Search results matching tag 'Digital'

New Look, Additional Features at TVWeek.com

Anonymous — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:57:00 GMT

As previously announced, this is the last regularly-scheduled print edition of TelevisionWeek. From now on the publication will exist exclusively on the Web at its Web site, TVWeek.com. The site has been given a complete redesign, with several new features, including: —Open Mic, a new blog featuring commentary and analysis from TV industry insiders and executives. —The Twitterati, an Twitter aggregator featuring feeds from a wide variety of TV-centric sources. —An expanded TVBizWire section, with the latest industry headlines from the TVWeek.com staff and publications across the Internet. Josef Adalian, deputy editor and columnist, will become editor of TVWeek.com. As previously announced, TelevisionWeek editor Greg Baumann will be leaving the company. Mr. Adalian will oversee day-to-day operations at the Web site, while offering news reporting and analysis of the TV industry via his recently launched blog, TV MoJoe, and his weekly column. He will work closely with Tom Gilbert, who continues as executive editor of TVWeek.com. Chuck Ross will oversee Mr. Adalian and Mr. Gilbert as managing director of TVWeek.com “Joe is one of the finest journalists I know,” Mr. Ross said. “As we continue our tradition of news you can trust exclusively on our Web site, I can think of no one better to lead us.” Mr. Adalian joined TVWeek in May 2008. He had previously spent a decade at Variety, where he was TV editor. During his nearly 20-year career in journalism, Mr. Adalian has also been a reporter for the New York Post and the Boston Herald. He served as TV critic for the Washington Times in 1994. Mr. Gilbert, who will be based in New York, joined TelevisionWeek (then Electronic Media) as managing editor in 2000 and was named executive editor in 2005. A veteran entertainment journalist, he previously was managing editor of both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, and immediately prior to joining TVWeek was an editor at the Los Angeles Times.

TV Twittering: A Subtle Art

Anonymous — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:37:00 GMT

When Fox’s “Prison Break” ran its series finale last month, fans of the show were left wondering if the lead character was really dead. Their response was to go online and post a whole lot of “WTF?s” in chat rooms, fan sites and Twitter, using the Internet acronym for “what the f**k?” For 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the series, a WTF? or two is a good thing. It means fans are curious and engaged. Fox’s efforts to use social media to both gauge and shape buzz for the series finale illustrates one of the ways in which TV programmers can harness social media. In this case, the studio judiciously doled out clues on social forums rather than issuing a blatant promotional message for “Prison Break: The Final Break,” an 88-minute DVD releasing July 21 with never-before-seen episodes. Those efforts also embodied the findings of a study that suggests networks will likely have more success using social networks for brand building, as Fox did, than for driving tune-in. According to research firm Knowledge Networks, Twitter is best used by TV networks to connect to influential people, such as bloggers, reporters and critics, than it is to encourage viewers to tune in at 8 p.m. Despite Twitter’s meteoric rise, the service is still only accessed regularly by a small percentage of the population. A recent Nielsen study found that 60% of people who sign up for the service stop using it after one month. Twitter Saved ‘Chuck’ That doesn’t mean the social-networking service hasn’t reached a critical mass. NBC was on the receiving end of a fan-driven campaign to save “Chuck” from cancellation that used Twitter to demonstrate audience devotion to the show. The network cited the campaign in its decision to spare “Chuck.” Also, Internet users tend to dismiss more overt sales and tune-in messages on social forums, said David Tice, vice president of the media practice at Knowledge Networks. “With Twitter, people don’t succeed with the hard sell. It needs to be more subtle,” he said. That’s why Fox monitored word of mouth on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace communities in the weeks leading up to the “Prison Break” finale, as fans speculated about whether the lead character would marry his longtime love. The episode itself didn’t provide the answer but after the West Coast finale aired, the studio posted a wedding photo of the fictional couple in social forums, said Steven Melnick, senior VP of marketing for 20th Century Fox. Only then did the studio officially announce that it would release two more episodes in the DVD, which will address the WTFs that fan posted about the character’s fate. “The level of engagement by fans was pretty extraordinary and it’s the kind of chatter we track regularly, which is one of the benefits of these social networks,” Mr. Melnick said. “It’s more effective to give them a piece of content to react to and forward around, than give them a message that the DVD is coming on July 21.” Engagement Key NBC uses Twitter to share production information, pictures and news on upcoming guest stars for shows, said Jared Goldsmith, director of digital promotion strategy at NBC. “The key is engagement. This lets fans become a part of the process to peek behind the curtain,” he said. He emphasized that Twitter is a communication tool and to use it for anything more is tricky. “We don’t want it to be a spam tool,” he said. Programmers also need to remember Twitter is still not mainstream. “Social media wasn’t a big factor in terms of a reference or a resource for what shows to watch,” Mr. Tice said, adding that 32% of social media users said they used social media regularly or sometimes as a reference for information, reviews, or recommendations on TV programs, with most relying more on friends or media reports. Social media can be a valuable way to garner press attention, Mr. Tice said. For instance, rather than “tweet” tune-in messages, Discovery Channel uses Twitter to share “insider” content like pictures or updates from a shoot, links to behind-the-scenes videos and alerts to the media regarding breaking news, said Katherine Nelson, VP of communications for the network. The network has also created talent accounts for stars like “MythBusters’” Adam Savage and “Dirty Jobs’” Mike Rowe. To be effective for a network, Twitter should be interactive, said Scott Lackey, co-founder and strategic director at advertising agency Jugular. Networks need to be ready to have conversations with fans, share songs and even live “tweet” interviews with talent or stars, he said.

