Category Archives: MediaPost

Long-time Madison Avenue media research guru Jon Swallen has been named chief research officer of WPP’s Kantar Media Intelligence North America unit. He previously was senior vice president-research.

Worldwide video usage on computers is now as common as watching it on traditional television among online consumers. The growth is helped by the rise of video usage of mobile devices. Looking at 56 countries, Nielsen says 84% of viewers … Continue reading →

Don’t you long for the days when everyone in marketing and advertising didn’t hitch their wagons or stake their claims to outside-the-box thinking? I do.

Centro, which operates an exchange selling online inventory from newspapers and other local sites, has partnered with Krux to launch an ad exchange for premium publishers that shields their audience data from third parties who may be looking to reach … Continue reading →

New York District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff has ordered the criminal trial (by jury) of former Posterscope USA executives Todd Hansen and James Buckley to begin on July 9, according to court papers. The pair were arrested last fall … Continue reading →

Don’t think of TBS and TNT as TV networks — think of them as “video destinations.” And for the first time, those destinations will provide original programming all year round, Turner Entertainment executives announced. Two new sitcoms, the workplace comedy … Continue reading →

With the season nearly complete, CBS has moved into a virtual dead heat with Fox in the ratings that matter most to advertisers: C3 ratings among 18-49 viewers. CBS is making only a few program changes to its schedule for … Continue reading →

Katie Couric’s deal to work on projects with ABC News involves a significant “get” later this month with an exclusive interview with Prince William and his brother — part of coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

Turner Broadcasting, which includes TBS and Adult Swim, is teaming with FUnny or Die, a comedy site, to handle the latter’s sales.

NBCUniversal has announced how some of its Summer Olympics coverage will be divided across its properties. Notably, Bravo will be an Olympic outlet for the first time since 2004, housing the tennis competitions.

Audiences continue to own more HDTV sets, but the number of ads shot in high-definition appearing on Hispanic-targeted networks and stations lags behind the general market, according to new research.

Despite cries about traditional TV’s demise, there is no real prospect of the distributors of TV content being left out of the game in the future.

IPG’s MagnaGlobal has struck a deal with Networked Insights to provide the agency with social media data and analysis related to TV programming. NI’s analytical platform delivers recommendations on the exact TV shows a brand’s audience is watching by analyzing … Continue reading →

The U.S. Postal Service has approved 2D mobile barcodes from SpyderLynk, called SnapTags, for inclusion on mass mailings from direct marketers. The 2D barcodes must link to either a mobile-optimized Web page where the recipient can purchase a product or … Continue reading →

Tribune Media Services, which provides information about entertainment and related content to TV program guides, movie listings and other metadata-reliant applications, is partnering with Digitalsmiths, which specializes in video content discovery, to offer TMS customers new APIs that expand the … Continue reading →

Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas, the bilingual/bicultural entertainment destination for Latinos in the U.S., announces eight new programs.

Laura Desmond, global CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group, has been named to the board of digital publishing and technology developer Adobe Systems, taking one of three new seats on an expanded Adobe board. Also joining the Adobe board is Amy … Continue reading →

Transmission service chain AAMCO is launching an advertising campaign touting its 50th anniversary. The effort comprises two humorous TV spots showing vintage images to tout the company’s 50 years doing total car care. The ads break May 21.

Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment Group, told reporters at an upfront press conference that the network’s brand is “emotional.” He was equally forthright about ratings: “We led with pushing for C3. We would be pleased to see C7 as … Continue reading →

Already one of the more ubiquitous brands in the multiscreen media landscape, ESPN unveiled a slew of new digital media initiatives at its 2012 upfront presentation, a new series of digital documentaries, as well as documentary films about women in … Continue reading →

In the May 14 Media Daily News brief “Sundance to Launch First Drama Series,” it should be noted that the unscripted announcements the network made, such as renewing “The Mortified Sessions” for a second season, build on the overall programming … Continue reading →

Robin Roberts is returning to “SportsCenter.” The former anchor will conduct interviews with leading female athletes in weekly segments starting Thursday.

CoreMedia Systems today announced an agreement to integrate its direct-response campaign management system, CoreDirect, with WO Central, WideOrbit’s online ad marketplace connecting media buyers and sellers of long-form commercial time.

Agencies are pushing back against recently filed lawsuits claiming that they are guilty of race discrimination and asking courts to dismiss the complaints.

AllRecipes.com is plastering high-traffic commuter hubs in downtown Los Angeles with out-of-home ads showing the most popular local food items alongside QR codes. They lead users to the relevant recipes, allowing them to create a shopping list that can be … Continue reading →

Unilever will use some unusual input from consumers and NBCUniversal for a series of on-air and online advertising to start up a new campaign for Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy. The campaign “Best Night Ever” uses technology called Interlude to … Continue reading →

It won’t happen this upfront, but Ted Harbert, the chairman of NBC Broadcasting, moved the ball down field on what could become a major battle on Madison Avenue: whether to shift to C7 ratings. Buyers are likely to resist since … Continue reading →

Telemundo, the Comcast-owned Spanish-language media company, is boosting its original program production output by 40% to more than 800 hours for the 2012-13 season. It will add six new novellas as part of its programming mix, along with a record … Continue reading →

New Vision has agreed to sell its local broadcast group to LIN Television Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of LIN TV Corp., for a purchase price of $330.4 million and the assumption of some debt.

A new marketing survey shows the broadcast networks getting top scores over all cable networks. But top cable-rated networks performed well. These networks include ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, as well as ESPN, Discovery, History, USA, Food Network and TNT … Continue reading →

Sundance Channel has renewed the unscripted original series “The Mortified Sessions” for a second season and announced five original series in development.

Although Fox’s overall ratings are down year-to-year, due to double-digit declines with “American Idol,” it will win the season among key 18-49 viewers. That means the network has fewer holes to fill for the 2012-2013 season. Fox will start up … Continue reading →

Despite the lingering effects of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the Tokyo-based agency holding company managed to post a 3.3% gain in net sales for its fiscal year ended March 31. Dentsu, the parent company of agencies such as 360i … Continue reading →

It is a great pleasure now being associated with MediaPost, a position I attained thanks in no small part to a resume compiled over many decades and a spotless reputation. However, in the past few days, a few matters have … Continue reading →

With a dearth of hit shows, NBC is taking a gamble by doubling up on “The Voice” next season. The singing competition has been a huge success, but adding a fall edition could dilute its impact.

In what is likely the most significant change in the methods Nielsen uses to measure TV — and potentially all forms of video content — the ratings company this week quietly began informing clients of a major initiative to develop … Continue reading →