In network news, the new Esquire Network has pushed back the debut of its newly branded cable channel until sometime this summer…

The Esquire Network will be bowing later than anticipated.

Rather than flip the switch on the G4 network April 22 as initially planned, the NBCUniversal cable rebrand is now slated for summer. The move will allow the Esquire net to come out of the gate with five original series, including holdover American Ninja Warrior, as opposed to simply two original offerings.

“We have an opportunity to launch with more original programming than we had envisioned. In order to give our viewers a more substantial program offering that showcases the breadth of the Esquire Network, we are pushing our rebrand to the summer,” said Esquire Network general manager Adam Stotsky in a statement. Current G4 scheduling is expected to continue through the rebrand. A specific date has not yet been set.

When it does launch this summer, Esquire will serve up underground, after-hours cooking competition series Knife Fightand Anthony Bourdain’s celebrity-fronted travel series The Getaway from, which were previously slated for late April, as well as lifestyle series How I Rock It, American Field Trip featuring blogger/photojournalist Matt Hranek and a fifth season of competition entry American Ninja Warrior.

Joining the originals will be off-net repeats of on-brand shows including Psych, Burn Notice, Party Down, Parks and Recreation and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. There are many more unscripted entries are in development, too, as Stotsky and his team inch closer to their long-term plan of one day being 100 percent dependent on originals.

Though not yet on the air, Esquire is currently being peddled to Madison Avenue buyers well as Hollywood producers as an opportunity to reach a more mature, upscale and affluent male demographic — or in Esquire parlance, the “modern man.” The pitch suggests that the network will fill a void left by more tough-minded, testosterone-heavy men’s networks such as Spike and History. Much like the magazine with which it’s affiliated, Esquire will focus on a host of different genres, from politics and fashion to food to beer.

Esquire will target a more cultivated, upper class male demographic similar to the magazine’s target audience.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/esquire-network-pushes-back-launch-439308

Top Primetime Cable Programming and Networks for the Week of April 22 – April 28

Based on its new definition of a TV home — one that can include a broadband connection — Nielsen says the number of TV homes is up versus the year before to 115.6 million homes.

Nielsen says its TV household Universe Estimate (UE) grew 1.2% over its estimate for the 2012-2013 season, which was at 114.2 million. In addition, Nielsen says the total number of TV viewers is 1.6% higher to 294 million individuals ages 2 and older.

“Though we see slight shifts reflecting trends in population changes, the Advance UEs are largely stable and television viewing remains very strong,” says Pat McDonough, senior vice president of insights and analysis at Nielsen.

McDonough adds: “The expansion of the definition of a TV household, which we announced in February 2013, will include viewing from additional sites in current homes and new homes for the September TV season.”

Nielsen’s new definition of a TV household states that homes must have at least one operable TV/monitor with the ability to deliver video via traditional means of antennae, cable set-top-box or satellite receiver and/or with a broadband connection.

Nielsen typically offers up its TV home estimate in early May before the television industry’s upfront presentations that showcase the upcoming 2013-2014 broadcast season, which starts in September.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/golf/2013-05-13/story/drama-boosts-tv-ratings-players-championship#ixzz2TIDZA1T8

Executive produced by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn of Sundance Productions, and award-winning filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin of BCTV, CHICAGOLAND is a non-scripted, eight-part original series about a heartland American city.  It is as authentic an American city as there is, and the series will explore where politics and policy meet real people’s lives – in a city generating change and innovation in social policy, education, and public safety – to meet national and local challenges.

Beginning in early 2014, viewers will watch the riveting, real-life drama of a city looking to unite at this critical moment in the city’s history.   In the aftermath of a countrywide economic collapse, Chicago faces the challenges of improving its public education system, and neighborhood and youth safety.  Can the city’s leaders, communities, and residents come together in ways that expand opportunities and allow aspirations to be realized?

“The vibrant culture and opportunities inherent in this 21st century, world-class city run alongside profound daily challenges,” said Redford.  “Much of it falls on the shoulders of its tough, visionary mayor, his team and people doing heroic work in neighborhoods throughout the city,” continued Redford.  “Chicago has always had a rhythm all its own.  It’s a city that wears its heart on its sleeve and I am honored to be a part of telling this story,” he added.

“We’re very pleased to bring this unique long-form series to the network,” said Amy Entelis, senior vice president for talent and content development for CNN Worldwide.  “CHICAGOLAND is a creative exploration of stories relevant to every city and every American,” Entelis said.

“CNN is thrilled to collaborate with the team that brought the award-winning BRICK CITY to television, and producers Redford and Michalchyshyn, to spotlight this groundbreaking story,” said Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for CNN Worldwide.  “CHICAGOLAND will be shared with CNN’s global audience – and supported by supplemental reporting on the critical issues explored in the series,” Malhotra said.

“Chicago is the quintessential American city and where it goes tells us a lot about where our country is going,” said series producer Levin.  “We are excited to bring this new kind of docu-series to CNN.”

“If change can happen here – at this school, it can happen anywhere,” Fenger High School principal Liz Dozier vows in CHICAGOLAND.  Fenger’s stories, and other Chicago tales, unfold on CNN in early 2014.

About Sundance Productions

Launched and founded in 2012 by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn, Sundance Productions develops and produces innovative, compelling television content for linear and digital platforms in the U.S. and around the world. Sundance Productions partners with leading story-tellers, directors, and producers for the production of authentic tentpole series and specials across all platforms.

About CNN

CNN Worldwide is a portfolio of two dozen news and information services across cable, satellite, radio, wireless devices and the Internet in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Domestically, CNN reaches more individuals on television, the web and mobile devices than any other cable TV news organization in the United States; internationally, CNN is the most widely distributed news channel reaching more than 271 million households abroad; and CNN Digital is a top network for online news, mobile news and social media. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with hundreds of local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

Source: CNN press release, 5/8/13

A&E Networks will run its upcoming “Bonnie & Clyde” miniseries simultaneously on Lifetime, History and A&E later this year, the company plans to announce Wednesday at its upfront presentation in New York.

The unusual simulcast will allow A&E Networks to combine female-skewing Lifetime viewers with male-skewing History and A&E’s broader adult audience — all the better, the thinking goes, to offer ad buyers larger reach at one time. It is the first such attempt by the company but is likely to be repeated if it works.

“Bonnie & Clyde” is the latest big-budget TV miniseries, where History has been spearheading the genre’s return to prominence — first with “Hatfields & McCoys,” whose finale averaged 14.3 million viewers, and then “The Bible,” whose finale got 10.3 million viewers. Their success also spawned History’s first scripted series, “Vikings,” which has been renewed for a second season.

History is now committed to building out its scripted programming, planning two additional miniseries: “Houdini,” which will star Adrian Brody, and “Sons of Liberty.” It will spin “Hatfields & McCoys,” meanwhile, into a reality show.

The A&E network will use the upfront — part of TV’s annual effort to sell ad time in the upcoming season — to introduce its next scripted drama, “Those Who Kill,” which stars Chloe Sevigny as a police detective who tracks down serial killers. A&E will also announce a “Storage Wars” spinoff, with bidder Barry Weiss from the original show. The network enters the upfronts following the season finale of “Duck Dynasty,” which drew 9.6 million viewers, and the success of its most recent scripted drama, “Bates Motel.”

Lifetime will add a scripted series, “Witches of East End,” about a family of witches, and “Devious Maids,” a new project from Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria airing in June. It is also renewing the reality competition series “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition” for a second season.

A&E Networks plans to emphasize its broad success, arguing that it accumulates audiences without over-relying on any one program, genre or night, and without any costly sports programming. The company has seen an executive shakeup in recent weeks, with Nancy Dubuc rising to president and CEO, succeeding Abbe Raven, who was named to the newly created role of chairman. The ad sales team has also been ramping up and restructuring, with an emphasis on partnerships and research.

The partnership group, led by David DeSocio, is working to develop custom creative executions in the network’s specials, while the research team, led by Michael Greco, is spearheading studies to provide clients with insights into viewers’ passions and marketing to men and women.

As A&E Networks focuses on selling content across platforms, the company has also formed a new business development group, headed by Louis Jerome and Susan Webber Gatto. Chris Lenge, VP of business affairs, will focus on History and H2. Jim Agius, Amy Baker and Peter Olsen, have been promoted to oversee advertising on A&E, Lifetime and History, respectively. And Michael Peretz was also promoted to exec VP-ad sales, revenue management and operations.

“We are not just selling cable TV any more… We need to think of it more broadly than selling TV ratings points,” said Mel Berning, president of ad sales, in an interview ahead of the presentation.

Source: AdAge, 5/7/13

Top Primetime Cable Programming and Networks for the Week of April 15 – April 21

By RACHEL COHEN (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Final Four’s first two games are moving to cable next year.

The national semifinals will air on TBS in 2014 and 2015, with the title game remaining on CBS, the companies said Tuesday.

Under the 14-year deal that CBS and Turner Sports signed with the NCAA in 2010, CBS and TBS were scheduled to start alternating broadcasts of the entire Final Four starting in 2016, but Turner had the option to move that up to 2014.

Network executives decided in recent months that the best approach for both companies was to split the coverage for the next two years before beginning to take turns. TBS will televise the entire Final Four in 2016 and CBS in 2017.

”It was a nice opportunity to have a transition,” Turner Sports chief David Levy said during a conference call.

The two companies recently completed the third year of their contract, which televised every game in the tournament for the first time using CBS and three Turner channels – TBS, TNT and truTV. The new model has drawn strong ratings and proved viewers are comfortable finding the games on cable.

That success made Turner eager to get in on the Final Four early. Sports fans have become increasingly accustomed to major events on cable, include college football’s title game.

Basketball’s NCAA final will stay on a traditional broadcast network for two more years before making its cable debut. Meanwhile, TBS will add more big games: The channel will also begin airing two of the four regional finals starting next season. They had all been on CBS.

”We both win in this scenario,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said.

The original financial terms of the deal won’t change under the new arrangement, McManus said.

Network executives have yet to decide which announcers will call the Final Four games next season. Steve Kerr of Turner had joined Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg of CBS in the booth for the semifinals and final in the first three years of the partnership.

(By RACHEL COHEN (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press, 5/7/2013–http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaa-hoops-semifinal-games-moving-143914842–ncaab.html)

Welcome to this weeks edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays!

For those of you that are new to What We’re Watching Wednesdays or  W4 as we lovingly call it; it’s not just shows that you enjoy on Wednesdays–its all shows that air during the week on cable! Wednesday is just the day to look for our latest post and learn more about your fellow Viamedians and what they love on cable!

This week comes from , Dave Ouano, Account Executive, Chicago.

1)What are your favorite shows on cable? (Give us three if you can!)

Walking Dead on AMC
Vikings on History
Project Runway on Lifetime
Bates Motel on A&E

2)What makes them your favorites?

I like a variety of shows, and I probably watch too much TV & too many movies. I like horror, drama, suspense, and comedy. Walking Dead, Vikings, and Bates Motel all are very engaging, dramatic, well-written, and overall well-produced. I do some fashion photography in my free time, so I got hooked on Project Runway a couple years ago – and it also has drama, suspense, and comedy.

3)Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

I wish they would bring back The Sopranos because that show had everything.

4)What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

I like Justified too, but may have that on in the background more often while I’m working on my computer, and, of course, pay more attention when there’s a fight or a shoot out.

5)What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

I’d pretty much watch any of the Lord of the Rings films whenever they’re on.

6)What channel could you not live without?

AMC

7)What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

I’m definitely looking forward to the next season of Walking Dead.

8)Favorite TV moment?

When Andrea died on Walking Dead – not because I wanted her to leave the show, but because I latch on to movies and shows that really make me feel something. And that pretty much destroyed me for the night.

Thank you, Dave! We loved getting to know you a little better!

That’s it for this week’s edition of  What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

I’m back! Sorry for the 6 month hiatus! Wish I had a better excuse than just plain laziness when it comes to cooking lately!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo over the weekend I made a delicious recipe by one of my favorite Cooking Channel Personalities–Kelsey Nixon. The recipe was called Cumin-Seared Scallop Tacos and it was from the episode Cast Iron

Skillet from Kelsey’s Essentials. I have a new love for Cast Iron Skillets and have been trying out many new recipes using them, so I was really excited to see this episode on The Cooking Channel. Side note: if you haven’t tried pizza using a cast iron skillet–then you really are missing out!

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly and I actually used pre-made salsa.
I actually had planned on making the salsa homemade, but the mangoes at the grocery store were not ripe. I also did not make the Tomatillo Guacamole, and instead just put fresh avocado slices on the tacos. I really enjoyed it this way too. One other change that I made, was using fresh mini-scallops instead of large ones. The recipe called for quartering them after cooking, so I decided it would be easier to just use mini ones.

The recipe is pretty self explanatory, so I won’t bother going into the steps. After the scallops are seared, its as simple as building your tacos. I also toasted the corn tortillas a bit to warm them up in the skillet. Overall, I enjoyed this recipe. It was very light and summery! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

A full schedule of Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) events in April powered FUEL TV to its highest-rated and most-watched month in network history. During the month the network telecast four live UFC® Weigh-In and Postfight shows, one live UFC® Prelim show and one thrilling UFC® main card, in addition to many hours of shoulder programming. FUEL TV was up +75% in household (HH) rating (0.07 HH vs. 0.04 HH), +67% in total viewers (30,000 vs. 18,000) and +56% among Men 18-49 (14,000 vs. 9,000) this April compared to April 2012, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research. For the second straight year, driven by UFC programming, FUEL TV is pacing first overall on HH percentage growth among all ad-supported cable networks.

The month ended very strong, with near record viewership set for the UFC® 159 Weigh-in and Postfight Shows. The live UFC® 159 Weigh-In Show on April 26 (4:00 PM ET) was the second highest-rated and fourth most-watched UFC weigh-in in network history, behind the record set for the UFC® 158 Weigh-in on March 15. It averaged 109,000 total viewers and was up +167% in HH’s (0.24 HH vs. 0.09 HH), +160% in total viewers (109,000 total viewers vs. 42,000 total viewers) and +191% among Men 18-49 (64,000 vs. 22,000) compared to the 2012 Live UFC Weigh-In average.

“UFC events and programming have shown significant growth since debuting on FUEL TV last year, and that improvement is typified by the network’s performance in April,” said Michael Mulvihill, Senior Vice President, Programming and Research, FOX Sports Media Group. “It’s encouraging to see major growth in the hard-to-reach Men 18-49 demographic that provides so much value to sports advertisers, especially as much of this programming prepares to migrate to FOX Sports 1 this summer.”

The live UFC® 159 Postfight Show on April 27 (12:56 AM ET) was FUEL TV’s highest-rated and most-watched postfight show following a pay-per-view event and was network’s second highest-rated and second most-watched postfight show ever, behind the postfight show for UFC® ON FUEL TV 8: SILVA VS. STANN on Saturday, March 2. The UFC® 159 Postfight Show averaged 159,000 total viewers, with a 0.34 HH and 0.50 Men 18-49 rating. It was up +210% in HH’s, +218% in total viewers and +257% among Men 18-49 compared to the 2012 live UFC postfight show average.

Other benchmarks set in April:

· On Saturday, April 13, The Ultimate Fighter FINALE PRELIMS ON FUEL TV delivered the network’s most-watched and highest-rated UFC® prelims of all time.
· It was FUEL TV’s second most-watched and second highest-rated program of all time.
· On Saturday, April 6, UFC® ON FUEL TV 9: MOUSASI VS. LATIFI was the second most-watched live UFC® fight in both total viewers and in the target demo of M18-49.
· April 6 was the second-most watched day in network history behind the record set on March 2, 2013.
· For 2013 to date, FUEL TV is currently up +57% on HH (22,000 vs. 14,000), +50% on total viewers (27,000 vs. 18,000) and +44% among Men 18-49 (13,000 vs. 9,000) compared to the same period in 2012.

FUEL TV continues its live UFC® coverage on May 17 with the live Weigh-in Show for UFC® ON FX 8: BELFORT VS. ROCKHOLD. On Saturday, May 18, FUEL TV telecasts the live UFC® ON FX 8 PRELIMS and live UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW.

Source: FUEL TV press release, 5/2/13

NBC Sports Group will present 14.5 hours of Kentucky Derby coverage beginning today, May 1, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network with Kentucky Derby Classics, and culminating with the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday, May 4, beginning at 11 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and continuing at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.

NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage, which in 2012 was honored with an Eclipse Award in the Television-Live Programming category, includes 8.5 hours on Derby Day across NBC and NBC Sports Network.

Once again this year, a host of NBCUniversal properties will participate in NBC Sports’ ‘Big Event Strategy,’ focusing on the food, fashion, celebrity and entertainment spectacle that is the Kentucky Derby.

Below is a summary of the NBCU properties that are supporting the Kentucky Derby:

TODAY SHOW: TODAY’s Al Roker will report live from Churchill Downs on Friday and will interview NBC Sports analyst and Kentucky Derby jockey Gary Stevens about his return to racing from retirement. Roker will also interview NBC Sports horse racing reporter Kenny Rice, who will give his thoughts on this year’s Derby.

WEEKEND TODAY: Coverage continues on Saturday with Weekend TODAY as correspondent Dylan Dreyer reports live from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., with Kentucky Derby segments throughout the show. Dreyer will interview NBC’s on-horse reporter Donna Brothers. TODAY coverage from Churchill Downs continues on Sunday with an interview with the Derby-winning jockey and trainer.

TODAY WITH HODA AND KATHIE LEE: For the fourth year in a row, TODAY’s Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb hosted a Kentucky Derby trip giveaway contest for the fan that created the most interesting Derby hat. Also, Kathie Lee and Hoda’s “drink of choice” during Tuesday’s show was the mint julep, and Len Berman hosted a “Who Knew” Kentucky Derby segment on Wednesday.

WEATHER CHANNEL: Wake Up with Al is live from Churchill Downs on Friday morning with Roker and Stephanie Abrams, and guests including NBC’s Rice and Brothers. Abrams will also report live from the Derby on Friday for On the Radar and Morning Rush, as well as Weekend View on Saturday morning.

CNBC: CNBC’s sports-business reporter, Brian Schactman, will file reports live from Churchill Downs all day Friday. Schactman will also be a part of NBC Sports Network’s Kentucky Derby coverage.

E!:  E! News will feature Kentucky Derby segments all week, covering parties, food and fashion of the Derby. E! News will also air an interview with Kentucky Derby jockey Rosie Napravnik, and E! Online will update photo galleries with pictures from the exclusive Barnstable Brown party, as well as from Oaks and Derby days.

LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON: Jimmy Fallon will entertain viewers with two Derby-related skits on his Friday night show:

Puppy Predictor – A recurring skit that the show does on a regular basis featuring puppies to predict the outcome of an event.  Fallon also to do a Dateline-style interview with a horse about his chances of winning the Kentucky Derby.  Fallon also gave his Derby pick for a feature that will run during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast.

Saturday Night Live: This week’s host Zach Galifinakis and the cast of SNL will contribute content to NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday.

OXYGEN: Coco Rocha, supermodel coach on Oxygen’s The Face, will talk Kentucky Derby fashions on Friday’s NBC Sports Network coverage and Saturday’s NBC Kentucky Derby coverage.

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Michelle Beadle will report live from Churchill Downs on Friday for AH Live, and will also be part of NBC Sports’ coverage, contributing features and celebrity interviews. In addition, throughout Derby Week, AH Live will cover celebrities in Louisville to attend the Derby and the exclusive Derby parties.

Bravo: Andy Cohen, host of Bravo, Watch What Happens Live, picked his Kentucky Derby horse for a feature that will air during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast.

iVillage: iVillage, the essential digital brand for women which reaches more than 30 million unique visitors per month, will celebrate this year’s Kentucky Derby by featuring coverage all week of party planning, fashion, celebrity and style of the Derby.

DailyCandy: DailyCandy.com will feature a “Derby 101” editorial package that gives readers everything they need to know to prepare for Derby Day. Additionally, Scout, the DailyCandy mobile app, is running Derby-related challenges all week with prizes for the best Kentucky Derby fashions.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES: The Minions, from the soon to be released Universal Pictures movie Despicable Me 2, gave their Derby picks for a feature that will run during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast.

UNIVERSAL PARKS: Universal Parks in Orlando and Hollywood have been running NBC Sports Kentucky Derby promotional spots on their Astrovision screens for the past three weeks, reminding park goers of NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage.

LXTV: 1stLook, which spotlights the latest in exclusive restaurants, shopping, fashion, nightlife and entertainment, featured a 30-minute show about the Kentucky Derby, hosted by Ali Fedotowsky. 1stLook airs in NBC’s local markets.

NBC SPORTS’ ‘BIG EVENT STRATEGY’ HELPS TO INCREASE VIEWERSHIP

The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ to assemble the broadest possible audience led to the 2012 Kentucky Derby drawing 14.8 million viewers, the third most-watched Kentucky Derby in 23 years. Since implementing NBC Sports’ ‘Big Event Strategy,’ the last four Kentucky Derby races have all recorded at least 14.5 million viewers.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Kentucky Derby over the last 12 years averages more than 2 million additional viewers than the previous 12 Kentucky Derby broadcasts on ABC (14.1 million vs.12.0 million, up 17 percent).