Where Is Hispanic TV on Web?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:31:00 GMT

Hulu last week rolled out a batch of new initiatives to make the Web-video site appealing to more users. One group of users that was left out: Spanish speakers. That oversight may not be surprising, given the television advertising industry’s ambivalent attitude toward the demographic. As networks get more comfortable with Web delivery of TV shows, however, look for them to try to capture Hispanic and bilingual audiences online and via mobile video. “More and more you see that advertisers want to look multi-platform options to reach their consumers, and the Hispanic audiences are high media users,” said Leticia Juarez, VP of Media and Promotions for the Hispanic ad firm Castells. “The opportunity is there, and it’s a missed opportunity for a segment that is growing tremendously.” Telemundo Executive VP of Digital Media and Emerging Businesses Peter E. Blacker said that his Spanish-language network has participated in discussions with Hulu, a joint venture between NBC Universal, News Corp. and Walt Disney Co.’s ABC. A deal with the site is something that may happen in the future, Mr. Blacker said. “I think it’s just been a matter of timing,” Mr. Blacker added. “We had to first get our new Telemundo.com up and running. We launched our new site in January, and we’ve seen our video numbers as well as our audience numbers skyrocket, but we had to get that under control first.” He said Telemundo is interested in getting its content onto other Web video sites “in the near future.” Telemundo and Hulu, both subsidies of General Electric, began talks about having Telemundo content appearing on the site three months after Hulu’s launch. Since then, the network has been focusing on establishing its online video brand and nurturing a committed audience. In addition to hosting full episodes of its telenovela prime-time content, Telemundo.com also allows viewers to react and interact with other fans to specific scenes. A representative for Hulu did not respond to requests seeking comment. Hispanic and bilingual audiences continue to be more elusive online than non-Hispanic, English-speaking audiences. Part of the problem may stem from Spanish-language media’s failure to deliver content the way its audience wants to consume it. According to a study that the Simmons research company performed for bilingual music entertainment network MTV Tr3s, many Hispanic media consumers are less tethered to a computer than non-Hispanic counterparts. By the same token, they demonstrate greater hunger for online video content. Of the 20.6 million Hispanics online each month, those using the Web for watching and downloading video outpace non-Hispanic Web users, according to a North American Technographics Benchmark Survey for Telemundo. Among those seeking online video, a larger amount would also prefer Spanish-language content over English. Given Hispanics’ less prevalent use of computers to access Web video, it may not be surprising that more viewers in that group prefer mobile devices to watch clips than in non-Spanish speaking demographics. MTV Tr3s VP of Programming and Production Lily Neumeyer said her network’s strategy for online and mobile video is, like Telemundo’s, to build an audience. The network, which aims for younger viewers, currently focuses its online video content on supplementing its broadcast shows by featuring additional clips, interviews and music performances. The goal is to drive traffic to the network and build awareness of its brand. “We really believe in exposing our audience to our content in a multiplatform basis,” said Ms. Neumeyer. “We do know that young people are interacting with content everywhere, but we’d like to really asses how much is too much and how much is too little, because our main purpose right now is to grow our distribution and our exposure on air.” Networks that traffic in Spanish-language and bilingual video content also face a challenge that bedevils their English-language counterparts: No one has figured out a way to profit from it on the same scale that old-fashioned TV does. And Spanish-language media companies may find that some of the same problems that have challenged them in the television business—marketers who don’t understand how to sell to Hispanic audiences—persist in the Web-video world. “As an advertiser, we want to associate our brand with content that is Hispanic-relevant, culturally relevant, and that is quality premium programming,” said Ms. Juarez. “The content is there, but it’s the deals that have to be struck.”

