is used by 40 million subscribers, who make up at least 15% of the country's mobile users, according to a new study by Nielsen Mobile. The report, "Critical Mass: The Worldwide State of the Mobile Web," identifies the U.K. as having 12% penetration, and Italy as having 11%. Link: BBC News – July 11, 2008 – Mobile Web reaches Critical Mass

NBCU moves to win bid for Weather Channel

2008-05-30T21:46:00.000-05:00

NBCU has unofficially won the bid for the Weather Channel at $3.5 billion, according to NewsBlues. That’s well under the $5 billion that Landmark had hoped to earn. NBCU was part of a consortium that included Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. The offer of $3.5 billion, roughly half of which, or $1.8 billion, is equity, according to Reuters. Blackstone’s GSO Capital is also putting in $600 million. The future of WeatherPlus is the big question now

Mobille means Fewer more qualified Ads

2008-04-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Improvements to the mobile Web will continue to cause more people to conduct searches on their cell phones however a new challenge to Web advertising giants like Google, Yahoo and others just may well be the mobile phone's screen size. Traditional thinking might lead you to assume what Ben Kunz did in his article in BusinessWeek - small screen equals - less inventory to sell. It's true that a standard computer screen the Google's Ad Sense can fit about 10 ads, but on a cell phone you get only one or two paid ads.

Says Kunz: "Imagine the horror that would befall your business if a large slice of what you sell suddenly disappeared. A similar fate could befall companies that depend on online advertising, as small screens become the gateway to the Internet."That said, no one believes that mobile phones will replace laptops overnight, but if the adoption of Web usage on Apple's iPhone is any indication, Google and its competitors better get
prepared.

Isn't Google already working on this? Earlier in the first quarter, when those infamous numbers from comScore were released (not that those were necessarily wrong, by the way), Google came out saying that it was tweaking its algorithm to promote ads that were likely to convert while eliminating those that were not. The end result was fewer ads, but more qualified--and thus more lucrative--leads generated from ads that were clicked on. Perhaps Google decided to tweak its algorithm with a view to the mobile shift in mind? After all, if the future means less space for ads, wouldn't Google be wise to make sure that fewer ads cost more and convert better? Link: BusinessWeek - Apr 28, 2008 - The Real Threat to Google

Nielsen To Report Ratings For Place-Based Video Networks

2008-04-24T07:24:00.001-05:00

Joe Mandese with Media Daily News Reports this morning that "in a move that could bring the kind of structure to the burgeoning out-of-home video advertising marketplace that is associated with traditional television, Nielsen plans to introduce TV ratings "pocketpieces" for a variety of place-based television networks. The plan, which was revealed by Senior Vice President-Nielsen Strategic Media Research Paul Lindstrom, came out as part of a panel discussion on Wednesday during MediaPost's Digital Out-of-Home Forum in New York." Link to the whole story

YouTube videos accessed by TiVo

2008-03-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

Forget about squinting to see those sometimes bazaar videos on you computers screen, you can watch the latest web phenomenon on your big screen. TiVo and YouTube this morning announced an agreement that will offer access to web videos directly on the television via TiVo digital video recorder devices. The service will become available later this year for broadband-connected subscribers with Series3 DVRs or later models. Users will be able to surf through YouTube videos on their TVs and watch and save videos. They will also be able to log into their YouTube accounts in order to access existing favorite videos and channels. TiVo calls the deal one more step in the process of combining all web and television viewing needs into one service. Link: Tivo.com Press Release 3/12/08 - TIVO TO PROVIDE YOUTUBE VIDEOS DIRECTLY TO THE TELEVISION

Project Canoe

2008-03-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

We’ve all heard about it but the cable industry is still keeping details about "Project Canoe," the clandestine, cross-MSO, advanced advertising initiative, relatively close to the vest. The venture is an effort by all six major cable companies in the U.S. to deliver targeted TV ads to viewers via set-top boxes. The cable companies may control the set-top boxes, but they only collectively control about $5 billion of the $70 billion spent each year on TV ads. With better ad targeting through Project Canoe the cable operators hope to triple their take to $15 billion.

This coalition has been spurred on by Google’s aggressive moves into new spaces, they are already testing their own TV ads on EchoStar’s Dish Network (no satellite companies are part of Project Canoe). Just last week, some Google TV Ad beta testers were able to start buying TV ads through AdWords as part of their regular advertising campaigns. In other words, they can buy search ads on Google, contextual online ads across the Web, and TV ads on Dish all through the same Google interface.
Clearly the cable companies have a lot of work to do to pull this off, but the prize is huge. Forming a viable coalition where incentives are aligned to encourage continued cooperation in the long term is a major step forward. I’m sure that we will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming months and it will be interesting to see how (and how soon) this plays out. Link: NYTimes.com, March 10, 2008 - Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads

Digital Display Strategy for the LA Times

2008-03-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Los Angeles Times is teaming with Clear Channel Outdoor to bring news headlines and images to 10 digital billboards throughout LA. The Times is the first newspaper to use the company's digital billboards and web-based interface for news alerts and branding. The partnership is a key strategic move for the newspaper, which desperately wants to increase exposure of its local news reporting. Link: Media Daily News, Mar 5, 2008 - New Digital Displays For 'LA Times

58 million US Mobile Subscribers have seen Ads

2008-03-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

Twenty-three percent (One out of four or 58 million) of all US mobile subscribers say they've been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report from The Nielsen Company. Half of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous month say they responded to a mobile ad in some way and are open to receiving ads if it reduces their bill. Link: NYTimes.com, Mar. 4 2008 - Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond

TV Advertising Falling Short of Expectations

2008-02-21T19:30:00.001-05:00

Are your clients complaining that their TV Advertising isn’t as effective as they once were? Well sixty-two percent of marketers say they believe that traditional TV has become a less effective ad medium over the past two years, according to a study by Forrester Research and the Association of National Advertisers. The study also found that about 50% of those surveyed are experimenting with new ad formats on platforms such as DVRs and VOD programs, while 87% see high value in branded entertainment. Link(s): MediaDailyNews, Feb 21, 2008 - TV Advertising Hit By Digital Competition and The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 21, 2008 – TV Ads Losing Steam, marketers say

Proven Value of Dynamic Digital Signage

2008-02-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

In another resounding example of the power of digital signage, Clear Channel Outdoors' digital billboard networks reached more than 12 million motorists and commuters during last week's Super Tuesday voting session. The changeable, LED-equipped billboards posted updates of tallies in 14 out of 17 of the markets where CC Outdoor has networks providing the public with real-time results of the Presidential Election Primaries through live RSS feeds from MSNBC and CNBC. Link: Clear Channel Outdoor – Feb 19, 2008 - Millions Of Voters Looked To Clear Channel Outdoor Digital Displays For “Super Tuesday” Primary Results

Fox Wins with 50th Daytona 500

2008-02-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday's running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Fox scored increased average audience, total audience and household ratings compared to a year ago, according to fast national figures released today by Nielsen Media Research.

The 50th Daytona 500 averaged 17.8 million viewers, a 1 percent improvement over last season (17.5 million). It was also the second highest-rated and second most-watched 500 ever on Fox, trailing the 2005 race in both stats. According to a network news release, 33.5 million Americans watched at least part of the race.

Obviously Ryan Newman Penske Racing and Dodge are not alone in Sunday’s winners circle. Fox had previously announced that it had sold out its inventory for the telecast with 30-second spots selling for $550,000 each, up from $475,000 last year.

DVR Playback makes Significant Increase to Viewing Levels

2008-02-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

Playback from DVRs is increasing the amount of time people spend watching television, according to new data from The Nielsen Company. In comparing total television usage (Live viewing plus DVR playback) for persons 18-49 in 11/07 to total television usage in 11/05 (before Nielsen measured DVR homes and penetration was very low) Nielsen found that viewing had increased slightly throughout the day, and was 3% higher at 9:00 p.m. and 5% higher between 11:00 p.m.-midnight. Links: Investor's Business Daily, Feb 14, 2008 - Nielsen Reports DVR Playback is Adding to TV Viewing Levels and Nielsen - Press Release

Big Win for Fox with Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-05T07:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday's Super Bowl XLII on FOX was the most-watched Super Bowl game in 42 years of Super Bowls and also ranks as the second most-watched program in TV history with 97.5 million viewers, surpassing the 1996 Super Bowl game which drew in 94.1 million viewers. It follows the final episode of M*A*S*H which aired February 28, 1983 and drew in 106 million viewers. As for the advertising, well Marketers are getting extra bang for their Super Bowl ad bucks through views of their spots on dozens of general and niche Web sites, as well as via playbacks on DVRs, according to this New York Times article. Link: NYTimes.com, 02/05/08 - For Marketing, the Most Valuable Player Might Be YouTube

IdeaCast and Transit TV do deal

2008-01-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

IdeaCast (which we covered in my post on 06/27/07 - National Cinemedia take big Position in IdeaCast), a private provider of custom television content and advertising to health clubs announced that it has entered into a strategic sales relationship with Transit TV and will represent digital OOH networks advertising inventory to IdeaCast's list of ad clients. In addition, IdeaCast has also entered into a letter of intent with an option to acquire Transit TV in Q2. Transit TV is a major transit-based digital out-of-home adverting network operator with systems installed and operational in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Orlando, Transit TV communicates with over 500 million riders per year on nearly 4,000 vehicles. IdeaCast's plans for Transit TV include expanding the Transit TV network to the top 10 U.S. markets, as well as contracting with Nielsen Media Research to establish metrics and a process for audience measurement for the transit network.

Designing for Mobility

2008-01-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

Some 40% of web site operators have launched mobile sites and another 22% plan to do so in the next year, according to a new JupiterResearch study (appropriately named - "Designing for Mobility"). This is helping to fuel the growing base of mobile phone users in the US that browse the Internet from their cell phones. Current stats reflect that 25% of cell phone owners go online, with 16 percent doing so frequently. As adoption and use grows, the importance of Web sites suitable for small screens will grow in importance for media companies. Link: OnlineMedia Daily Jan 17, 2008 - Mobile Web Sites' Growth Spurt To Continue

SlingBerry?

