| Today's Top Stories | | #1 | Brands Getting Product Integrations In Netflix Original Series
| | | Netflix doesn't feature ads in its streaming video service but it does offer product placements in the scripted series it produces, Ad Age reports. Anheuser-Busch InBev has signed a deal to be the exclusive beer marketer featured in the new season of House of Cards. The company's Stella Artois, Budweiser and Shock Top brands will appear in third season episodes. A-B is not paying for the placements but is providing the props. Samsung is also reported to have a deal with Netflix.
Why This Matters: Netflix product integration deals have been kept quiet, although numerous brands have appeared in its original series. The placement can be a boon for marketers to reach this valued and growing online video audience.
A Take: Ad Age
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| | #2 | Crackle Pulls Out Of NewFronts
| | | The online video service will not participate this year as it has the previous two, saying it sees itself more as a TV programmer, with its content more resembling programming that appears on the TV networks, The Wall Street Journal reports. Instead, Crackle will do its own presentation to advertisers prior to the NewFronts, on April 14, during the week that some cable networks are conducting their upfront presentations.
Why This Matters: Media buyers tell the Journal that Crackle's content, which includes Web series such as Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, is higher quality content than what is found on most other video sites. Omnicom media agencies have already made an upfront commitment with Crackle this year
A Take: WSJ
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| | #3 | Sparkling Lipton Tea Launching TV Campaign
| | | The new "lightly-carbonated" tea brand in assorted flavors is a joint venture between PepsiCo and Unilever. To promote it, DDB New York has created a campaign that will appear on a number of TV networks, Ad Age reports.
Why This Matters: The goal is to make some sales inroads in the soda market for Lipton by appealing to a broader audience of tea drinkers. As for PepsiCo., it is looking for another revenue stream to supplement its soda sales.
A Take: Ad Age
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#4 Sprint's 'Cut Your Bill' Campaign Losing Momentum (MediaPost)
#5 New Pinterest Policy Alienates Large Segment Of Users (Digiday)
#6 Appeals Court Rules Against JC Penney In Macy's/Martha Stewart Case (MediaPost)
#7 Victors & Spoils Creating Campaign For Michelle Obama's Veggie Pitch (Ad Age)
#8 41% Of VOD Viewers Frustrated They Cannot Skip Through Ads (MediaPost)
#9 Advice For TV: Price Your Ads Based On Quality (Ad Age)
#10 Olympic Committee Considers Loosening Ad Restrictions For Athletes (WSJ)
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Percentage of U.S. digital video ad campaigns that were conducted across multiple devices in 2014, up from 17% in 2013, according to research by Videology.
– Reported by eMarketer
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| | MBPT Spotlight | CBS, ABC Give It A Shot, But NBC Wins February Sweeps With Big Assist From The Super Bowl
By John Consoli
The February sweeps are over and NBC has repeated as sweeps winner in both viewers and the 18-49 demo—no surprise since last season the network had help from the Olympics and this season it televised the Super Bowl.
NBC finished this year's February sweeps, which ran from Jan. 29 through Feb. 25, averaging 11.2 million viewers per night compared to 9.7 million for CBS, 7.4 million for ABC, 4.7 million for Fox and 1.6 million for The CW. Among viewers 18-49, NBC averaged a 3.4 rating, compared to 2.1 for ABC, 1.8 for CBS, 1.5 for Fox and 0.6 for The CW.
With the Super Bowl and not the multiweek telecast of the Olympics to assist it, NBC was down from its February sweeps numbers last season when it averaged 15.6 million viewers and a 4.04 18-49 rating. Last season, while the network clearly won in viewers, it just edged out Fox, which carried the Super Bowl, in the 18-49 demo. Fox averaged a 4.01, according to Nielsen ratings data.
Without the Super Bowl this February, Fox took a significant ratings hit, falling from an average of 12 million viewers last February to 4.7 million this February. And its 18-49 demo rating for sweeps fell to a 1.5.
The three other networks showed viewer and demo gains for this year's sweeps, but that's not unusual since last year the networks mostly ran repeats up against NBC's primetime Olympics coverage.
What shows and specials have helped and hurt the broadcast networks in terms of their sweeps numbers? And what is NBC's biggest trouble spot post-sweeps?
For more, click HERE
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| | Fates & Fortunes | • MIKE SUNDET has joined brand experience and sponsorship marketing agency Momentum Worldwide as senior VP, director of sports and entertainment. He was most recently VP, sports & entertainment marketing and advertising services at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that he was VP, marketing for Bud Light.
• CHRIS GYORGY was named group creative director at Havas Worldwide's Chicago office, where he will oversee the Citi account. He most recently worked freelance. Prior to that he held creative positions at FCB and Y&R. He also worked as an art director at The Martin Agency, DDB and The Richards Group.
• JOE MARCHESE was named to the newly created position of president-advanced advertising products at Fox Networks Group. In his new role, Marchese will oversee all non-linear advertising across the group's platforms. Marchese is founder of digital ad tech company true[X] which was acquired by FNG late last year. He will continue to oversee true[X] in addition to his new role.
