MediaPost | TV Board

Is 'American Idol' Really In Decline? I Think Not -- But 'X Factor' Is Another Matter

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:42:15 -0500

The media has been having a field day with the news that ratings for the opening weeks of Fox's "American Idol" are down from last year. Heaven knows it hasn't been a slow entertainment news period, especially where talent shows on Fox are concerned, so I have to wonder what all the fuss is about. We're talking about a program that is in its eleventh season -- one that made its debut approximately 10 1/2 years ago. How can its ratings not be down? Isn't it bigger news that, even with its ratings in decline, "Idol" can still outperform the competition on the other four broadcast networks combined?

'Downton Abbey' Vs. 'Upstairs Downstairs'

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:57:35 -0500

We shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that "Downton Abbey," which this season dramatizes the effect of World War I on the aristocratic Crawley family and its retainers, is as good as "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men," "The Wire" or other recent great television series. It's not even in the same league as "Upstairs Downstairs," to which it is frequently compared. "Downton Abbey" is to "Upstairs Downstairs" as "Dallas" is to "Friday Night Lights." One is a serious drama and the other is a romp.

Playing To Win

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:12:39 -0500

"Average is over," Thomas Friedman wrote last Wednesday in the New York Times, and it may well have been the headline of the week. In sports, politics, business, and the movies, we learned this week -- in case we didn't already know -- that there is no longer room in our world for mediocrity.

'Smash,' 'The River,' 'Awake' And 'GCB' Top Broadcast's Midseason Hot List

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:01:46 -0500

Super Bowl weekend is just seven days away -- and with it the true beginning of broadcast's midseason, heralding the arrival of a number of new scripted series that many critics believe to be collectively superior to last fall's freshman class. Specifically, I'm talking about two on NBC -- "Smash" and "Awake" -- and two on ABC -- "The River" and "GCB."

Set-Top Box Lexicon: Engagement

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:55:41 -0500

Retention of content is one aspect of engagement. But what exactly is engagement? Good question. The term has been a discussion point in the media industry for at least a decade. But even today it is not easily defined. Nonetheless that has not dissuaded us at CIMM from creating what we believe is an excellent generic definition of engagement -- whether for programming content or ads.

Media Insights Q&A With Brightline's Michael Finn

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:59 -0500

Michael Finn, president of Brightline, has extensive ad sales experience across platforms -- from cable to satellite to iTV. Along the way he developed an expertise in set-top-box data and its value in the sales process. In my interview with him, Michael talks about iTV, addressable advertising and the use of data to make informed advertising decisions. Michael also demonstrates the Brightline platform.

Bravo's 'Watch What Happens: Live' Brings Social Media To Late-Night TV

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:50:43 -0500

Is Andy Cohen the smartest man working in television? You may not think so, but it's hard to argue otherwise. How many other television executives can you name who host their own nightly talk show on the network that employs them -- a show on which they unapologetically promote their work, their product, and, by extension, their own careers?

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Commercial Retention Metrics

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:16:11 -0500

CIMM is taking a pro-active role in advancing new media nomenclature and processes with both its Lexicon (terms and definitions associated with Set-Top-Box data measurement) and Asset Identification Primer (glossary of asset terms). These documents form the basis of this column, which offers a common language for Set-Top-Box nomenclature that can expedite the rollout of the data for its many industry applications.

While viewer exposure to a commercial is vital to an advertiser, the recognition, remembrance and resonance of the message is arguably even more important. Here are terms associated with viewer retention and ad retention measurement.

Commercial Retention

See also: Retention

CIMM DEFINITION : The ability of a commercial to hold on to its tuned audience through the length of the commercial.

2 : The ability to recall the commercial after it is viewed for some amount of time after the fact.

NOTE – Kantar Media Audiences devised a seconds-based metric, Tuneaway, to capture the percent of seconds lost due to channel changing from the audience present the second prior to the commercial start time.

Retention

See also: Commercial Viewing Index

CIMM DEFINITION : The ability to capture and hold on to the attention and / or retain a message in the memory of a viewer or consumer.

2 : Ratio of ad rating in program to total program rating

Ad Retention Index

See Also: Commercial Viewership Index

CIMM DEFINITION : The ratio of commercial viewing average audience to total program viewing average audience. (Source: Rentrak

NOTE - This is not recommended as a general industry term because this ratio is reflective of not just pure ad retention but also the program audience trend from beginning to end may be increasing or decreasing as at the beginning or end of prime time. TRA for that reason calls this the Commercial Rating index (CRI) – the index to the average program rating – which is what is clearly is. Ad retention should be measured against the base of homes that start the commercial. (Source: TRA)

Please refer to the CIMM Lexicon online at http://www.cimm-us.org/lexicon.htm for additional information on these and other terms.