2008-01-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

I must admit I was jealous when one of my client's IT guys showed me his Motorola Q connected to his Slingbox several months ago. The picture quality and smoothness of the connection was amazing. He could playback any channel or DVR recording available on his home cable box and he could not only view them but could setup programs to record. For us road warriors with a crackberry habit, this wasn't something available however today all that changed as Sling Media announced that it is extending the mobile version of its service to Blackberry smartphones. The new version which will be released later this year, will cost Slingbox customers a one-time charge of $29.99. In my perspective this is how I would utilize mobile TV while getting better value out of my monthly investment with my cable provider. Although the viewership of mobile TV is on the rise, I firmly believe most consumers will not adapt to it if it requires yet another monthly subscription and higher phone bill. For now the gatekeepers are the telecommunication providers however with companies like Sling Media I think the business model is about to change and will be monetized finally by advertising and not subscriptions.

DVR penetration to rise to 35% by 2012

2008-01-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year readers! Online video may be a hot topic and increasing in popularity as are VOD services however DVR penetration in U.S. television households will continue to expand, nearly doubling over the next five years, according to a new report from market-analysis firm JupiterResearch. Read more in this article from ContentAgenda.com

DVR and Viewership

2007-12-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

DVR penetration is still on the rise and while more and more viewers are recording programs, they're actually not delaying viewing for very long, according to a recent analysis conducted by Palisades MediaGroup. The study discovered that, on average, more than half of all DVR primetime program playback is done within the same day it was recorded. And by the end of the following day, DVR owners have completed approximately three-quarters of all program playback. "Nielsen estimates DVR penetration to be at 20%, up from 12% in January of this year. While this is a good-sized increase, the impact on viewership remains minor."

According to the study, ratings increase just over 15% due to DVR playback from live to live-plus-seven. The average rating against adults aged 18-49 was 2.5 for live viewing and 2.9 for live-plus-seven viewing; an increase of only 16.7%. While fast-forwarding through the ads is still an issue, not all people who use a DVR fast-forward. The data show that less than half of people who watch a recorded program fast-forward through the ads during playback. Equally significant, the top 10 most-DVR'd primetime shows among adults 18-49 experience as much as 58% of playback on the same day (CBS's Survivor: China) and as little as 27%.

Tivo and NBCU Strike Deal

2007-11-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

NBC Universal inked a multiyear deal with TiVo that will allow the entertainment conglomerate to sell interactive ads for TiVo’s digital video recorders. Terms of the new agreement allow NBCU’s 14 television networks and 10 owned-and-operated stations will be able to sell TiVo Interactive Tags in conjunction with existing commercial spots. It makes NBC the first top broadcaster to use TiVo's audience data and interactive ad tags. Link(s): The Wall Street Journal, Nov, 27, 2007 – NBC to use TiVo’s Viewership data, Multichannel News – Nov, 27, 2007 - NBCU Buys Into TiVo Ratings, Interactive Ads

Texting Ads to Shopping Carts

2007-11-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

We all have probably seen prototypes of LCD screens an other simular technology placed on shopping carts, I've yet to have one catch my eye that truly seems feasible. While I will admit that video screens on carts could serve up engaging ads, they are expensive to purchase and difficult to maintain. Here's is finally a version that appears durable and likely to succeed while enabling advertisers to position their messages right between shoppers' hands.

Modstream has developed a shopping cart handles where messages are wirelessly streamed to a small screen in a hard plastic case that replaces the standard shopping cart handle. Advertisers and retailers log on to modstream.com to enter their messages, selecting stores where they want their message to appear. Messages can be run across a complete chain or targeted to specific regions, stores or times of day. Since the messages can be changed on the fly, it's easy to adapt the ads for short-run sales or clearance items.

Since a a high percentage of purchase decisions are made by consumers while they're shopping, it makes sense to target them while they're in the aisles. Modstream states that their message handles will stand up to rain and snow, and have a 5-year battery life. The system is currently being tested at Home Depot stores in eight states.

Yesterday Banking, Today Pizza

2007-11-13T18:05:00.000-05:00

Applications abound in the Mobile sector and obviously that bodes well for the continued growth in mobile advertising. Yesterday AT&T announced the launch of a comprehensive, easy-to-use mobile banking platform that will enable consumers to view account balances and history, transfer funds and pay bills from their AT&T mobile handsets. Through an innovative relationship, AT&T, Wachovia Corp., SunTrust Banks Inc. and mobile banking and payment enabler CheckFree Corp. are providing a mobile banking solution that is accessible to millions of Wachovia and SunTrust customers. Appearently they agree with the forecasts from TowerGroup which estimates the number of US customers using mobile banking services will rise from 1.1 million in 2007 to more than 40 million by 2012.

Not to be left behind in the dining category is Papa John’s Pizza, which is offering its mobile savvy customers a new alternative: ordering via text message. It’s an innovative step that might help boost the company’s sales, and also will allow for more direct-to-consumer mobile marketing, including coupons and menu updates sent to users’ phones. Links: WSJ.com Nov , click Papa John's Pizza gets Finger Friendler, IntoMobile.com - AT&T launches nationwide mobile banking

AOL.com WAP Relaunch

2007-10-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

Aiming to keep pace with recent new wireless inroads made by Yahoo and Google, AOL Tuesday unveiled new mobile versions of its online services within a revamped WAP portal. This major relaunch, accessible on your web enabled phone at AOL.com, includes upgrades that are mobile-friendly versions of AOL Search, Mail, MapQuest, and AOL Instant Messenger, among other features. The new mobile search, for instance, will offer results that are more tailored to users on the go, such as driving directions and click-to-call options linked to services like MapQuest and Moviefone. A cool new mobile widget for GPS-enabled phones will also allow AIM users to locate each other, marking a step by AOL into the mobile social networking area.

AOL has quietly assembled a number of good mobile assets over the past couple of years, and they may become a force in the market. Obviously, its purchase of Third Screen Media puts the company into the mobile ad market in a big way. But its new partnership with off-deck content provider ThumbPlay gives it a range of content. If AOL actually can distribute these services and gain traction, then it may have a way to use mobile to get the brand back into users' hearts and minds. Between Yahoo's mobile search play and AOL's mobile portal play, it seems as if also-ran brands are using mobile as a kind of comeback platform. Link(s): Media Post, Oct 24, 2007 - AOL Follows The Mobile Trail and AOL press release

Portable Video Usage

2007-10-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday evening on a cross county flight from the east coast to San Francisco I noticed something I had not seen before. Passengers using portable video devices were at a level I had never witness before. Between those watching via their laptops, video Ipods and a host of others, it pushed 20% of the passengers on a full flight. I was taken back by the usually high percentage, most appearing to be watching recent broadcast shows. As I tried to make sense of why I may be seeing this spike, I put it off on the launch of a new season and a young highly mobile group of passengers of whom many sported the corporate logos of the silicon valleys dot com companies. Maybe I was witnessing a peak into the future because a new study from Parks Associates predicts that the number of portable media players with video capability will grow at an annual rate of 30% over the next five years. Obviously a key driver of this growth will be the expansion of broadband video services around the world and this is good news for mobile video advertisers, provided they can figure out an appropriate ad model.

ABC Moves Advertisiers on to the Golf Course

2007-10-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

ABC has inked an agreement with ProLink Solutions to sell space on ProLink's GPS screens in golf carts at some 400 golf courses. ABC will sell on a national level, and will earn commissions based in part on the prominence of the advertisers it brings in. ProLink will continue to sell space, as well. It is a growing trend to see big media moving into the growing out-of-home (OOH) sector. The O&Os of the television networks have begun seeking ways to bring in additional revenue by offering OOH options to advertisers, according to MediaPost. These options have included ads in grocery stores, taxis, screens on pumps at gas stations and on screens in Times Square. See recent SMM Post: 09/07/07 - CBS Purchases Sign Story. Link: MediaPost - 10/03/07 - Fore Real: ABC Pitches Ads On Golf Cart Screens

Google Upping the Volume on Mobile Ads

2007-09-18T15:56:00.000-05:00

Recently Google released its AdWords on mobile. Today it followed up by announcing the availability of AdSense for Mobile devices. Obviously their moves are to capitalize on the geometrically increasing numbers of consumers surfing the web away from their laptops or PCs. Unlike in the PC web space, in the mobile market Google is in the position of having to catch up to the other companies out there like AdMob who've built up a huge publisher network with tons of mobile-specific advertising. These recent moves into the mobile arena help Google quickly bolster its mobile ad inventory however the change has the industry buzzing. Here is what some are saying: Blogs - The Life and Times of ADMOB - "unexpected and unfortunate", Russell Beattie's Weblog - "Google's Mobile End Run"

More Marketers Mulling Mobile Messages

2007-09-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

A growing number of advertisers are looking at ways to make cell phone advertising more acceptable to consumers. At stake, according to a study by Gartner, is a virtually untapped ad-revenue bonanza that could swell to $14.6 billion by 2011. Link: SFGate.com September 10, 2007 - Advertisers, service providers take aim at mobile phone users

CBS purchases Sign Storey

2007-09-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

In a major vote of confidence for the rapidly growing OOH industry, CBS Corp. this on late Thursday that it will acquire SignStorey, Inc., a distributor of video programming and ad content to retail stores. The purchase price is 71.5 million in cash. SignStorey will be renamed "CBS Outernet" upon closing of the deal which is expected in Q4. With digital video displays in more than 1,400 grocery stores in major markets across the United States, SignStorey offers advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers with targeted content that can be customized by region and by daypart. The company's satellite-delivery system enables immediate, customized programming and messaging to each individual system. SignStorey has long-term exclusive contracts with SuperValu (Acme, Albertsons, Jewel and Shaw's), Pathmark, ShopRite and Price Chopper, among others, and is currently installed in six of the top 10 markets in the U.S., with traffic of more than 72 million consumers every month. CBS has significant experience in programming for out-of-home audiences. In addition to SignStorey, current partners in this regard include American Airlines/CBS Eye on American, Royal Caribbean/CBS Eye on Royal Caribbean; AutoNet TV/Rev It Up; Salon Network Channel; Starwood Hotels/SPG TV; Indoor Direct; Mall of America; On Spot Digital/Simon Malls and Ripple TV/CBS Outdoor, among others. Link: Wall Street Journal Sept 07, 2007 - Checking Out CBS in the Checkout Line (subscription)

Boom or Bust - TVB's Predictions for '08-'09

2007-09-06T17:23:00.000-05:00

Prepare for a big year in 2008. With heavy election spending and the Olympics on the horizon, advertising on both national cable networks and local cable ad sales are expected to jump 5% to 7% in 2008, and 1% to 3% in 2009, the Television Bureau of Advertising said today. TVB predicted that local broadcast spot advertising will increase 5% to 6% through 2008, while national spot advertising will jump 14% to 16%. Bittersweet but when it comes to estimates, TV spot revenue won't be higher than two years ago and in 2009, national spot advertising is expected to fall by 8% to 10%, while local spot advertising will increase 1% to 3%, TVB said. Good luck with getting that through your company’s annual budgeting process!

