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FROM THE MOMENT MICROSOFT WENT public with its $31 a share bid for Yahoo on Feb. 1, it was obvious the online ad industry was about to undergo a major transformation, but no one knew at the time exactly how it would play out. Now, nine weeks later, we’re still no closer to knowing whether we’ll end up with MicroHoo, Yahoo-AOL, Yahoo-MySpace, or still some other combination.
Microsoft recently attempted to ratchet up the pressure on Yahoo by threatening to lower its bid if Yahoo didn’t accept by April 26. Yahoo, rather than capitulating, responded by announcing it had arranged for Google to power 3% of paid search ads on Yahoo. That news immediately sparked reports that Yahoo and AOL were in talks and that News Corp. was considering joining Microsoft in a bid for Yahoo.
WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — More than 100 college presidents and athletic directors are urging NCAA President Myles Brand to re-examine the presence of alcohol ads on broadcasts of games, suggesting that college sports and beer advertising are a “bad mix.”
LONDON — Radical remedies are necessary if the U.K. is to sustain its public service broadcasting model, according to a report published by media regulator Ofcom on Thursday.The document, “The Digital Opportunity,” which is part of the regulator’s review of public service broadcasting, suggests that some of the BBC license fee — paid by all of Blighty’s TV-watching homes — could be handed to rivals such as BSkyB and Discovery in return for making fare that served a public purpose.
Other proposals include a hike in taxes and terrestrial webs, ITV, Channel 4 and Five being allowed to become purely commercial.
Ofcom CEO Ed Richards said: “Public service broadcasting is at a crossroads. Viewers still want a mix of high-quality U.K.-made content, but the traditional television model is not enough to meet all their needs.
“Today’s proposals outline options for a securely funded PSB future. Now is the time for a wide-running debate looking carefully at all the options.”
The most controversial of these is the idea of allowing other providers to bid for a share of the BBC license fee, provided the coin is used for U.K.-made fare in genres such as children’s, news, public affairs, arts and science.
One low-rated telecast was enough for CBS to swing the axe on Tuesday 10 p.m. occupant Secret Talents of the Stars, which will be replaced for the next two weeks with 48 Hours Mystery.
Secret Talents of the Stars came, and went, with just 4.58 million viewers and a 1.5 rating/4 share among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Shark moves into the time period on Tuesday, April 29 out of encore telecasts of returning The Unit at 9 p.m.
Secret Talents of the Stars is the 10th series historically to be canceled after just one telecast. Full Story
HBO on Wednesday confirmed that longtime agent Sue Naegle has been tapped to succeed the departed Carolyn Strauss as the network’s chief of series programming.
Naegle, who most recently served as a partner and co-head of the television department at United Talent Agency, has accepted the post of president, HBO Entertainment, effective later this month.
A 16-year UTA veteran, Naegle is a known quantity at HBO, as she was responsible for packaging client Alan Ball’s series Six Feet Under.
“I am delighted to be joining the team at HBO,” Naegle said. “I work in television, but I am also a great fan of television. At UTA, I was part of an amazing team dedicated to helping writers fulfill their creative ambitions. HBO has always set the standard for excellence in programming, and as the leading place for artists to do what they do best.” Full Story
Since Sony launched its first PlayStation console in 1995, videogaming has enjoyed a rapid transition from the bedrooms of pubescent boys to that most coveted of locations; the space under the living room TV. The demographic has also changed accordingly. Those teenage boys have grown up and now sit nicely in the 18-34 bracket; their wives and girlfriends regularly join in play, particularly with social games and more mainstream offerings like karaoke. The Nintendo Wii has even been credited with getting grannies out of their chairs; its motion-sensing controllers limiting the intimidation many non-gamers feel when exposed to outwardly complex controllers for the first time and allowing such diverse activities as bowling, fishing and even yoga.
In financial terms, the numbers speak for themselves. Thanks to a typical suggested retail price of between $50-60, a single game can generate astonishing revenues, smashing the average cinema box office takings for a Hollywood blockbuster. In 2007, sci-fi epic Halo 3 took $170 million in the U.S. alone on its first day on sale, and with an increasing trend for post-release “add-on” content for purchase and download via online-enabled console services such as PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, games can continue generating revenues long after release.
Several years ago when MTV’s reality series “Laguna Beach” burst onto the scene, many felt it was too coincidental that pivotal scenes involving the teens–be they crying jags or relationship catharses–just happened to be captured by the cameras. Then it emerged that the producers apparently were nudging or encouraging the particular behaviors when the bright lights were zeroing in.
It was part of the ever-expanding “plausible reality” genre.
As “Laguna” grew in popularity, producers began to weave product placement into episodes. And there was “plausible reality” there in abundance, with the “stars” touting T-Mobile Sidekicks and the like.
No doubt coaching was involved there, too. Which begs the question: Just what level of orchestration actually goes on with participants in reality shows when product placement is involved? How much spontaneity is there when “Top Chef” competitors exult over Hellmann’s during close-ups?
Q-Ratio: 9.6096 (Coca-Cola) FOX’s “American Idol” Tonight the remaining 10 finalists perform live for the nation, vying for the American Idol crown. The contestants will sing their hearts out in hopes of winning America’s votes and surviving another week in the competition. See who impresses the judges and who buckles under the pressure. Tonight’s Theme Is: Songs from when the finalists were born.