Are You Ready For A Lot Of Football?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:06:00 -0500

One of the most important media trends of the past 40 years has been the fragmentation of the television audience into niches and sub-categories, to the point where a top-rated show today would barely crack the top ten programs of the 1970s. Pro football has been the one great exception. Year after year, the majority of the most-watched shows are football games, with the Super Bowl the most-watched broadcast of the year.

RIP, 'One Life to Live'

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:21:30 -0500

Today, for the second time in four months, a highly distinctive broadcast television institution that has entertained tens of millions of people for more than four decades will come to an end, cancelled to make room for a cheaper-to-produce reality program, the likes of which can be accessed on a number of basic cable and digital channels at any time.

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Log Rolling

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

The ability to accurately measure usage from STB data rests not just on the data but also the content and line-up logs to which the data is matched. There are generally two categories of logs: As Scheduled logs and As Run logs. Scheduling logs are created before the fact and are often used to determine which string of data correctly corresponds to a specific program or advertisement. But changes to the line-up leading up to air are sometimes not reflected in these pre-to-air logs. Did a program actually run at its anticipated scheduled? Was anything pre-empted or moved? That is why As Run Logs, which reflect the actual line-up airings after the fact, are important components in STB measurement. They offer the ability to more accurately match tuning data to the actual line-up as it really aired.

Media Insights Q&A With Donovan MediaOcean's Harvey Kent

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:27:59 -0500

Harvey Kent, Chief Media Strategist for Donovan Systems, was one of the early pioneers in standardizing media pre-buying and Buy / Sell IT systems. And he has helped the industry adapt to the changing landscape in processing media data from its many sources to its many users. In this interview, Harvey talks about Donovan and MediaOcean, the introduction of Set Top Box Data into Donovan, media measurement and upcoming trends in the media landscape.

Winning Elections On TV

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:17:14 -0500

After last week's Iowa caucuses, some television commentators were surprisingly caught off-guard by Mitt Romney's hairs-breadth victory over Rick Santorum. But why the shock? Watching Santorum on the Sunday-morning circuit two weeks ago, I saw him point out that he was the only candidate who hadn't yet had a chance to run the gauntlet. Romney had held steady with 25% of the vote for six months or so, with Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich all taking turns as the lead contender. Iowa came, and Santorum was up. And why not?

The 12 Best Television Series Of 2011

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:57:48 -0500

Television critics started compiling year-end top-10 lists back when there were only three networks. Aren't longer lists called for by now? Allow me to break with time-honored tradition by offering my choices for the twelve best series of the year, plus eight very deserving runners-up.

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Time-Shifting

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:02:40 -0500

The act of commercial avoidance via fast-forwarding is an example of time-shifting behavior. More common however, is program time-shifting for viewing at one's convenience at a later time. The ability to time-shift has been a boon to viewers but a challenge to content providers, advertisers and researchers who have struggled to find the most significant and accurate metrics to reflect time-shifting behavior. C3 ratings was one agreed-upon standard metric to reflect commercial viewership plus three days of playback. There are also metrics to measure any content playback within the same day and any playback within the same week.

Looking Back And Looking Ahead

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:56:00 -0500

The beginning of any new year is not only a time of looking forward and making annual resolutions, it is also a time of looking back. With both of those ideas in mind, I was curious to measure the prescience of some of the executives I interviewed back in 2009.

Back To The Future: Television Still Dominates Politics

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:04:35 -0500

Just when you think the influence of television can't get any more central to the political process, it does. Today's Iowa Caucuses end the first phase of the presidential campaign -- and so far television has been a more significant player than ever before.

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Commercial Avoidance

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:44:28 -0500

DVR penetration is approaching critical mass. A large part of the hand-wringing over DVR roll-out is the fear of increased opportunities for consumer commercial avoidance. In the past, viewers could avoid ads by multitasking, muting via their remote or even leaving the room. Now, with relative ease, viewers can use their DVRs to skip commercials by fast-forwarding through them in trick play (Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Trick Play) mode. Not all trick play is commercial avoidance, but the ease and facility of the DVR trick-play capability arguably contributes to it. Here are some terms and definitions concerning commercial avoidance:

More Noteworthy Series From 2011 You Won't See On Other 10 Best Lists

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:41:00 -0500

Following last week's column, here are five more noteworthy series from 2011 that aren't going to turn up on very many (if any) Top 10 lists.