20% of Homes now have a DVR

2007-08-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

According to a new survey from Leichtman Research Group, more than 20% of homes now have a DVR, up from just 1 in 13 homes two years ago. Leichtman's survey also revealed that 53% of DVR owners reported owning an HDTV set. Link: MultiChannel News, Aug 22, 2007 - DVRs Nested In One-in-Five Homes, Survey Say

Time Warner Cable Plan Multimedia Marketing Tool

2007-08-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

Time Warner Cable Media Sales has asked Live Oak Interactive to develop a multimedia marketing tool that would allow the cable company to move seamlessly between traditional television advertising platforms and Internet-based marketing. The system is scheduled to be rolled out in two markets in September, followed potentially by a national launch. Link: Media Daily News, Aug 21, 2007 - TV Advertisers Adopt Systems To Play Cross-Platform Ads

Online ads to overtake newspapers in 2011?

2007-08-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

Online advertising in the US is expected to grow bigger than newspaper advertising by 2011, as shown in the annual media research report by Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS).
In the study, VSS predicts that online advertising will increase by over 21% per year, totalling to over $62 billion by 2011, a few billion dollars bigger than newspaper advertising which is expected at $60 billion. Broadcast, cable, and satellite TV advertising still takes the biggest slice of the cake, foreseen to reach $86 billion.
“The path of online advertising and newspaper advertising is a continuation of what we’ve been observing for many years, but it is finally getting to the point where the lines will cross,” said James Rutherfurd, managing director at VSS.
As Americans spend more and more time online, one can’t help to ask if this gradual shift to digital media be the gradual death of newspaper production. Link: MediaDailyNews.com Aug. 07, 2007 - Time Spent With Media Falters, Digital Spawns Shorter Attention Spans

The Screening of America - The Battle Begins in Offices

2007-07-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I read a brief article about The Wall Street Journal's OOH office signage network expanding from thier current lobby locations, into office building elevators. This is the first big push that I have noticed between competing OOH Digital signage companies for real estate. This has been Gannett's Captivate Networks turf up until now and the battle should be be interesting. Well the second salvo has apparently been fired with MediaDaily Post reporting this morning that... "In a sign that the office media marketplace is expanding and growing more competitive, Gannett Co.'s Captivate Network this morning unveiled plans to expand its digital video screens beyond its core base of elevators in high-rise office buildings in major markets to also include low-rise buildings and office parks in important suburban areas. Unlike the high-rise buildings, provide a significant amount of programming and advertising "dwell time" to workers riding elevators, the new Captivate Suburban Network will feature digital video screens in lobby areas, or in the blank wall spaces situated between elevator banks."... Link: July 24, 2007 Captivate Expands beyond the Elevators, Will Blurb the Burbs

PRN and NBCU Partner to sell Ads

2007-07-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

Premier Retail Network - creator of the world's largest OOH in-store media network has announced an agreement with NBC Universal. For some time, NBCU has provided programming to PRN and bought space on its networks, which include channels in Wal-Mart and Costco. The new deal will allow it to sell ads to select marketers on PRN's network that's available at supermarket checkout counters. The synergies between the two partners should be strong because NBCU O&O Stations fit nicely with PRN's "Supermarket Checkout TV" 1,000 plus store locations. Link: MediaDaily News - July 19 '07 - In-Store Reach: NBCU joins with PRN

Google's Ad FootPrint Grows

2007-07-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

More than two years after first testing the sale of magazine ads, Google's print ad program has left beta and now allows AdWords advertisers to place ads in more than 225 newspapers across the United States. Google began testing the newspaper ad auction for a small group of advertisers last November with roughly 70 newspaper partners, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. Late Tuesday, the company said it will open the program to the "hundreds of thousands" of U.S. advertisers and agencies that use its online ad platform and increased the number of participating papers to cover most of the country’s most populous areas. Link: AdAge.com July 17, 2007 - Google Print Ads Now Used by 225 Newspapers.

Interactive OOH Ad Campaign Launches in Las Vegas

2007-07-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

At Monster Media they state that their mission is to be the leading alternative media company. Those are big shoes to fill in today embryonic digital signage business however they are certainly leading the pack and helping the industry to stretch it’s creative and technological limits. To date they have released three applications that allow people to directly interact with large projected ads using only body movements. Yesterday Travelzoo announced a partnership with them and unveiled a campaign that will create interactive place-based displays in Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. The interactive "What's the Deal with Travelzoo?" campaign encourages travelers to participate in the advertisements. The 8’x20’ real time projected images will show travel deals and allow airport guest to directly interact with the brand. Link: View images and video of the advertisements

Mobile TV Is Like Sushi: Report

2007-06-29T08:05:00.000-05:00

The Vienna-based Institut der WU has issued a report which claims that consumers will not be able to resist mobile TV, and compared it to sushi. “According to the study, mobile TV is a trend, which - like sushi - is first met with resistance and sceptism, but once accepted very addictive. “One must have experienced mobile TV in your own hands to realise you can’t live without it” reports Broadband TV News. The study spoke to 52 experts and 232 consumers in Austria, Germany and Italy, and more than 53 percent of the respondents said they could imagine watching TV on their mobile up to 30 minutes a day.

Nielsen Follows Viewers with Purchase of Telephia

2007-06-28T07:07:00.000-05:00

The Nielsen Company announced the purchase of Telephia, for an undisclosed sum, this greatly expands the media measurement giant's wireless capabilities. The San Francisco-based Telephia Inc. provides syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets. The acquisition provides Nielsen with a much needed entry into measurement services for the estimated 350 billion bucks mobile sector, where telecom and media are quickly converging. Nielsen said adding Telephia expands its ability to measure the rapidly expanding mobile content delivery industry, where today there are more than 232 million wireless subscribers in the US. "As media content increasingly moves from television to the personal computer to the 'third screen' of the mobile device, it is essential that we measure all platforms," said Susan Whiting Executive Vice President of The Nielsen Company.

National CineMedia Take big Position in IdeaCast

2007-06-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

National CineMedia invests in IdeaCast, a provider of advertising to fitness centers and health clubs. NCM is investing up to 7.0 million in 6% preferred stock and will have an option to acquire additional common stock such that NCM's overall investment (including the convertible preferred stock) represents 50.1% of IdeaCast's fully diluted common stock. Through a series of multi-year agreements with CNN, CNBC and MSNBC, IdeaCast exclusively re-distributes network programming to and manages program ad sales for health clubs. The network currently includes nearly 600 locations and has secured agreements with an additional 500 to join its network over the next several months. At that time, the IdeaCast health club network will cover 116 markets including all top 25 markets and 45 of the top 50 markets, representing over 200 million club visits per year. The network includes Lifestyle Family Fitness, Club One, Fitness Formula, Spectrum and Town Sports International (NY Sports Clubs, Boston Sports Clubs, Washington Sports Clubs and Philadelphia Sports Clubs). National advertisers currently on the network include American Airlines, AT&T, Dunkin' Donuts and Quaker. Link: Yahoo! Finance June 26, 2007 - National CineMedia Invests in Health Club Digital Media Network Operator IdeaCast

LSN Inks Deal With Verizon Wireless

2007-06-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

Verizon Wireless customers in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and nearly 50 markets across the country with V CAST-enabled phones now have access to local news, weather and sports video following a partnership with Local Solutions Network. The V CAST enabled handsets can receive live weather and sports video stories from local television station affiliates and have full access to video content on-demand, including news, weather and sports updates, clips from popular TV programs, music videos, movie trailers, 3D games and more. It is a great product however will consumers be willing to spend an additional $3 for one time use (24hrs) or part with an extra $15 per month for the subscription? This business model will have to change to an ad revenue supported/no cost to the viewer before we see any significant viewer base. Link: New Release and 50 market launch list

Clients Creative Changes with the Temperature on Digital Signage Network

2007-06-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

It may not be changing water into wine but it a ingenious way to utilize common technology to deliver a very creative approach to timely copy changes. This summer when temperatures in southern Ontario exceed 20 degrees Celcius and people are primed to want a cool beverage, a digital video board ad campaign for California’s Leaping Horse wines is programmed to display an ad for their cool, white Chardonnay wine.

Outdoor Broadcasting Network ’s (OBN), is a Canadian media company that markets the largest network of LED video boards in Country. They have come up with this cleaver idea and have developed and deployed a new technology which programs weather triggers into a video board campaign so that creative will change from Leaping Horse’s Merlot red wine (when the temperature is under 20C) to Chardonnay when it gets above 20C. This provides Lifford Wine Agency (the wine agent for Leaping Horse in the province of Ontario) with a terrific way to target consumers when they may be more receptive to one wine choice over another.

The campaign starts in mid June and will run in Toronto, Hamilton and Cambridge. Production was handled in-house by OBN who took static OOH ads and created full motion video spots. Digital signage networks are turning up everywhere these days and leveraging technology to create unique advertising solutions that engage viewers will help the emerging industry win many future loyal clients.

