Archive for October 8th, 2008

By iTVX Staff

Ever since NBC’s Heroes third season began, it’s lost viewers each week significantly. According to TV Squad, Monday’s episode was down 11 percent from last week’s figures. It’s staggering when you consider the  season premiere had already lost so many viewers from last year, and last year’s premiere had lost a bunch from the series’ first season. With numbers continuing to dive, one wonders if the show is on the bubble. I doubt it. The show continues to thrive on DVR and online viewership (Sprint is a regular sponsor and appears very often), but it makes one wonder if we’re not too far off a day where original series are launched exclusively on the Web. Yeah, I know they already are but not in terms of a legitimate full-length series. I’m not talking about wepisodes or reruns - I’m talking a traditional hour television drama available only online.  Something tells me an announcement on that will come any day now. It probably will exist by the time I click “publish” on this post.

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By iTVX Staff

The buzzworthy ABC time-warp cop drama Life on Mars has endless possibilities in terms of product placement. Like the period-piece Mad Men, the series could include seamless product placements because they can play off as pure nostalgia. I’ll explain. A few months back ABC started plugging their new drama in a vintage 1970s look and feel. They used their old school logos and titles and even had n ABC announcer speaking in a groovy tone. The promo worked because it instantly brought you back to the decade of bellbottoms and Isaac Hayes music.  The show’s premise works the same way: 2008 cop transported back to the 1970s. Everything he sees and witnesses is a reminder of how different society was back then. In terms of placement, they’ll surely be opportunities for old school commercials in the background, retro cars and clothes, and references to products that were around then…and now. Much like the aforementioned Mad Men has done with Heineken beer and Utz potato chips. There’s a golden opportunity here, and I’m sure we’ll find out as the episodes play out (Mars  debuted Oct. 9) that ABC has taken full advantage.

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By iTVX Staff

Here comes another cable network with an original show. Following TNT, TBS, AMC…. look we could go on forever… Spike TV has ordered a two-hour pilot about Boston’s Irish mob. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the drama will be created by Dana White and Tom Lynch and director Walter Hill. White is known for serving as UFCs president and host of Spike TV’s “”The Ultimate Fighter.”

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Despite years of trying, the ad industry seems no closer to finding a reliable metric for determining the reach or value of a viral campaign. But there is one measurement few are likely to argue with: a mention during Jay Leno’s opening monologue on The Tonight Show.

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By iTVX Staff

According to TelevisionWeek, NBC will shut down Weather Plus, its digital channel, by the end of the year. The weather service has appeared on ten stations and 80 affiliates. NBC News President Steve Capus told TelevisionWeek, “This was a business that was challenged. We were going to have to face that at some point.” Weather Plus had been a 24/7 service.

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Five new series cut short by last winter’s writers’ strike are struggling to win back viewers this fall. NBC’s Chuck and Life, along with ABC’s Wednesday lineup of Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money, returned last week with numbers well below last fall’s premieres.

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Eight gold One Show Pencils were awarded to brand-sponsored properties at the first One Show Entertainment Awards held last night.

The event at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, Calif., represents the first time in 33 years that a One Show event has been held outside of New York, where The One Club is headquartered. Read the rest of this entry »

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By iTVX Staff

YouTube started testing out advertising directly on videos this week. The Google-owned Web site now prompts users to click on advertising (located on the bottom of the video) and purchase products right then and there. iTunes is just one brand jumping on the new click-to-buy’ advertisement spaces. Sounds like a gold mine to us.

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By iTVX Staff

NBC Universal Digital Studio has announced its original content programming slate which includes shows “Loving Larry” and “Four Corners.” The studio is currently pitching their shows to would-be sponsor. When completed, TVWeek reports, the programs will will be distributed on NBC-owned sites and various other platforms. Read the rest of this entry »

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By iTVX Staff

Last night had some product placement albeit they weren’t exactly meant to be. For starters, a clip of Sarah Palin calling out Barack Obama’s character namedropped the New York Times. Not really a positive. Other intergrations throughout the episode included Monopoly, Scrabble and Lexus. The latter appeared in a Lewis Black bit on campaign ads of John McCain. Nothing concrete but placement nonetheless.

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