27½ HOURS OF TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE: NBC Sports Group will present 27½ hours of Triple Crown coverage this season from Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont, including “classics” from the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, live racing from all three tracks prior to the three Triple Crown races, and post-race coverage of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont on NBC Sports Network. This marks the third straight year that all three Triple Crown races will air on NBC.

NBCSPORTS GROUP TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE (All Times ET):

Source: NBCU press release, 5/1/13

A British Tremor Video research study co-funded by the Internet Advertising Bureau in the United Kingdom finds that online video advertising does a good job reaching light television viewers. But for heavy viewers—they’ve already gotten the message, lots of times.

Online video is also surprisingly effective when advertisers extend a TV campaign by continuing the advertisements in online pre-roll.

Although there’s a big body of water between the U.S. the U.K., the results are applicable on this side of the pond, says Doron Wesly, Tremor’s head of market research.

The study shows that viewers’ unaided awareness improves when online video (called VOD overseas) is added to a TV campaigns. Nielsen did the research for Tremor.

That awareness bump is mainly true with light TV viewers—defined here as people watching less than two hours a day. The fact is, online video advertising doesn’t have much of an impact on people who are moderate to heavy TV viewers, according to this survey.

It’s like this:  A light viewer is likely to see a targeted ad only once during its two month ad campaign on TV. A heavy viewer is likely to see it five times, or more. So for the light viewer, that online exposure is important. For the heavy viewer, it is nearly overkill.

If an advertiser keeps advertising online after the big-budget TV campaign ends, there’s pretty good evidence that the extension will do good things for awareness.

In one of the companies in the study, 33% of the respondents could name the brand unaided, before the combined TV/online campaign began.

After a two-month TV and online video campaign, that percentage raised to 39%.

The advertiser let the campaign run a month longer online. There, awareness jumped to 41%.

The Tremor study also shows online video advertising fights message “decay.”

In another part of the study, 29% of survey participants could link an insurance company’s brand to its commercial message. After a two month TV-and-online campaign, that message association increased to an impressive 48% of TV and online users.

The brand ran an “extra” month online. Afterward, 32% of those who were exposed to the online extension could correctly associate the brand to its pitch. That’s a far cry from 48% while the campaign was just over.

But it’s better than the intial 29%. And it is significantly better than the 26% the TV-only crowd had dipped to in short order after the campaign ended.

“When you are doing bursts of advertising, you are getting impact,” says Wesly. “The moment you go dark, your message drops off significantly. And it will cost you so much more to build it back.”

That’s the boom-and-bust pattern advertisers tried to impress upon advertisers at the heart of the recession. Trimming advertising as a budget measure tends to come back to bite you later on.

Light TV viewers aren’t a small bunch of librarians. Wesly says says data shows the two-hours-or-less contingent is 26% of the population in the United Kingdom, similar to the U.S. That should be a target for advertisers trying to build awareness.

The  UK research complements Tremor Video’s US spring 2013 ad campaign, “TV with Benefits” which aims to show how TV and video ad campaigns can go together to build brands.

The study took place October 2011–November 2012. The IAB in the United Kingdom released the study last week.

The idea of the study, originally, was to see if online plus TV could increase incremental reach, Wesly says. The results were so slight, “everybody was pretty upset,” he laughs, remembering that getting percentage points are always hard to gain in the ad biz.  “Nothing gives you 10% more blah, blah, blah,” he says. But the new data, about light viewers and extending campaigns helps prove another Wesly theory: “All research makes you smarter.”

Welcome to this weeks edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! For those of you that are new to What We’re Watching Wednesdays or  W4 as we lovingly call it; it’s not just shows that you enjoy on Wednesdays–its all shows that air during the week on cable! Wednesday is just the day to look for our latest post and learn more about your fellow Viamedians and what they love on cable!

This week comes from the newest member of the Marketing Team, Kadi Calloway, National Sales Coordinator, Atlanta.

1)What are your favorite shows on cable? (Give us three if you can!)

Walking Dead on AMC
Defiance on Syfy
Game of Thrones

2)What makes them your favorites?

Fun characters, great story/plot lines, always entertaining… These are really the only shows on cable right now I try to catch every week!

3) Which character do you like and/ or can relate to? 

Calisi is my favorite character on TV right now. I love that she’s an incredibly strong and fascinating woman character in the show; she is witty and subtly powerful. Plus, who wouldn’t love some crazy powerful obedient dragons to help conquer obstacles in life?!

4)Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

I would love an old school Nickelodeon channel with constant reruns of Doug, Legends of the Hidden Temple and Are you Afraid of the Dark – I was a 90′s kid so I would keep that channel on all the time!

5)What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

Friends. ALWAYS. Even though it was a broadcast TV show, I love that reruns are on all the time on cable now.

6)What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

Old School, Anchorman… Pretty much any Will Ferrell movie.

7)What channel could you not live without?

AMC

8)If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

I’d love to create an entire cable network for young professionals, aimed at twenty-somethings like me just starting out their careers, moving to new cities and following their dreams. It would be a well-rounded network with new kinds of shows not out there yet such as shows spotlighting interesting careers in different industries, fun things like bars and restaurants to check out in big cities, “house-hunters” for young adults and of course some music videos and adult swim-type cartoons/shows sprinkled in too.

9)What is your guilty pleasure?

Definitely Defiance. I don’t get TOO into video games or anything usually but I think the whole media convergence topic is huge right now and Syfy is really doing a cool thing combining the video game realm with the cable television space. It’s a really innovating show and I’ve started really looking forward to watching it every Monday.

10)What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

American Horror Story season 3. SO excited.

11)Favorite TV moment?

When Monica “proposed” to Chandler on Friends. All those candles get me every time.

Thank you, Kadi! We loved getting to know you a little better!

That’s it for this week’s edition of  What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

Wasn’t one supposed to kill the other? Annual TV ad spending is closing in on the $80 million mark, while DVRs could soon be in 50% of U.S. homes by the start of the new TV season.

In an annual report, Nielsen estimates 46% of homes have a DVR, marking a 9% increase over the prior TV season. Meanwhile, the research firm says the U.S. TV market generated $76.5 million in spending in 2012, a 6.5% increase.

Without spending attached to an Olympics or federal elections, the growth rate likely won’t be as robust this year, but a less than 5% increase would still propel the total market beyond $80 billion.

Reality TV continues to deserve some credit. Last year, nearly 40% of all ad dollars were spent in prime time. While drama programming drew the most of any genre at $7.8 billion, the $5.6 billion spent in reality TV dwarfed the $2.7 billion for comedies.

Delving deeper into the DVR-verse, Nielsen data indicates — not surprisingly — that the larger the household income, the more likely it is to have a DVR. Nearly 70% of homes with incomes $100,000 or more have a DVR, while 60% have one in the $75,000-$100,000 range.

The data shows 25% of homes with incomes of $30,000 or less have one of the devices. But penetration is growing fastest among that group, up nearly 13%.

If last year’s growth rates repeat themselves, about 60% of homes with incomes of $50,000 or more will have a DVR by the time new shows launch in the fall.

Meanwhile, for all the talk about gaming consoles — Microsoft and Nintendo are marketing them as entertainment hubs — growth declined in the past year, albeit by only 0.2%. Data shows 45% of homes have one.

Among the five income segments Nielsen identified, the group making less than $30,000 a year watches the most prime-time TV — one hour and 23 minutes a night on average. Those with household incomes of $100,000 or more watch barely over an hour.

Time-shifted viewing is growing in all income segments. The daily average rose from 21 minutes to 25 among the $30,000-$50,000 income segment — the most for any group.

FX has given the green light to a 30-minute sitcom co-created by comedian George Lopez, who also will star in the show. Saint George, about a working-class Mexican-American man who achieves success running his own business, marks Lopez’ return to scripted TV following the end of his hit ABC series in 2007.

NeNe from The Real Housewives of Atlanta returns to Bravo Media this fall with a new show where she prepares to once again marry her former husband, Gregg Leakes. The extravagant nuptials will play out in I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding (working title), coming this fall.

Bravo Media’s The Real Housewives of Orange County moves to its new timeslot on Monday, May 6, at 9:00 pm ET, followed by the 90-minute premiere of Newlyweds: The First Year at 10:00 pm.

Bravo Media stirs up a new dose of culinary drama with the second season of Chef Roblé & Co., premiering on Tuesday, June 4 at 10:00 pm (ET). Now that Roblé Ali has established his Brooklyn-based catering company, season two follows his business as it continues to grow by leaps and bounds with high-end clientele including musical artist John Legend, NBA star Tyson Chandler, and Phaedra Parks of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Futurama returns for its final season premiere on Wednesday, June 19, at 10:00 pm on Comedy Central, with the season finale set for September 4. Special guest stars for the final season include Larry Bird, Dan Castellaneta, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Adam West and Burt Ward.

Syfy is making a big play for Mondays. The second episode of the new series Defiance drew 2.4 million viewers on April 22 in its 9:00 pm ET time slot and the network noted that the premiere the previous week grew to 3.5 million viewers with data from three days of DVR playback. Warehouse 13 makes its season premiere Monday, April 29, at 10:00 pm ET in what Syfy is calling its Powerful Mondays programming block.

Syfy has ordered a second season of the paranormal reality series, Haunted Highway. The new six-episode season will premiere on a new night, Wednesday, July 24, at 10:00 pm ET. The hour-long series follows two teams, Jack Osbourne & Dana Workman, and Jael de Pardo & Devin Marble, as they conduct their own first-person investigations into some of the most frightening claims of paranormal activity in some of America’s most remote regions.

Nine new original series will hit HGTV’s 2013 programming schedule by July 31, the network announced, including the home improvement competition series, Brother vs. Brother, starring twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott. The network also will put a new spin on its classic competition series Design Star, retooling the series with the new title HGTV Star.

DIY Network says it has added four new series featuring celebrities with a passion for home renovation and historic restoration to its primetime line-up. Currently in production, Vanilla Ice Goes Amish, The Rev. Run Project, The Daryl Hall Project and Bronson Pinchot Saves America are set to premiere later this year and in 2014.

A&E says the third season finale of Duck Dynasty on Wednesday drew a network record 9.6 million viewers. The episode was also watched by an A&E record 5.6 million adults 25-54, 5.5 million adults 18-49 and 2.6 million adults 18-34, becoming the most-watched series telecast in network history among all key demos. And it notes the 4.3 national rating in Adults 18-49 beat American Idol on FOX at 3.2.

E! unveiled an original programming slate at its upfront in New York, including six new series and a number of topical specials. New series include The Wanted Life, Total Divas, Love and Other Contact Sports: Eric and Jessie, Pop Innovators, Hello Ross (working title) and The Trend. The two with premiere dates already fixed are The Wanted Life, focusing on the U.K. pop band The Wanted, which bows Sunday, June 2, at 10:30 pm ET; and Total Divas, revealing the real women behind the WWE Divas, Sunday, July 28, at 10:00 pm ET.

The Fosters, from executive producer Jennifer Lopez, will premiere on ABC Family Monday, June 3, at 9:00 pm ET, following the series finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager at 8:00 pm. The drama follows a multi-ethnic family mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms, a police officer and her partner, a school vice principal.

In other ABC Family news, the network gives Harry Potter fans something to celebrate with a weekend full of wizardry. The Harry Potter Weekend starts with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Saturday, May 11, at 1:00 pm ET and will conclude with the network premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on Sunday, May 12, at 7:30 pm ET.

TLC helps couples across America with Honey Do, a new two-part special featuring a dream team of handy men that come to the aid of one wife to tackle all of the unfinished home improvement projects her husband has been ignoring. Premiering with back-to-back episodes on May 11 at 10:00 pm ET, Honey Do airs as part of TLC’s Saturday House Party, a weekly programming block.

Travel Channel is adding four original series. Adam Richman’s Fandemonium will premiere Sunday, July 14, at 10:00 pm ET. Also ordered are the husband/ wife adventure series Get Lost (working title), YouTube sensation Daymon Patterson hosting Best Daym Takeout and antique car expert Corky Coker in Backroad Gold.

Willie Nelson celebrated his upcoming 80th birthday with a taping of CMT Crossroads: Willie Nelson & Friends From Third Man Records last week in Nashville. The special featuring Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, Norah Jones, Ashley Monroe, Leon Russell and Neil Young is slated to air in late June.

Summer may be coming, but National Geographic Channel looks at life in the Arctic winter in Life Below Zero, exploring the lives of six Alaskans living off the land and off the grid. The series premieres Sunday, May 19, at 10:00 pm ET.

By: Bridget Pierce

Mel Brooks on Twitter? The fabled 2000-year-old man will in fact get his own handle and be the kickoff act for a new partnership between Comedy Central and Twitter. The 5-day festival of standup and comedians will run from April 29 to May 3. It will begin with a tweet from Brooks that will link to a live stream from the Los Angeles Paley Center. Brooks’ first tweet will be recorded, as he is accompanied by longtime partner in comedy Carl Reiner and moderator Judd Apitow.

Using the #ComedyFest tag, the program will tweet out 16 programmed events with more than 50 comedians over the following week. The linked content will be viewed via Twitter as well as Cc.com. The diverse programming will include moderated panels as well as connections to Comedy Central shows where tweeting will be integrated into the content. Comedian Jeffrey Ross, for instance, will be hurling his insult comedy at Twitter users who submit their profiles. Al Madrigal will be live tweeting commentary on his own show that will broadcast on May 3. And on May 1, 17 comedians will be performing a live drinking game over Twitter as they are episodes of “The Half-Hour” comedy shows air on the network.

This partnership with Comedy Central comes during the week of both ups and downs for Twitter. The company announced deals with BBC America late last week to tweet content synchronized with the airing of some of its TV programming. Earlier this week, the company announced an upfront-style deal with Starcom. And the company’s new music app launched last week. And all of these developments suggest the many ways in which Twitter is hoping to further insinuate itself into various media consumption habits and the marketing that accompanies them. But in the midst of this, yesterday the AP’s Twitter account was hacked and a prank news item was enough to send the US stock market plummeting — if only very briefly.

Welcome to this weeks edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! For those of you that are new to What We’re Watching Wednesdays or  W4 as we lovingly call it; it’s not just shows that you enjoy on Wednesdays–its all shows that air during the week on cable! Wednesday is just the day to look for our latest post and learn more about your fellow Viamedians and what they love on cable!

This week comes from the newest member of the Marketing Team, Emily Howell, Corporate office.

1)What are your favorite shows on cable? (Give us three if you can!)

Man vs. Wild
Duck Dynasty – i just started watching
the first 48

2)What makes them your favorites?

I am always thoroughly entertained and intrigued to the point of watching all day marathons and not getting bored.

3)Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

Total Request Live

4)What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

Any Law and Order series

5)What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

The Hangover

6)What channel could you not live without?

Cooking Channel

7)If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

I would create a Cooking /DIY network for women – with projects that are actually possible by Yourself!!!

8)What is your guilty pleasure?

The Real Housewives of Orange County

9)Favorite TV moment?

None specific that i can think of off hand, but any show that can make me laugh out loud, I will always come back for more

Thank you, Emily! That’s it for this week’s edition of  What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

At least 40 million people watched the ending of the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bomber Friday, according to Nielsen.

The 7 p.m. hour when the news broke saw 5.75 million viewers flock to Fox News Channel, giving it a win for the hour over CNN’s 5.19 million and MSNBC’s 1.43 million. CNN managed to pull off an atypical victory in the key demographic of adults 25-54 — and by a healthy margin. The network averaged 2.36 million adults 25-54 in the hour, topping FNC’s 1.57 million and MSNBC’s 459,000.

Wall-to-wall coverage on the broadcast networks saw the peak 8 p.m. hour dominated by NBC News. The network averaged 10.7 million, besting ABC’s 7.79 million and CBS’ 6.89 million. Adding the cable networks’ respective hauls of 7.65 million (FNC), 6.78 million (CNN) and 1.7 million (MSNBC) in that hour, manhunt viewership peaked with a total of 41.5 million. That doesn’t even take into account the viewers watching coverage on HLN, Univision and online.

Viewers continued to flock to the three cable networks as more developments came in. Between 8 and 11 p.m., Fox topped the primetime block with an average 5.97 million viewers. CNN had 5.37 million, with MSNBC pulling in 1.72 million. CNN saw another win in the key demographic with 2.47 million adults, topping FNC’s 1.93 million and MSNBC’s 618,000. MSNBC was the only network not to peak in the 8 p.m. hour. It hit 2.06 million viewers at 9 p.m.

For the complete five-day week, cable news saw expected spikes in total day viewership. CNN jumped a massive 294 percent, week-to-week, from its third place status. The network averaged 1.43 million viewers. FNC, still tops by all measures, was up 78 percent to an average 1.93 million viewers. MSNBC lost its second place status to CNN but jumped 69 percent to an average 633,000 daily viewers.

All told, total cable news viewership was up an average 119 percent compared to the same five-day period for the week before.

Source: THR, 4/22/13

Rentrak top cable programming for week of 3/25 – 3/31.

E! To Livestream the White House Correspondents Dinner Red Carpet For the First Time Ever

Each year, Hollywood elite invade the nation’s capital for the White House Correspondents dinner, one of Washington D.C.’s biggest nights bringing together the worlds of pop culture and politics. The most powerful names in politics, Hollywood’s A-list, and members of the media come together to dazzle D.C. for one night. On April 27, 2013, E!’s “Pop & Politics” will be on the front lines of all the glittery action livestreaming for the very first time from the White HouseCorrespondents dinner red carpet at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C. E!’s Alicia Quarles and Marc Malkin will be reporting live from the most talked about party in town, delivering all the insider info, fashion, and news straight from the red carpet. The livestream begins at 6 PM ET on Eonline (www.eonline.com), and highlights of the night’s biggest event will air on E! News Monday, April 29th at 7PM ET.

E!’s “Pop & Politics” franchise has made its mark on milestone pop culture events where celebrity and politics intersect, including the presidential debates, the political conventions and President Obama’s second inauguration. Expected on the 2013 White House Correspondents dinner star-studded red carpet are high-profile names like Ashley Judd, Connie Britton, Courteney Cox, Elizabeth Banks, Eric Stonestreet, Hayden Panettiere, Jon Bon Jovi, Kate Walsh, Kevin Spacey, Kristin Chenoweth, Matthew Perry, Nicole Kidman, Olivia Munn, Patricia Arquette, Shaquille O’Neal, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Tina Brown, and Tracy Morgan. This year, Conan O’Brien will host the dinner attended by Hollywood, media, and political royalty, all coming together for one night.

The Star-Studded Broadcast Kicks off On April 27th at 6 PM ET on Eonline (www.eonline.com) And on E! News Monday, April 29th at 7:00 and 11:30 PM, ET/PT on E!

WWE Studios and ABC Family have begun production on Christmas Bounty, a television movie that will world premiere during the network’s annual 25 Days of Christmas programming event. Network star Francia Raisa joins the cast as Tory, opposite WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Christmas Bounty is an action-filled comedy about a former bounty hunter turned elementary school teacher.

Disney XD has ordered a second season of the comedy series Crash & Bernstein, a ”bro-comedy” about an everyday kid and his surrogate brother, a funny and spontaneous puppet who has come to life, loudly. Production will resume in Van Nuys, California in July for a fall 2013 premiere.

NBC Sports Group announced on-air talent for its coverage of Barclays Premier League soccer, starting in August: Arlo White will serve as the lead play-by-play voice, calling games on-site from the U.K.; Former Premier League stars Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux will join White, on-site in the U.K. as analysts; Legendary U.K. footballer and presenter Gary Lineker will serve as a special contributor and occasionally host on-site studio coverage in the U.K.; And former Jamaican National Team player Robbie Earle and former English footballer Robbie Mustoe will serve as studio analysts, alongside studio host Rebecca Lowe from NBC Sports Group’s Premier League studio in Stamford, CT.

truTV is shifting half of its program lineup to comedy as it seeks to grow its younger, “fun seeking” audience. It’s given the green light to three new series, including Panic Button, in which contestants must brave a haunted house without pushing a button that will allow them to escape; Big Sam’s Kentucky Auction (working title), a look at the unpredictable world of a Southern auction house; and Cash Dome Pawn, a new entry in truTV’s growing franchise of pawnshop series.

Two new shows make their debut this quarter on Outdoor Channel. Dark and Dangerous with Ivan Carter, who also hosts Tracks Across Africa, is dedicated entirely to the pursuit of Africa’s “Big Seven,” giving unique insight into the hunt for elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino, as well as the aquatic heavyweights, hippo and Nile crocodile, all seen from the perspective of the professional hunter. Comic Marc Ryan brings a whole new side to the outdoors with Marc & Todd’s Crazy Clips, an action-packed showcase of the wildest, most outrageous situations, stunts, crashes, pranks and surprises ever seen outdoors and caught on video

WE tv will roll out two newcomers as part of its new summer lineup. First up is Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas, with brides and grooms trying to work out their demons, debuting Friday, May 31, at 10:00 pm ET. The docu-drama Glam & Gold, chronicling the fast-paced life of Olympic Gold Medalist Sanya Richards-Ross and her husband, NFL star and twice Super Bowl champion, Aaron Ross, premieres Thursday, July 25, at 10:00 pm ET.