"The Fair Elections Now Act" - Political Pickpockets

2007-06-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

Congress is looking at forcing stations to cut their lowest unit political rates by an additional 20%. According to the NAB, candidates already get an average 30% discount through the current use of the existing lowest unit rates (LUR). The proposed government backed campaign-funding program that the Senate is considering, is a bill that would cut LUR to even lower levels. It's known as The Fair Elections Now Act (S. 1285) and I certainly don't think it's fair to everybody. The bill not only reduces rates, kill scheduling options, expands the pool of advertisers receiving discounts and directly taxes broadcasters. The new bill would force stations to offer a fixed rate 20% below LUR (it's monpreemptable as it is currently as well), and would apply during the 45-day period prior to a primary election and 60 days before a general election. In addition, it would extend these rights to the federal party committees. Finally, adding to the pain, it would impose a 2% tax on gross broadcast advertising revenues to give politicians and committees a "Political Advertising Voucher Account." They say that history repeats itself and it this case it appear to be true. In 1980 Congress tried to put a similar system in place with little success do to the powerful broadcast lobby. NAB Chief David Refr is running point for the industry on this and insiders say its prospects appear dim.

Mobile Advertising

2007-06-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

Even though some can claim that mobile advertising has been around for years the industry is truly a new kid on the block. Only recently has it begun to deliver on some of its promises and the ROI desired by marketers. Don’t get me wrong, the emerging Mobile business is posed to be gargantuan and it has come on fast. Consider that just a few short years ago we were dealing with the new world of "all connected" which in short order became "always connected" morphing into today’s "Always with you" culture. Mobile devices are highly personal, increasingly sophisticated and obviously have growing importance for connecting with consumers.

The industry is still very much in the nail biting “Wild West” phase and currently network and content providers and advertisers alike all have more questions than answers. Advertisers are asking; “Where does mobile fit in our overall strategy”? Will it follow consumers who are fleeing other platforms? Will it address and engage them in ways other media cannot? Is it just another extension of online? Given its out of home mobility and ability to activate billboards and packaging, is it more a part of the outdoor strategy? These are some of the questions that need to be addressed. Part II - next week I will begin to shed some light on these and other concerns. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Politicians Scrutinize Pharmaceutical Advertising

2007-06-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

Advertising of pharmaceutical drugs to the public is a peculiar U.S. phenomenon, which has allowed great expansion of the pharmaceutical business by pushing demand. Hedonistically I've always enjoyed the windfall that the Ad business has enjoyed as well over the past decade however I have wondered about downside of going to our own doctor and announcing our own prescription.

Apparently I’m not alone in this thought process and the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health is looking over a multi-pronged bill concerning health in the US. Some of the items being considered are an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act "to improve drug safety." Advertising Policy is one of the primary concerns. Here are some of the proposed changes: an ad may need government approval: "the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for a drug may require that the applicant submit...advertisement of the drug for pre-clearance." The appropriate authorities would have 45 days for review. Second, if there have been any "significant adverse events" or other risk associated with the drug, this must be part of an advertisement, and "advertisements lacking such disclosure would be false or misleading." Finally, the bill states that "the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for a drug may require that for a fixed period after initial approval, not to exceed three years, the applicant not issue or cause to be issued direct-to-consumer advertisements..."

I’m all for putting a few controls into place however this sounds like bureaucratic BS at it’s finest. One thing we know for sure is nothing will change fast. There are far to many companies involved with very large vested interests.

TV is on Top for News, but Change is in Sight

2007-06-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

A new Harris Poll survey shows that television is the top source for news among US citizens, beating out #2 online 26%-18%, but the group participants also expect that this order will flip within five years, when online will be on top with 25% to television's 22%. Cable is expected to show a modest 14%-15% increase over the same period, with a slight 12%-11% drop-off for radio and 12%-10% drop-off for major daily newspapers.

There is nothing surprising here with the results. Technology is changing the future of news delivery as much as Media consumption habits are changing with the generations. In the 2002 movie Minority Report, a passenger on a subway train gets constantly updated news on a flexible, translucent, portable flat-panel device that he carries with him. This is not very far fetched and it is just 5 years later. Now would this be TV or Online, newspaper or some new variations of all of them? I Believe that no matter what the platform is, integrated media systems will revolutionize the methods for acquiring, packaging, organizing and delivering the news in the not-too-distant future and our current definitions of television, online, newspapers will be noted in history.

eBay, Bid4Spots launch Online Bid for Radio Advertising

2007-06-06T18:39:00.000-05:00

eBay began taking bids for radio spots today as the online auction leader expands into offline ads. The company is auctioning advertising airtime on 2,300 participating U.S. radio stations, expanding on an existing plan to sell cable television ads. EBay is partnering with Bid4Spots (Encino,Ca.) to power the eBay Media Marketplace for Radio. The new U.S. auction market for radio advertising will go live today and include both conventional terrestrial radio and Internet radio advertising. Stations in all of the 300 top-ranked radio markets are covered. Available inventory is determined by participating radio stations and what they choose to sell for the next week. Available advertising inventory includes primetime spots. Some 90 percent are in morning “drive time,” midday or evening commute hours from Monday through Friday. EBay’s own radio auctions target last-minute ad buyers. This flexibility enables stations to be extremely aggressive in their pricing,

Charlotte Climbs the Chart

2007-06-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is hedonistic but what the heck since I made Charlotte, NC my home base in 2001 I feel it only right to comment on good advertising news about my fair city. Shoot, I know my friends at the local radio stations are pleased. Charlotte has been a growth market since before my family arrived it has moved on up the Nielsen DMA list from #29 in '01 to bumping out San Diego CA this year for the number 26 position. Arbitron has measured the market very differently however that is all set to change this Fall when their new market rankings come out. According to the Charlotte Observer, the market is getting credit for the population in four fringe North Carolina counties and two more in South Carolina, an infusion of almost 400K fresh bodies which will take the market's 12+ count all the way to 1.8M. More importantly, it will allow the city to leap all the way from #33 to #25 on the market ranking chart (ADI). This change is very significant and could result in an additional $3M in national advertising revenue coming into the market (now will be included in buys for the top 25 mkts). Obviously this change on the radio side will make the Arbitron configuration more congruent with the Nielsen DMA definition. Based on current population grow estimates Nielsen is expected to move Charlotte up a notch to #25 by next year. On a side note, the radio market currently occupying #25 and expected to be elbowed aside is Riverside-San Bernardino CA LA is my past stomping grounds).

TV viewing on Mobile Devices will Skyrocket

2007-06-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

In Europe in August 2005, Nokia sponsored a survey asking people who had experience a mobile TV trial what they thought of it. It turned out that those people were quite simple amazed. They had found a cure for boredom. Effectively, that is the biggest drive they have identified for mobile TV and its usage pattern which shows in the four or five trails that have surveyed their customers. None the less the number of people watching TV shows like “The Simpsons” on their bus ride to work is about to explode. A new report by independent market analyst for London based Datamonitor predicts that by 2012, the number of people worldwide using cell phones and other handheld devices to watch broadcast TV will have grown from 4.4 million to 155.6 million. The Asia Pacific region will account for nearly half of subscribers with 76.3 million; Europe is forecast to have 42.7 million and the U.S. 35.6 million. The report says 2007 is a critical year for the technology but warned that broadcast video content will have to adapt to both user consumption habits and handset functionality. It also says providers must ensure their systems are flexible so they can adapt to multiple formats and technical differences with others. Otherwise, these differences may contribute to slow uptake in the service. Link: TV Technology.com June 1, 2007 – 155 Million Mobile TV Users by 2012

Commercial Ratings – Power in the DVR Viewers Hands

2007-05-31T16:42:00.000-05:00

This month, Nielsen Media Research began measuring how TV viewing habits have changed and they released their report on “commercial ratings” this morning. Finding: More than half of digital video recorder (DVR) users fast-forwarded through commercials while watching prime-time network fare. With 17 percent of the nation’s TV viewers armed with DVRs, 10 percent of broadcasting primetime programming is now time-shifted. On a positive note, when you combine time-shifted numbers (out to three days) with live numbers, Nielsen said viewership of the typical prime-time show increases by 73 percent. For example, The Office jumps from 3.11 to 3.36 among the 18-49 demographic. This is no surprise, as previous ratings didn’t include the time-shifted ratings, and not everyone who watches shows on DVRs are skipping the ads(just halp of them), so there’s a net increase on paper. But when all is said and done, the simple fact remains: people with DVRs skip most of the commercials, and DVR penetration is climbing fast. I think it’s pretty obvious where this is going. Link(s): TVweek.com May 31, 2007, AP May 31, 2007 - More than half of DVR viewers skipping commercials, Nielsen says in first ad study

9 points on how Google Innovates

2007-05-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

Innovation is something that many people/companies try but fail to do. At Google it is part of the company culture. Yesterdays keynote speaker at the DSE (Digital Signage Expo) was Google’s Jim Lecinski (Midwest Regional Director) speaking about the company’s Nine Notions of Innovation.

Innovation - NOT instant perfection. Launch early and often- get to the market.
Share everything you can - Information is KEY and powerful.
You’re brilliant - we are hiring. Hire generalists that can speak to all areas of your organization. Specialists create silos.
A license to pursue your dreams - Give people a choice as to where they would like to invest their time and thinking.
Ideas come from everywhere - The Power of many wins.
Don’t politic - use data. Consensus of data wins not power or hierarchy.
Creativity loves constraint - stay in the sandbox and focus on direction/output.
Users and Usage are Key - Money will follow.
Don’t kill projects - morph them. Adjust or tweak and move on.

I have found that the notions origionally were the handiwork of Marissa Mayer who is supposedly to be one of the brightest and the best at Google. If you want to read more about her I’ve attached some links below. BusinessWeek apparently liked Google’s Nine notions as well. Links: BusinessWeek May 17, 2007 - Nine Notions of Innovation, Articles on Marissa Mayer - Businessweek: June 19, 2006 - Marissa Mayer: The Talent Scout and Businessweek: Oct 03, 2005 - Managing Googles Idea Factory.

Partnership for Google's TV Advertising System

2007-04-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Google has an important partner for the new TV ads system. "EchoStar Communications Corporation and Google announced today that the companies have entered into a partnership agreement to introduce the first automated system for buying, selling, delivering and measuring television ads on EchoStar DISH Network's 125 national satellite programming networks. Google will have access to a portion of DISH Network's advertising inventory that spans across all channels and dayparts. The agreement is the first of its kind for a national pay-TV provider and Google."The ads are bought through the same interface as AdWords and their performance will be measured by aggregating anonymized metrics from the set-top-boxes. Google will target the ads to the shows and not to their viewers: advertisers will be able to choose the "demographic, daypart and channel and pay only for actual impressions delivered".