Looking Back, Forging Ahead

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:39:57 -0500

'Tis the season for wistful recollections about the year past and shining optimism about what the future might bring. For me it is, anyway. Looking back, it's been another roller coaster of a year in television. A few highlights:

Noteworthy Series of 2011 You Won't See On Other 10 Best Lists

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:04:07 -0500

It's that time of year, when television critics everywhere reveal their annual 10 Best lists. Mine will be along in a couple of weeks. Before then, here's the first installment in a my look back at 10 significant shows you likely won't see championed in anyone's "Best of" columns.

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Targeting Or Segmentation

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:00:11 -0500

Over the past few weeks, we have examined many privacy-related terms and definitions, including Anonymization, Encryption and PII. This week we examine Targeting and one of its corollaries, Segmentation.

More Second Thoughts On Set-Top-Box Measurement

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:49:40 -0500

As I discussed in last week's column, despite numerous technological and methodological drawbacks, the idea of using set-top boxes to derive "currency" ratings continues to be popular in the television industry. Specifically I opined that set-top-box measurement would be less accurate on a national level than Nielsen's National People Meter sample and predicted that set-top boxes would not be used to develop national ratings for a long time, if ever. This week I'm looking at the prospect of using set-top boxes to measure local markets, where the need for a new kind of measurement is more obvious and urgent.

'One Life to Live' Reflects On Its Own Demise

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:34:28 -0500

ABC Daytime's "One Life to Life," a show with more creative energy coursing through it than much of what passes for bigger-budget prime-time fare, won't breathe its last until Jan. 13, but the show is already giving itself a grand send-off with a storyline that has shaken many of its characters to the core.

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Encryption

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:16:00 -0500

We have spent the last few weeks reviewing terms associated with anonymization and privacy. Data points can be hashed and de-identified (Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Types of Anonymization). Another way to insure privacy is to only allow certain users to access certain levels of information. Encryption is a gate key method used in Set-Top-Box data, which restricts data access to a select group or to a specific person.

Who's Right About The Future Of On-Screen Media?

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:51:13 -0500

When it comes to a discussion of the future of on-screen video, there are generally areas of agreement among the various constituencies. One is that the landscape is in constant flux, creating changes to the business model and market uncertainties. Another is that technology forms the playing field. But overall agreement of its future impact on the industry and the consumer mindset may end there. December's OnScreen Media Summit in New York helped highlight the various issues, bringing together many industry experts in the space.

Second Thoughts On Set-Top-Box Measurement

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:30:14 -0500

For more than half a decade, many in the TV industry have looked forward to set-top-box measurement as an elixir that would deliver better TV ratings. The theory is that if Nielsen or another ratings company could extract viewing information from the millions of set-top boxes already installed in viewers' homes, the larger sample size would deliver more accurate -- or at least more stable -- ratings. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I don't think we are going to get true "currency" measurement from set-top boxes for a long time -- if ever. Set-top boxes can be a valuable analytical tool, but most of the barriers to set-top-box currency ratings that existed five years ago still remain and don't seem to be coming down very fast.

Ted Forstmann & Television

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:16:06 -0500

Ted Forstmann -- businessman, financier, "master of the universe" -- unfortunately passed away last month, at the not-so-ripe old age of 71. Many readers know Forstmann as Chairman of IMG, the sports- and media-management firm. But Forstmann's rich career as a leveraged buyout investor comprised so much more. From his founding of Forstmann Little & Company in 1978, he wielded enormous influence on every sector he touched. What's less widely known is the extent of Forstmann's impact on the television industry. If not for him, we might not be where we are today. Really.

'Family Guy' Prompts The Question: Ten Years Later, Is It Okay To Have Fun With 9/11?

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:20:10 -0500

Ten years later, is it too soon for television to have some fun with the events of Sept. 11, 2001? I've been wondering about this since the Nov. 20 episode of Fox's often controversial "Family Guy," a hugely popular animated comedy series that is known not only for its razor-sharp humor but also its merciless lack of sensitivity. In that episode, two of the characters took several trips back in time, at one point preventing 9/11 and at another making sure that it happened. Clearly, "Family Guy" goes too far on so regular a basis that a vague sense of offense-fatigue shields it from critical or cultural attack. Everyone and everything has been the target of series creator Seth MacFarlane and his cohorts throughout the history of the show, so if everyone is equally offended then we should all be OK with it, right?

Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Types of Anonymization

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:10:56 -0500

In continuing in our discussion of privacy and anonymization, we examine the terms that involve the process of stripping and processing identifying information and creating these anonymized datasets for use in measurement. All of this helps to preserve and insure privacy of the individual.