Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis: Weekender 9/8/05
CYNTHIA TURNER'S
Cynopsis: Weekender
09/08/05
Good afternoon. It's Thursday, September 8, 2005, and this is your Cyn opsis: Weekender edition. Below are a handful of industry stories you may agree or disagree with. And if that's the case, and the need strikes, write something back! Let us all know what you're thinking. It's so much better than yelling at your computer. (see E-Mails to the Editor below).
Whose Fault is it?
by Dave Zornow
It seems there is plenty of "fault" to go around regarding Nielsen's Local People Meters.
First, Don't Count Us Out faulted Nielsen for having higher-than-desirable fault rates for minority households in the local people meter sample. But Nielsen says DCUO was at fault because it over-emphasized the importance of fault rates in its publicity, causing previously happy people meter households to find fault with Nielsen's practices.
If you are confused, you aren't alone. Here's a brief look at what's a "fault."
Almost everyone agrees that local people meters, providing 365 days of demos in seven major markets, are better than the meter-diary measurement they replaced. However, whether they are "good enough" is where people disagree.
Nielsen says a household will "fault" when it doesn't deliver quality data on a daily basis. This can happen through equipment failure, when a new DVR / X Box / etc. is connected or if the household members don't regularly push their buttons. Historically, this is most likely to happen in homes with a lot of people watching lots of TV. And a lot of African-American and Hispanic households have these characteristics.
Nielsen says that if it doesn't have enough households from one of these groups, it will give more weight to the households it does have "intab" to properly reflect the viewing of the subsample. It also notes fault rates for local people meter DMAs are generally lower than the household meters they replaced, and on par with the national people meter panel.
Still, in Washington DC, "fault rates are [still] out of control," said WJLA Research director Patrick Castro, citing wide variations for minority households during July. But major station groups and rep firms disagree. "Fault rates in subsamples are not a big concern," said Pat Ligouri, VP/ABC owned stations Research, who believes weighting is the appropriate remedy.
Petry's Research VP Alan Picozzi said the old meter-diary methodology often overstated TV station viewing and "many broadcasters made the assumption that those numbers were real." Now the realities of improved measurement are tampering with the realities of selling all of those reality shows. Now, whose fault is that?
-- Dave Zornow is President of TNG Research, a media research and applications development company that works with cable networks and research providers.
Hispanics: Sleeping Giants No More
By Teresa C. Cebrian
For many years, Hispanics were the forgotten minority.
Only a decade ago, the mainstream media considered Hispanics in the U.S. a marginalized community, one that lagged behind in income, health, education, and
the all-important buying power. Major advertisers simply did not care. But that all changed when the 2000 census made it clear that Hispanics were fast becoming the largest U.S. minority. It wasn't long before the media took a second look and came courting.
Recent news that the buying power of Hispanics is surpassing that of African Americans and is even growing faster than non-Hispanics has had big corporations rushing to understand this no-longer-dormant consumer group. Advertisers are spending more and more of their budgets on airing TV spots on Hispanic television and in Hispanic magazines. The ads are fresh, original and not just dubbed versions of what originally aired on the Anglo market. Verizon is releasing an ad campaign that will encompass several media outlets. Based on the "A Todo Lo Que Da" (to the max) theme, the Spanish-language TV, print and Internet campaign was developed from market research the company conducted in four key Hispanic markets.
Hispanic outlets (television, radio, magazines) have become a magnet for the nation's largest brands: Procter and Gamble, Ford Motors, McDonald's, and The Gap are clamoring to join the Latin revolution. Working with ad agencies, advertisers want to be plugged in to what Hispanics like to see, hear, wear, and enjoy, creating a cottage industry of media outlets devoted strictly to Hispanic tastes.
And now comes word Florida State University is going to be the first university to open The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, the first US program dedicated to Hispanic marketing. The Center will focus on an undergraduate minor program and the U.S.' first graduate certificate. In addition to the undergrad and grad courses, the Center will conduct Hispanic market research and teach executive seminars.
Times they are a changing', good reason to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Ole!
--Teresa C. Cebrian is an Emmy winning reporter/producer who has worked both in Spanish and English.
Has GoldPocket Struck TV Gold?
By Jen Jones
Entering the lexicon of wi-fi hubs and selective Hollywood nightlife havens, television "hotspots" are about to experience their place in the sun. If interactive television provider GoldPocket Interactive has its way, this soon-to-be-rolled out technology will afford viewers the opportunity to buy products and learn more about television personalities with a push of the remote. The company has put its head together with the brass at on-demand provider Concurrent to ramp up future offerings for cable operators and their customers.
"The hotspots telescope out to an on-demand application that will allow viewers to learn more about an item or individual and view on-demand advertising," said Mandira Mehra, VP/Marketing and Strategy for GoldPocket Interactive. The technology is expected to be available to consumers in 2006, starting with Motorola set-top cable boxes served by Concurrent.
Denoted by a visual on-screen cue, these tiny clickable objects (picture a small dot or arrow next to Martha's cooking utensil or Donald's high-powered business suit) just might shift the thinking of those who predict advertising revenue will go south with the rising popularity of digital technology such as DVRs and TiVo.
"There will always be an incentive to watch live events such as newscasts, awards shows, and sporting events, but we're seeing the on-demand side become really compelling," said Mehra, who added this is the first time interactive elements are being used in conjunction with on-demand features as opposed to linear programming. "People are moving towards personalizing their entire entertainment experience; it's all about engaging with what's happening on-air."