March Madness for CSTV

2007-03-07T07:13:00.000-05:00

For the first time ever, CSTV will air two first-round out-of-market games from the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in their entirety, complementing sister company CBS Sports’ exclusive live network coverage of the tournament. CSTV will make its March Madness debut Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16. The broadcasts will be produced by CBS Sports with CBS announcers and graphics. Link: MultiChannel News 03/04/07 - CSTV Feels March Madness

TV Ads becoming Commonplace Outside the Home

2007-03-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

Place-based advertising in settings including grocery stores, gas pumps and office buildings is becoming a viable medium for marketers to send their messages to consumers -- in a forum in which they can't change channels. New standards for buying and selling the ads, as well as rating their success, are emerging for the fledgling segment, which has a presence in at least 37,000 venues nationwide, according to Profitable Channels. Link: The New York Times 03/02/07 - Away From Home, TV Ads are Inescapable

What DVR Users Are Really Doing

2007-02-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Nielsen told its national TV clients Thursday that there are significant differences in the way viewers use digital-video recorders, depending upon how soon after the original telecast they play back the recording and what genre of programming they are watching. It said that DVR playback that occurs closest to the original telecast retains more of the audience during commercials than DVR playback that occurs further out; and that certain genres, such as sports and news, have higher levels of live viewing, with DVR playback occurring closer to the original telecast than average. About 20% of households have some form of personal video device, Nielsen said. Link: MultiChannel News Feb 15, 2007 - What Nielsen Discovered About DVR Playback

2007-01-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

The Cable Advertising and Internet Advertising Bureaus both greatly influenced the direction and growth of their perspective industies during the past two decades. Today the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB) formally launched, announcing the membership roster and officers overseeing the organization. Formed and funded by industry leaders at 10 companies, the organization will help provide standards and best practices for the out-of-home video advertising industry and foster collaboration between agencies and out-of-home video ad networks. OVAB was formed by a majority of the largest out-of-home video ad networks in order to eradicate adoption barriers for the medium. The current membership includes Adspace Network, Captivate Network, Channel M, ClubCom, Office Media Network, Premier Retail Network, Reactrix Systems, Simon Brand Ventures, The Hotel Networks and Transit Television Network. Mike DiFranza, Captivate Network President, will serve as the chairman and acting president, while the group actively recruits for a full time president. Gerry Jones of Hotel Network will serve as the group's treasurer, and Mike Quinn of Premier Retail Network will serve as secretary. Details in Tuesday's RBR and TVBR Daily Epapers. Link: www.OVAB.org

Yahoo Enters the Mobile Search Market

2007-01-08T12:37:00.000-05:00

In a bid to restore investor faith and aggressively drive into the mobile search market, Yahoo will announce a new version of Go, its mobile phone search software, today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. About 500 million people use Yahoo services via their PCs, where it is second to Google in Web search. However, as mobile phones outsold PCs by about 4-to-1 in Q3 of last year, Yahoo has opted to plunge into the mobile search market. Go's oneSearch function classifies queries by type to provide the user with a more efficient search. Yahoo will use Web ads to encourage users to download the software themselves, rather than relying on mobile service providers or handset manufacturers. The company will announce partnerships with Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Research in Motion under which the software will be included with handsets. Competition should be fierce: Apple is working on a mobile phone and Google has introduced mobile versions of its services. Links: MarketWatch Jan 08, 2007 - With lead slipping, Yahoo focuses on wireless, Bloomberg.com Jan 08, 2007 - Yahoo Releases New Version of Mobile-Phone Software

ESPNU, MAAC Basketball Reach TV Deal

2007-01-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

It sure has been high time for low-profile sports conferences recently. Cable networks are battling each other to secure the rights to as many live college games as possible and tis has put small conferences are suddenly in demand. Alumni of Iona College, Manhattan College and Fairfield University can now catch their team’s college-basketball games on ESPNU as part of a three-year agreement between the network and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The agreement allows the network to broadcast at least eight of the conference's regular-season men's basketball games a year. The deal comes several weeks after the America Channel said it had reached deals with eight low- to mid-tier conferences to cover games starting this fall. Links: Multichannel News 01/03/97 – ESPNU Reaches MAAC Deal, Past SMM Post: 12/21/06 – The America Channel Grabs Rights to College Sports

Outdoor Advertisings Future holds Promise & Problems

2006-12-28T16:54:00.000-05:00

2006 was a big growth year for outdoor advertising industry. In the final quarter of the year we witnessed several big moves for the business, including the awarding of the country's most valuable municipal mass-transit contracts and a new state law to substantially reduce outdoor signage which could become a model for copycat legislation by other states. Outside the United States, however, the second-largest city in the world São Paulo, Brazil passed even more drastic legislation banning outdoor advertising altogether. Link: Media Daily News, Dec 28, 2006 - 2006 Great Year For Outdoor: Future Holds Promise, Problems

Yahoo's future with 'Panama'

2006-12-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

Yahoo hopes to put a weak 2006 behind it with the full release of its 'Panama' advertising platform in early 2007. The company would love to forget a year in which it lost search market share to Google, saw online ad revenues increase at a slower-than-expected pace and watched its share price plummet by 40%. But while Yahoo spent the last two years developing 'Panama,' which is supposed to narrow the gap with online search and advertising leader Google by increasing the accuracy of search-related ads and the accompanying click-throughs, companies like Google have already moved beyond search into 'non-premium' online ad venues, inking deals with social networking sites like MySpace while also encroaching into Yahoo's specialty, online branded advertising. Links: BusinessWeek Dec 26, 2006 - Why Yahoo's Panama Won't Be Enough, Blog - Don Dodge: Why Yahoo's Panama Project won't be enough

Significant Advance for Mobile Advertising

2006-12-26T12:55:00.000-05:00

Verizon announced that early next year it would allow limited banner advertising on news, weather, sports and other Internet sites that appear on their mobile phones. The company's decision is a significant and cautious advance into the world of small screen advertising. Despite confidence that mobile advertising is "poised to take off", Verizon, major ad agencies and national brands are still unsure of the absolute value of the medium. All of the players are walking a fine line between reaching potential customers and annoying or inconveniencing them. Ad agencies maintain that until decent video and ad placement are available on mobile phones, it will not be a limited advertising medium. According to industry analysts, mobile ad spending was $45 million in 2005 and will probably increase to approximately $150 million this year. Mobile advertiser could spend as much as $1.3 billion by 2010. Link: NYTimes Dec 26, 2006 -Verizon to Allow Ads on Its Mobile Phones

The America Channel Grabs Rights to College Sports

2006-12-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

As college sports leagues increasingly operate their own networks, a new contender has entered the field. The yet-to-be-launched America Channel has swooped up broadcast rights for a slew of sports events, albeit for lower-profile conferences. TAC, scheduled to debut next summer, will use telco TV as its distribution backbone. It's picked up the rights to basketball and football competition for eight NCAA Division 1 conferences, involving some 80 universities in 50 markets; most in top 20 markets. Links: MediaDailyNews Dec 21, 2006 - America Channel Debuts in 2007, Grabs Rights To College Sports, The America Channel website.

Ad-supported cable viewership up 29%, broadcast falls 17%

2006-12-14T18:56:00.000-05:00

The driving force in TV growth is cable, says Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer of Turner Broadcasting. Viewing of ad-supported cable is 29% higher than five years ago, with adults 18-49 now watching 15 hours per week. Broadcast viewing has fallen 17% to 8.5 hours per person per week. Link: Media Daily News, Dec 14, 06 - Ad-supported cable viewership up 29%, broadcast falls 17%

Advertising Trends in the U.S.

2006-12-04T16:50:00.000-05:00

An interesting story in todays NY Times compares the advertising trends in the U.S. with the U.K, where online is growing at a remarkable 40 percent a year and is expected to account for 10.5 percent of all advertising at the end of this year verses 5.6 in the U.S. What’s the primary difference? Some say the difference comes down to American media's reliance on television. TV spending is expected to top $72 billion in the U.S. this year; In Britain most advertising is national, there are fewer TV channels and the audience is much smaller, so far less is spent on TV. and local markets in the U.S. have been slow to spend on the web. Link: The New York Times – Dec 4, 2006 – The Future of Web Ads Is in Britian

Tivo Launches "Program Placement"

2006-11-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

TiVo's newest initiative, called Program Placement, is giving marketers an option that might partly combat the ad-skipping function. The maker of the most-talked-about DVR will allow advertisers to run an ad on the screen just before viewers delete or save a program. Court TV, The Weather Channel and Burger King are among the first marketers to sign up for the new program which allows advertisers to choose types of programming to advertise across. Link: Washingtonpost.com - Nov 29, 06 – TiVo sets ads on Programs to be deleted

DVR Makes big Difference to "The Office" & "Earl"

2006-11-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

In our busy household the DVR has been the best thing to come along in years. The DVR is typically scheduled to record most all of our favorite shows and we watch them when we can however this normally occurs with in a 72 hour period. Obviously many of you are in agreement because new Nielsen data reveals that 78% of viewers who watch recorded broadcast primetime shows play them back within two days, with 84% playing them back within three days. We’ve known for years that DVRs would fundamentally change how people watch TV, and now for the first time it’s beginning to reflect solidly in the ratings. That’s because the data also reveals that when delayed viewing is fully taken into account, ratings actually soar for some shows. Programs that are only modest performers on the nights they air are becoming big hits when that live viewing is supplemented by DVR viewing over the following week. The top ten impacted shows according to Nielsen are: “The Office”, “Earl”, “CSI”, “Ghost Whisperer”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Lost”, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”, “Friday Night Lights”, “Heroes”, “CSI: Miami” and “Survivor”. It’s still remains unclear how many viewers are watching recorded commercials however one thing is for sure, networks continuing to do business on a live-only basis are significantly distorting what true viewing is and are seriously short selling themselves. Link: MediaWeek, 11/09/06 - Nielsen: DVR Playback Viewing Occurs Within 3 Days of Air and Media Life, 11/09/06 - Just why the scuffleover DVR viewing

'07 Will Bring an 89% Increase to Online Video Ads

2006-11-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

Research firm eMarketer now projects that ad revenue from online video will reach $775 million next year. This is a revision from its previous estimate of $640 million. By 2010, online video ad spending will soar to $2.9 billion, or 11.5% of all dollars going to online ads, according to a new report, released today. Link: eMarketer.com Nov 06, 2006 - Online Video Ad Spending to Surge 89% in 2007

NFL Investment Paying off for ESPN

2006-10-25T14:53:00.000-05:00

The Giants’ 36-22 victory over the Cowboys on ESPN’s Monday Night Football was viewed by the largest audience in the history of cable television according to an ESPN spokesperson. The network stated that the NFL contest was seen in an average of 11.807 million homes, based on a 12.8 rating, translating to 16.028 million viewers two-plus. The previous record was CNN’s November 1993 NAFTA debate between then-Vice President Al Gore and Ross Perot on Larry King Live, which was seen in 11.174 million homes. The MNF ratings also topped those for four CNN telecasts of the Gulf War in 1991, topped by 11.742 million homes Jan. 17 of that year.