• MIKE MURPHY was named general manager of KMOV St. Louis, a Meredith-owned station. He succeeds Mark Pimentel, who was named general manager at WGCL Atlanta. Murphy was previously general manager at WBMA-WCFT Birmingham, Ala.
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| | What They're Watching | BROADCAST RATINGS
ABC Leads Thursday With 'How to Get Away With Murder' Finale
ABC led its fifth-straight Thursday thanks to the two-hour season finale of freshman drama How to Get Away With Murder, which was even with last week. Earlier, Grey's Anatomy was down 12%. CBS was second in the demo but first among total viewers. In its second week, The Odd Couple fell just 10%, airing behind The Big Bang Theory, which was steady. Following a repeat of Big Bang, Mom debuted in its new 9:30 p.m. time slot, even with its last episode and well above what The McCarthys averaged in that spot. Fox took third. American Idol and Backstrom were both even. NBC was fourth as The Blacklist finally improved in its new time slot, rising a tenth, but the net's new fare The Slap and Allegiance continued to decline. Slap fell 13% and Allegiance dipped 11%. The CW rounded out the night with Arrow and Supernatural repeats.
For more, click HERE
CABLE RATINGS
'Catfish' Outswims the Competition
MTV's season premiere of Catfish was Wednesday's top original cable program with a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 1.4 million viewers. BET's The Game and VH1's Mob Wives both had a 0.7 in the demo. The BET sitcom had 1.4 million viewers while VH1's unscripted series had an audience of 1.2 million. HGTV's House Hunters, Comedy Central's Workaholics, History's American Pickers, USA's Suits, TLC's My 600-lb Life and Discovery's Dual Survival all had a 0.6 rating.
For more, click HERE
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| Overnight Ratings: Thursday, February 26
| | 8 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | | CBS | The BIG BANG
THEORY (8)
ODD COUPLE (8:30) | 4.5
2.8 | 16.3
11.0 | | ABC | GREY'S ANATOMY | 2.2 | 7.5 | | FOX | AMERICAN IDOL | 2.1 | 9.3 | | UNIVISION | MI CORAZÓN ES TUYO
| 1.2 | 3.2 | | NBC | THE SLAP | 0.7 | 3.6 | | TELEMUNDO | LOS MISERABLES
| 0.4 | 1.2 | | CW | THE VAMPIRE
DIARIES (R) | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| | 9 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | | ABC | HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER | 2.7 | 8.7 | | CBS | THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) (9)
MOM (9:30) | 2.1
2.1
| 8.9
8.1 | | NBC | THE BLACKLIST | 1.8 | 7.8 | | UNIVISION | HASTA EL FIN DEL MUNDO
| 1.2 | 3.0 | | FOX | BACKSTROM | 0.9 | 3.8 | | TELEMUNDO | TIERRA DE REYES
| 0.5 | 1.1 | | CW | SUPERNATURAL (R) | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| | 10 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | | ABC | HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER | 2.9 | 9.3 | | CBS | VICTORIA'S SECRET SWIM SPECIAL | 1.0 | 4.0 | | UNIVISION | QUE TE PERDONE DIOS
| 0.9 | 2.3 | | NBC | ALLEGIANCE | 0.8 | 3.6 | | TELEMUNDO | DUEÑOS DEL PARAÍSO
| 0.6 | 1.5 |
| | THIS WEEKEND'S BIG RATINGS STORIES TODAY | • 'Battle Creek' Joins CBS Sunday Lineup . . .
The new police drama premieres at 10 p.m. following the midseason returns of Madam Secretary at 8 and The Good Wife at 9. Battle Creek stars Dean Winters as jaded detective Russ Agnew who reluctantly partners with polished FBI agent Milt Chamberlain (Josh Duhamel) to solve a drug-related double homicide. The upshot: CBS is hoping for another new drama success as some of its procedurals, while still doing well, are aging. The net is giving Battle Creek a plum Sunday time period leading out of The Good Wife.
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| • ... 'Secrets And Lies' Premieres On ABC . . .
The 10-episode drama starring Ryan Phillippe as a Good Samaritan who becomes a murder suspect after he discovers the body of his neighbor's young son joins the ABC schedule on Sunday night at 9, leading out of the midseason return of Once Upon A Time. Juliette Lewis costars as a detective who investigates the case. The upshot: It used to be that if a drama series was held for midseason it was because the network didn't have enough faith to put it on in the fall; however, a midseason drama premiere occasionally takes off. ABC is hoping it has an engaging winner here.
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| • . . . 'The Last Man On Earth' Joins Fox
The new sitcom chronicles the life and adventures of Phil Miller (Will Forte), who once worked in a bank but is now apparently the last man on earth. Each week, Miller searches to find another human, preferably a female. Fox is premiering it on Sunday night at 9 with back-to-back episodes and next week it will air at its regular time of Sunday night at 9:30. The upshot: Fox tried scripted sitcom Mulaney on Sunday nights in the fall and it failed miserably, ending up as one of the first new shows canceled this season. The network is hoping for better fortune with The Last Man on Earth.
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| Media Buyer & Planner Today
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Phone: 201-314-0424 | Send Email
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