History’s series Only In America With Larry the Cable Guy premieres its third season on Wednesday, May 8, at 9:00 pm ET, as the blue-collar comedian returns with his ”Git-R-Done” antics and love for America’s most fascinating characters and pastimes.

Oxygen Media reveals 14 of the most memorable girls in Bad Girls Club history, all squaring off in a series of outrageous physical and brain teasing challenges on Bad Girls All Star Battle, beginning Tuesday, May 21, at 9:00 pm ET with a supersized 90-minute premiere.

Crowd Rules will debut on CNBC Tuesday, May 14, at 9:00 pm (ET). Each week, the series features three small businesses that compete in front of an audience of 100 that votes to decide who wins a much-needed $50,000 prize. Entrepreneur and jewelry designer Kendra Scott, TV Newsman Pat Kiernan, along with a weekly guest industry expert, lead the examination of the small businesses in order to help a studio audience choose which company wins the $50,000.

Food Network’s long-running competition series Food Network Star returns for a ninth season this summer with fresh talent, intense challenges, and culinary icons Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay leading the charge to discover the best and brightest new faces in food television. In the one-hour season premiere on Sunday, June 2, at 9:00 pm ET, the 12 contestants arrive in Los Angeles, ready to kick off the biggest audition of their lives to find out who has the personality, on-camera charisma and kitchen chops to follow in their idols’ footsteps and helm their own show.

TNT, in its 29th consecutive year of NBA coverage, will televise more than 40 playoff games – the most of any network – including first and second round action and the exclusive presentation of the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The network’s playoff coverage will tip off Sunday, April 21, with a tripleheader – Atlanta vs. Indiana at 1:00 pm ET; Milwaukee vs. Miami at 7:00 pm and Houston vs. Oklahoma City at 9:30 pm.

Production has begun on the new ABC Family original series Twisted, starring Avan Jogia, Maddie Hasson, Kylie Bunbury, Kimberly Quinn, Sam Robards, Ashton Moio and Denise Richards. Executive Producer Gavin Polone is directing the episode. Twisted, a one-hour mystery centered on a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past, premieres on Tuesday, June 11, at 9:00 pm ET.

By: Bridget Pierce

Drama logs net’s best scripted debut with young demos since 2006

By Andrea Morabito — Broadcasting & Cable, 4/16/2013 2:45:00 PM

The premieres of Syfy’s five-years-in-the-making transmedia series Defiance drew 2.7 million total viewers on Monday from 9-11 p.m., according to Nielsen.

It was Syfy’s most-watched scripted series premiere in total viewers and adults 25-54 (1.4 million) since 2009′s Warehouse 13. Among adults 18-49 (1.3 million) and adults 18-34 (479,000), Defianceturned in the network’s best scripted debut since 2006.

Additionally, the companion Trion Worlds game Defiance has seen players log more than six million hours of play since it launched on April 2.

Animal Planet has the Puppy Bowl. Now, Hallmark Channel is starting its own tradition.

The network announced Friday that it will hold the first Kitten Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday in 2014. Beginning 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET on Feb. 2, 2014, Hallmark Channel’s three-hour Kitten Bowl — presented in conjunction with the American Humane Association — will feature adoptable kittens in competition.

The network’s original movie talent will become the judges, referees and sideline trainers. Viewers will also be able to vote for the “MVK,” or the most valuable kitten.

The Kitten Bowl, an agility competition, will include an obstacle course of hurdles of varying heights, A-frame Alpine scratchers, tunnels, hoop jumps and weave poles.

“Creating another programming event to reinforce Hallmark Channel’s Pet Project, our corporate pet adoption and safety initiative, enhances the profile of the plight of shelter animals in our country while providing fun, family-oriented entertainment to our viewers. We are very proud of our association with American Humane Association and their support of our work in this area,” said Bill Abbott, president and CEO Crown Media Family Networks.

Hallmark Channel airs programs like Home & Family, a two-hour live show, and Marie, a one-hour talker hosted by Marie Osmond.

Source: THR, 4/5/13

Here’s when Mythbusters returns plus a rundown of some of the myths being tested this year.

The Discovery hit celebrates its 10-year anniversary with new episodes beginning Wednesday, May 1. The gang will revisit the first myth they ever tested a decade ago — trying to find out, once and for all, if a a rocket-propelled car can actually fly.

Other highlights this season include a Breaking Bad-themed episode, a cross-over with Deadliest Catch and an episode featuring Indycar driver Ryan Briscoe and Olympic runner Wallace Spearmon.

Over the past 10 years, the team has tested 885 myths, filmed over 7,200 hours, created 815 explosions and has used 43,500 yards of duct tape (OK, I sort of suspect they’re just estimating last number).

Other myths being tested include:

·         Can power naps taken over a 30-hour period double your performance as opposed to staying awake for 30 hours straight?
·         Is a crab pot really indestructible like the Deadliest Catch captains claim it is?
·         Which is more sanitary: drying your hands with a hand dryer or a hand towel?
·         What is the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake?
·         Is it actually possible that Indy racing drivers sweat so much that they can lose 10 pounds of body mass per race?
·         Are women better than men at multitasking?
·         Can you really use explosives to help paint a room?

As we previously reported, Mythbusters is also doing a zombie-themed episode with Walking Dead actor Michael Rooker, but that episode isn’t airing until the show’s second batch of season 10 episodes (likely in the fall, but there’s no confirmed date yet).

Source: EW.com, 4/3/13

The season seven premiere of Hardcore Pawn on truTV drew 1.6 million adults 18-49, truTV’s biggest delivery ever in that key demo and a boost of 36% over the show’s sixth season launch in July 2012. Hardcore Pawn also scored truTV’s biggest season opener ever, drawing a total of 3.2 million viewers (+25% compared to the July 2012 launch of season six) and 862,000 men 18-49 (+18%).

ESPN signed a six-year rights renewal with the Women’s National Basketball Association, running through the 2017-2022 seasons.

We TV has ordered a 10th season of Bridezillas, with the 22-episode run set to premiere this summer. In addition, a spinoff, Bootcamp: Bridezillas, will follow five “bridezillas” who are attempting to salvage their troubled marriages. That series pick-up is for nine episodes.

After airing 25 seasons on two networks, America’s Most Wanted won’t be back next season. However, Lifetime says it is working on another potential series with host and executive producer John Walsh. AMW premiered on FOX in 1988 and moved to Lifetime in 2011 after FOX canceled the show, citing a lack of profits. The show led to the capture of more than 1,100 fugitives over its long run.

TBS has extended its contract with Conan O’Brien for the late-night talk show Conan through November 2015. Since it premiered in November 2010 – after a much publicized O’Brien break with NBC – the show has been successful for TBS, with the network saying it draws a younger median age than any other late-night talk show.

AMC’s Sunday night season three finale of The Walking Dead delivered its largest audience ever, with 12.4 million viewers and 8.1 million adults 18-49, making the series the number one program for the night and the week for total viewers and in the demo. The series’ season average is also number one for the broadcast season for adults 18-49 for all of television.

The finale of The Bible on History Sunday drew 11.7 million total viewers; 4.6 million Adults 25-54 and 3.8 million Adults 18- 49. That was up 14% among total viewers, 18% among A25-54 and 12% among A18-49 from the previous week.

Bravo Media unveiled its largest slate of original programming-to-date with 17 new and 18 returning unscripted series. It also announced three new scripted projects in development. New shows include Newlyweds: The First Year and Divorce Divas, which don’t appear to be related. Others deal with indulged rich women in London, indulged rich women in Charleston, SC, indulged rich young women on Long Island, women with a fitness business, NBA player-turned gospel singer and preacher Ben Tankard, and luxury real estate. As for the scripted projects, there’s Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Heiresses (with the diamond business and death as themes) and High and Low (a 1980s period drama set in the restaurant business).

Syfy announced that Sinbad and Primeval: New World will join the network’s primetime schedule beginning Saturday, June 8. Debuting at 9:00 pm (ET), the 12-episode Sinbad follows the epic sea journey of the flawed hero Sinbad, played by newcomer Elliot Knight, who embarks on a quest to rid himself of a curse and embrace his destiny. Sinbad is a British Sky Broadcasting presentation of An Impossible Pictures Production. Following at 10:00 pm (ET) will be Primeval: New World. The 13-episode series will star Niall Matter, Sara Canning and Danny Rahim as a team of animal experts and scientists investigating paranormal events, while battling both prehistoric and futuristic creatures. In other Syfy news, Exit, based on a Japanese reality series, has gotten a green light from Syfy. Four teams of two contestants will battle to escape a series of four mind-bending and seemingly diabolical rooms to win the $10,000 prize. The six-episode series premieres June 4 at 10:00 pm ET.

AMC announced that the drama The Killing will return for its third season with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, June 2, at 8:00 pm ET. The new season will focus on a new case, which will be resolved over the course of ten episodes, ending with a gripping two hour finale.

ABC Family has booked the television premiere of the movie Yogi Bear, starring the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake, for Saturday, April 27, at 7:25 pm ET. It’s part of a weekend of family friendly movies that will include 101 Dalmatians, 102 Dalmatians, Gnomeo & Juliet, The Lion King, Snow Dogs, Cinderella, Because of Winn-Dixie and Peter Pan.

Chef Gerry Garvin, returns to Cooking Channel for the second season of Road Trip with G. Garvin, premiering Tuesday, May 7, at 9:00 pm ET. An acclaimed cookbook author and larger-than-life personality, G. Garvin takes viewers on a culinary expedition through 13 episodes exploring the most delicious Southern-inspired cuisine the country has to offer.

Discovery’s The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius is looking for the next great technological mind that could change the future. The eight-week series premieres Wednesday, May 1, at 10:00 pm ET. Kal Penn will host.

Comedy Central’s new series, Inside Amy Schumer, premieres Tuesday, April 30, at 10:30 pm ET, featuring scripted vignettes, stand-up comedy, and man-on-the-street interviews.

Viacom’s BET Networks announced several new programs at its Upfront in New York. For the BET net: Being Mary Jane, an original movie starring Gabrielle Union as a successful modern woman trying to juggle family life as well; Burns BBQ, a reality series set in a long-standing family business passing to the next generation; Comic View, bringing back the previous stand-up showcase with some new twists; and T.D. Jakes Presents: Mind, Body & Soul, a new talk show hosted by Bishop T.D. Jakes. For Centric: First Family, a comedy with art imitating life at the White House; and Mr. Box Office, the story of a Hollywood star serving community service as a high school English teacher.

TLC has recruited a cast for a second season of Breaking Amish. Also, cast members from season one will appear in a spin-off, Breaking Amish: Brave New World, which premieres Sunday, May 12, at 10:00 pm.

By: Bridget Pierce

Social Media Powerhouse ABC Family Hits All-Time Twitter Highs in 1Q13 on Strength of #1 TV Series “Pretty Little Liars” and Exclusive Social Media Announcement of Spin-Off Series “Ravenswood”

Cable TV’s #1 Most-Social Network Season to Date

With TV’s #1 tweeted TV series, “Pretty Little Liars,” and the exclusive, never-before-done social announcement of spin-off “Ravenswood” across all “Pretty Little Liars” social media platforms, ABC Family hit all-time Twitter-activity highs in 1Q13 with close to 2.6 million social unique users (up from 1.5 million in 1Q12), over 11.7 million Tweets (more than doubling year to year) and 4.5 average Tweets per User, proving how engaged our Tweeters are. In fact, ABC Family was the #1 most-social-unique entertainment cable TV network of 1Q13, garnering 13.3 share.

“Pretty Little Liars” remained the #1 top-Tweeted series across all TV (8,283,128 tweets) – accounting for 4 of the Top 5 most-tweeted TV episodes during the quarter – towering over AMC’s “The Walking Dead” by 49% (5,549,780) and FOX’s “American Idol” by 50% (5,509,086), and nearly quadrupling A&E’s buzzed-about “Duck Dynasty” (+290% – 2,121,102). Among all 1Q13 TV programs, “Pretty Little Liars” ranked #3, behind only “Super Bowl XLVII” and “The 55th Annual Grammy Awards” on ABC.

2012/13 season to date, ABC Family delivers more social uniques than any other cable network (1,165,292), outdrawing the CW by 16% (1,006,501), TNT by 17% (998,249) and MTV by 36% (854,603).

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today’s families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today’s relationships – told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family’s programming is a combination of network-defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy(r) Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and COMMUNITY features from rich, fan-centric programming – including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network’s hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas.” ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

Source: SocialGuide. 1Q13: 12/31/12-3/31/13; 2012/13 season to date: 10/1/12-3/31/13.

Source: TV by the Numbers, 4/5/13

Viamedia’s VP of Marketing & Research, Becky Jones, honored as one of the Multichannel News ’40 Under 40′

We are very pleased to announce that Multichannel News has named their 2013 “40 Under 40″ class including our own VP of Marketing & Research, Becky Jones!

Becky was selected as one of the innovative and influential members making a mark on the cable and telecommunications world.

“40 Under 40” is a list selected each year by the editors of Multichannel News and published annually since 2006. It is intended to spotlight individuals under the age of 40 who are making a mark in diverse fields related to cable television such as programming, operations, marketing, supporting vendors and engineering.

Please join us in congratulating Becky on this honor. All of the selected members will be profiled in the upcoming magazine released on April 22^nd .

ABC Family has ordered a third season of the original comedy series Baby Daddy. The order came just as production wrapped on the second season of the series, which premieres on ABC Family, Wednesday, May 29, at 8:30 pm ET

TV Land announced a big reunion episode for Hot In Cleveland, with Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman reuniting on screen with their co- star from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hot In Cleveland co-star Betty White, for the first time in over 30 years. The set-up is that White’s character wants to reunite her bowling team – GLOB: the Gorgeous Ladies of Bowling – decades after they had a fallout after their championship season went to their heads. Moore had previously made a guest appearance on Hot In Cleveland, but not Harper or Leachman. The series returns June 19, but no date has been announced for the reunion episode.

Noting the success of Killing Lincoln, National Geographic Channel will once again join forces with Scott Free Productions to produce a film based on Killing Jesus: A History, the recently announced book from Bill O’Reilly with co-author Martin Dugard. The announcement comes as the network is also in pre-production on the film adaptation of Killing Kennedy, expected to air globally on National Geographic Channels later this year.

TBS has renewed its original comedy Cougar Town, produced by ABC Studios and starring Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins and Brian Van Holt. The network has ordered 13 episodes for season five, which is expected to launch in 2014.

ABC Family has given a green light to the original one-hour drama series Ravenswood, a spin-off of its top-rated series Pretty Little Liars. Also, Pretty Little Liars has been picked up for a fifth season.

Actress and recording artist Selena Gomez is set to debut her new single, Come & Get It, on television for the first time during the 2013 MTV Movie Awards live on Sunday, April 14, at 9:00 pm ET.

FX Networks has ordered two comedy pilots: How And Why, from Academy Award winner Charlie Kaufman, and  Chozen from Grant Dekernion, Danny McBride and the team behind Eastbound & Down.

The Soup Awards return to E! Wednesday, April 3, at 10:00 pm. Hosted by Joel McHale, the show honors the year’s “most memorable events in pop culture.” Special guests include RuPaul, Rich Sommer, Jim Rash, Seth Green and Kate Flannery.

The Lifetime original movie Stalkers, starring Drea de Matteo, Mena Suvari and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, is set to premiere on Saturday, April 13, at 8:00 pm (ET).  Telling the chilling story of a tough, hot-headed cop with a troubled past who teams up with a polished, politically savvy Assistant District Attorney to take down a dangerous stalker, the thriller is inspired by a true story from the book Whisper of Fear: The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Stalks the Stalkers, by Rhonda Saunders, a criminal prosecutor who wrote the law on stalking in California. Also, Lifetime will premiere its original movie Ring of Fire, starring four-time Grammy Award-nominee Jewel as legendary country artist June Carter Cash, on Monday, May 27, at 8:00 pm ET.

ABC Family is promoting an event it calls Spring Crush, with a series of movies featuring song, dance and romance over four days from Thursday, April 18, through Sunday, April 21. Along with some old favorites, Spring Crush will include the premiere of the ABC Family original movie Lovestruck: The Musical on Sunday at 8:00 pm ET. Fame and Tangled will also air on ABC Family for the first time.

Oxygen has set the season premiere of Best Ink for Wednesday, April 3, at 10:00 pm. New host Pete Wentz welcomes 12 of the country’s best tattoo artists to compete for the cover and feature spread in Tattoo Magazine and $100,000. Also, Oxygen has rescheduled the series premiere of Find Me My Man for Tuesday, April 9, at 9:00 pm ET.

Season four of A&E’s real life series Storage Wars premieres with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, April 16 at 9:00 pm ET, followed by the return of the most fearsome hog hunters in Texas. The third season of  American Hoggers premieres with back-to-back episodes at 10:00 pm ET.

Bravo Media has been a year in making Newlyweds: The First Year, debuting Monday, May 6, at 10:00 pm ET. The eight-episode series by documentarian Lauren Lazin follows four couples and captures everything from their wedding day to their one-year anniversary, chronicling all of the trials and tribulations that arise as a newlywed.

Syfy announced a second season for its time-travelling police drama Continuum. The series will return with 13 new episodes, with the season premiere on Friday, March 7, at 10:00 pm ET. During its first season Continuum delivered 1.35 million total viewers, 644,000 Adults 25-54 and 537,000 Adults 18-49.

TNT has green lit Nashville Confidential, a new docudrama that will go behind the scenes in the “Country Music Capital of the World.” The unscripted series is being produced by Evolution Media, with Evolution’s  Douglas Ross, Greg Stewart and Alex Baskin serving as executive producers. TNT has ordered eight episodes of Nashville Confidential, which is slated to launch in early 2014.

Discovery debuts new episodes of the car restoration series Overhaulin’, with the season premiere on Monday, April 15 at 9:00 pm ET.

by: Bridget Pierce

What’s worth watching the first week of April?  On Easter Sunday you aren’t going to want to miss the last installment of History Channel’s record-breaking series The Bible at 8PM ET.  In case you missed the previous four installments, they begin airing at noon leading up to the new episode.  On Monday the original housewives are back with the season premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo at 9PM ET.  Tuesday catch the season finale of Justified on FX at 10PM ET, and Thursday make a date with the funny men of TBS’s Men at Work with the season premiere at 10PM.  To see more of what’s worth watching this week keep reading below.  Happy viewing!

Source: Showseeker

Welcome to this weeks edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! For those of you that are new to What We’re Watching Wednesdays or  W4 as we lovingly call it; it’s not just shows that you enjoy on Wednesdays–its all shows that air during the week on cable! Wednesday is just the day to look for our latest post and learn more about your fellow Viamedians and what they love on cable!

This week comes from the newest member of the Marketing Team, Madeline Rogers, Corporate office.

1)What are your favorite shows on cable? (Give us three if you can!)

The Bible series on History, HGTV Love it or List it, HGTV House Crashers

2)What makes them your favorites?

I always like the mini series on History, and The Bible is just a really good one.
I love all the HGTV shows but really like Love it or List it –I never agree with their decision though!

3)Favorite rerun, or show you wish they would bring back?

Friends

4)What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

SportsCenter

5)What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

any princess Disney movie

6)What channel could you not live without?

ESPN

7)What is your guilty pleasure?

The Bachelor! I know its not cable, but I can’t stop watching!

Thank you, Madeline! That’s it for this week’s edition of  What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

http://dialog.scarborough.com/index.php/does-multiplatform-media-consumption-exist-across-generations/

It is considered intuitive that younger people use more diverse devices than older people in order to consume media – but does that mean older adults don’t use any technology to get their news or enjoy television shows and movies? As our world and news cycle becomes faster-paced, in what ways are older generations making attempts to keep up with new media platforms? And how much further ahead of the curve are younger generations, really? To answer these questions, Scarborough reveals the ways American adults are consuming media across platforms and across generations.

Millennials* are at the front of the technology curve in terms of device usage, but what is critical to note is that, despite using less “traditional” platforms to consume media, they are still accessing similar types of  information as other generations. While Millennials are 42 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to live in a household with no television service, they are more than twice as likely to have used the internet in the past 30 days to watch television and movies. Additionally, while they are 40 percent less likely to read a print or e-edition newspaper, 35 percent of Millennials have visited a newspaper or television website in the past 30 days and 20 percent used a mobile device to read the news; they are 54 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to do so.

Generation X*, while close to Millennials in many of their media consumption preferences, live in households that used more Video-On-Demand services in the past 30 days than all U.S. adults. GenX over-index by more than 22% for every VOD category measured by Scarborough. In addition, GenX are 26 percent more likely to have used the internet in the past 30 days to watch movies and 25 percent more likely to have used the internet to watch television shows in the same time frame. GenX are more likely to read any print or e-edition newspaper than Millennials, though they are still less likely to do so overall. Interestingly, GenX are still 28 percent more likely than all US. adults to have visited any newspaper or television website in the past seven days.