Google & YouTube - What does it Mean

2006-10-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

Unless you have spent the last week living in a cave, by now you have heard all the buzz about Google's $1.6 billion purchase of YouTube Inc. This big deal now has some in the TV industry wondering if the search engine is now "the de facto sixth broadcast network." Some executives are "miffed" and "panic stricken," according to Advertising Age, while Broadcasting & Cable lists the five things that may never be the same in TV because of the "new elephant in the control room." Links: Advertising Age Oct 16, 2006 - Say Hello to the Newest TV Powerhouse: Google and, Broadcasting & Cable Oct 16, 2006 - Big Changes Ahead

The New Video Capabilities used for Breaking News

2006-10-12T12:44:00.000-05:00

In the early '90's, video from the Rodney King and Reginald Denny beatings changed the way that news organizations began to gather and disseminate footage. Since that point technology has continued to revolutionize and speed the process. The Blog Lost Remote reported yesterday that Fox News had some of the first live video on the air from the scene of the NYC plane crash live via a Treo phone and CometVision. It may not be pretty (yet) but you get the picture!

Turner South off, SPSO on

2006-10-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

The ever-changing TV network horizon is about to sprout another regional sport network as the curtain closes on a southeastern movie and entertainment favorite. Fox Sports Networks announced plans to launch a new regional network exclusive to Southern sports fans. SportsSouth, formerly Turner South will be available to approximately 8 million cable and satellite subscribers across a six-state region comprised of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina. SportsSouth “SPSO” will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, with a matchup between the Atlanta Thrashers versus the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes.

The network plans to offer 180 live events, including 61 Atlanta Thrashers games and 45 Atlanta Hawks games during the upcoming 2006-07 NHL and National Basketball Association seasons, respectively. SportSouth will telecast 55 Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball games in 2007, increasing to 80 Braves games in 2008. Select games of MLB’s Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals will also be distributed on the network, subject to the league’s territory restrictions, and the service will showcase Southern collegiate sports, including action from the Big South and Southern Conferences. Link: Past SMM Post 02/19/06 – Turner South May be Acquired by Fox

ESPN's Ratings Breaker

2006-09-27T06:22:00.000-05:00

In ESPN’s third Monday Night Football broadcast the Saints dominated the Falcons 23-3 in front of a record-breaking audience. ESPN pulled an 11.8 rating (14,999,000 viewers two-plus) for the game and it was the highest-rated program in ESPN history. It was also the top program on both broadcast or cable networks Monday night. According to HitBox data, the network also drew big traffic on the Web with its football coverage, generating more than 27 million page views on Monday. In an unusual side note, an article published by ESPN, tooting there own horn, “ESPN Draws Largest Audience for Saints Homecoming” they state…

“It was the third time in three weeks that Monday Night Football set such a high-water mark and the second time the network won the night in primetime.”

Considering the game was the first played and broadcast from the New Orleans Superdome since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city and region I think that they might have been more sensitive with their choice of words.

PlaceBased Television to Generate Revenues of $1.2B in 2006

2006-09-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Digital out-of-home networks are popping up everywhere from high-rise elevators to gas station pumps to public rest rooms, creating new places and states of mind for marketers to reach their consumer and business prospects. The new networks, a subset of the outdoor media industry is sometimes referred to as place-based television. The growth is being spurred by a combination of entrepreneurial zeal from venue operators looking to tap the fast-growing advertising sector, as well as from increasing demand form advertisers and agencies seeking alternatives to traditional media. Marketers are gravitating to the new medium because of it’s ability to deliver conventional sight, sound and motion advertising that big TV advertisers have grown accustomed to, as well as their ability to deliver an extremely relevant message to consumers at a decisive moment in their purchase cycle. According to a new report released by marketing consultants Profitable Channels, approximately 700 digital out-of-home networks have launched since 2002 and they are estimated to account for $1.2 billion in national ad spending this year. Links: MediaDailyNews.com 09/12/06 – Digital Ad Boom shifting from Online to Out-Of-Home

Monetizing the Smallest Screen

2006-09-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

I’m a big supporter of the emerging mobile advertising industry. London-based Informa Telecoms & Media said in its recently released report that the proliferation of cheap, high quality multimedia mobile handsets together with the growth in high-speed networks would trigger a sharp upturn in mobile advertising. For 2006, Informa has forecast mobile advertising spending of $871 million, rising to $1.5 billion by the end of 2007. I have seen a few varied reports predicting Mobile Ad Spend growth. The Shosteck Group Study released last month estimates Mobile Advertising will be worth $10 Billion by 2010. Informa estimates $11 Billion within 5 years. Either number still suggests that Mobile is currently the fastest growing advertising medium. Link: Reuters 09/07/06 - Mobile Ad Spending set to Jump

First Half - Ad Spending Increases

2006-09-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

Advertising spending has increased by 5.1% during the first half of this year verse the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Many media categories saw a bump, however the largest gains were led by internet advertising (+49%), Spanish-Language TV (+21.8%) and Local Magazines (+10.4%). Network TV increase 6.3%, while National Cable TV saw only a 0.4% rise. Spot TV in the top 100 markets was up 3.5%; however, the smaller DMAs were down -0.6%. Network Radio continued in its slump at a -3.5%, while Spot Radio saw a modest increase of +1.4%. The largest increases came in the telecommunications field, with AT&T leading the pack with a 51 percent jump to $964 million while half of the top ten advertisers reduced spending including overall No. 1 GM, down 3% to $1.7 billion. Link: MediaDailyNews 09/01/06 - Nielsen: First Half Ad Market Grows 5.1%

Cables Political Ad Growth

2006-08-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

As campaign season ratchets up, television ad spend is on track to possibly break the 2002 record. But unlike previous midterm election years, candidates are devoting more money than ever to cable TV in an effort to target voters more precisely. Though most political ad dollars traditionally are spent after Labor Day, tight primaries and early spending on House, Senate and gubernatorial races have pushed local TV-ad spending above 311 million as of mid-August, up 45% from the same point in 2004 and more than three times as much as in 2002, according to TNS Media Intelligence. All political ad buys by mid-year, including issue ads, ballot initiatives and other issues, have pushed spending above 700 million nationally, according to the WSJ. National Cable Communications (NCC), the spot cable-ad rep firm estimates about 200 million will be spent on local and national cable spots this cycle. Link: WSJ.com 08/28/06 - As TV Campaign Spending Soars,Cable Outlets Attract More Dollars

Are Five-Second Video Ads the Right Format?

2006-08-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

Are five-second ads is coming into their own. Consumers with DVRs are used to zipping by a series of commercials in way less than 30 seconds. Research shows that DVR users usually fast-forward too far into the show they're watching. Then they have to rewind again, and usually scale it back just enough to see--you guessed it--the last five seconds of the last ad. So what are marketers doing? Placing a lengthy brand image at the end of their TV spot. Some networks are actually selling that last five seconds of a pod as an actual spot. On the Web, media companies are asking that we sit through one 30-second spot before viewing content. This is far too long according to Eric Picard, a senior product planner at MSN, he states that internal research shows that consumer tolerance for ads lasts between five and seven seconds. After that, tolerance turns to annoyance. Given that many broadband video clips last a short time, five-second ads are a good fit, and they don't exceed consumers' limit. What about longer-form streaming video? Well, even a series of five-second ads would be far more palatable (and lucrative) than fewer, longer sponsorship-type ad packages like those offered earlier by ABC. Link: ClickZ Network 08/28/06 – The Importance of the :05 Second Video Ad Past SMM Post: 04/25/06 – Five Second Video Ads

Outdoor Advertising and Wireless Technology

2006-08-25T07:27:00.000-05:00

Kudos to CBS for its willingness to try something radically new. They are about to introduce a new marketing campaign that combines outdoor advertising and wireless distribution. I think that you'll agree that they have stepped out of the box by developing video clips to preview their fall primetime lineup and are streaming them to anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device that passes within 36 feet of a technologically enhanced billboard. Located in Grand Central Station in New York City, the billboards will enable a person to watch a clip from a number of the new season upcoming programs including Shark, Smith, Jericho, The Class and CSI. Once a viewer activates their cell phone or PDA, the clip is downloaded via Bluetooth connectivity and then played on their wireless screen almost instantly. The content then can be saved or passed on to someone else. Link: WSJ 08/24/06 - CBS Touts New Shows in Video Clips, News.com 08/24/06 - CBS to Use Bluetooth wireless to Market new Shows

Nielsen Reports 1.1% increase in U.S. TV Households

2006-08-23T17:29:00.000-05:00

According to Nielsen Media Research the total number of television households within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii) is now estimated at 111.4 million, an increase of 1.1 percent since last year. They also reported many shifts in local market rankings. Notable changes are: New Orleans dropped 11 markets from 43 to 54 on a loss of 105,190 TV households, Las Vegas moves up 5 markets to 43, San Francisco climbs one to 5. Dallas up one to 6, Boston slides down to 7. Phoenix (now 13) and Seattle 14 change positions as does Miami (now 16) and Cleveland 17 and Orlando (now 19) and Sacramento 20. Link: Nielsen Press release and 2006-2007 Market Ranking