3.1 Mil Households Still Unready for DTV

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:32:51 GMT

The number of TV households completely unready for the digital transition decreased to 3.1 million, according to Nielsen. The number represents 2.7% of TV households, down from 2.9% at the time of Nielsen’s last report two weeks ago, which stated that 3.3 million households were unready. For TVWeek’s comprehensive coverage of the digital television transition, visit the DTV Switch Navigator page. The other statistics released by Nielsen were in line with the previous report. Although they’ve made improvements, African-Americans, Hispanics and those under age 35 are still the least ready groups, at 5.4%, 4.7% and 5%, respectively. Additionally, Albuquerque-Santa Fe, N.M., remains the least ready market with 8.40% of households completely unready. (Editor: Baumann)

TheWB.com Gets ‘Pushed’

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:07:58 GMT

TheWB.com has added another original series to its roster with “Pushed.” All 25 episodes of the thriller are now available on the Web site. “Pushed” revolves around a beautiful young model who seems to have it all—except for a husband who isn’t quite what he appears to be. The series is created by “Law & Order” producers Jeremy Littman and Morgan Gendel. It stars Catherine Hicks, William R. Moses, Veronica Taylor and Mark Matkevich. (Editor: Baumann)

Web Firm Gets Revved Up by TV Commercials

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Maybe it takes a company rooted in new media to really love the things that old media, like network television, can accomplish. Web hosting and domain name company Go Daddy was the sponsor of ABC’s coverage of one of the grand old spectacles of sports, the Indianapolis 500, over the weekend. Go Daddy is probably best known for the commercials it has been running during the Super Bowl, TV’s biggest day of the year. Go Daddy achieves added notoriety for its sponsorship of the football championship by rolling out risqué ads too “hot” to be shown on TV. This tactic generates media attention in the form of stories about the networks turning down Go Daddy’s spots. It also generates traffic to Go Daddy’s Web sites, where the uncut, unsuitable for broadcast versions of the commercials are available for the curious to see. For the Indianapolis 500, Go Daddy focused on one of its newer “Go Daddy Girls,” race car driver Danica Patrick, the only woman to hold the lead in the annual event. The company designed a cliffhanger commercial that urged viewers to go online to see how the commercial, called “Speeding,” would turn out. In the commercial, Ms. Patrick is pulled over on a deserted highway for exceeding the speed limit. When the female police officer recognizes who she’s stopped and what company she represents, the officer begins her own special audition to be a Go Daddy Girl. As the spot ends, Ms. Patrick promises a racier conclusion on the Web site. And the gambit worked, as far as the Internet company is concerned. Ms. Patrick came in third place in the 500, the highest-ever finish for a woman. And Go Daddy’s Web traffic jumped 163% during the race compared to a year ago. Traffic was even higher following the race, with the site racking up a 570% increase in visitors. “First and foremost, congratulations to Danica on her historic performance,” said Go Daddy founder and CEO Bob Parsons in a statement. “She made us all proud today on and off the track. It was amazing to watch the response to our new commercial ... visitors jumping online so quickly to see our Internet-only version.” Driving TV viewers to the Web is paramount for Go Daddy, because that’s where it does its business and can fully explain its proposition and services to potential customers. “Getting visitors to the site is what it’s all about—when people see what Go Daddy can do for them online, they become customers,” said Mr. Parsons. “Once they experience our 24/7 personalized customer service, they tell family and friends—who then become customers, as well.” And if the ads are embarrassing, Ms. Patrick isn’t letting on. “A lot of people tease me about the Go Daddy ads because they push the envelope,” the driver is quoted as saying in a statement from the company. “But GoDaddy-esque ads are fun to make, fun to watch … you just never know what’s going to happen.” And Go Daddy says that in its survey of people who watched the online-only version of the commercial, 92% found its “hilarious, funny and clever.”