For Baby Boomers*, radio and newspaper are the desired methods for media consumption, though the devices they use for these activities are perhaps surprising. Boomers are 14 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to have listed to satellite radio in the past seven days and are 27 percent more likely to listen to the News/Talk/Information radio format. Forty-two percent of Boomers read a print or e-edition newspaper, making them 16 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to do so. Boomers are also showing interest in more portable methods of media consumption as 10 percent use a mobile device to read their news.

The Silent Generation* are 10 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to live in a household that subscribes to cable and have not yet embraced more digitized options for television viewing. They are, however, 56 percent more likely than all U.S. adults to read a print or e-edition newspaper. While the Silent Generation might be less likely than other generations to partake in media consumption across devices, it is clear that in some areas, these trends have started to reach them; 15 percent of the Silent Generation used the internet in the past 30 days to read national news, 11 percent visited a newspaper or television website in the past 30 days and 63 percent live in a household that currently owns a high-definition television.

While a “digital divide” might still exist between the youngest and oldest generations, it is clear that U.S. adults are all engaging with media across multiple devices and platforms. By tailoring marketing campaigns so that they are not device-specific, but rather cross-platform, brands and media makers can situate themselves with generations that are digitally oriented, as well as generations that are not as technologically-focused. What’s most important is that everyone is tuning in and paying attention, regardless of their device-of-choice!

^*Scarborough defines the different American generations as Millennials (age 18-29), Generation X (30-44), Baby Boomers (45-64) and the Silent Generation (65+).

SOURCE: Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 1, 2012.

The reality competition series Face Off will return for a fifth season on Syfy, offering a new group of rising SFX make-up artists the opportunity to compete and showcase their imagination and creativity. Production on the new season begins in April in Los Angeles for a Summer 2013 premiere.

Discovery Channel has secured the TV rights for daredevil Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon on Sunday, June 23. The live event will be produced by Peacock Productions, owned by NBC News, for Discovery, with Gretchen Eisele, Knute Walker and Benjamin Ringe serving as executive producers. Howard Swartz serves as executive producer for Discovery.

USA Ultimate, the National Governing Body for the sport of ultimate (team Frisbee) in the United States, and ESPN announced a multi-year agreement to carry the sport’s major properties – the College Championships, the U.S. Open and the National Championships. As part of the deal, ESPN will produce and distribute live coverage of all three events on ESPN3 and tape-delayed programs of the College Championships on ESPNU.

ESPN, Inc. announced an agreement with the Mountain West Conference for rights to televise select conference football and basketball games from 2013-14 through the 2019-20 season on ABC and various ESPN networks. ESPN will have the right to make every game available to video subscribers via WatchESPN.

BET Networks has licensed an extensive package of programming from Warner Bros. Domestic Television, including The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayan Bros. to air on BET and Centric.

Fox Sports 1, debuting this fall, has confirmed a deal with the reconstituted Big East Conference for a12-year multi-platform media rights agreement. The reconstituted Big East Conference now features Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University beginning with the 2013-14 academic year.

TV Land has renewed Hot in Cleveland for a fifth season. The 24-episode order brings the total for the series to 104. CBS Television Distribution has already sold the series into off-network syndication to broadcast stations covering 92% of U.S. households for a September 2014 launch. New episodes on TV Land return Wed., June 19, at 10:00 pm, with the season premiere to air live from the studio.

Bravo Media will have the season finale of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the Reunion Part One, back-to-back, beginning at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, March 25. That will be followed at 10:00 pm by the new series LA Shrinks.

MTV will debut the first half of its expanded 20-episode third season of the series Awkward on Tuesday, April 16 with an hour-long premiere event featuring the first two episodes back-to-back at 10:00 pm ET. The following week, on April 23, MTV will debut the new series Girl Code, a spin-off of the comedic series MTV2′s Guy Code, following an all-new Awkward.

Hallmark Channel has moved the premiere of its new original primetime series, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, to Saturday, July 20, at 8:00 pm (ET). It had previously been set for a June debut. Hallmark Channel has given the green light to its second original series, When Calls The Heart. A two-hour movie version of the same name is set to air on October 5, providing a peek into the series, which is slated for January 2014. Based on Janette Oke’s bestselling Canadian West book series, the film stars three-time Emmy-winner Jean Smart, Lori Loughlin, Maggie Grace, Stephen Amell, Daniel Sharman and newcomer Poppy Drayton.

The American Bible Challenge, a studio-based game show hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, returns for its second season on GSN on Thursday, March 21, at 9:00 pm ET. Along with that, GSN has launched ”The American Bible Challenge Bible Study” on its website – a 10-week Bible study hosted by author and television producer Phil Cooke.

National Geographic Channel begins a new season of Locked Up Abroad on Wednesday, April 17, at 9:00 pm ET, with the first-hand story of Ernie Brace, the longest-held POW during the Vietnam War. Brace faced capture, starvation, sickness, torture and more during the nearly eight years he was in captivity. Sen. John McCain, who was in the cell next to Brace for part of their time in the “Hanoi Hilton,” adds his account to the story.

ABC Family has cast Leslie Jordan to guest star on the original comedy series Baby Daddy, which will returns for its second season Wednesday, May 29, at 8:30 pm ET. Jordan will guest star in the holiday episode as a world-weary elf from the local mall who becomes Ben (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) and Danny’s (Derek Theler) boss when they get jobs at Santa’s Workshop.

Author: Bridget Pierce

Ever wonder how companies and retailers know who to target with their ads?  Through an in-depth system of consumer-data companies and databases.  Click the image below to see the interactive infographic from AdAge that shows “The Purchase-to-Ad Data Trail: From Your Wallet to the World.”

Source: AdAge, 3/18/13

Nik Wallenda, the daredevil who crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope last year, will try a similar stunt at the Grand Canyon in June, he announced on Monday.

The cable channel Discovery won the bidding war to televise the stunt, and will show it live — and potentially in prime time — on June 23, if all goes according to plan.

Discovery was also the exclusive television home of another death-defying stunt, Felix Baumgartner’s jump from a capsule 24 miles above earth, which took place last fall. The channel is interested in televising more live events, having had success with Mr. Baumgartner’s free-fall and with several special live editions of “Gold Rush” and “American Chopper.”

Discovery apparently bested ABC News in the bidding for Mr. Wallenda’s Grand Canyon walk. ABC carried the Niagara Falls walk live last June, lifting the network to a rare first-place finish in the ratings. From 10:30 to 11 p.m., when he finished the walk, ABC averaged more than 13 million viewers — surpassing even the highest expectations of executives at the network. The walk was also a phenomenon on Twitter and Facebook, where viewers chatted about the stunt as it happened.

But there was some concern within ABC that another tightrope walk would seem repetitive. And maybe more important, the network wasn’t willing to pay what Discovery was, according to an executive with direct knowledge of the negotiations who insisted on anonymity. A spokesman for ABC News declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Discovery also declined to say how much the channel had paid for the exclusive television rights to the Grand Canyon walk. To promote the news, the channel booked Mr. Wallenda on ABC’s archrival in the mornings, NBC’s “Today” show. “This is a dream of mine, as was Niagara Falls,” Mr. Wallenda said on “Today” on Monday morning.

The telecast of the walk will be produced by Peacock Productions, a unit of NBC that produces series and special events for a wide array of channels.

For Mr. Wallenda, a big issue in the negotiations was the harness that ABC required him to wear while walking over the falls. Discovery will not require him to wear one at the Grand Canyon.

He said on “Today” on Monday, “It was my dream to walk over Niagara Falls since I was about 5 or 6 years old, but part of that dream was taken away because I had to wear that harness. The exciting thing about this event is that I will not be wearing any tether or any safety whatsoever.”

In its pitch to Mr. Wallenda, Discovery also emphasized its international footprint. The channel is available in many territories around the world.

Discovery did not specify what time the walk would be televised. But prime time on the East Coast might overlap nicely with sunset at the Grand Canyon. The channel will most likely show the walk live in all time zones, unlike ABC, which was criticized for tape-delaying their Niagara Falls coverage for the West Coast.

Eileen O’Neill, the executive who oversees Discovery, said in a statement about the planned event, “Discovery Channel continues to bring some of television’s most talked-about and historic live events of the year.”

Source: NY Times, 3/18/13

Leading multichannel retailer HSN and HGTV, America’s leading home and lifestyle brand, today announced the debut of HGTV HOME™ Outdoor Living, only at HSN. Launching across HSN and HGTV’s multiple platforms on March 19, HGTV HOME Outdoor Living will redefine the outdoor living retail landscape with top HGTV experts appearing on HSN, including Designer John Gidding, star of Curb Appeal.  The HGTV experts will offer advice and showcase an assortment of high-quality, HGTV-curated, outdoor products, including exclusive HGTV HOME branded items.

“HGTV is the perfect partner for HSN,” said Bill Brand, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer for HSNi.  “We have long admired their unparalleled ability to showcase home and design ideas.  The new HGTV HOME Outdoor Living collection at HSN is a great way to extend our marketing reach to new audiences and connect them with inspiring content & great products.”

The multi-year partnership is designed to leverage the full potential of the HSN and HGTV brands, with HGTV becoming the face for HSN’s outdoor living category. The partnership will include creative, original content that will be integrated across the digital and on-air assets of both companies.

“HSN is an ideal partner for us because they have a rich understanding of what today’s consumers want and need,” said Ron Feinbaum, general manager, consumer products, HGTV. “This special collection will offer smart, functional, and aesthetically appealing solutions for everyone’s outdoor lifestyle. We expect that HGTV HOME Outdoor Living at HSN will further enhance HGTV’s relationship with an audience who is passionate about home – especially those people who believe that the beauty of home should transcend four walls.”

HGTV HOME Outdoor Living at HSN will feature products across various categories including outdoor equipment, plants, lighting, water accessories, outdoor entertaining, garden tools and outdoor solutions. The HGTV HOME Plant Collection will also debut on HSN on March 19, offering a variety of annuals, planters and nutrients.

At launch, extensive digital storefronts on both HSN.com and HGTVHOME.com will provide the outdoor home enthusiast with high-quality products and exclusive, transformational “how to” videos that will help them enhance the outdoor areas of their home.  HSN plans to expand the partnership in the future to introduce HGTV HOME Outdoor Living branded products within additional home categories.

HSN and HGTV will also collaborate in the future to share content that will be available across both companies’ digital platforms.  Tips on gardening, landscaping, entertaining and more from HGTV’s trusted authorities will give consumers the tools they need to beautify their home.

For more information on the upcoming launch of HGTV HOME Outdoor Living at HSN please visit www.HSN.com and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

About HSN: HSN is a leading interactive multichannel retailer, offering a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names to its customers. HSN incorporates entertainment, inspiration, personalities and industry experts to provide an entirely unique shopping experience. At HSN, customers find exceptional selections in Health & Beauty, Jewelry, Home/Lifestyle, Fashion/Accessories, and Electronics.  HSN broadcasts live to 95 million households in the US in HD 24/7 and its website – HSN.com — is a top 10 most trafficked e-commerce site, featuring more than 23,000 product videos. Mobile applications include HSN apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. HSN, founded 35 years ago as the first shopping network, is an operating segment of HSN, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSNI). For more information, please visit HSN.com, or follow @HSN on Facebook and Twitter.

About HGTV America’s leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation’s leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month.  The brand also includes the HGTV HOME™ consumer products line which showcases exclusive collections of paint, flooring, lighting, furniture, plants, fabrics and other home-oriented products, as well as HGTV Magazine, a new home and lifestyle publication published in partnership with Hearst Magazines. Viewers can become fans of HGTV and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).

Source: HSN, 3/18/13

Turner Sports and CBS executives discuss their multi-screen coverage plans for the upcoming “March Madness” NCAA men’s college basketball tournament.

Source: Multichannel News, 3/18/13

Cable’s top shows continue to stack up well against broadcast at midseason.

Four cable programs placed among the top 15 TV shows in adults 18-49, broadcast or cable, last week, the week ended March 10.

“The Walking Dead” was once again the top show of the week on television, drawing 7.24 million viewers in the demo, according to Nielsen. The 9 p.m. AMC drama topped CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” the only other program to draw more than 5 million 18-49s, by 279,000.

The 10 p.m. Wednesday episode of A&E’s hit reality show “Duck Dynasty” placed fourth with 4.607 million, toping two editions of Fox’s “American Idol.”

Up till this season it was unheard of for a cable show to beat “Idol” in the demo, but a second edition of “Duck” took fifth place, also beating the Thursday and Tuesday “Idols.”

The fourth cable show to place in the top 15 for the week was History’s new series “The Bible,” which averaged 3.166 million in the demo. That was just behind Univision’s “Por Ella Soy Eva” (3.18 million) and ranked 15th for the week, topping broadcast hits “The Amazing Race” (16th with 3.04 million) and “Glee” (17th with 3.08 million).

There certainly have been cable shows that stacked up well against broadcast in the past, such as MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and HBO’s “The Sopranos.”

But the strength of this crop of shows is notable. “Dead” and “Duck” are the highest-rated shows in their networks’ respective history.

“Bible,” though not surpassing the numbers for History’s all-time best program, “Hatfields and McCoys,” isn’t too far behind.

Overall primetime cable viewership among 18-49s is down 3.2 percent during first quarter, according to the TVB, and viewership on the top 10 networks is off even more, 7.2 percent.

The big numbers for the series serve as a reminder that the lines between cable and broadcast continue to blur.

BET announced a second season pickup of Real Husbands of Hollywood. Actor/comedian Kevin Hart teams up with season one cast members Nick Cannon, husband of music superstar Mariah Carey, Boris Kodjoe, husband of actress Nicole Ari Parker, Duane Martin, husband of actress Tisha Campbell- Martin, J. B. Smoove, husband of the songstress Shahidah Omar and Robin Thicke, husband of actress Paula Patton. BET promises a star-studded guest line up in season two, including the return of such familiar faces as Nelly.

Oxygen Media takes the rivalry outside the mansion and onto the playing field with the green light of Bad Girls All Star Battle. Hosted by musician, actor and heartthrob Ray J, this one hour series will pit 14 of the biggest names in Bad Girls Club history under one roof to compete for $100,000 and title of ”Baddest Bad Girl of All Time.” In addition, the network announced Season 11 of Bad Girls Club will return to Miami for a Summer 2013 premiere.

Fans of USA Network’s Psych will have the unique opportunity to determine the show’s ending via a live interactive, socially charged crowd-sourced event to mark this landmark 100th episode, ”100 Clues,” on Wednesday, March 27 at 10:00 pm (ET). With Dunkin’ Donuts as the Social TV sponsor (#WhoDDit), the multi- platform experience officially kicks off on March 13 across web, social and mobile. Actor and producer John Stamos has signed on as a recurring guest star in season three of USA’s summer series Necessary Roughness. Season three will have 10 episodes.

Animal Plant has renewed Gator Boys, its second most-watched show. 10 new episodes will air later this year after filming takes place in South Florida.

TV Land will debut The Golden Girls this weekend, with marathons running Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, 3-11 pm (ET), followed by a week-long primetime tribute to each of the characters. After launch week, the show will settle into its regular timeslot of 7:00 pm, Monday through Saturday, and 5:00 pm on Sundays.

GSN has signed Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno as host for Minute To Win It. 40 newepisodes are being produced for the cable network to premiere this summer.

Additional casting for Discovery Channel’s first-ever, scripted mini-series Klondike (working title) been announced. Ian Hart, Augustus Prew and Johnny Simmons will be in the cast, joining previously announced cast members Chris Cooper and Abbie Cornish.

Syfy is giving a 13-episode green light to Helix (working title), its newest original scripted series for 2013. Helix, a thriller about scientists from the Centers for Disease Control in a life and death struggle at a high-tech research facility in the Arctic, is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, Lynda Obst, Steven Maeda and Cameron Porsandeh, who wrote the pilot. The series will be produced by Sony Pictures Television.

The Marvel Universe programming block on Disney XD will expand with the debut of two new animated series: Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, which continues the adventures of Marvel’s most popular super heroes -Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow and newcomer Falcon; and Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., which features the incredible Hulk, She-Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb and Skaar. The first will debut Sunday, May 26 and the other August 11.

Mobil 1 The Grid is back for its fifth season in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network. The motor oil sponsor says the weekly 30-minute television series devoted to global motorsports is airing worldwide in 25 languages.

The second season of My Crazy Obsession on TLC promises such oddities as 19 pet rats that are treated like children, a grandmother with over 6,000 pig items, a five-year-old who can lift more than double her body weight and a man who gives mermaid Ariel a run for her money. The series premieres Wednesday, April 3 at 10:00 pm (ET).

Bravo Media gives late night a makeover with Fashion Queens, a new limited series airing three consecutive Sunday nights at 11:30 pm (ET), beginning March 17. The topical, fashion-based talk show features two of Atlanta’s style elite, celebrity hairstylists Derek J and Miss Lawrence, and New York’s fashion maven and media socialite Bevy Smith. The trendy opinionated trio will cover anything and everything related to the world of fashion, from haute couture to celebrity style to unusual outfits from around the globe.

Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Brené Brown, internationally-acclaimed speaker and New York Times bestselling author of Daring Greatly, discuss how what we often consider our greatest weaknesses may actually be our greatest strengths, in an all-new episode of Super Soul Sunday. The episode airs this Sunday, March 17 at 11:00 am (ET) on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

MTV is set to debut two new series on Thursday nights, The Show With Vinny, starring Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino, and Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous, starring comedian Bo Burnham. The double premiere is set for Thursday, May 2, beginning at 10:00 pm (ET).

Discovery Channel and actor/director Robert Redford look back at Watergate more than 40 years after a bungled burglary brought down President Richard Nixon. All the President’s Men Revisited premieres Sun. April 21, 8:00pm (ET).

The Teen Titans have been re-imagined and are returning to Cartoon Network with all-new comedic adventures, and this time they’re giving viewers a look at what life is really like as a teen superhero –once the cape comes off. The half-hour animated series, Teen Titans Go! premieres on Tuesday, April 23, at 7:30 pm (ET) and will be rebroadcast during the DC Nation block on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (ET) beginning April 27.

By: Bridget Pierce, 3/15/13

Fox has finally confirmed it is launching a new sports network this summer, which will be available in 90 million households, making it the biggest sports cable premiere ever.

In fact, Fox Sports 1 will be one of the largest network launches ever.

It will bow on Aug. 17 and will include 5,000 hours of live event coverage, news and original programming each year. It is taking the place of Speed, the racing-focused network that is in 81 million households.

Randy Freer and Eric Shanks will be co-presidents and co-chief operating officers of the new effort.

Fox Sports Media Group has been coy about challenging ESPN, the longtime dominant sports network, and for good reason.

While there are many other sports networks, including the CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network as well as channels owned by individual conferences and pro leagues such as Big Ten Network and NFL Network, they draw a fraction of the audience of ESPN.

ESPN has the viewership and the sports packages, with rights to every major sport save hockey and special events like the Bowl Championship Series and Wimbledon.

But FS1 will certainly bring an impressive roster. It arguably has a better chance than any of the current sports nets, including the CBS and NBC channels, to draw eyeballs from ESPN.

FS1 has been built on seven core partnerships: Major League Baseball, college football, college basketball, NASCAR, NFL, UFC and soccer.

Fox has rights to all of them, and it’s expected to get as many of those events on the air as it can to help propel the channel at launch.

The first day of programming, for example, will include a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and a UFC event.

In 2014, when Fox’s latest MLB deal kicks in, FS1 will get rights to regular-season as well as post-season games.

And FS1 will launch a daily football news show in January in conjunction with Fox carrying the 2014 Super Bowl.

Indeed, Fox has been squirreling away rights deals with an eye to launching the network. The company has rights to the 2018 and 2022 men’s World Cup, which will air games on FS1.

FS1 executives said today that they hope to gain NBA rights in the future and will bid if the NFL puts together another weeknight package of games.

FS1 will air a nightly live talk show, “Rush Hour,” hosted by Regis Philbin, at 5 p.m. “Fox Football Daily” will follow at 6 p.m. each weekday, an extension of the popular “Fox NFL Sunday.”

Source: medialifemagazine.com

This week is gearing up to March Madness.  There are tons of conference tournaments on this week that are sure to be exciting.  Sunday night is also full of great programming with a new episode of cable’s #1 entertainment program The Bible airing at 8PM on History, and the season premiere of Army Wives on Lifetime at 9PM.  On Monday an all-new episode of TNT hit series Dallas is on at 9PM.  The Ewing family comes together to honor the passing of JR Ewing (the late Larry Hagman).  The Duggars, America’s favorite large family, is back with a new series, 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia, where they explore Asia on TLC Tuesday at 9PM.  On Thursday catch the in-state NBA rivals the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs take the court in a game at 8PM on TNT.  There is plenty of great programming on this week to keep you entertained, so keep on reading to find out what’s worth watching this week.

Source: Showseeker, 2012

Over two telecasts on premiere night, THE BIBLE averaged 14.8 million viewers, 5 million Adults 18-49 and 5.6 million Adults 25-54. In the 8-10pm premiere 13.1 million total viewers flocked to THE BIBLE, including 4.6 million Adults 25-54. THE BIBLE is the #1 cable entertainment telecast of the year. Leading into the premiere HISTORY.com had it best day ever in its history, and THE BIBLE trended as #1 on Twitter with celebrities and influencers tweeting their own personal tune-in messages.

