| | Media Buyer & Planner Today | | | | | | | | | #1 Nielsen Alters Release of Total Content Ratings | | After NBCUniversal sent a letter in mid-December questioning the validity of Nielsen's long-promised yardstick to measure viewers who watch TV shows via streaming-video and mobile devices, the company is making changes to its Total Viewer Measurement system that was scheduled to be rolled out beginning this month. Variety first reported that at the request of NBCUniversal and other television network clients, Nielsen is modifying the way in which it will be sharing and releasing Total Content Ratings data to ad agencies. This could delay release of a syndicated version due out in March that could be used for buying and selling in this year's upfront. The networks say that the Nielsen data is not complete, but Nielsen says in order for the system to work, the networks must not only install software that allows measurement across platforms, but all networks' software must be compatible with each other. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: No one in the TV industry disputes the need for a measurement system that takes into consideration viewership across all platforms, but coming up with a unified system has proven to be taking longer than expected and is trying the patience of the various segments of the industry. | Three Takes: Variety | B&C | Media Post
| | | | #2 U.S. Army Launches Agency Review | | The U.S. Army is looking for an agency network that will handle everything from creative, media planning and buying, strategic research, interactive and event marketing, promotional marketing, multi-cultural advertising and social media. The incumbent agency network includes 11 different IPG agencies, including several under the McCann Worldgroup umbrella, whose contract is set to expire in September. The initial contract would be for five years, with the potential for another five years. That would value to business at $4 billion over the 10-year period. McCann has been the Army's agency since 2005 and retained the business after a 2011 review, beating out three other agencies. McCann is planning to defend, according to an Adweek report. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: The contract with the Army is valuable because of its guaranteed multi-year length and also because of the total amount of dollars spent on advertising and marketing. | Two Takes: Adweek | Media Post
| | | | #3 No New Year's Hangover for ESPN College Football Buyers | | ESPN is celebrating the New Year despite two lopsided semifinal games in the College Football Playoffs. As Broadcasting & Cable reports, the network owes very few ad makegoods for its New Year's Eve telecasts. That's in stark contrast to last year, when the cable sports network was on the hook for some $20 million in ad makegoods following steep ratings shortfalls for the two semifinal games, also televised on New Year's Eve. Viewership for the two playoff games combined this past Dec. 31 was up 12.5% over the prior year, but that alone wasn't enough to offset makegoods. Supplementing it was strong viewership of the Orange Bowl (up 200% over ESPN ad guarantees) and the Rose Bowl (up 15% over guarantees). That helped lift many of the bowl package buyers to rise above ESPN viewership guarantees heading into Monday night's championship game telecast. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: Give credit to ESPN for lowering its viewer guarantees by between 15% and 20% from last year, which helped clients reach their guaranteed viewership levels. Last year they were set too high and resulted in lots of ad giveaways. | | A Take: B&C | |
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| | 29 | | Percentage of U.S. millennial internet users who watch YouTube ads from start to finish, according to a survey by LaunchLeap. Another 59% say they watch until it's indicated that they can skip the ad, while 11% say they have ad blockers. | – Reported by eMarketer
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| | CBS Comedies Rock | by Michael Malone
Its comedies humming, CBS took top prize on the night at 1.7 in adults 18-49, with a 6 share. The Big Bang Theory got things started with a 3.6, up 6%. The Great Indoors grew 19% to 1.9, Mom climbed 13% to 1.7 and Life in Pieces grew 8% to 1.4, before Pure Genius did a flat 0.8.
ABC posted a 1.4/5, with The Great American Baking Show in a new time slot at 1.0, and special Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers at 1.6.
Fox's 1.2/4 came from two hours of Hell's Kitchen.
NBC's lineup returned soft. The net scored a 1.1/4, with Superstore returning at 1.2, after a double run in its last airing at 1.3 and 1.4. The Good Place was down 29% at 1.0, Chicago Med slipped 20% to 1.2 and The Blacklist was off 29% at 1.0.
The CW, at 0.3/1, aired repeats. | |
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| • ELLEN LOVEJOY was promoted to VP, head of sales for the Americas and global formats at A+E Networks. She previously had oversight of content sales in the U.S. and Canada, as well as for global formats. In her new role, she adds Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market to her portfolio of supervision. Joining as part of her sales team as senior directors of content sales are HELEN JURADO and BRYAN GABOURIE. Jurado joins A+E from Cisneros Media Distribution where she held the title of VP of sales and business development. Gabourie, who joined A+E Networks this summer and was previously VP of international distribution and development at Rive Gauche Television, was given additional responsibilities.
• FREDERIC BONN was named executive creative director for the New York/East Region of iCrossing. He succeeds Patrick Bennett who left the agency. Bonn was joins iCrossing from JWT unit Mirum, where he held the position of chief creative officer for North America. Prior to that he served as executive creative director at JWT and Razorfish.
• GRETA VAN SUSTEREN has joined MSNBC and will host For The Record with Greta on weeknights from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the cable news network. The was most recently host of a Fox News Channel nightly show, having spent 14 years at that cable network. She also spent more than a decade on air at CNN. | |
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