| | Media Buyer & Planner Today | | | | | | | | | #1 MDC Partners Gets $95M Investment from Goldman Sachs | | The agency holding company, which for the past several years has been dealing with an accounting scandal that led to the departure of its CEO Miles Nadal, received a welcomed shot in the arm with a $95 million equity investment by Goldman Sachs. Under the terms of the deal, the financial company will take a 15% stake in MDC Partners, which operates a portfolio of agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Doner, 72andSunny, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal and media agency Assembly. MDC is the 13th largest agency holding company, according to Ad Age. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: MDC was reportedly exploring the possibility of an outright sale prior to the Goldman Sachs investment. The holding company plans to use the new cash influx to pay down existing debt and other corporate expenses. Meanwhile its agencies continue to compete for new clients. | Three Takes: Ad Age | Media Post | WSJ
| | | | #2 TNT Sells Out NBA All-Star Weekend | | After setting an NBA All-Star Weekend sales record last year, TNT has come back with another strong year this season, selling out its telecasts of the game and surrounding programming across the three weekend nights (Feb. 17-19). "This is the third year in a row we've been in a sold out position on all three nights, and a lot of that has to do with the caliber of the event," Jon Diament, Turner Sports executive VP, ad sales, tells Ad Age. NBA official sponsors Kia, Verizon, State Farm, Taco Bell, Samsung, Gatorade, American Express, BBVA Compass and Mountain Dew are all in in a big way. First time advertisers include Adobe, Hulu, Jack's Links and Mondelez. Kia for the seventh time is the All-Star Game's presenting sponsor. The NBA's newest official sponsor, Jack Daniels, will activate its partnership with an onsite hospitality and experiential event. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: The NBA All-Star Game doesn't draw a huge TV viewing audience but does garner an 18-49 demo rating in the 3.1 to 3.3 range. And it does attract a sizable number of younger, hard-to-reach, millennials who watch little TV but are drawn to live sports. This makes it very attractive to marketers looking to reach the 35 and under crowd. | A Take: Ad Age
| | | | #3 SNL to Air First Branded Content Spots | | NBCU had announced prior to the start of the new television season that it would begin airing branded content pods during Saturday Night Live but that hasn't happened yet. Now Adweek is reporting that the network is planning to air its first two branded content pods "sometime in the next few episodes" once it returns with new shows on March 7. The SNL ad load has been reduced by about 30% this season, and the network is hoping to offset some of the ad revenue loss with the new branded content pods. So far 14 episodes have aired this season and there are seven more to go. The network has not announced which brands have purchased branded content spots. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: SNL is hot with viewers, getting a major audience bump as the show keeps featuring sketches parodying President Trump and some of his staffers. Last Saturday's episode was the most-watched in six years, drawing 10.8 million viewers and its 18-49 demo ratings are up 19% from last season to a 3.5. The network needs to monetize that. | | A Take: Adweek | |
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| | 75.1 | | Number in millions of ad blocking users in the U.S., according to the latest estimates by eMarketer. That means more than one-quarter (27.5%) of all U.S. internet users will use ad blockers this year. However the overall estimate is down from a previous forecast that said the ad blocking audience would top 86 million in 2017. | – Reported by eMarketer
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| | NBC, 'This Is Us' Top Valentine's Day | by Luke McCord
On the strength of This Is Us, NBC finished in first among broadcasters in primetime Tuesday with a 1.8 rating/6 share. The Wall slipped 7% from last week to a 1.4, while This Is Us was down 8% to a 2.4. Chicago Fire matched last week's 1.5.
CBS came in second with a 1.5/5, followed by ABC at 1.0/4, Fox at 0.9/3, and The CW at 0.2/1. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision pulled in a 0.6, while Telemundo nabbed a 0.5.
CBS' NCIS jumped 6% to a 1.8, Bull was flat at a 1.3, and NCIS: New Orleans spiked 20% to a 1.2.
ABC's The Middle was flat at a 1.5, while American Housewife fell a tenth to a 1.4. Fresh Off the Boat slipped two tenths to a 1.0, and The Real O'Neals lost a tenth for a 0.8. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was even at 0.7.
Fox's New Girl was flat at a 0.9, while The Mick rose a tenth to a 1.0. Bones was also up a tenth to a 0.8.
The CW aired Tough Mudder: The Challenge Within for a 0.3 followed by a repeat of The Flash. | |
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| • DAN GOLDSTEIN was named chief strategy officer at Havas New York. He succeeds Tim Maleeny, who departed last May to take a position at Heat New York. Goldstein was previously chief strategy officer at research consultancy db5, which he co-founded. He also served as executive head of planning at TBWA/Chiat.Day and as a group planning director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners San Francisco.
• NOAH OPPENHEIM was promoted to president of NBC News, succeeding DEBORAH TURNESS, who was named to the newly created position of president of NBC News International. Oppenheim will continue in his role as executive in charge of NBC's Today show. He took on that role two years ago, when hired by Turness, who joined NBC News in 2013. Oppenheim previously worked as a producer at MSNBC and also at Today before leaving in 2008 to join Reveille, where he wrote movie and TV scripts.
• RENATO FERNANDEZ was promoted to chief creative officer at TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles. He was elevated from executive creative director and succeeds Brent Anderson who was previously promoted to CCO of TBWA's Media Arts Lab. Fernandez has been with TBWA since 2011. | |
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| | Associate Producer | WBNS 10TV – Columbus, OH, United States
| | | | Director of Engineering | WBNS 10TV – Columbus, NA, United States
| | | | Senior Manager, Engineering & IT, WRC | WRC - NBCUniversal – Washington DC, Dist. Columbia, United States
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