Says Nancy Dubuc, President, Entertainment and Media, A+E Networks, “The success of THE BIBLE has catapulted HISTORY into one of the most powerful brands across media landscape and we could not be more thrilled and more proud. We are the #1 cable entertainment telecast of the year to date! Leading into the premiere we had the best day ever on History.com, and THE BIBLE trended #1 on Twitter. Clearly there is a nationwide groundswell that was waiting for this moment. We launched an incredible and coordinated campaign – HISTORY worked hand in hand with Roma and Mark and their talented team. An enormous debt of gratitude goes out to everyone and the amazing effort put forth to drive us to this amazing win. Clearly the passion for this project has resonated with our viewers and across the nation. We are thrilled, and the story is only just beginning.”

“We could not be more thrilled with this out of the gate success of THE BIBLE on HISTORY,” said Executive Producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. “The world is watching right now and we are incredibly humbled by the reaction to the series. This #1 series is a tribute to all those who have helped us to spread the Word. Ultimately THE BIBLE will be seen and felt by billions around the globe. We have to thank Nancy Dubuc and her HISTORY team for stepping up and joining us on this amazing journey – together we are now able to share this most sacred text that will continue to challenge and inspire.

“Today, more people are discussing God’s chosen people – Moses and Abraham -in one day than ever before. We’ve been working on this project for the past four years now, and are deeply honored to be given this once in a generation opportunity to breathe new visual life into the Bible’s profound stories. The Bible gives meaning and purpose to billions of people around the world. We believe the success of the series will spark the curiosity of billions more,” continued Roma and Mark.

THE BIBLE, premiering every Sunday on HISTORY over the next four Sundays, culminating on Easter, was created and executive produced by renowned producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, The Apprentice, Shark Tank) and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel). The series, a landmark television event, combines one of the greatest collections of stories ever assembled with live action and state-of-the-art CGI. The series is narrated by Emmy award-winning actor/vocalist Keith David (Mr & Mrs Smith; Platoon; Crash) and features a musical score by the world renowned Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. In April, The Bible series will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD with hours of exclusive special features and extras making it a must-own for every home. A book series by Mark and Roma is currently available in stores.

Leading the outstanding international cast is Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress and series’ co-executive producer Roma Downey, who plays Mother Mary. Joining her are Portuguese TV star Diogo Morgado as Jesus, as well as an array of acclaimed UK-based actors including Sean Teale (Skins), David Rintoul (The Iron Lady, My Week with Marilyn), Amber Rose Revah (The Borgias), Peter Guinness (an accomplished long time film/theatre actor), Greg Hicks (one of the UK’s best-known Shakespearean actors), and Simon Kunz (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Parent Trap, Matchpoint).

From Genesis to Revelation, HISTORY will illuminate the Bible, re-telling the stories as they unfold and revealing new insights into these iconic characters in context of the Bible. The series will feature some of the most famous stories ever written from Noah’s Ark and the Exodus to Daniel in the Lion’s Den to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

THE BIBLE series is produced for HISTORY by Lightworkers Media and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. Executive Producers are Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Richard Bedser. Executive Producers for HISTORY are Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs. THE BIBLE is distributed by One Three Media, Inc.

Source: History Channel press release, 3/4/13

Zombie drama lifts AMC into the top 10 in every demo

By Toni Fitzgerald

“The Walking Dead” was cable’s MVP during February.

Not only did the show have the three biggest audiences of the month, but it also drove its network, AMC, to the biggest year-over-year gains in primetime of any top-10 network across virtually every demographic.

AMC had six of the top eight shows during February among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen, and all of them were “Dead”-related.

The top three shows were all original episodes of “Dead,” and all drew at least 7 million viewers in the demo. Underscoring just what a huge hit “Dead” is, by comparison, the No. 4 show of the month, TNT’s NBA All-Star Game, drew 4.5 million viewers in the demo.

AMC also placed two episodes of “Talking Dead,” its post-“Walking Dead” talk show, among the month’s top eight in 18-49s. And a “Dead” repeat ranked sixth.

“Dead”-related programming gave AMC a gigantic boost for the month. It jumped into the top 10 among 18-49s, ranking fourth behind TBS, USA and TNT, up 41 percent over last year to an average 782,000 in primetime.

Among total viewers it also ranked in the top 10, growing 25 percent over last year to 1.44 million viewers and ranking ninth overall.

AMC was also seventh in 18-34s and sixth in 25-54s, up 46 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

“Dead” is one of just a handful of shows that can raise a network’s ratings significantly all by itself. Others on cable include “Sunday Night Football,” which lifts ESPN to No. 1 each fall; TBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” which boosted the network to first this month in 18-34s and 18-49s despite the fact that it had no top-10 shows; and the late “Jersey Shore,” which cured MTV’s ratings woes for two years.

Broadcast MVPs include NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and Fox’s “American Idol,” which fuel their respective networks during the fall and at midseason.

Taken from “http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cable-recap-feb-27/”

NFL coaches, scouts, executives and a few lucky fans may have been the only ones allowed inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to witness the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Presented by Under Armour, but NFL Media delivered the event to a record audience around the world.

A record high total of 7.25 million viewers watched coverage of the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Presented by Under Armour on NFL Network over the four days (Saturday, Feb. 23 –Tuesday, Feb. 26, live and re-air telecasts) – topping last year’s 6.51 million total viewers by +11%, according to The Nielsen Company.

Additionally, the average minute audience of 268,000 viewers for NFL Network’s live coverage of the Combine shattered the previous high of 244,000 from 2012 (+10%). Individually, NFL Network set viewership records for three of the four days of the Combine (Sat., Mon., & Tue.).

On the digital front, for the week of Feb. 20-26, unique users to NFL.com and NFL Mobile, including NFL Mobile From Verizon, grew 33% to over 10 million (10.1M vs. 7.6M). Video content was especially popular for fans following the combine online and on their smartphones. Video streams of Combine Live were up 89% (3.6M vs. 1.9M), with audience up 21% (1.4M vs. 1.2M) and Total Minutes up 35% (18.6M vs. 13.8M). (All % growth vs. 2012)

For the ninth year, NFL Network, NFL.com, and NFL Mobile provided exclusive coverage of the league’s next generation of talent with more than 60 hours of programming of the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Presented by Under Armour. Using 25 cameras and a 24-man roster of analysts, hosts, and reporters, NFL Network, NFL.com, and NFL Mobile provided an up-close look at the more than 330 NFL prospects looking to take the next step in their careers as the ‘Path to Primetime’ continued.

The NFL Scouting Combine is part of NFL Network’s “Path to Primetime” programming leading into the 2013 NFL Draft April 25-27. NFL Network’s “Path to the Draft” airs Monday-Friday at 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM ET.

source: www.tvbythenumbers.com

Pay-TV cord cutting will be minimal over the next several years. And while traditional TV viewership is in decline, TV will easily remain the most dominant platform for advertisers in years to come.

“Even though some consumers are cutting the cord, reducing their subscriptions, or not subscribing when starting a new home, the impact to the pay TV industry over at least the next five years will be minimal,” says PwC’s Cord Cutting and the Second Screen report.

PwC says there are multiple concerns about cord cutting, “cord trimming” and those who will never “cord” — young viewers who never becoming pay TV subscribers.

Still, TV will continue to have major sway. The company notes that TV advertising influences on those 18+ are 37% compared with newspapers at 11%; Internet; 6%; and mobile, 4%. Other research, from eMarketer, says TV remains the dominant platform for advertising at 39% market share versus 22% for the Internet.

“While consumers are spending more of their media time on mobile and Internet-enabled devices, TV viewership remains strong… certain comedy and drama content, live sports, reality TV, award ceremonies, and other exclusive content remain largely real-time programming not conducive to time shifting,” notes PwC. It also cites TV as a “communal activity that cannot easily be replaced.”

Still, estimates are that there will be a 0.9% TV viewership decline annually through 2017 due to increased online consumption of TV programming.

Screen-screen activity continues to grow. For example, Internet-protocol TV (IPTV) ownership doubled in one year to 10.4% penetration in 2011 from 4.7% in 2010. PwC says almost half of American households own gaming consoles — which are Internet-capable and can be used to stream TV content through multiple OTT options.

Some 36 million Americans report watching video content on their mobile phones. Smartphone sales are forecast to grow to $141 billion by 2016 from $79 billion in 2011; and tablet sales are projected to grow to $100 million by 2016 from $28 billion in 2011.

One subject everybody likes is The Inevitable Death of Television. It seems healthy, in a way. But broadcast and cable executives who get all crazy about cord cutting are over-reaching a little.

Certainly, more people have given up on TV (and cable) altogether as alternatives like Hulu and Netflix and YouTube make it easy to find easy ways to either watch old TV programs, movies or user-generated content. But it’s hardly a stampede away from TV.

Last week, when Comcast released its fourth quarter earnings it reported it lost 7,000 cable subscribers over the last part of 2012, which must have been hard to notice among the 22 million it still has.

Online video still tends to measure itself in minutes watched, not hours.  According to Nielsen, young people are watching slightly less, but the average 18-24 year old watched 22 hours of TV a week in Q3 of 2012.  That’s just about two hours less than in 2011. Other age segments had smaller declines but among older viewers, TV viewing actually increased slightly.

“It’s true that TV’s audience has declined – by 1.1% year-over-year in Q3, down from a 1.7% drop in Q2 – while the number of mobile subscribers watching video on a mobile device has grown by 22.5%,” says the Website Marketingcharts.com. “But it’s too early to pronounce the demise of traditional TV viewing.

“Here’s why: in Q3, 18-24-year-olds may have watched less TV on a weekly basis, but they still watched about 22 hours. How much time did they spend watching video on the Internet or on a mobile phone, combined? About 2 hours and 15 minutes.”

It’s not nothing. But by comparison, 182 million monthly users view 19.2 hours of online video– per month, according to comScore, more than two hours less than the 22 hours of TV 18-24s watch every week.

Things change. At some point, TV prime time viewership must have seemed paltry compared to radio, but that certainly flipped in a hurry during the 1950s. More likely though, online video will to some degree migrate to TV itself through smart TVs and the millions of people who already watch TV fare on computers.

Trendwise, TV does seem to be losing its grip on young viewers and not just in the USA. In a Financial Times story today, Jonathan Allan, sales director for Britain’s Channel 4 says, “Five years ago, two per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds did not have a TV at home. Now it’s 6 per cent. These people are watching TV solely through non-TV devices.”

The paper notes, “This is particularly true with youth-oriented content. In recent months, Channel 4 has seen some of its programmes, such as Skins and Made in Chelsea, achieve higher numbers of viewers through its on-demand internet service than through its terrestrial broadcasts.”

All you really need to know about programming this week is that THE Hollywood event of the year is Sunday night, The Academy Awards.  E!’s coverage of the red carpet starts Sunday at 1:30 PM and continues right up until beginning of the show at 8:30 PM.  Next week everyone will be talking about who wore what and who showed up with whom, so make sure you don’t miss it.

Source: Showseeker

MTV is set to conquer Portland, Oregon, as “The Real World” returns Wednesday, March 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. After 28 seasons, The Real World still packs a punch as the twists and turns keep on coming in the most unpredictable season yet. Living in the trendy Pearl District, eight strangers, and house mutt Daisy, quickly immerse themselves in Portland culture, but more importantly, immerse themselves in each other’s lives. Whether it’s the insatiable beauty who falls fast for the Boston boy next door or the jumping-up-and-down-on-the-couch argument between an overconfident hothead and a naïve Southern Belle, these roommates can’t seem to get out of each other’s heads or beds. And when one roommate leaves early, the already volatile nature of the house gets cranked up to a feverpitch as the new roommate – quite possibly the most outrageous in Real World history – makes it her mission to bring down one of the guys by any means necessary – including psychological, sexual warfare. But this season, relationships evolve and turn on a dime, so you’ll have to tune in to keep track of the endless surprises as these roommates go from friends to enemies again and again.

In a city known for expressing individuality, “The Real World: Portland” house lives up to its surroundings as all the roommates bring their own unique perspectives and vibrant personalities. From a preacher’s son with a secret, to a master manipulator writing a book on how to score and keep professional athletes, to an awe-inspiring jock that doesn’t let his handicap define him, these roommates really come to learn how different they all are when trouble arises. And this season, trouble arises often.

Can’t get enough of “The Real World: Portland?” Coming soon, MTV.com will reveal exclusive Spycam videos from inside the house and “Meet the Cast” videos. Beginning, March 27th, fans will have access to full episodes and sneak peeks. Sound off on Twitter and Facbeook with the official ‘Real World’ hashtag #realworld and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/realworld.

Meet the cast:

Anastasia- 22, Detroit, MI In Portland, nothing is truly complete until you put a bird on it, so it’s only appropriate that Anastasia’s nickname is “Bird”. Not only is she 5’11″ like a certain big, yellow character on “Sesame Street,” but she’s also always going on adventures – getting an idea and flitting up, up and away with it. With “legs for days”, Anastasia has done some promotional modeling, but she wasn’t always that girl. Awkward and dorky in high school, she didn’t blossom until she was 19 years old. “Bird” still maintains some of that nerdy side – she can’t get enough “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter.” She is majoring in journalism and wants a job where her voice will be heard. Anastasia had a rough childhood, living with her mom while her alcoholic father was in and out of jail. Her friend also recently passed away in an accident with a drunk driver. As a result of these traumas, Anastasia has a lot of alcohol-related baggage, which may prove difficult in Portland when all the other roommates are drinking and partying. While she comes off light and goofy, Anastasia also has an explosive nature that seems to come out of nowhere. With a combination of being easily offended and very outspoken, Anastasia does not hold back when she feels like someone is treating her poorly. Still though, she craves human connection and proves herself to be a very good friend to all in “The Real World” house. With a boyfriend back home that she loves, Anastasia will have to navigate a house full of single people, but will her unlucky-in-love past follow her to Portland and cause this Bird to fly the coop?

Averey-21, Tempe, AZ Averey, an exotic mix of Mexican, Native American and European heritage, is a Hooters girl and proud of it. Averey doesn’t like it when people make a big fuss about her looks. She prefers to be appreciated for her other qualities and in fact, rarely wears makeup or jewelry. But don’t let Averey’s sunny and laid back demeanor fool you into thinking she’s lived a charmed life. With a father who has never been around and a very strained relationship with her mother, Averey brings her dog Daisy, her only piece of home, to Portland with her. She is also extremely independent and has always worked for her own money. Averey’s mentally unstable mother dragged her family through her own abusive relationships, and at the age of 15, Averey moved out and lived with her friend’s family. As soon as she could, she left her small town in Michigan, abandoned her college career, and moved to Arizona where she threw herself into an intense relationship that quickly turned ugly. Unlike her mother, Averey was strong enough to get out, but the whole ordeal left her reluctant to trust her heart to another guy. And yet, Averey will be the first to admit that she’s extremely sexual and will try anything once. When it comes to sex, she’s insatiable which both excites and scares her housemate Johnny. Sparks fly between the two, but will he ever be able to keep up with her wild ways and keep her satisfied? And speaking of satisfaction, will Averey be able to open up to Johnny and trust again after being hurt by guys so many times before?

Jessica-21, Fayetteville, NC Jessica hasn’t seen much of the world beyond her small town of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Leaving home where she lived with her mom and stepdad, Jessica is going to Portland to find out who she is outside of the sheltered life she’s been living. Her southern twang, pageant-girl smile, and the fact that she’ll put on full makeup to go to Wal-Mart, makes her appear like a typical Southern Belle. And yet, underneath all that makeup lies an inner tomboy who loves fishing, hunting, and motocross. She owns several dirt bikes and even knows her way around an engine or two. Jessica considers herself to be the “black sheep” of her conservative, half Hispanic, half Irish family due to her relatively outgoing nature. She became engaged at age 16 to a guy 10 years her senior, before the relationship turned sour and ended. In romance, she admittedly makes poor choices and even though every guy has failed miserably to meet her needs, Jessica is still searching for her “Prince Charming.” With her wide-eyed innocence and sheltered background, Jessica can come off as an attention-seeking, annoying little sister to her roommates. But that doesn’t mean she lets everyone walk all over her. She’s feisty, a little bit ridiculous, and ultimately brings a sense of wacky levity into the house and into her roommates’ lives.

Johnny- 21, West Bridgewater, MA The middle child of a boisterous, blue-collar Irish family, Johnny grew up in a small town outside of Boston “with more cows than people.” With his thick Massachusetts accent and beaming smile, Johnny has always been the center of attention and the glue that holds his friends together. Johnny was a star hockey player, but after realizing he couldn’t make a career out of it, he began studying to be a physical therapist or a trainer, with plans to work with professional athletes. Financial difficulties have forced him to take a semester off, so he’s making ends meet as a short order cook at a local bar. Everyone loves Johnny and for good reason – he is charming, honest and rarely holds back. He loves to party but can get into some crazy trouble when intoxicated. Although he’s had his share of one-night stands, Johnny has been known to fall hard for a girl from time to time. Nonetheless, he often puts a wall up around his emotions until his jealousy gets the best of him. His last serious relationship was two years ago. Is he ready to fall again? In Portland, the beautiful Averey catches his eye, but flings with roommates can get complicated – real fast. Will Johnny be able to satisfy Averey or is she out of his league?

Joi- 22, Seattle WA Standing at 5’9″, Joi claims she has always intimidated men who are not used to seeing a tall Asian woman. Her height helped her in high school, where she excelled in basketball, volleyball, and softball. Her tattoos and nipple piercings reflect on the outside Joi’s edgy interior. While attending the University of Washington, Joi rebelled against her conservative Korean mother and white military father by posing nude in “Playboy.” Though both of her parents came around eventually, Joi still isn’t entirely open with her mom about the details of her sex life, but has a newfound open and honest relationship with her father. She recently graduated with a degree in communications. Joi dates all types of men, but has a strong preference for black athletes. Will something spark between Joi and housemate Marlon, who seems to fit her favorite type? Can she reconcile her rebellious nature with her desire to please her parents?

Jordan-22, Mustang, OK Jordan excels at nearly everything he tries. In high school, he was a captain of the football, baseball, and wrestling teams, and he is now a semi-professional wake boarder. He tried out for the cheerleading team on a friend’s dare and four national championships later, he’s clearly proved to his friend that he can do anything he puts his mind to. All of this despite the fact Jordan was born with no fingers on his left hand. But he doesn’t view this as a handicap and has never let it slow him down – in sports, or with the ladies. Jordan credits his achievements to tough love from his father, who accepted neither excuses nor failures. Jordan is an overachiever who doesn’t just like things done his way, he needs them done his way. In fact, Jordan has never been wrong. Or at least that’s what he would lead you to believe. He often finds himself fighting with others who don’t live up to his high standards. The same is true in Portland, where he clashes repeatedly with nearly everyone in the house. He particularly has conflict with Jessica and Anastasia, who refuse to put up with his criticism of them. Jordan is very ambitious and is currently studying marketing at the University of Central OK. His biggest fear is dying without making his mark on the world. Underneath this hard exterior, there’s a deep pool of insecurity and self-doubt that slowly reveals itself in Portland.

Marlon -24, Lubbock, TX The son of a preacher man, Marlon was raised with strong religious values and beliefs, which causes inner conflict when you love sex as much as he does. He doesn’t want to disappoint his father, who raised him after his parents divorced when he was six months old. The first time Marlon laid eyes on his mother was in the coffin at her funeral when he was in the seventh grade. As a military brat, Marlon traveled the world with his father but never stayed in one place long enough to make lifelong friends. In high school, Marlon excelled at football and became something of a local celebrity when he was a linebacker for Texas Tech. He twice received Honorable mention in the All-Big 12 conference and was even trying to go pro, before being cut by the Canadian Football League. After his football career faded, Marlon went through a low point and in his depression, did some things that his roommates will be shocked to hear about. Marlon is in a better place now and is currently working towards a degree in industrial engineering. People in Lubbock still recognize him as Marlon the football star, but he hates that people judge him for no longer playing. Marlon sees coming to Portland as a chance to start fresh without having to deal with people’s preconceived notions about who he is today.

Nia-23 Atlanta, GA Despite graduating Magna Cum Laude from Howard University, not a day goes by that Nia’s parents don’t make it known how disappointed they are in her for not going out and getting a regular job. But as far as Nia is concerned, she’s 23, hot, and should still be having fun with her life. She has a number of career goals, including being a writer, a philanthropist, and a model, but so far, she’s been fired from four out of the five jobs she’s ever had. Her problem is she can’t keep her opinions to herself. Six feet tall and athletic, she doubts she will ever succeed as a model because she can’t give up her addiction to fast food. So maybe the book she’s currently writing – a guide on how to find, date and keep professional athletes – will be her meal ticket to success. Nia grew up in the small town of Powder Springs, GA. Upon relocating to DC for college, she found herself overwhelmed by the rough urban environment. At 18, she learned to toughen up fast after a terrible experience with a guy. In a lengthy legal battle, the man who she accused of date rape was acquitted. To this day, “Hurricane” Nia veers from acting sexually open and aggressive to being terrified that a man may attack her again. In Portland, she comes to the protection of the other girls in the house when she feels they are being attacked by Jordan. She embarks on a full-on crusade to destroy and embarrass him. Despite all this outward aggression, Nia admits that she can be emotionally defensive, and hopes some of those walls will come down in Portland. Only problem is, with someone as explosive as Nia in the Real World House, will any walls be left standing?

