| | Media Buyer & Planner Today | | | | | | | | | #1 GroupM Begins Global Addressable TV Rollout | | WPP's media agency division GroupM, which already has an addressable TV service in the U.S. called Modi, is rolling out an addressable TV service globally called Finecast. GroupM will first open an operation in the U.K. and then move into other countries outside the U.S. over the next couple of years. Modi will continue to operate in the U.S. under its current name. Finecast will be led by its CEO Jakob Nielsen, who was previously managing director of GroupM digital in the U.K. In Britain, Finecast will work with broadcasters, distributors and platforms including Amazon Fire, Xbox, Sky, Samsung, Channel 4 and Virgin Media in an attempt to bring scale to addressable TV there, Ad Age reports. However, the country's biggest commercial channel, ITV, is not yet on board due to technical issue. It is expected to start working with Finecast next year. Finecast has a staff of 15 and has been operating in beta for the past 18 months. Plans call for expansion into China, India, Germany, Canada and Australia. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: Marketers continue to want to target specific groups of viewers across all video platforms, including broadcast, cable, satellite and VOD. "Finecast is built to strengthen the TV ecosystem for advertisers and media partners alike," says Kelly Clark, global CEO of GroupM. "By unlocking the ability to be targeted in TV campaigns, Finecast opens the door for new advertisers who haven't used TV before, and it will give traditional TV advertisers new ways to use the medium." | Two Takes: Ad Age | MediaPost
| | | | #2 Fox Signs World Cup Deals with Verizon, VW | | Fox Networks Group has signed up Verizon as the official halftime sponsor of each of Fox Sports' 64 televised FIFA World Cup soccer matches held in Russia in the summer of 2018. Volkswagen has signed up as post-game sponsor for all of the matches. They join more than a dozen other advertisers who have already bought commercial spots during the World Cup telecasts. And Fox Sports says it is in advanced discussions with FIFA partners, including Coca-Cola and Adidas. Fox is also examining the possibility of including six-second commercials into live-match coverage, which would be a boon to the network in terms of revenue and also get brands noticed, since traditional soccer matches do not have commercial breaks. The shortened commercials could be shown via a split-screen. FIFA would have to approve that move. In selling its World Cup ads, Fox is now including out-of-home viewership as part of its overall ratings guarantees. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: World Cup viewership has been growing every four years that the tournament is held and televised. Fox is hoping to beat the record ad sales total of $529 million that ESPN took in during the 2014 World Cup. The U.S. team has not yet qualified, but based on advertiser interest and the growing popularity of the sport in the U.S. in general, it is expected that demand for ads will be strong either way. | Two Takes: Ad Age | B&C
| | | | #3 Sadoun: Publicis Becoming More Like Consultancy | | Pubicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun, who succeeded longtime CEO Maurice Levy in June, says in conjunction with Levy, who is now board chairman, he is repositioning the holding company as a "platform" with a flat leadership team and a client-centric orientation that has more in common with consultancies than traditional agencies, Ad Age reports. He says agencies today must not dictate strategy to clients but must "work with them in reinventing their own model" and to be more of a partner. "We work with the CMO on the creative and marketing part," he says. "We work with the CIO on how we can link one with the other to be more efficient. This is a unique model." | | WHY THIS MATTERS: Sadoun says traditional agencies must adapt to how they run their business and work with clients or lose out to competing consultant companies entering the agency business. "If you look at what Accenture is doing and the price they are paying for some creative agencies, you understand why this is the future of our industry," he says. "You have to connect the consumer part with the enterprise part." | A Take: Ad Age
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| | 33 | | Percentage of advertiser and agency ad executives who say their audience insights are "completely trustworthy," according to a survey by Advertiser Peceptions. Another 49% believe their audience insights are "somewhat trustworthy." As for first-party data, 32% believe it is "very accurate," while 51% believe it is somewhat accurate." | – Reported by MediaPost
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| | NBC Wins on Hefty 'This Is Us' Premiere | by Michael Malone
Powered by the season two premiere of This Is Us, NBC took the ratings crown Tuesday with a 2.7 score in viewers 18-49, and a 10 share. That topped CBS' 1.3/5. The Voice started things off at 2.6, then This Is Us did a 3.8, up 36% over last year's premiere. Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders debuted at 1.7. On CBS, the NCIS premiere scored a 1.6, 7% better than its season finale, and the season debut of Bull a 1.2, up 9% from its finale. The premiere of NCIS: New Orleans scored a 1.0, down a tenth from its season closer last spring. ABC did a 1.2/5, with the finale of Celebrity Family Feud at 1.3, up 30%, then Dancing With the Stars at 1.2. It had a 1.5 the night before. Fox was at 1.0, with the premiere of Lethal Weapon at 1.2 and the premieres of The Mick up 29% from its finale at 0.9, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 0.8. Telemundo did a 0.6/2 and Univision a 0.5/2. The CW scored a 0.2/1 with repeats. | |
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| • ERIC MEYROWITZ was promoted to the newly created position of senior VP sales at Hearst TV. He was previously VP, sales. In his new role he will oversee the sales operations of the company's television and radio stations, as well as various web platforms. Meyrowitz returned to Hearst in 2014 after a stint as VP and general manager of Tribune's WPIX-TV in New York. From 1997 to 2000, he served as national sales manager for Hearst-owned WBAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore.
• ALYSIA BORSA was promoted to chief marketing and data officer at Meredith Corporation. In her expanded role, she will lead corporate marketing strategy, integrated marketing communications, first-party data strategy and management, and consumer- and advertiser-focused insights and analytics across all Meredith national media channels. Borsa has been with Meredith since 2011 and most recently was executive VP/chief data and insights officer.
• FAYE PENN was appointed VP, editorial at Lifetime. She joins the A+E network from InStyle, where she served as executive editor. Prior to that she was with New York Magazine, The New York Observer and The New York Post. | |
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