Hotspotting, or "going deep," may be the first of several new trends spawned by the advent of on-demand. A report released by the DIMA (Digital Media & Advertising) Group speculates that affinity (or "passion") blocks of programming using product placement will be key in building brands among viewers who strongly identify with the content. Another possibility on the horizon, according to the report, is "personal ad banking," in which viewers can single out and request specific ads according to their preferences.
--A former website producer for several television shows, Jen Jones is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.
* WEEK'S RECAP *
- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed another slew of copyright infringement lawsuits (CynKids 9/2/05)
- Fox International Channels' FX cable channel debuted on additional cable platforms in Argentina, Venezuela, and Brazil (CynMCE 9/2/05)
- Q Television Network will debut its newest a.m. talk show on September 6. (CynMCE 9/2/05)
- August 31 cable news numbers for coverage of Hurricane Katrina ( Cynopsis 9/2/05)
- CBS is moving further down the podcast road with the creation of CBS Netcast ( Cynopsis 9/2/05)
- NBC owned cable networks will give extra plays of series premiere episodes ( Cynopsis 9/2/05)
- The new Ready Set Learn! preschool programming line-up will debut on Discovery Kids Channel on September 26 airing Mon-Fri 6a-12n, and the following week on TLC beginning October 3 (CynKids 9/6/05)
- CNN Headline News and Boomerang are now available in Hong Kong (CynKids 9/6/05)
- Warner Bros. International Television Distribution has inked a multi-year agreement to provide content for T-Online's broadband VOD service in Germany. (CynMCE 9/6/05)
- Special Edition of Cynopsis dedicated entirely to the relief fund efforts of Hurricane Katrina. ( Cynopsis 9/6/05)
- ABC and TBS have picked up two theatrical titles from Sony Pictures - Bewitched and Stealth. ( Cynopsis 9/6/05)
- SIRIUS Satellite Radio will air Spanish-language broadcasts of NFL games for the upcoming 2005-06 season. (CynMCE 9/7/05)
- Si TV has inked several promotional agreements with major brands for the U.S. market. (CynMCE 9/7/05)
- Universal and Paramount are breaking up their 24 yr joint film distribution venture United International Pictures ( Cynopsis 9/7/05)
- On September 19, the kick-off of ABC Monday Night Football, ABC will carry a pre-game game between the Saints & the Giants ( Cynopsis 9/7/05)
- By the time 2010 reaches its end, 65 million global mobile phone users are expected to subscribe to streamed or broadcast television services according to Juniper Research's new report, Mobile TV. ( Cynopsis 9/7/05)
- iTunes enabled mobile phone is available beginning today (CynKids 9/8/05)
- PorchLight Entertainment is set to introduce a new component for its series Jay Jay the Jet Plane at MIP Jr/MIPCOM 2005 (CynKids 9/8/05)
- ABC Kids fall 2005-2006 schedule on Saturday, September 17, 9a-1p. (CynKids 9/8/05)
- 4Kids TV (Saturdays 8a-12n) fall 2005 lineup Saturday, September 10, on Fox affiliates (CynKids 9/8/05)
- Beta Research Corporation recently released its 2005 Cable Subscriber Study: Interest in Emerging/Mid-Sized Networks. The study's findings highlighted Si TV's ranking in the Latino market. (CynMCE 9/8/05)
- You'll remember the broadcasters offered Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast to cable networks and radio stations, and many have accepted that offer ( Cynopsis 9/8/05)
- The appearance of Judge John Roberts before the Senate Judiciary Committee has been scheduled for next week. ( Cynopsis 9/8/05)
- News Corp. will acquire IGN Entertainment Inc. ( Cynopsis 9/8/05)
* E-MAILS TO THE EDITOR *
In Response to The DVR Drama: Denial or Doomsday by Jill Davis: - What is this new word, "TiVo-Proof"? I couldn't find it in the dictionary, yet I keep hearing it.
- And what is this insistence on retaining the old ways? Playing games with viewers by padding show times or adding contests just insults the intelligence of public. Face it, television has changed and we must change with it.
- In the early days of radio, some record companies put a stern warning on their labels saying, "NOT FOR RADIO PLAY." The thinking of the time was that people were not going to pay for records when they could hear them for free on the radio. Putting a warning like that on a recording today would be laughable. The radio industry has promoted the recording industry far more than it has hurt it.
- I see scripts in the near future where the characters talk about their favorite products the way real people do around the water cooler. I see breakfast scenes where the character pours milk on his cereal from a real milk container, with a real product label on it instead of a generic label that simply says, "MILK." I see cooking shows where they not only tell you to add two tablespoons of butter, but they actually endorse a particular brand.
- A little imagination will do a lot more good than a bunch of hand wringing.
In Response to Cable Builds Trust by Karen Woodward:
- I think it's important to remind Ms. Woodward that the #1 show of the summer was most certainly NOT on cable - it was on ABC with Dancing with the Stars.
This space is for you. Your chance to fire back!
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Later -- Cyn
09/08/05
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The Weekender edition is published every Thursday and includes a few items to ponder over the weekend, as well as the highlights from the week. It is delivered to the entire Cynopsis subscriber list, unless you specifically request to be unsubscribed.
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Copyright Cynthia Turner 2005
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What's On This Weekend:
Saturday: 8-11p, September 10
ABC: College Football Texas vs Ohio State
CBS:
FOX:
NBC:
PAX:
TELE: Cinemundo del Sabado
UNIV: Sabado Gigante
Sunday: 7-11p, September 11
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FOX:
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WB:
TELE:
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