“The Real World” was created for MTV by Jonathan Murray and Mary Ellis-Bunim of Bunim/Murray Productions. Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein and Jim Johnston serve as Executive Producers of “The Real World: Portland.” Jackie French is the MTV Executive overseeing the project.

TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2013 NBA All-Star game presented by Kia Motors delivered an average of 8.0 million total viewers, based on Nielsen Fast Nationals, an increase of 13 percent over 7.1 million total viewers last year. The corresponding 4.6 U.S. HH rating was up five percent compared with a 4.4 U.S. HH rating in 2012. The telecast peaked with a 5.0 U.S. HH rating from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET.

The network’s coverage of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game posted a 13 percent increase in Adults 25-54 (4,066,000 vs. 3,595,000) and a six percent improvement among Adults 18-49 (4,488,000 vs. 4,246,000). Additionally, Men 25-54 were up nine percent (2,712,000 vs. 2,493,000) and viewership among Men 18-49 increased one percent (3,061,000 vs. 3,022,000).

The 2013 NBA All-Star Game – won by the West, 143-138, behind the MVP performance of the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul – garnered the highest local ratings in the following markets:

• Miami/Ft. Lauderdale – 12.6 HH rating
• San Antonio – 9.9 HH rating
• Memphis – 9.7 HH rating
• Los Angeles – 9.4 HH rating
• Oklahoma City – 8.9 HH rating

Source: Tuner Newsroom, 2/18/13

CNN took plenty of heat yesterday for its extensive coverage of Carnival’s ill-fated “Poop Cruise”—upon losing power in the Gulf of Mexico, the cruise ship Triumph transformed into a drifting hellscape of overflowing toilets, food shortages and sickened passengers—prompting at least one Twitter wag to dub the network’s 4 p.m.-7 p.m. block The Shituation Room With Wolf Blitzer. (We’ll see how the wall-to-feces-spattered-wall coverage translates in the Nielsen ratings, when the numbers arrive later this afternoon.)

This all raises an interesting question from an advertiser’s perspective: when there’s a big story that captures the world’s attention—whether it’s a ship where life is imitating Lord of the Flies or the inauguration of an American president—how do you cash in?

Obviously, a known quantity is the easiest to sell. “The inauguration was very cool, because it was more than a political event,” said Greg D’Alba, Turner’s president of news and digital ad sales (D’Alba spoke to Adweek shortly before the Super Bowl). “It was a style event and a fashion event and a culture event.”

That’s an easier pitch than something like yesterday’s disaster, which perhaps may have been a proper fit only for the likes of Clorox. And for President Obama’s second public swearing-in ceremony, D’Alba had a range of clients lined up, including the financial services giant Black Rock, home security system Tyco and DreamWorks’ 12-time Academy Award nominee, Lincoln.

“Some of the news events that occur are tough because of how graphic they can be and how life-changing they become,” D’Alba said. After all, you can’t exactly pitch Nokia on a spot about the death of Muammar Gaddafi, even though cellphones were directly involved. But D’Alba said that CNN doesn’t just sell on royal weddings and elections. “We have a good track record,” he said. “That makes it easier for our guys to represent the brand and the product in the marketplace.”

A spot buy meant to take advantage of the big deliveries for a breaking news story like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan won’t necessarily be as comfortable a fit as a :30 that airs during a space shuttle launch or ticker-tape parade, but CNN will still sell it at a premium.

And of course, the network is green-lighting more programming that will be even easier to sell—Morgan Spurlock’s Inside Man, its new weekend shows with Anthony Bourdain and Rachel Nichols, and even some documentary films picked up at Sundance this year.

Indeed, the whole attitude at the cable news network has changed since the year began. More than one person at the network has said that CNN has a firmer sense of purpose with new president Jeff Zucker in charge, and D’Alba agrees with them. “Jeff has a really strong track record in the news business,” he enthused. “We’re very excited about where we are a few weeks into his leadership.”

Per SNL Kagan estimates, the CNN flagship in 2012 took in $322.5 million in ad sales revenue, down 7 percent from the prior-year total of $347.8 million. With an average carriage fee of 57 cents per subscriber per month, CNN last year raked in $685.4 million in affiliate revenue.

Source: Adweek, 2/15/13

Valentine’s Day might be coming up next week, but that doesn’t mean you need to get off the couch to celebrate.  If you want to stay in a catch up on your TV viewing, this is a great week for it.  Tonight watch the boys play basketball as the LA Clippers take on the Miami Heat on ESPN at 8PM.  Gear up for the Grammys on Sunday night with E!’s live red carpet coverage starting at 5PM.  Tuesday judge the world’s best puppies for yourself when USA airs the closing night at the 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show starting at 8PM EST.  On Valentine’s Day oogle over Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days on ABC Family at 6PM and then again in The Wedding Planner at 8:30PM.  If you aren’t feeling lovey dovey you can tune in for the season of premiere of Swamp People at 9PM on History or get angry with Charlie Sheen in Anger Management on FX at 9:30PM.  However you decide to celebrate Valentine’s Day next week, make sure you leave a little time to show your TV some love.  (All times Eastern.)

Source: Showseeker.com

Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America, has announced that its popular morning show, “Despierta América” (Wake-Up America), has wrapped up January with strong growth over last year in all key demos. In fact, this marks the morning show’s seventh consecutive month of year-over-year audience increases across various key demos, including Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, making it the fastest growing morning show, regardless of language, in the current season.

In a month that featured a slew of appearances from Hollywood stars – from Mark Wahlberg (Broken City), Jason Statham (Parker), Analeight Tipton (Warm Bodies) and Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty) to Luis Guzman (The Last Stand), Michael Peña (Gangster Squad) and Sarah Shahi (Bullet to the Head), “Despierta América” has become a must-stop for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic celebrities looking to reach growing Hispanic audiences.

In fact:

• Among Adults 18-49, Univision’s “Despierta América” is up +38% season-to-date in 2012/2013 compared to the same time period in 2011/2012, while ABC’s “Good Morning America” (-1%), “CBS This Morning” (-3%) and NBC’s “Today Show” (-21%) have all showed declines.

• Among Women 18-49, “Despierta América” is showing the most growth, up +56%, ahead of “CBS This Morning” (+2%) while ABC’s “Good Morning America” (-2%) and NBC’s “Today Show” (-20%) are down.

While the average “Despierta América” viewer is much younger (44 years old) than its English-language morning show competition at ABC (58 years old), CBS (58 years old) and NBC (57 years old), the leading Spanish-language morning show is showing double-digit percentage growth with the Adults 25-54 audience (+36%), compared with +2% growth for ABC’s “Good Morning America” and declines for “CBS This Morning” (-1%) and NBC’s “Today Show” (-18%).

“Despierta América” connects with viewers in real-time on Twitter via @DespiertaAmeric and through thematic hashtags as well as on Facebook.com/DespiertaAmerica. From being featured on-air to having their favorite celebrities answer their questions, viewers are socially threaded day in and day out to “Despierta América.”

Source: The Nielsen Company, NPM STD (09/24/2012-01/25/2013 vs. 09/19/2011-01/27/2012) Most Current data, January (2013: 12/31-01/25 vs. 2012: 12/26-01/29) Live+SD data, M-F 7am-11am.

Source: Univision press release, 2/5/13

Sports Illustrated who? Turner’s $175 million acquisition of Bleacher Report happened way back in August after the company parted ways with SI; now, its partnership with CNN cemented earlier this month, the digital sports property will begin working with the news network on televised content starting with Super Bowl XLVII. The first show? Kickoff in New Orleans: A CNN-Bleacher Report Special , co-hosted with Turner Sports vet Ernie Johnson by the network’s most recent sports desk hire, former ESPNer Rachel Nichols and sponsored on-air by BlackRock and Hampton Inn, who will also sponsor all lead-up coverage to the Bowl. HLN has sold Super Bowl hits across Morning Express, News Now and Weekend Express to TripIt.

David Levy, Turner’s president of sales, distribution and sports, told Adweek that the special was “a major step forward in the integration process” for the two brands. Nichols, too, will be a key player for the network’s sports coverage going forward.

New network head Jeff Zucker brought on several high-profile folks in the last month (and saw several who didn’t fit in to the new regime hit the road yesterday), and he’s wasted no time in making it clear what he wants to do. The Bleacher Report isn’t his doing, but it seems to fit in well. The site been controversial among sports fans: on the one hand, vocal fans hate the idea of the site’s largely crowdsourced content replacing the expertise of career journalists; on the other, ComScore puts BleacherReport.com at 11.45 million uniques for the month of December, up from 10.6 million in July, just before the acquisition, and up 24 percent year-on-year. CNN probably doesn’t want to argue with that kind of reach and growth right now.

“SI just had a different mindset at the time,” said Levy. “Their mindset was really on more long, story-focused articles, in-depth investigations, and really tying back to the magazine; we’re really more about short video content, highlights, fan relationships, and [Bleacher Report app] TeamStream.” Levy said he didn’t want to compare selling the one to the other, but he said he figured everyone involved was happy with the change. “The philosophies were sort of different, which is why Bleacher Report had much better ideas and directions based on where Turner wanted to go in that space.”

The pre-Bowl special is sold out, as is the whole Super Bowl weekend, Levy said. The special will include contributions from Howie Long and Cris Collinsworth, footage featuring Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, and an interview with a 9-year-old pee-wee football player who’s made a splash on YouTube. SI is still CNN’s corporate sibling, technically, but it looks like their sole contribution will be swimsuit model Demaris Lewis co-hosting a fan’s guide to the Big Easy.

But will there be friction between a news outfit like CNN that has long regarded itself as the last bastion of hard journalism on cable, and a group like Bleacher Report that invents the rules as it goes along? “I think we can live in both worlds pretty easily,” said Levy, citing some of the established sportswriters the site has hired to boost its cred. “There’s not a real standard answer; I think Bleacher Report has fans and reporters and editorial guidelines just like everybody else has. Who will actually do the reporting? To be determined. But I challenge people to question their preconceptions.”

Source: THR, 1/30/13

A gigantic crowd will tune in to Sunday’s Super Bowl, likely more than 100 million people.

But all-encompassing as the event may seem, not everyone actually wants to watch the big game. Only about half of households using televisions will actually tune in, which means more than 100 million other viewers up for grabs.

Many of them will look to cable.

Though broadcast networks long ago stopped trying to counterprogram the Super Bowl, cable networks have been doing it for years.

The key is to offer something that will draw the opposite of the typical football viewer, that is, someone who is probably female and over the age of 40.

That’s why movies like “Sex and the City 2” and marathons of shows that appeal to women will be staples on Sunday.

Here’s a roundup of the special events cable has on tap to counter the big game, which kicks off at 6 p.m.:

ABC Family

If you’ve never seen all the “Bring It On” movies, here’s your chance.  The network airs every one in the cheerleading saga starting at 10 a.m.

AMC

“The Walking Dead” marathon starts at 3 p.m.

Animal Planet

“Puppy Bowl IX” first airs at 3 p.m., followed by several repeat airings of the event.

BBC America

A marathon of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” begins at 4 p.m.

Disney Channel

For the tweens and teens who care little about the Super Bowl, “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2” air back-to-back starting at 5 p.m.

ESPN

Though ESPN airs NFL games during the regular season, it has no postseason rights. It will instead air a marathon of the cult show “World’s Strongest Man” from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

DIY

The network airs a “Frontier House” marathon from 4 to 9 p.m.

Food Network

Food Network has a four-episode serving of “Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off” slated from 6 to 10 p.m.

Fuse

Targeting those young, frisky non-football fans, Fuse starts its countdown of the “100 Sexiest Videos of All Time” at 5 p.m., going past midnight.

GSN

A couple of football players have won “Dancing with the Stars,” and GSN will air a “DWTS” repeat marathon starting at 5 p.m.

Hallmark Channel

The network has a “Golden Girls” marathon scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

History

From 6 to 10 p.m., during prime game time, History will air four episodes of “American Pickers.”

HGTV

HGTV has a “Property Brothers” marathon on tap starting at 11 a.m.

Lifetime

As usual, Lifetime promises a “football-free zone” with a day-long original movie marathon, highlighted by the 2012 African-American-focused remake “Steel Magnolias” at 3.

Lifetime Movie Network

It’s also offering a movie marathon, highlighted by the Lifetime movie with the all-time best title, Tori Spelling’s 1996 thriller “Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?”

MTV

The network offers a “Snooki & JWoww” marathon starting at 6 p.m.

National Geographic Channel

Its “Taboo” marathon kicks off at 8 p.m.

OWN

The Oprah Winfrey Network airs a marathon of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” starting at 2 p.m. and featuring such buzzed-about interviews as David Letterman and the Kardashian family.

Oxygen

Like Lifetime and OWN, Oxygen is another female-targeted network that could benefit from the Super Bowl. It has a marathon of “Snapped” starting at noon.

ReelzChannel

The movie-focused network re-airs the miniseries “Return to Lonesome Dove” starting at noon.

Showtime

Obviously targeting the female crowd, the pay cable network airs “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1” at 9 p.m.

Science Channel

Its day-long “How It’s Made” marathon kicks off at 9 a.m. with an episode examining grapples and dog sleds.

Speed

Speed highlights the “Dumbest Stuff on Wheels” in a marathon that starts at 6 p.m.

Spike

Fitting with the Super Bowl tradition of beer drinking, a marathon of “Bar Rescue” begins at 11 a.m.

TBS

It airs back-to-back-to-back chick flicks starting with “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” at 12:30 p.m., followed by “Something’s Gotta Give” at 2:30 and “Sex and the City 2” at 5.

TLC

Its “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” marathon begins at 4 p.m.

TNT

The network will start a “Law & Order” marathon at 4 a.m.

TV Land

A “Roseanne” marathon begins before dawn and picks up again at 6 p.m.

USA

The network is offering an “NCIS” marathon starting at 10 a.m. One might argue that “NCIS” marathons on USA occur about as frequently as football players thank God in their postgame interviews, which is to say very frequently, but they always draw very good ratings.

VH1

A “Mob Wives” marathon lands at 10:30 a.m.

WE

Another female-targeted network, WE has a marathon of “My Fair Wedding With David Tutera” starting at 10 a.m.

source: medialifemagazine.com

Apparently there’s a lot of money in dog videos.

In 2012, Animal Planet enjoyed a 17 percent uptick in its key demo ratings (adults 25-54) over the last year and, in fact, helped to offset declines at heavy-hitting sister networks Discovery and TLC in several categories. Now, the network is doubling down on one of its flagship shows, namely Puppy Bowl, which runs Super Bowl Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. The program is up 19 percent in ad revenue over last year’s marathon presentation of very small shelter dogs, according to Animal Planet vp of national ad sales Jeffrey Pellegrini.

Animal Planet is essentially looking to monetize every inch of the two-hour event, which is immediately rerun five times, in the same way that live sports trick out their games with sponsorships. (And just like college football, the players get paid in dog food!)

“This year we’ve sold the naming rights to the stadium to Geico,” said Pellegrini, who also landed Subaru to sponsor PB’s second-screen app and Icebreakers for the cool-down event.

Much of the network’s programming effectively mimics high-traffic Web content—there’s a show called Too Cute that would look right at home on YouTube—but that has its advantages. Animal Planet has made headlines with dangerous, even lethal adventures on shows like Ocean’s Deadliest and Whale Wars, but its quieter programs like Puppy Bowloffer safer branding opportunities.

Animal Planet appears to be breeding success. It’s among the fastest-growing networks of its distribution size—near-full distribution at 96 million homes, with an average fee (according to SNL Kagan) of 10 cents per cable subscriber and ad revenue projected to go from $163.2 million in 2012 to $174.5 million this year. Much of the company’s business gets written in the upfront, and one of the shows that helps seal deals, according to president and gm Marjorie Kaplan, is Puppy Bowl.

“We can have a much bigger paw print for this,” Kaplan said (Animal Planet execs like to use quadruped-related terminology). “I can imagine a day when there’s a Road to the PuppyBowl.”

This year’s big addition: hedgehog cheerleaders…in tutus, apparently. It may be treacly and induce eye-rolling, but it’s hard to argue when PB attracts new advertisers. This year, first-timers include Geico and Universal, which is pumping its kids movie, Despicable Me 2.

source: Adweek.com

The Seventh Season of PSYCH Premieres on USA on Wednesday, February 27 at 10/9c

To get PSYCH’s loyal fans of delicious flavor fired up for season seven of PSYCH, James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson and Maggie Lawson will host the first-ever, all night PSYCH SLUMBER PARTY on Friday, February 15, 2013, starting at 12/11c PM through 6/5c AM on February 16. This special pajama-worthy festival will feature some of the cast enjoying their own slumber party along with a smorgasboard of social zaniness that only Santa Barbara’s Finest can deliver to its legions of self proclaimed PSYCH-Os.

Starting on Friday, January 18, USA is inviting the show’s loyal fans determine the episodes to air during the PSYCH SLUMBER PARTY! The show’s creator Steve Franks personally selected his favorite 20 and the fans will vote from there to narrow it down to the final seven. Fan participation in the voting also enters them into the PSYCH sweepstakes to win one of 500 exclusive Slumber Party Prize Packs, which they’ll receive in time for the PSYCH-tivities. Fans can vote everyday through Thursday, January 31, on the PSYCH official website psych.usanetwork.com, or the show’s Facebook page, facebook.com/psych.

From pillow forts, sleeping bag races, a pajama fashion show, to late night snacks – fans will see their favorite psychic detective and the rest of the cast like they’ve never seen them before.

The six-hour slumber party is all about the fans, the PSYCH-Os who have made PSYCH USA Network’s current longest running original scripted series with over two million Facebook fans. The show follows the adventures of a young police consultant who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute, he attempts to convince the precinct detectives that he’s psychic.

PSYCH is executive produced by Steve Franks, Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze, from Universal Cable Productions in association with Tagline Pictures. Mel Damski serves as executive producer/director. Bill Callahan is executive producer. Saladin K. Patterson, Andy Berman and Todd Harthan are co-executive producers/writers. Kell Cahoon is consulting producer.

Source: TV by the Numbers, 1/18/13

ABC Family’s award-winning original series, “Switched At Birth,” will produce an episode told entirely in American Sign Language (ASL), a first for a scripted series on mainstream television, which will premiere Monday, March 4 at 8:00PM ET/PT.

The special episode will be told from the perspective of the series’ multiple deaf characters – with open captions for hearing viewers – in a storyline that puts the audience in The Middle of a student uprising in which the very essence of their deaf identity is at stake. Now in its second season, “Switched At Birth” is the first mainstream television series to have multiple deaf and hard-of-hearing series regulars and scenes shot entirely in ASL.

“I’ve been wanting to do an all-ASL episode since the series began, and the storyline we’ve been focusing on this season gave us the perfect opportunity. It’s an exciting, visual, empowering story of kids who are different fighting back, and it allows our audience to experience the world as our deaf characters do. We’ve been building to this for 39 episodes and we’re all thrilled to be the first to try this,” said series creator and Executive Producer Lizzy Weiss.

“Switched At Birth” is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss (“Blue Crush”), Paul Stupin (“Make It or Break It”), Becky Hartman Edwards (“Parenthood”) and John Ziffren (“Melissa & Joey,” “Make It or Break It”). The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano (“Gilmore Girls”) as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie (“George Lopez”) as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett (“Friday Night Lights”) as John Kennish; Lea Thompson (“Back to the Future,” “Caroline in the City”) as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel (“High School Musical”) as Toby Kennish; Sean Berdy as Emmett Bledsoe; and Gilles Marini (“Brothers and Sisters”) as Angelo Sorrento with guest star Marlee Matlin (“The West Wing”).

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today’s families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today’s relationships – told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family’s programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy® Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and COMMUNITY features, from rich, fan-centric programming – including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network’s hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas.” ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

Source: TV by the Numbers, 1/11/2013

 

Beverly Hills is a cutthroat city where youth and wealth reign supreme and appearances are everything. To certain women, aging gracefully isn’t an option – they’ve decided to wage war against Mother Nature. Looking young and beautiful means endless injections, nips and tucks, making plastic surgery a hugely popular and lucrative business. TLC slices into this tight-knit community, warts and all, in the all new one-hour special PLASTIC WIVES, following four women who are romantically linked to some of the most successful cosmetic doctors in Los Angeles.

Frances, Veronica, Alana and Dayna have no qualms about taking advantage of the unlimited access to their husband’s procedure room.  These women are so obsessed with looks that they’ll stop at nothing to attain perfection from head to toe- and everywhere in between. From labiaplasty to chin liposuction to G-Spot injections, these extreme treatments have become routine for those living inside this industry. Everyone wants to be part of this quirky world. Meet the ladies who have married into it:

• Dayna Devon- Married to Dr. Brent Moelleken, a board certified plastic surgeon, who she’s constantly hitting up for surgery.  As an on-camera personality (former co-host of “Extra”) she says, “Hollywood is in the business of youth,” and so she will stop at nothing to reverse the aging process.

