| Today's Top Stories | | #1 | Gap Cancels Fourth-Quarter TV Ad Spending
| | | Faced with slowing sales, the clothing retailer is cutting $16 million from its fourth-quarter marketing budget that was earmarked for television, MediaPost reports. The Gap advertised on TV for the first time in four years in the third quarter with commercials featuring Alexa Ray Joel, among others. CEO Glenn Murphy said although he liked the ads, sales gained only 3% and comparable store sales were up only 1%. He said other company brands such as Old Navy and Banana Republic will also reevaluate their TV plans.
Why This Matters: Seems odd for a chain in a competitive category like retail to cut back on TV during the height of the holiday shopping season, but Murphy believes other types of marketing will draw customers into Gap stores.
A Take: MediaPost
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| | #2 | New Twitter Service Lets All Advertisers Target Those Tweeting About Shows
| | | The social network has introduced a self-serve ad tool that will allow any size advertisers, not just the larger ones advertising on television, the chance to target Twitter users who are tweeting about shows before, during and after they run. Twitter will begin offering the tool in the U.S. and then extend it to countries such as Brazil, Canada, France and Spain over the next several weeks.
Why This Matters: Twitter previously was just selling targeted ads to users conversing about TV shows only as an extension to advertisers already running TV campaigns. Now it's open to everyone.
Two Takes: Ad Age | MediaPost
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| | #3 | NYC Comptroller Wants Info On Publicis, Omnicom Workforce Composition
| | | Comptroller John Liu renewed a previous effort for the two agency holding companies to disclose numbers of minorities and women working at their agencies. Liu is investment advisor to the New York City Pension Funds, which represent a combined value of $61 million in Publicis and Omnicom shares. He sent a letter requesting this information to ad holding companies in 2011. IPG and WPP complied, but Publicis and Omincom did not.
Why This Matters: Liu derided the proposed merger of the two holding companies by saying it would create "the least transparent of the top [advertising] firms with respect to management's performance in hiring and promoting minorities." He added that failure to provide the information "undermines investor confidence in your commitments to diversity and non-discrimination at a critical moment."
Two Takes: Adweek | MediaPost
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#4 Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Talks Ads And Teens (AllThingsD)
#5 Arby's Down To Three Finalists in Search For New Creative Agency (Adweek)
#6 'New York Times' CEO Discusses Company's Advertising Plans (eMarketer)
#7 Pre-Black Friday Ad Volume Down 8.2 Compared To Last Year (Ad Age)
#8 Senate Proposes Bill To Reduce Ad Expense Deductions (Adweek)
#9 Publicis-Omnicom Merger Might Not Be Finalized Till mid-2014 (Reuters)
#10 Nissan Runs Different, But Effective Campaign On Reddit (Digiday)
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|  | • 43
Percentage of mothers age 18-24 who said they will make at least half of their holiday online purchases on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday, according to a survey of mothers in the U.S. and Canada by Adroit Digital.
– Reported by eMarketer
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| | MBPT Spotlight | Contrary To Broadcast Network Spin, Viewers Are Not Flocking To November Sweeps Programming
By John Consoli
Read the daily press releases sent out by the broadcast television networks and you'd think that this year's November sweeps TV programming is producing gangbuster ratings. However, a comparison to last November's sweeps ratings finds viewership at four of the five major English-language broadcast networks through the first three weeks of the current sweeps down, with the same number also down among the advertiser-desired 18-49 demo group.
Making it worse for the networks is that last year's November sweeps was disrupted five days when Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the New York-New Jersey area on Oct. 29. Not only did many people lose power that night and for several days after, but many of the regularly scheduled first-run series on the broadcast networks were preempted for news specials about the storm.
The sweeps months, which also include February, May and July, are more important to the local TV affiliates of the networks because those are the periods through which they establish their ad sales rates for broadcast programming locally. The broadcast networks have traditionally programmed the month not only with all first-run shows, but with lots of specials aimed at drawing in casual TV viewers.
This time around, the networks are airing first-run programming, with few specials, during sweeps, and viewers are watching in lesser numbers than they have in past. The slacking viewership seems to be hurting most of the networks' freshman shows, which have been losing viewers since the sweeps began on Oct. 31.
How have the broadcast networks fared specifically during sweeps so far—and which is the only one to boast an increase in viewers? And why is sweeps perceived as being less important to the big broadcasters?
For more, click HERE
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| | What They're Watching | BROADCAST RATINGS
CBS Wins Thursday As Rookie Comedies Improve
CBS led Thursday in adults 18-49 numbers. The Big Bang Theory was even with last week and The Millers improved 8%. The Crazy Ones was up 5%, while Two and a Half Men was flat. Elementary improved 13%. ABC placed second. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland stayed at its lowest rating, even with last week. Grey's Anatomy fell 4%, while Scandal was even with last week. Fox took third, as The X Factor rose 23% and Glee upticked 14%. The CW beat out NBC for fourth, though that likely will change in the nationals, as the Atlanta affiliate aired football. With 18-49s, The Vampire Diaries was even with last week and Reign upticked two tenths. In the net's targeted adults 18-34 demo, Vampire Diaries was even and Reign rose a tenth. NBC's Parks and Recreation dipped 9% to a series low. Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show were both even with last week, both shows' lowest ratings so far. Parenthood was flat with last week.