YouTube Gets Flexible to Pull in Network Partners

Anonymous — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:30:00 GMT

As YouTube tries to win over television programmers and the brand advertisers that want to sponsor their shows, the site is offering more flexible terms for providers of premium TV content. The new inducements? Functionality that lets programmers run pre-roll ads before shows and a policy that lets networks use their own video players on the site. During last week’s upfront presentation, ESPN touted its recent YouTube partnership, noting that, starting in July, ESPN content will be featured on YouTube using the ESPN player. ESPN will run pre-roll ads in front of some of those clips. Those conditions were part of the deal that ESPN parent Disney inked in late March with the video giant. Disney will be the third programming partner to use its own video player on the site, following similar moves by Sony and CBS. “It’s part of our evolving relationships with partners, and a lot of them have their own fan base, so what we are trying to do on a partnership basis is to be more flexible,” said Chris Dale, a spokesman for YouTube. YouTube also lets partners sell their own advertising inventory if they choose. CBS sells its spots on YouTube and Disney has the option to sell its YouTube inventory. For now, the ESPN content on the site includes display ads and overlay ads that run on top of videos at YouTube.com/ESPN. The network is currently using YouTube’s player for short clips. YouTube would not share data on the performance and effectiveness of pre-roll ads on the site. CBS is the first programmer to experiment with pre-roll ads on YouTube, placing them before many of its classic shows such as “MacGyver” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” YouTube said the addition of premium content and the new “shows” section for premium providers has increased views. Advertising opportunities likewise have increased. “The results have exceeded our expectations in terms of views,” Mr. Dale said. Pre-roll ads don’t work for all types of content. They’re not a good fit for short videos, but they work well for longer material. They’re also a must-have for many programmers. Using the Sony-owned Crackle.com player was a condition of Sony’s deal with the site announced in April, said Sony Pictures Television spokeswoman Paula Askanas. With the player, the studio maintains content protection, serves the ads and counts the traffic, she said. “All the people who watch our movies on the site—the traffic is registered as Crackle traffic,” she said. That helps Sony build its Crackle brand rather than just the YouTube brand, she noted.

DTV Soft Test Results in Record Number of Helpline Calls

Anonymous — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:28:13 GMT

A record number of consumers called the Federal Communications Commission’s national helpline Thursday in response to a nationwide DTV soft test. The FCC helpline received more than 55,000 calls from consumers, a single-day record. The helpline has averaged 15,000 calls per day since May 1 and prior to the soft test. For TVWeek’s comprehensive coverage of the digital television transition, visit the DTV Switch Navigator page. The most common issues raised and information sought by callers included information about government coupons for DTV converter boxes, concerns about reception and instructions for installing DTV converter boxes. Consumers seeking information about coupons represented 51% of calls, while reception issues and installation accounted for 15% and 10% of calls, respectively. More than 125 broadcast markets participated in the soft test. The Chicago market generated the most calls at 1,310, followed by New York with 1,277 calls and Dallas-Fort Worth with 764 calls. The Dallas-Fort Worth market is the No. 2 most DTV-unready market, according to a report released by Nielsen last week. “This soft test did exactly what it was supposed to do,” Michael Copps, acting FCC chairman, said in a statement. “It was a wake-up call for consumers who are unprepared, alerting them to the fact that they need to take the necessary steps before the June 12 DTV transition.”

Video: Novel Approach to Marketing Books

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:24:52 GMT

Publishers and authors are stepping up their game when it comes to online video. The young adult genre is taking the lead with new creative experiments in Web video to promote books like Jay Asher’s “Thirteen Reasons Why,” Alyson Noel’s “Evermore” and Harper Teen’s “The Luxe,” Daisy Whitney reports in her New Media Minute. For more details on what’s working, what’s not and what’s next when it comes to the intersection of the Internet and novels, check out this episode.

Americans Still Prefer Traditional TV, Nielsen Report Says

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:12:14 GMT

Traditional television remains the screen of choice for Americans, according to Nielsen’s recent Three Screen Report. The average American watches 153 hours of TV every month at home, the report found. That’s a 1.2% increase from last year. While Americans are watching more TV than ever, viewing on the Web and mobile video viewing also continue to grow. Online video consumption rose 13% in the first quarter of 2009, due in part to the presidential inauguration, Super Bowl and March Madness. Nielsen’s report found that 131 million Americans watch video on the Internet, averaging three hours of video watched online each month at home. Mobile video watchers represented 13.4 million Americans, an increase of 52% from last year. Mobile video watchers averaged 3.5 hours of mobile video each month.