• Alana Sands- Married to Dr. Kevin Sands, a cosmetic dentist treating only the elite. His successful business helps pay for their extravagant lifestyle which includes three fulltime nannies, two fulltime masseuses, and a fulltime chef.

• Veronica Matlock- Married to Dr. David Matlock a cosmetic surgeon, whom she lovingly calls “the vagina man.”  Veronica believes she’s a reflection of him, so she is constantly watching her weight and sculpting her body (with his help of course).

• Frances Marques- Co-owns a thriving plastic surgery center with her ex-husband, Dr. Ryan Stanton. She lives with her daughter Pablynie in a newly built dream home, fully equipped with a procedure room so Ryan can perform “touch ups” on her from time to time.

Looking their best isn’t just personal, it’s business. TLC’s PLASTIC WIVES premieres Sunday, January 27^th at 10/9c. The one-hour special is produced by Lighthearted Entertainment.

TLC is a global brand that celebrates extraordinary people and relatable life moments through innovative nonfiction programming. A top 10 cable network in key female demos, TLC has built successful franchises around the Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress brands. In 2012, TLC had 26 series averaging at least 1.0 million P2+ viewers, with series like Breaking Amish, Long Island Medium, Sister Wives and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo averaging over 2.0 million viewers. TLC’s other hit series include: My Strange Addiction, Toddlers & Tiaras, 19 Kids and Counting, What Not to Wear, and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.

TLC is available in more than 99 million homes in the US and more than 227 million households in nearly 150 markets internationally. A destination online, TLC.com offers in-depth fan sites, exclusive video content, and original editorial covering style, home, food, and more. Fans can also interact with TLC via On Demand services, on mobile platforms, including an iPhone App, and through social media such as Facebook or @TLC on Twitter. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA,DISCB, DISCK), the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories.

Source: TLC press release, 1/10/13

Internet TV vs. Cable

For years cable was the gold standard for subscription based television. In the 1980′s  satellite jumped into the fray and became a popular alternative. As time passed satellite and cable pricing structures became similar, and satellite dishes became smaller (no longer the size of a car). But lately, another alternative has been utilized by a growing number of television fans – internet TV.

The beauty of internet television is the cost, it’s often free. The problem with internet TV is that it is sometimes unreliable, and making it a viable option often proves as costly as cable or satellite, but there’s no denying it could be the wave of the future. With the increasing popularity of social media, internet shopping and overall desired interactivity in the world, internet television is here to stay.

Cable has shown to be the most reliable TV medium, as satellite is often compromised by wind, rain or snow, and internet TV is hurt by low bandwidth, multiple devices using the same router or confusing availability . Also, cable providers are starting to incorporate many internet features, making television interactive, therefore providing the need desired by the public.

While free internet TV is a great concept, true television afficianados agree that cable, Verizon FiOS and even satellite on a sunny day are better options for the best viewing experiences.

It is almost 2013!  And what better way to welcome the new year than with college football bowl games and reality shows?  Want to know the the secrets of the Sister Wives?  You can find out during the special Sister Wives: Secrets Revealed on TLC on Sunday night at 9PM.  Monday watch BET all day to find out the top 100 videos of 2012 on Notorized: The Top 100 Videos of 2012.  Who knew music videos still aired?   On Tuesday see all the floats, beauty queens, and marching bands during the 2013 Rose Parade on Hallmark and HGTV at 11AM.  Then catch the actual Rose Bowl on ESPN at 5PM.  A lot of buzz has been surrounding the new MTV show BUCKWILD that follows the lives of a group of friends in West Virginia.  Tune in to the series premiere Thursday night at 10PM.  To see what else is worth watching this week keep reading.  For the latest cable TV happenings follow Viamedia and me on Twitter at @Viamedia_TV and @AliciaLovesTV.  Happy New Year!

There is yet more evidence that the media economy is on a sharp upward turn during the second half of the year.

Kantar Media reports today that third-quarter ad spending rose 7.1 percent, to $35.4 billion.

That brings 2012’s three-quarter growth rate to a solid 3.8 percent, following a slow start to the year.

Olympics and political were, as expected, the main driver of the gains. But there were signs of strength beyond that, an encouraging sign as the media economy enters a non-Olympic, non-political year.

“Looking beyond these special events and focusing on indicators of core health, our data show that more than 60 percent of the top 1,000 advertisers increased their budgets year-over-year,” says Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media North America.

“This proportion has been stable for several quarters and indicates marketers are holding the course.”

TV was, of course, the major beneficiary of the Olympic and political spending. Network TV revenue soared by 29.9 percent over last summer, the biggest jump for any medium.

Some $1 billion of that was from Olympic spending on NBC.

Spot TV also jumped, up 19.8 percent, largely due to political spending.

Total TV spending was up 15.3 percent during third quarter, which helped balanced out slides for three other major media.

Spanish-language media generally is hot, with TV seeing a 17.8 percent bump during the quarter.

source: medialifemagazine.com

The story of 2012 for cable was just as much a story for broadcast.

The lines between the two continue to blur, in terms of ratings, ad dollars and viewer perception.

While that line will not disappear entirely in 2013, it will fade even further.

Events that have traditionally aired on broadcast, such as the Bowl Championship Series and Wimbledon, will continue to migrate to cable.

Though broadcast still dominates the top 50 programs of the week, more cable shows will win their timeslots over the Big Four in key demographics, following the lead of programs like A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” and MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”

And for the third time in as many years, cable networks will receive more dollars than broadcast during the upfront, increasing the gap between the two to a record margin.

“Television is becoming more blurred,” says Marc Morse, senior vice president, national broadcast buying, at RJ Palmer.

“Over the past five, 10, 15, 20 years we’ve seen broadcast ratings go down and cable come up. At some point we’ll reach a crossing point, though we’re not there yet. I think less and less they’re being talked about as two different things than one and the same.”

The outlook for cable over the next few years is very cheery, one of the few media with healthy growth prospects coming out of the long recession.

National cable ad spending grew 8 percent this year, according to ZenithOptimedia, nearly double the growth rate for the overall U.S. media economy.

The next three years cable spending will grow at a rate of 7 percent each year, faster than any other major media besides digital.

In 2012 the top five spenders on cable TV were direct response drugs and toiletries, movies, fast food, automobile insurance and wireless telecom providers.

Hot networks in 2012 included History, whose miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” broke numerous cable records; AMC, whose “The Walking Dead” finished as fall’s top scripted drama on broadcast or cable in adults 18-49; and TBS, which saw big ratings gains thanks to syndicated episodes of “The Big Bang Theory.”

And the Oprah Winfrey Network, which struggled mightily in its first year, has shown promise with 10 straight months of ratings growth in primetime.

“They’re making good strides lately. I think there was a lot of hype and expectations [at launch], and I think they were too high,” Morse says.

“In the last year they have gotten their footing, put on a lot of new original stuff, and [Winfrey] has been more hands on. That’s helped in the ratings.”

More and more people are watching television shows, whether they be broadcast or cable, via new media devices such as tablets and smartphones. Buyers are pushing Nielsen for measurement on these new media devices.

“Down the road there’s going to be a conversation about viewing non-traditionally, viewing on the iPad and other devices, and how to get advertisers the appropriate price for people viewing on those other devices,” Morse says.

Meanwhile networks are increasingly bundling new media rights into their deals with MSOs and sports leagues. When TBS renewed its deal with Major League Baseball earlier this year, it included streaming rights to games.

source: medialifemagazine.com

Here’s a brand new edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! After chatting, we thought some folks were getting lost in the shuffle with the way we were sharing what we watched! So we’ve made a change! Each week we will feature one Viamedian and what they love on cable!

Bonnie Griffin
Columbus

We hope you enjoy the new format! With that said, here we go!

1.     What are your favorite shows on cable?

In fact, this Sunday afternoon, I’m really looking forward to watching Jack Frost on ABC Family as we put up our Christmas tree

2.     What makes them your favorites? 

My favs are romantic comedies like The Proposal on USA, action flicks on TNT or holiday classics on Lifetime.

3.     What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

MTV music videos

4.     What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

I can’t wait to watch ELF for the umpteenth time

5.     What channel could you not live without?

E!

6.     If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

I am a total movie watcher; whether I’m catching up on personal emails, doing a little online holiday shopping or prospecting for new clients.

7.   What show is your guilty pleasure?

Elf

Thank you, Bonnie! That’s it for this week’s edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

Missing March Madness?  That’s ok.  There is Mistletoe Madness to hold you over.  Go vote for the best TV Christmas episodes of all time.  Who am I rooting for?  The 3rd ranked The O.C. “The Best Christmukkah Ever” and the number 6 seeded Friends “The One with the Holiday Armadillo.”  I think both will advance out of their first round brackets, but when (or if) they come head to head in the second round I think my loyalty will lie with Friends.  “The One with the Holiday Armadillo” is a classic.  How can you not laugh?  Click the image below to go vote for your favorite episodes in the Mistletoe Madness.  And if you need a little reminder of how funny the Friends episode is, watch the clip below.  Happy Holidays!  May the best show win.

Friends: Holiday Armadillo (Hanukkah Highlights)

Speaking strongly to its core — sometimes eccentric — viewers, the Golf Channel has started up a new brand campaign with the theme: “We Know We’re Different.”

The 82-million-subscriber network, now under the wing of NBCUniversal, has begun running a brand campaign with a number of different commercial executions, where golfers “talk” to their balls and are revealed in somewhat eccentric garb.

With a solid rock guitar riff as a backdrop, one commercial has golfers talking to their balls in flight: “C’mon ball,” “Sit,” “Get up, get up!” and “Catch the green!” The message — superimposed in big, bold letters on the screen: “If you will talk… it will listen.” This ended with overall brand campaign tagline: “We Know We’re Different.”

Another network spot talks about fashion, showing golf commentators and golfers with bow-ties, funky hats, wild pants with a rainbow of colors. The voiceover: “We know clothes don’t make the man. But they do make the golfer.”

Still another network promo talks about efforts and preparation with visuals of the professionals and others duffers: “You don’t win on Sunday… without showing up Thursday. Perhaps earlier.”

West Coast entertainment creative agency Troika came up with the campaign for the Golf Channel. Troika Creative Director Whit Friese said: “We wanted to link their personality, their passion for the game, with the same enthusiasm shared by the core golf fan.”

Five promo spots will air throughout the network’s fall and winter programming. There will be a print execution as well. Troika will also provide print and graphics for Golf Channel.

With it being the beginning of December and the holiday season, of course cable is full of good holiday programming this week.  From classics like Disney’s A Christmas Carol on ABC Family on Thursday at 8 PM, to the premiere of Hallmark’s Help for the Holidays on Sunday at 8 PM, there is plenty of programming to help fill your holiday spirit, but there is also a lot of new episodes of great shows and some great sports programming worth watching.  On Tuesday catch college basketball’s Jimmy V Classic on ESPN at 7 PM as Georgetown takes on Texas live from New York.  That same night make sure you don’t miss the season finale of FX’s highly-rated Sons of Anarchy at 10 PM. On Friday tune into Spike to watch the live special presentation of the 10th anniversary Video Game Awards hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, and Saturday watch the live 2012 Heisman Trophy Presentation on ESPN at 8 PM.  There is more sports, specials, holiday events, and great programming coming on this week, so keep reading below to see what is worth watching.

Source: Showseeker, 2012

TBS was basic cable’s #1 entertainment network in primetime with key adult demos for the month of November. Meanwhile, Adult Swim took the November honors as basic cable’s #1 network in total day among adults 18-24, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49, as well as among young male demos. And Cartoon Network finished the month as the #1 television network in early prime (7-9 p.m.) with boys 2-11, 6-11 and 9-14. Cartoon Network also ranked #1 for total day among boys 6-11 and 9-14.

TBS

TBS scored as basic cable’s #1 entertainment network in primetime delivery of key adult demos in November, with top rankings among adults 18-34 (488,000) and adults 18-49 (959,000). TBS also took the top spot among entertainment networks in primetime delivery of adults 18-49 (932,000) for the final week of November.

The Big Bang Theory on TBS continues to chalk up strong deliveries as the show ranked as basic cable’s #1 sitcom for the month with total viewers, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49.

TBS’s CONAN garnered solid growth in November, outperforming the same month last year by +11% among total viewers and beating its October 2012 deliveries by +7% among total viewers and +4% with adults 18-49. For the month, the show has averaged 943,000 viewers; 296,000 adults 18-34; and 608,000 adults 18-49, according to the most recent Live + Same Day/Live + 7 blended data.

Adult Swim

For the month of November 2012, Adult Swim ranked as basic cable’s #1 network for Total Day Delivery of young adults 18-34, 18-24 & 18-49, as well as men 18-34 & 18-24 (#2 among men 18-49 behind ESPN). The late-night network also ranked #4 in Prime Time (Broadcast definition) delivery of adults 18-34 among basic cable networks. Compared to November 2011, Prime delivery was up with adults 18-24/18-49 and men 18-24, ranging between 1% and 9%.

Adult Swim’s original series Robot Chicken (Sunday, 12 a.m.) ranked #1 in its time period with men 18-24, with its premieres increasing delivery by double-digits – ranging between 12% and 39% – among adults & men 18-34/18-49 vs. the same time period year ago.

The Saturday (10:30 p.m.) and Sunday (9 p.m.) premieres of The Cleveland Show increased delivery by double-digits across all key adult demos vs. year ago, ranging between 11% and 21%.

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network concluded November 2012 ranking as the #1 television network for Early Prime (7-9 p.m.) delivery of boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14. The network also ranked #1 for Total Day delivery of boys 6-11 & 9-14, increasing average kids 6-11 delivery by 1% and kids 9-14 delivery by 4% vs. November 2011. Additionally, all November kids delivery averages in Early Prime and Total Day grew significantly compared to October, ranging between 5% and 23%.

The #1 TV destination for boys on Monday night throughout November, Cartoon Network’s original animated series Adventure Time (7:30 p.m.) and Regular Show (8 p.m.) both ranked #1 in their time periods among all boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14, earning delivery growth across all kids and boy demos, ranging between 5% and 50%. Annoying Orange (8:30 p.m.) also ranked #1 in its time period among boys 6-11 & 9-14.

Wednesday night’s ratings juggernaut Ninjago (7:30 p.m.) ranked #1 in its time period among kids 6-11 and all boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14, posting double-digit delivery gains across the board – average kids 2-11 delivery grew by 34%, kids 6-11 by 38%, kids 9-14 by 13%, boys 2-11 by 46%, boys 6-11 by 52% and boys 9-14 by 17%. The series’ season finale on Wednesday, Nov. 21, scored as the #1 TELECAST OF THE MONTH among boys 6-11 and 9-14, scoring double-digit delivery gains ranging between 31% and 69%.

Wednesday night’s Dragons: Riders of Berk (8 p.m.) also ranked as the #1 program on Wednesdays across November among boys 9-14, and claimed #1 in its time period among all boys.

Saturday morning’s action-adventure animated line-up (7-11 a.m.) featured Ben 10: Omniverse (9 a.m.), which ranked #1 in its time period across November among boys 9-14, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (9:30 am.), which posted double-digit delivery gains across all kids and boys vs. last year’s time period, ranging between 28% and 65%.

truTV

truTV continues to drop its primetime median age, with the network’s November 2012 figure – 40 – a year younger than November 2011. Furthermore, truTV’s median age for November is significantly younger than such competitors as History (53), A&E (46), Discovery (45) and TLC (45).

Leading the truTV pack for November is Hardcore Pawn (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.) with 2.7 million viewers, 1.3 million adults 18-49 and 717,000 men 18-49. The show ranks as cable’s #1 non-fiction program in its time period with total viewers, as well as adults and men 18-49. It also ranks among the Top 5 programs in its timeslot with adults and men 18-34.

South Beach Tow (Wednesdays 9 and 9:30 p.m.) brought in 1.6 million viewers in November, including 826,000 adults 18-49 and 450,000 men 18-49. The show ranks among ad-supported cable’s Top 5 programs in the timeslot with adults 18-34 and 18-49, as well as men 18-49. The show has also delivered double-digit growth with key demos for its timeslot.

Operation Repo (Wednesdays 9:30 and 10 p.m.) averaged 1.4 million viewers in November, with 702,000 adults 18-49 and 380,000 men 18-49. The show grew its time period compared to last year, while also dropping its median age to 40.

truTV’s newest series, Killer Karaoke, premiered Friday night with 1.2 million viewers and truTV’s lowest median age (34) of the year for a new series launch. The hilarious new competition series outdelivered truTV’s November primetime averages by double digits with total viewers and key adult and male demos.

TNT

Through its first seven game telecasts, the NBA on TNT is averaging a 1.8 U.S. household rating and more than 2.6 million total viewers. Compared to the network’s NBA regular season games last season, that’s an increase of +6% in household rating (vs. 1.7) and a +4% increase among total viewers (vs. 2.5 million).

TNT’s telecast featuring the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. ET averaged a 1.1 U.S. household rating and 1,783,000 total viewers. The game, which was rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy, delivered a 6.1 metered market rating in New York, making it the top-rated sports program of the day in the market.

NBA TV

Through 15 live game telecasts NBA TV is averaging 358,000 total viewers, up 75% compared to the same period in 2010-11 (14 telecasts). NBA TV has recorded three of its top five most-viewed regular-season telecasts of all time this season. NBA TV’s NBA Fan Night presented by Sprint telecast featuring the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Nov. 20, averaged 661,000 total viewers to become the network’s fourth most-viewed regular-season telecast ever. NBA TV’s first three NBA Fan Night presented by Sprint telecasts this season are up 27% among total viewers compared season-to-date with the 2010-11 regular season.

Peter Rabbit hops on to the TV screen with the premiere of Nickelodeon’s brand-new primetime holiday special, “Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale,” Friday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT). Told with humor and heart, the special is a fresh re-imagining of the classic Beatrix Potter children’s books, which have sold over 250 million copies worldwide and been translated into 35 languages. Peter Rabbit is produced in conjunction with Silvergate Media and animated by Brown Bag Films.

“Nickelodeon is thrilled to bring this beloved book series to life on TV so kids can experience Peter Rabbit in a whole new way this holiday,” said Teri Weiss, EVP, Production and Development, Nickelodeon Preschool. “We have captured the spirit of the Peter Rabbit stories, while modernizing for today’s preschoolers through high-stakes adventures, comedic characters and vibrant CG-animation.”

In “Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale,” Peter Rabbit and his friend Benjamin Bunny take over for Mr. Bouncer when he gets sick and can’t make the important holiday supply delivery. They brave a blizzard and a sneaky fox, Mr. Tod, in order to deliver important gifts and supplies to the residents of the Lake District. Along the way, Peter and Benjamin meet a new friend, Lily Bobtail. Inspired by Beatrix Potter, Lily is strong, smart, independent, curious, a nature-lover and artist who is just as willful and playful as her male counterparts.

Set in Potter’s treasured Lake District, Peter lives in a world where behind every rock there is a surprise to discover and where dangers (be it a sly fox or bad-tempered badger) lurk around every corner. Peter Rabbit features educational goals that encourage preschoolers to learn problem-solving and interpersonal skills, self-efficacy, resilience, positive re-framing and fostering an interest in and respect for nature.

Nickelodeon’s award-winning website, www.nickjr.com, currently offers parents and preschoolers a sneak peek of the holiday special plus Peter Rabbit coloring pages, stickers and mazes. On Monday, Dec. 3, nickjr.com will launch “Presents from Peter,” where users will be able to go online every day to unlock a new special gift from Peter Rabbit such as holiday ornaments, holiday cards, activity packs and more.

About Silvergate Media

Silvergate Media is a privately-held creative company, formed in October 2011 through the purchase of the rights to two preschool properties: Peter Rabbit and The Octonauts. Upon formation, Silvergate immediately resumed production of the Peter Rabbit animated series and greenlit Season 2 and Season 3 of The Octonauts. Silvergate Media exploits its properties across a range of formats, from new television productions to toys, apparel and licensed merchandise.

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films(R) is an award-winning animation studio, producing high quality animation for the international market. Established in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films remains a creative-led company. Their numerous awards include Oscar nominations for Give Up Yer Aul Sins (2002) and Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (2010), and Bafta and Emmy nominations for The Octonauts (2012). Employing more than 120 full time staff in their Dublin-based headquarters, with a second office in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.

Recent productions include Chorion’s Olivia for Nickelodeon US, Enid Blyton’s Noddy in Toyland for Chorion/FIVE UK, The Octonauts for Silvergate Media/BBC and Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins, which is currently the No. 1 rating preschool cable show in America. Current productions include Henry Hugglemonster for Disney Junior, Peter Rabbit for Silvergate Media/Nickelodeon/CBeebies, and second seasons of The Octonauts and Doc McStuffins.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

Mike Rowe is out of a job.

Discovery Channel has canceled the Rowe-hosted docuseries Dirty Jobs after eight seasons, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The unscripted entry, which featured its charismatic host exploring hazardous, disgusting and obscure jobs, was produced by Pilgrim Films & Television’s Craig Piligian and wrapped its run in September.