YouTube Eye's Revenue with Ads In Ads

2006-08-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Despite YouTube's status as an emblem of online media, it's never been easy for the company to claim much of this years predicted $17 billion online advertising market. Starting today, the video-sharing site plans to let advertisers create "channels" filled with clips they produce themselves and then in turn sell sponsorships to other advertisers. A "channel" from Warner Bros. Records dedicated to Paris Hilton's new album, which features ads for Fox Broadcasting Co.'s "Prison Break," is among the first such marketing vehicle to launch on the site. Placing ads within ads further blurs the traditional lines between entertainment and its sponsors and YouTube’s management hopes the trend develops into a lucrative source of revenue. Link: laTimes.com 08/22/06 – Video Site to Add to Ads. Past SMM Post: 07/28/06 - New "Clip Culture" Causes Advertisers to Panic and 07/17/06 - Monetizing YouTube and MySpace's monster Traffic

DVR Household and User Profile

2006-08-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

According to the latest data from Mediamark Research, 8.6% of U.S. adults reported having a DVR in their household. That percentage rose to 11.2% of adult households in the Spring 2006 release. The spring data shows that more than a third of adults with DVRs have a college degree, 17.1% live in households where average income surpasses $150,000 and 15.7% live in homes worth more than $500,000, according to new data from Mediamark Research. The report also found adults with DVRs are 81% more likely to be heavy Internet users, but 23% less likely to be heavy TV viewers. In addition, new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group found that sixty percent of all digital cable subscribers have used VOD and about 12% of households in the United States now have a DVR, up from 3% just two years ago. Links: MediaPost – Research Brief 08/17/06 – Adults in DVR Households Read More, Surf More and Watch TV More also Leichtman Research Group 07/27/06 – DVR and VOD User and Usage Continue to Grow

Goodbye ABC Sports

2006-08-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Time's are changing and apparently so is the guard. Gone is the long running ABC Monday Night Football (see past SMM Post - 12/26/06 The End of an Era for ABC). To the television history books goes ABC's Wide World of Sports. As of September 2, 2006 the ABC Sports brand will be put to rest. The Walt Disney Company will start a major branding campaign, "ESPN on ABC," will extend ESPN, the large cable sports network, as the umbrella TV sports programming brand on the ABC Television Network. Now when viewers tune in on ABC, all sports programming will have the exact on-air graphics look of ESPN. The last sporting event televised by ABC Sports will be the Little League World Series on Sunday, August 27. Links: MediaDailyNews.com 08/11/06 - ESPN Takes Over ABC Sports, Drop Kicks ABC Brand, MediaWeek.com 08/11/06 - ESPN Brand to Be Tagged on All ABC Sports Content

Google and MTV Networks team for video AdSense

2006-08-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Google announced earlier today that it had entered into a syndication deal with Viacom's MTV Networks. The plan is to syndicate a host of video clips, both professionally produced and user-generated, to publisher sites in the AdSense network. Google originally broke the news that it was integrating video into it’s successful AdSense product this past May however now that the first big name has signed on with clips from such popular MTV Networks shows as "Laguna Beach" and "SpongeBob SquarePants", it should draw a lot more interest. The deal will split ad revenue between the hosting site, Viacom and Google. If the test, which will begin later this month, proves promising, it could help change the business model for distributing video online and improve on AdSense's revenues, which last year totaled $2.7 billion.

eMedia Exchange

2006-08-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

e-Media Exchange could put the ad-buying/selling world on its ear. eBay is bringing its auction format to the ad world by connecting buyers and sellers of TV advertising in an online exchange. They are testing the new service, called the E-Media Exchange, with leading marketers, agencies and cable networks, including Toyota Motor, Wal-Mart Stores, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Home Depot, as well as a handful of media buyers including Interpublic Group's Magna Global. These companies are set to spend around $50 million combined to purchase ads on the exchange, which is supplied and managed by eBay. The test is located at www.admarketpilot.com. This move is intended as a first step in establishing a market value for TV spots, based on true demand. Links: AdWeek 08/04/06 - EBay Powers Online TV Ad Exchange, AdAge 08/04/06 - Marketers Release Details of Online TV Trading System

AOLvideo.com Beta

2006-08-01T07:54:00.000-05:00

AOL will launch a beta test preview of its new AOL Video portal later this week, available at www.aolvideo.com. This free portal service will include more than 45 new VOD channels containing thousands of hours of programming from various content partners such as A&E Network, MTV Networks, Warner Bros. Entertainment and the WNBA among others. It will also include a sophisticated video search engine with interactive programming guide; free streaming content and other full-length content available for purchase, as well as a multitude of videos, news clips, movie trailers, TV shows and more. Link: NYTimes.com 07/31/06 - AOL Plans Expansion of Videos on Portal

New "Clip Culture" Causes Advertisers to Panic

2006-07-28T14:16:00.000-05:00

Why you ask? Because they're not involved and the online video craze that's taken the Web by storm has trickled into the mainstream. 20 million visitors per month is now the traffic that YouTube is attracting with the average visitor spending two and a half minutes viewing each video. Unfortunately (as reported in the 07/17 Post – Monetizing YouTube and MySpace’s Monster Traffic), YouTube, has yet devised a way to make much revenue from this massive traffic. If the viral video site (and its 240 followers) could attract ad dollars, online video would be the business to be involved in right now. But where and when do you place advertisements? YouTube CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley points out, Google created advertising that helped the user experience--and he intends to do the same with YouTube. Michael Robertson, the founder of MP3.com, says it's inevitable there will be ads on YouTube. I agree and believe that their best option is to sell sponsorships to each of the 40 user-generated channels. Link: MarketWatch 07/27/06 – You Tube’s ‘Clip Culture’

MRI: DVR User's Watching Less

2006-07-27T12:28:00.000-05:00

How has the DVR impacted your households’ television viewing habits? In mine, it has turned it on its head. The biggest surprise for me was seeing how quickly my 11 and 7 year old embraced the technology. Are we consuming more television because of it? I doubt it and new research has emerged that agrees with my feeling. A highly regarded media researcher's findings contradict the networks' insistence that DVR users watch more television. Although households with DVRs tend to watch fewer hours of TV than those without the devices, they also tend to be heavy users of the Internet and readers of magazines and newspapers, according to the spring 2006 report from Mediamark Research Inc. Links: MediaWeek 07/26/06 – MRI: DVR Owners Bulk up on Print, Web or Media Daily News 07/27/06 – New Data that suggests DVR users watch less, not more

Mobile TV Show lines Up the Advertisers

2006-07-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

Projections of how many Americans are likely to adopt mobile video vary wildly however I believe that it will soon be the place to be. Market analysis firm Jupiter Research recently estimated that the number of regular users of mobile video will grow to about 12 million by 2010. Currently mobile television programmer GoTV Networks has about 100,000 subscribers for its stable of 12 premium channels. Today they announced plans to premiere a made-for-mobile reality show that will be one of the first significant programming experiments for the emerging cellular video business. “Primped”, a 30-episode unscripted series in the makeover genre that runs for six weeks. The show has more than 12 advertisers (including Conair, Dollhouse, Divina, Biatta Intimates and Union Bay) with branded integration in the show. Each episode of “Primped” runs for two to four minutes, and new editions debut every weekday. Sprint customers with access to mobile TV content can get all 30 episodes for $6.99. The series will be available for purchase for the rest of the year. Link: TVWeek.com 07/17/06 - Tiny Time Slot, Big Plan

Monetizing YouTube and MySpace's monster Traffic

2006-07-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

While YouTube is continuing to break it’s own traffic records, this week announcing that they have hit a milestone of 100 million videos served every day and MySpace has hundreds of millions of users, and ridiculously high monthly traffic. They both provide proof that traffic just isn't enough anymore. Can these companies find a way to monetize these millions of mouse clicks or are these highly talked about start-ups just more Silicon Valley one million-click wonders?

In recent months, YouTube has experimented with Yahoo and Google text-based ads, and last week it launched a banner ad campaign for Disney's “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,’’ (financial details have not been released). News Corp. has only been able to sell a few banner ads for MySpace and that problem is further compounded by the fact that they don't even get the lucrative blue-chip brand advertisers to buy those banner ads despite the fact that its member demographic is the young and malleable crowd after which marketers lust. Links: USAToday.com 07/16/06 - YouTube serves up 100 million video per day, MercuryNews.com 07/12/06 – How will YouTube make Money, internetnews.com 07/14/06 – Is there Money in MySpace

Broadcast TV Ratings - A New Low

2006-07-12T07:44:00.000-05:00

The summer has never been a high point for TV ratings for the big four broadcast networks however the first week in July 2006 represents a new low of lows. Fewer people watched the Big Four networks last week than at any time in recorded history. CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox averaged 20.8 million viewers during the average prime-time minute last week, according to Nielsen Media Research. That sunk below the previous record of 21.5 million, set during the last week of July in 2005. Link: Yahoo News, July 11, 2006 – A low watermark for broadcast TV viewing

Rentrak to Measure VOD Ads

2006-07-07T14:20:00.000-05:00

MultiChannel News reports that in beta testing from Rentrak Corp. is a new video-on-demand measurement application that will deliver details about viewing durations and overall impressions delivered by TV advertisements embedded into on-demand viewing sessions. The “AdEssentials” product is aimed at providing more context around viewing behavior associated with the nascent on-demand advertising category, which poses challenges because viewers can usually fast-forward through commercials.

Senior VP Cathy Hetzel says the new tools also will divulge commercial views by time of day and will display ZIP-code level demographics. She sees some creativity emerging in the on-demand advertising space as sponsors figure out ways to integrate with the medium. One finding: placing 15-second “bumper” spots preceding on-demand programs seems to ward off fast-forwarding, presumably because viewers figure skipping the abbreviated messages isn’t worth the bother. Rentrak already tracks on-demand viewing metrics for cable programmers and MSOs including Comcast Corp., but the new product will focus on advertising instead of program viewing.

Go Mobile - Get Food Faster

2006-07-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

Mobile phone applications and internet access are improving consumers ability to seach out information and save time from daily routines today more than ever. Mobo, launched in May 2006, lets NYC (beta test) customers order from restaurants and pay for meals using sms.