For more, click HERE
CABLE RATINGS
'American Horror Story' Tops Wednesday Lineup
FX's American Horror Story: Coven topped Wednesday's cable roster, earning a 2.2 adults 18-49 demo rating and 4.0 million viewers. Comedy Central's South Park came in second with a 1.5 in the demo and 2.4 million watchers. Rounding out the top three, TBS' airing of The Big Bang Theory at 9:30 p.m. garnered a demo rating of 1.3 and 3.0 million viewers.
For more, click HERE
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| Overnight Ratings: Thursday, November 21
| | 8 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | CBS
| THE BIG BANG THEORY (8:00)
THE MILLERS (8:30)
| 5.2
2.8
| 18.6
12.0
| UNIVISION
| 14TH ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS
| 1.7
| 4.6
| FOX
| THE X FACTOR
| 1.6
| 5.9
| CW
| THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
| 1.3
| 2.9
| NBC
| PARKS AND RECREATION (8:00)
PARKS AND RECREATION (8:30)
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1.0
1.0
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2.9
2.7
| ABC
| ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
| 0.9
| 3.5
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| | 9 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | ABC
| GREY'S ANATOMY
| 2.5
| 8.5
| CBS
| THE CRAZY ONES (9:00)
TWO AND A HALF MEN (9:30)
| 2.2
2.1
| 8.7
8.6
| UNIVISION
| 14TH ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS
| 1.8
| 4.4
| FOX
| GLEE
| 1.6
| 4.4
| NBC
| SEAN SAVES THE WORLD (9:00)
THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW (9:30)
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0.9
0.9
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3.0
2.8
| CW
| REIGN
| 0.9
| 2.2
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| | 10 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | ABC
| SCANDAL
| 2.9
| 8.8
| CBS
| ELEMENTARY
| 1.8
| 9.1
| UNIVISION
| 14TH ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS
| 1.6
| 3.8
| NBC
| PARENTHOOD
| 1.2
| 3.6
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| | THIS WEEKEND'S BIG RATINGS STORIES TODAY | • 'Raising Hope' Not Offering a Glimmer So Far
Fox's decision to bring back sitcom Raising Hope on Friday nights at 9 and to move Bones from Monday at 8 to Friday at 8 for the first time last week resulted in awful ratings. Raising Hope is averaging 2.4 million viewers and a 0.8 18-49 demo rating, down 38% in viewers and 50% in the demo compared to its Tuesday night ratings last season. Bones, which had been averaging 7.2 million viewers and a 2.1 18-49 rating on Mondays this season, fell to 5.2 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down 28% in viewers and 43% in the demo. Fox tried to put on a happy race in its press releases, pointing out that Bones drew 28% more viewers than the show it succeeded on Friday—Masterchef Junior. Both Fox shows were fourth in their broadcast time period in both viewers and demo rating. The upshot: Raising Hope didn't have great numbers on Tuesday night last season, but bringing a show back with a median age of 41 and putting it on a Friday night when that audience is out and the 60-plus audience is watching TV is just a questionable strategy.
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| • 'Dracula' Ratings Are No Bloody Good
The new NBC drama Dracula, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the legendary vampire, premiered to so-so viewership and demo ratings on Friday night Oct. 25 at 9, but has since been in decline. The series drew 5.3 million viewers and a 1.8 18-49 demo rating in its premiere, but has averaged just 3.1 million viewers and a 1.0 18-49 demo rating. Last week the series dropped to 3 million viewers and a 0.9 demo rating. The upshot: Even on low TV viewing Friday, those numbers are not good. Head-to-head with CBS police drama Blue Bloods, Dracula is overwhelmed. Blue Bloods has averaged 11 million viewers and a 1.3 demo rating since Dracula premiered. Blue Bloods is outdrawing Dracula in the 18-49 demo, even though it has a median age audience of 62, compared to Dracula's 50.
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| • Are You Ready For Some 'American Music Awards'?
ABC will televise the annual AMAs live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday from 8-11 p.m. Pitbull will host and perform. Rihanna will perform and receive the first AMA Icon Award. Katy Perry will open the show and Jennifer Lopez will perform a tribute to Celia Cruz. Other performers scheduled to appear include Justin Timberlake, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and One Direction. For the fifth consecutive year, there will be a live online pre-show beginning at 5 p.m. that will again be titled Coca-Cola Red Carpet Live! @ The 2013 AMAs. It will hosted by Lance Bass, Rosie Pierri, Jordin Sparks and Jenna Ushkowitz and will be available for the first time via Yahoo.com, and also on ABC.com, The AMAs.com, Time Warner Cable's Facebook page and the Cumulus Radio Network websites. Twitter will debut the first-ever Vine 360 Fashion Booth setup in the middle of the Red Carpet. The upshot: Last year's TV telecast drew 9.5 million and a 3.4 18-49 demo rating, down 20% in viewers and 21% in the demo, making it the lowest rated AMA telecast ever. What won't help is that it airs head-to-head again this year with NBC's Sunday Night Football which draws around 20 million viewers and a hefty demo rating in the 7.0 range.
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| Media Buyer & Planner Today
Editorial Team
John Consoli, Contributing Editor
Phone: 201-314-0424 | Send Email
Jon Lafayette, Business Editor, Broadcasting & Cable
Phone: 917-281-4735 | Send Email
Brian Moran, Managing Editor, Broadcasting & Cable
Phone: 917-281-4708 | Send Email
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