How it works? Customers create an account, which includes their credit card details. After signing up for the service, they can order online via www.gomobo.com, or by text message/sms. The order appears on the restaurant's in-store Mobo system, and is automatically billed to the customer's credit card. The restaurant confirms the order, and the customer receives a text message stating when the order will be ready for pick up. Each affiliated restaurant has a separate Mobo Pick Up counter, so Mobo users can walk straight to the counter, state their name and last four digits of their phone number, and pick up their food.

According to Mobo, the benefits for partnering restaurants are increased profits from new Mobo customers, higher average order amounts, increased customer loyalty and improved operating efficiency. Customers save time (which IS the new currency), get a bit of that oh so coveted VIP treatment with their takeaways, and vendors increase profits. I see this as being a viable platform to add sponsorship elements to! UPDATE: September 20, 2006 I ran across this in the Wall Street Journal - Text Messaging Speeds Up Fast-Food Orders

VOD User Profile

2006-06-28T16:40:00.000-05:00

Scarborough Research released a report on VOD Users. The analysis found that today's VOD Users hail from upscale, young families and that across the US 7% of consumers live in a household that used VOD during the past month. Here a general profile of the current VOD user:

27% more likely than all consumers to be ages 18-24
20% more likely to have two or more children in the household
27% more likely than all consumers to be African-American
Two times as likely to have an annual household income of 150k+
50% more likely to spend 20 or more hours online weekly
27% more likely to cite reality programs as a TV genre that they typically watch
24% more likely to tune in to music
22% more likely to watch News magazines
21% more likely to watch science fiction
18% more likely to watch dramas

"Consumer usage of VOD services is gaining momentum across the country and marketers are seeking ways to use it to their advantage," said Carol Edwards, vice president, cable services, Scarborough Research and Arbitron. "As VOD providers seek to broaden their distribution of services and present this as a new advertising platform, understanding VOD users' lifestyles, demographics, television viewing habits, and spending patterns, will enable them to enhance their offering for the consumer and for the advertiser."

TiVo's Interactive Ad Capabilities

2006-06-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

Auto manufacturer, BMW, has become the first advertiser to use the TiVo DVR platform's interactive advertising capabilities in the context of a regular television program rather than a commercial or promotion. The company embedded interactive tags in the premiere of an episode of the SPEED Channel show, "Test Drive" (also appearing in re-runs), that featured BMW automobiles, and in promotional spots leading up to the episode: the tags allowed TiVo subscribers to press a button on their remote, in order to access more information, schedule a recording of the program, and view an exclusive video on BMW's M-series cars. TiVo and BMW have a long-standing relationship: the auto manufacturer has previously promoted its 5 Series and 3 Series automobiles through TiVo Showcases (note: TiVo Showcases are on-demand, long-format ads that are automatically downloaded to a special section of the TiVo box's hard drive).

More Sports Viewing Moves Online

2006-06-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

The success of online viewing of Sporting event are paving the road for the growth of Web companies like MediaZone.com and WCSN.com. They have focused on the small, but passionate fan base of so-called second-tier sports like tennis, cycling, beach volleyball and track and field and have built their business models around the online pay-per-view screenings of their events. This coming Monday MediaZone.com will begin showing the first of some 250 Wimbledon matches however since 2004, sporting events have generated more than 500,000 paid subscriptions. While MediaZone and WCSN charge viewers, CBS and ESPN opt for free programming with advertising. CBS had a huge success with their innovative move to webcast this years NCAA finals and ESPN is currently streaming World Cup games online. Pay-per-view or ad supported model aside we have definitely turned the corner for sports viewing on the net. Links: USAToday 06/23/06 – More Sports go online for a fee Past SMM Post: SportsLine.com Breaks Records 04/12/06 and Online Demand for CBS’s NCAA Tournament Surpasses Capacity 03/27/06

World Cup Internet Traffic Spike

2006-06-22T16:56:00.000-05:00

Online viewership for Sporting events are breaking all the records this year, as broadband penetration continues to climb and viewer's become more comfortable with watching video on their computers. Today Broadcasting & Cable reports that ESPN's live streaming coverage of the World Cup game between the US and Ghana led to the largest spike in internet traffic so far. It's Net Usage Index found a noontime average of 7.2 million visitors per minute. That crushes the previous record spike of 5.4 million viewers per minute, set during March Madness this year. Link: BroadcastingCable.com 06/22/06 - World Cup "Nets Traffic Record

CBS Local News Goes Mobile

2006-06-20T07:37:00.000-05:00

National content is great but many consumers are waiting to sample video on their portable video devices when they can get local news, weather and sports. A new service is about to offer local news video and it is coming to mobile phones for the first time. Twenty-five TV stations, including 16 owned-and-operated CBS stations in top markets, and WRAL, Capitol Broadcasting Corp.'s CBS affiliate in Raleigh, N.C., have begun to offer video newscasts called My Local TV. It will be available on Sprint’s “Power Vision” broadband-data service for a premium $4.95 monthly subscription. Link: Adweek 06/19/06 – Local CBS News Streamed to Cells

Can Political Spending help bring in the Budget this Year?

2006-06-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

According to a recent Kagan Research report, local cable advertising revenues grew just 3% in the first quarter (trailing the 11% revenue gains estimated for national ad-supported cable networks). Most broadcast groups are feeling a similar pain however they have more experience in handling slowing revenue growth. If your pacing behind its getting late so don’t miss one of this years greatest opportunities – Political - particularly if you're located in a political jurisdiction which is considered to be in play - - a number which seems to be increasing on almost a daily basis.

Even without a presidential race, the 2006 political advertising market is roaring. Candidates and issue-oriented groups have spent $440 million on advertising through early June. That’s $110 million more than political advertisers spent in 2004 through the same date. Overall, U.S. political ad spending is projected to top $1 billion overall, most of it flowing over broadcast and cable TV outlets. What is the catalysis driving 2006’s growth: 36 races for state governor.

Television will account for close to 85% of all political spending, helping the industry make up for the defection of some other ad categories to new-media outlets and Spot cable should get a strong share of spending from U.S. House and Senate races believed to be “in play”. In these markets it is very important to do all of your ground work on these accounts now because TNS Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group projects that more than 90% of the dollars will flow over the final 60 days of campaigning.

All indications are that the final total on political in 2006 will blow away that spent in any other mid-term in history, and will probably blow away most of the presidential years. The balls in your court!!

World Cup TV Viewing Double '02

2006-06-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

Univision’s Spanish language viewership for the 2006 FIFA World Cup soccer competition is 53% higher than the 2002 event with most of the month-long tournament left to go. According to Nielsen's NTI Fast National Ratings, Univision says the first eight games have averaged 2.6 million Persons 2+, which is 1.7 million more than the average of the first eight games of the 2002 World Cup tournament in Korea/Japan. Even more dramatic growth was seen among Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 with nearly five times and more than three times the audience in these demographics respectively. Sunday's match-up between Mexico and Iran has been the biggest draw thus far. The game, which resulted in a Mexican victory, drew an average audience of 5.4 million Persons 2+, making it the most-watched sporting event in Spanish-language television history, beating even previous World Cup final matches, Univision said of the Nielsen results. Over the course of the World cup competition, Univision will carry live coverage of 56 games, including the final championship match, and sister network TeleFutura will broadcast eight live games. All games will be rebroadcast during primetime on either TeleFutura or the Galavision cable network. ABC’s English-language telecast are showing even bigger gains, up 65% in ratings from two games versus four years ago. Links: MediaDaily News, 06/13/06 – U.S. TV World Cup Ratings More Than 50% Higher

Internet Gains Eyeballs from Local TV Stations

2006-06-12T16:10:00.000-05:00

This morning the Wall Street Journal reports that a broad shift of eyeballs and advertising dollars to the Internet is putting the pinch on profits at local TV stations. If that wasn’t bad enough for the broadcasters, there are few hit shows flowing in from parent networks, a trend that's driving viewers to other media. There is almost the prefect storm forming around the business as viewership declines and major ad categories, like automotive, are cutting back schedules. The buzz from industry exec’s is that a lot of the budgets that currently are moving online are strictly experimental, and the hope is that when the experiment is over, those companies that tried it will come running back to broadcast.

Wake UP!! The fact is, the number of consumers doesn't seem to be increasing at anywhere near the rate that each consumer's personal entertainment and information options are. This means further fragmentation, more competition and the need for new strategies to grab an audience and maintain/increase profits. Many stations are following the cash to the Internet themselves and are moving their website components away from the common “value-added”. Unfortunately in the race for stations to reinvent themselves many are proving that they just don’t know how.

TiVocast

2006-06-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

If you had asked me 18 months ago about TiVo, I would have said that they would probably soon be out of business. That would have been very unfortunate because I was more than impressed with their product and the incredible brand recognition that they had created. Time has past and their management team has achieved a few wins. The business is on track and you have read here on numerous occasions about the new technologies and products that they have launched. Today is no different as TiVo is launching a new service that will let subscribers watch Web-based video on their TV sets. The content will come from a variety of new sources: NBA, NY Times, CNET, ivillage, Heavy and others. The new service is called TiVocast and it adds to the deal announced last month to provide web video from Brighcove clients. Most of the content is Ad-Supported and it is the latest attempt by the DVR pioneer to stand out amid an onslaught of generic DVRs offered by cable and some satellite providers. Link: WJS 06/07/06 – TiVo Will Offer Web Video Service to TV Subscribers

Speed Revs Up Broadband & VOD

2006-06-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Speed Channel revs up its web site this week with its launch of “Speed on Demand” broadband video-on-demand portal. It offers archived original streamed videos or replays from events including the American Motorcycle Association Supercross and Superbike championships; FIA World Superbike; the Isle of Man TT races; the International Race of Champions; Federation International de l'Automobile Grand Touring; Le Mans Endurance Series; SPEED GT; Touring Car; and the recently added Grand Prix Masters.

Vice President of business development Kevin Annison stated that “With broadband access hitting critical mass, Speed is now able to offer a unique multiplatform-access portal to create an 'online motor-sports hub' offering races on demand. As we continue to secure broader rights to all of our programs, we will rapidly expand the Speed on Demand online offerings to feature hundreds of original race-series videos and linear-network race repeats.” Link: SpeedTV.com