The franchise was a core piece of Discovery’s unscripted fare exploring unique workplaces that eventually led to series including Gold Rush and Deadliest Catch that have helped define the network.

A recent episode of the Tuesday at 9 p.m. hour delivered 1.6 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among the key adults 18-49 demographic.

“Over the years it’s been my pleasure to assure anxious fans that Dirty Jobs is coming back for another season. And indeed, we always have. Alas, this year, I’m afraid I cannot dispel the rumors,” Rowe wrote in a blog for the Huffington Post. A few weeks ago, I was officially informed that Dirty Jobs had entered into a new phase. One I like to call, ‘permanent hiatus.’ Or in the more popular industry vernacular, canceled.”

“Dirty Jobs is a very personal show, and it’s difficult for me to imagine a future that does not involve exploding toilets, venomous snakes, misadventures in animal husbandry, and feces from every species. Nevertheless, the future is here, and while it does not appear to contain any more Dirty Jobs, it will almost certainly include another Thanksgiving. So in the spirit of the holiday, I’d like to thank those people most responsible for reinvigorating my erstwhile career, and launching the most honest show in the history of reality TV,” he wrote, thanking Discovery, producers including Piligian, the crew, fans and those who participated.

Discovery and Pilgrim declined comment on Dirty Jobs.

For its part, Discovery has a large roster of unscripted fare that includes Curiosity and Mythbusters, among others.

Source: THR, 11/21/2012

Here’s a brand new edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! After chatting, we thought some folks were getting lost in the shuffle with the way we were sharing what we watched! So we’ve made a change! Each week we will feature one Viamedian and what they love on cable!

 
Melissa Carey
Multi media Specialist
Temecula, CA

We hope you enjoy the new format! With that said, here we go!

1.     What are your favorite shows on cable?

Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story & Football

2.     What makes them your favorites? 

Edgy, well written, & keeps my ADD personality interested

3.     Which character do you like and/ or can relate to?

Donald Draper from Mad Men

4.     Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

The Shield

5.     What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

Football

6.     What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

Ferris Buellers Day Off, Forrest Gump, Goodfellas

7.     What channel could you not live without?

FX, ESPN

8.     If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

Magic Mike-24/7

9.     What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

Mad Men

10.   What show is your guilty pleasure?

Paranormal Witness

11.   Favorite TV Moment?

Anytime the SD Chargers win. Which is rare lately =(

Thank you, Melissa! That’s it for this week’s edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

In 2012 (January 2013) ESPN televises all of the top BCS bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar Bowls, one of which will be the National Championship game). Going forward next season, these four bowl games will be a part of the new 4-team playoff system.

ESPN reports http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8099187/ncaa-presidents-approve-four-team-college-football-playoff-beginning-2014 playoff will run through 2025.

The number 4 ranked team will play the number 1 ranked team as one of the BCS bowls, and the number 2 team will play the number 3 team in another. The winners will face off in the National Championship game.

From the Huffington Post, “The winners of the semis will advance to the championship on the first Monday in January, 2014 that is six or more days after the last semifinal. The first “Championship Monday,” as it was called in the BCS release, is set for Jan. 12, 2015. The site of the title game will move around the way the Super Bowl does, with cities bidding for the right to host.”

So basically now instead of those ranked #3 and lower in the BCS standings complaining, we will only have to listen to those ranked #5 and lower complain. The good news is however … MORE GREAT TV!

MTV announced that dozens of stars, artists and organizations have joined in the effort to #restoretheshore and help rebuild Seaside Heights, New Jersey – the heart of the Jersey Shore, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Generations have grown up enjoying the iconic Seaside boardwalk, but with the city condemned and many local businesses and homes ruined, Seaside needs urgent help to get back on its feet. Thankfully, some of entertainment’s biggest stars are answering the call to action and will be part of MTV’s “Restore the Shore,” a one-hour fundraising special to air live at 11pm ET (tape-delayed PT) on MTV, MTV.com, MTV mobile and MTV radio on Thursday, November 15th.

From 4 pm until midnight (ET) on Thursday, the cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” – as well as stars from other top MTV shows including “Awkward,” “Teen Wolf,” “Teen Mom,” “The Challenge,” and “The Real World” – will be live in MTV’s Times Square studio, calling donors to thank them for giving. Unlike a conventional telethon where viewers call in and hope to speak with a celebrity, MTV’s “Restore the Shore” will feature stars personally calling individuals who donate via Indiegogo at RestoretheShore.MTV.com or make a $10 donation by texting SHORE to 85944. All funds raised will go to Architecture for Humanity, an internationally recognized non-profit that led rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. They are now setting out to help rebuild the famed boardwalk, local businesses and homes in Seaside Heights ravaged by the storm.

“Restore the Shore” will feature live performances from Gym Class Heroes (with special guest Oh Land) performing the comeback anthem “The Fighter,” as well as “American Idol” Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips performing his stirring hit “Home.”

Stars contributing messages of support who will be featured on-air include One Direction, Alicia Keys, Mac Miller, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Pharrell, P!nk, Demi Lovato, Kim Kardashian, Ne-Yo, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars, No Doubt, fun., Carly Rae Jepsen, Swizz Beats, the Jonas Brothers, Ludacris, All Time Low, Sean Kingston, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Carson Daly of “The Voice,” Ashley Greene, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2,” Jay Leno, the cast of “The View,” Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Wendy Williams and many more.

Everyone who donates $25 or more will receive an exclusive MTV “Restore the Shore” song bundle, which includes 30 songs from the past six seasons of “Jersey Shore.” Online crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.com has created a special campaign donation page (RestoretheShore.Indiegogo.com) for MTV’s “Restore the Shore,” and in conjunction with PayPal.com, will be waiving 100% of the fees on all donations. The MTV Shop, as well as select Modell’s locations in NY, NJ, PA, DE and modells.com, will be selling the official MTV “Restore the Shore” t-shirt for $20, with all net proceeds going to Architecture for Humanity’s Seaside rebuilding fund. In addition, Viacom will donate $100,000 to Architecture for Humanity in support of the “Restore the Shore” fund, as part of its $1 million Viacommunity pledge to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

“We’re very proud to be partnering with the cast of ‘Jersey Shore’, 495 Productions, Architecture for Humanity, some of the biggest names in entertainment and our audience to help rebuild Seaside Heights – a community that is dear to MTV and urgently needs assistance,” said Stephen Friedman, President, MTV.

For the fundraising and rebuilding effort, MTV is partnering with Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organization that provides design and construction services to communities in need. The organization has created a “Restore the Shore” fund to collect donations that will be principally directed toward the rebuilding of the Seaside Heights boardwalk – the commercial artery of the community – as well as supporting the rebuilding efforts of in-need businesses and residents in Seaside. Architecture for Humanity has been helping communities rebuild after natural disasters for more than a decade, including major efforts in Biloxi and New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010.

For a sneak peek of “Restore the Shore,” featuring Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s emotional reaction to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, click here. Embed code below:

“Restore the Shore” is Executive Produced by SallyAnn Salsano for 495 Productions – the production company behind “Jersey Shore” – along with Chris Linn, Jacquelyn French, Dave Sirulnick and Ryan Kroft for MTV. Janay Dutton and Jonathan Mussman are Executives in Charge for MTV.

MTV Radio will also broadcast “Restore the Shore” and is making it available free to the MTV Radio Network and over 1,500 radio stations nationwide.

QUOTE SHEET

“I’m really happy to be helping the victims of hurricane Sandy and be a part of rebuilding a place that is so close to my heart and a huge part of my life.” – Deena Cortese

“I will do anything I can for those on the East Coast who been affected by Hurricane Sandy. I am happy to be partnering with MTV, our 495 family, SallyAnn Salsano and the non-profit Architecture for Humanity to help rebuild Seaside, which is truly my second home.” -Pauly DelVecchio

“I’m really excited to be working with MTV to help ‘Restore the Shore,’ please donate and help us rebuild, I know we can come back stronger than ever. My heart continues to go out to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.” – Jenni “JWoww” Farley

“I can’t wait to help ‘Restore the Shore,’ it’s my second home. I want to help out as much as possible, to return the shore back to normal.” – Sammi Giancola

“My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. I have been on the ground volunteering and have seen the unbelievable amount of devastation brought on by the storm. I will do anything in my power to help rebuild my home of Staten Island as well as my second home in Seaside Heights.” – Vinny Guadagnino

“I’m looking forward to rebuilding Seaside Heights. The town has become such a big part of our lives, as well as the business owners and residents, and I can’t wait to ‘Restore the Shore!’” – Ronnie Ortiz-Magro

“I’m very excited to help ‘Restore the Shore’ with my roommates, because it’s our second home and where it all began. I will do anything in my power to continue to help.” – Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi

“My heart goes out to everyone in New Jersey and the families who have lost loved ones. It’s a terrible tragedy, but we’re strong and united people and we can rebuild and honor the ones we lost who will forever remain in our hearts.” -Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino

“Seaside and the Jersey shore have given us so much over the last six seasons. Now, it’s time for anyone who has ever enjoyed an episode of JERSEY SHORE to join the cast, MTV, and my team at 495 Productions as we ‘Restore the Shore’ through our work with the amazing people at Architecture for Humanity. We owe it to Seaside. They opened their town to the world. Now we are asking you to open your wallets for them. No amount is too small.” – SallyAnn Salsano

“Seaside Heights needs our support. Without the economic lifeline of the boardwalk, local families will be without work and forced to decide whether they should return. By building back better we can create a more resilient community for generations to come.” – Cameron Sinclair, Executive Director, Architecture for Humanity

###

About MTV:

MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV’s sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB) one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

About Architecture for Humanity:

Architecture for Humanity is a nonprofit design and construction services firm founded in New York in 1999. By tapping a network of thousands of building professionals willing to lend time and expertise to those critically in need, Architecture for Humanity has provided places to live, work, learn, heal and play to more than 2 million people in 46 countries. The organization has regional offices in 5 countries and local chapters in more than 60 cities around the world. Twitter: @archforhumanity Website: http://architectureforhumanity.org/

Source: MTV press release, 11/14/12

Disney Channel, the #1 cable channel in Total Viewers, Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens, will present its second annual Fa-la-la-lidays programming event beginning Friday, November 23 with new holiday themed-episodes premiering SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2. This year’s event is highlighted by the season four premiere of “Phineas and Ferb” guest starring NHL superstar Luc Robitaille and a special New Years Eve-themed episode of the animated hit series, plus a music-filled crossover episode of “Jessie” and “Austin & Ally,” featuring a duet by Jessie (Debby Ryan) and Austin (Ross Lynch), and a Santa-themed episode of the popular comedy “Good Luck Charlie” that includes a duet by Teddy (Bridgit Mendler) and Spencer (Shane Harper) and guest stars Shirley Jones. New holiday-themed episodes of “Dog With A Blog” and “Shake It Up,” featuring Zendaya performing a new holiday song, will also be presented along with festive movies including “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” and the Disney Channel premiere of “Secret of the Wings.”

Walt Disney Records’ Disney Channel Holiday Playlist, an album of holiday classics and original songs performed by stars from hit Disney Channel series and original movies, is now available wherever music is sold. Radio Disney will celebrate Fa-la-la-lidays with holiday-themed music featuring songs from Disney Channel Holiday Playlist beginning November 23 and Radio Disney stations in 31 markets will host events throughout November and December with holiday-themed interactive entertainment, music and prizes.

DisneyChannel.com will debut two new holiday games based on “Phineas and Ferb” and “Austin & Ally”/”Jessie” and a special holiday edition of the “Gravity Falls” fan-favorite “Mabel’s Sweater Creator,” plus a daily holiday “gift” including exclusive downloads and printable crafts. Full length holiday episodes of hit Disney Channel series will also be available.

Highlights from Disney Channel’s Fa-la-la-lidays (all times ET/PT) are:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2

7:30 p.m. – “Good Luck Charlie”

“A Duncan Christmas” – Teddy takes Charlie to see Santa Claus at Super Adventure Land, but when Santa decides to take a break right when it’s Charlie’s turn, Teddy takes matters into her own hands. Meanwhile, Amy and Grandma Linda learn they are performing the same song at the family talent show. Shirley Jones reprises her role as Grandma Linda. Teddy and Spencer (played by actors and recording artists Bridgit Mendler and Shane Harper) perform the duet “My Song For You” in the episode.

8:00 p.m. – “Dog With A Blog”

“Bark! The Herald Angels Sing” – It’s the family’s first Christmas together and Avery is prepping Tyler, Chloe and Stan for what will likely be their worst Christmas gifts ever – from their new stepmother Ellen who gives terrible gifts. Meanwhile, Bennett and Ellen try to decide whose Christmas traditions to follow.

8:30 p.m. – “Shake It Up”

“Merry Merry It Up” – CeCe picks a fight with Jeremy, leading Georgia to break up with him. To fix the situation, Rocky takes a turn as the ghost of Christmas dance and escorts CeCe on a dream journey to the past, present and future. Zendaya performs the new song “Shake Santa Shake” in the episode.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7

8:00 p.m. – “Austin & Ally”/”Jessie”

“Austin & JESSIE & Ally All Star New Year” – Austin, Ally, Trish and Dez travel to Times Square where Austin is booked to perform on New Year’s Eve. When they can’t get through New York City’s crowded streets, Jessie comes up with a plan to get them to the stage and to ultimately have Austin record one of her songs. Three songs are performed in the hour-long episode: “Face to Face,” a duet by Austin (Ross Lynch) and Jessie (Debby Ryan), and “Christmas Soul” and “Can You Feel It” by Austin.

9:00 p.m. – “Phineas and Ferb”

“For Your Ice Only” – NHL superstar Luc Robitaille offers his assistance when Phineas and Ferb take an ice hockey game to the extreme. Then, in a special holiday episode, “Happy New Year!,” Phineas and Ferb plan their own New Year’s Eve ball drop, complete with a customized multi-dimensional ball, while Candace makes it her resolution to refrain from busting her brothers before the clock hits midnight.

(Source: NTI, U.S. ratings, most current, 2012 to date: 11/26/11-11/11/12).

Season one of TLC’s popular new series BREAKING AMISH (Sunday, 9/9/12-11/11-12) has become the network’s #1 freshman series ever with P2+ total viewers and among HH and W18-34 ratings and delivery. It was also the highest rated series among P/W25-54 and W18-49 since WHAT NOT TO WEAR in 2003, and the network’s number one series in 2012 to-date among HH, P2+, P/W 25-54/18-49/18-34 in ratings and delivery. Season one of BREAKING AMISH garnered a 2.5 HH rating and was viewed by an average of 3.2M P2+ viewers, and ranked #1 among all ad-supported cable in its Sunday time period in delivery among HH, P2+, P25-54, W18-49/18-34 and #2 among W25-54 and P18-49/18-34.

The season one finale of TLC’s BREAKING AMISH (Sunday, 11/11/12, 9pm ET/PT) and BREAKING AMISH: THE SHUNNING TRUTH – PART ONE (Sunday, 11/11/12, 10pm ET/PT), both out-delivered ABC’s Revenge and 666 Park among W18-34, and CBS’ The Good Wife among P/W 18-49/18-34.

The season one finale of BREAKING AMISH (Sunday, 11/11/12, 9pm ET/PT) garnered a 2.8 HH rating, a 3.2 W18-34 rating, a 2.9 W18-49 rating, a 2.8 W25-54 rating and was viewed by an average of 3.8M P2+ viewers.

BREAKING AMISH: THE SHUNNING TRUTH – PART ONE (Sunday, 11/11/12, 10pm ET/PT) garnered a 3.0 HH rating, a 3.4 W18-34 rating, and was viewed by an average of 3.9M P2+viewers. THE SHUNNING TRUTH -PART ONE posted the network’s highest HH, P2+, W25-54/18-49/18-34 and P18-34 ratings and delivery of 2012 to-date (12/26/11-11/11/12), and ranked #1 among all ad-supported cable in its Sunday 10-11pm time period among HH, P2+, P25-54 and W25-54/18-49/18-34 and #2 among P18-49/18-34.

Season one of BREAKING AMISH provided a never-before-seen look inside the lives of young men and women as they traded horse and buggy with taxi cabs and broke out from their respective Amish/Mennonite communities in their pursuit to chase big dreams in the Big Apple.

BREAKING AMISH: THE SHUNNING TRUTH – PART TWO airs this Sunday, November 18 at 10PM/ET.

Source: Nielsen. L+SD. Cov Rtg/(000s).

About TLC

TLC is a global brand that celebrates extraordinary people and relatable life moments through innovative nonfiction programming. A top 10 cable network in key female demos, TLC has built successful franchises around the Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress brands. In 2011, TLC had 28 series averaging 1.0 million P2+ viewers or more including Sister Wives, My Strange Addiction, Extreme Couponing, Toddlers & Tiaras, 19 Kids and Counting, What Not To Wear and Long Island Medium.

TLC is available in more than 99 million homes in the US and more than 227 million households in nearly 150 markets internationally. A destination online, TLC.com offers in-depth fan sites, exclusive video content, and original editorial covering style, home, food, and more. Fans can also interact with TLC via On Demand services, on mobile platforms, including an iPhone App, and through social media such as Facebook or @TLC on Twitter. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA,DISCB, DISCK), the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories.

Source: TLC press release, 11/13/2012

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is launching a new chapter in its two-year-old program, “Hoop Troop,” designed to entice kids to get into basketball. The new effort features five animated basketball-themed characters who will appear online starting on Monday and later at events and on TV. The characters called “The NBA Hoop Troop” are aimed at growing the game of basketball among boys and girls ages 6-12, per the association.

While the cartoon team debuts on the NBA/Cartoon Network joint venture site NBAHoopTroop.com, the five also appear in other digital elements as well as in print and television advertising campaigns throughout the season. The characters will also be at marquee NBA events, and will be promoted through a partnership with KidsHealth.org and Kids Foot Locker, the latter around the launch of a retail promotion in more than 200 stores throughout the season.

Developed by Artifact Design, Inc., the lineup comprises Ally Oop, a female character meant to embody motivation, healthy lifestyle and knowledge about the sport; Swish, who evinces athleticism and skills; Slam, a dunking specialist; Gym Bag, a practical joker who also has all the right gear; and Sneaker, a canine mascot character, whose name reflects his tendency to steal the other characters’ shoes.

Saskia Sarrosa, VP of multicultural and targeted marketing for the NBA, tells Marketing Daily that the organization has been targeting youth for several years, beginning with NBA Kids in 2000, but that interest and traffic hit the skids by 2009. “We decided at that time to do market research,” she says, adding that among the findings were that kids don’t like to be referred to as “kids” and that the association was missing the mark because it was a static program without much in the way of video and games.

To deal with the first program, the organization in 2010 engaged an agency to conduct more research and test brand names, per Sarrosa, who adds that the NBA also realized that getting fans early keeps them interested. “We have seen through research that when you engage 6- to 14-year-old kids, they are 2.5 times more likely to be lifelong fans.”

The result, in early 2011, was a joint venture with the Cartoon Network with youth-marketing agency The Geppetto Group. That initial “Hoop Troop” campaign, an extension of the NBA’s partnership with Turner Sports, introduced NBAHoopTroop.com, which has video, original programming, and kid-friendly versions of scores and standings. It also includes online interactive games, features, and a membership component. Sarrosa says the platform lifted fan base numbers 12% and viewer numbers 16% since launch. She says the new Hoop Troops characters give kids “another point of connection.”

The NBA will take the characters on the road: they will be at the 2013 All-Star game in Houston interacting with other mascots and at the organization’s raft of experiential programs via a partnership with Simon Malls (which has ten major malls in the U.S.), plus at the 2013 All-Star Jam Session and Sprint NBA Nation events, per Sarrosa. The latter visits major markets like New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

With Halloween over now the holidays can officially begin.  Yay!  Kick off the weekend with the Hallmark movie Moonlight and Mistletoe starring Candace Cameron at noon on Saturday, and then of course follow it up with some football with Illinois vs Ohio State on ESPN at 3:30PM.  Sunday stay in the holiday spirit by catching the premiere of the new Hallmark original movie Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade at 8PM.  Wednesday settle in with some more sports and cheer on the New Orleans Hornets as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 8PM on ESPN.  Then there is an all new season of Top Chef, Top Chef: Seattle, on Bravo at 10PM.  On Friday you must must must watch the reigning NCAA national champion Kentucky Wildcats as they play Maryland in the Barclays Center Classic on ESPN at 8:30PM.  The cats are not to be missed this season.  Of course if you don’t agree with my selections keep reading to find out more of what’s worth watching this week.  Happy viewing!

Follow my TV musings @alicialovestv

Source: Showseeker, 11/1/12

USA Network has announced the return dates for three dramas.

Suits will finish out the final half of season two on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. with the remaining six episodes. White Collar will kick off the final six episodes of season four on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 10 p.m. Necessary Roughness will premiere the final five episodes of its current sophomore run the next day on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m.

When Suits returns, Pearson Hardman faces new challenges as Jessica (Gina Torres) reclaims her top spot at the law firm. Mike (Patrick J. Adams) makes a rash decision with a girl from his past that puts his relationship with paralegeal Rachel (Meghan Markle) in jeopardy. Guest stars include Aarti Mann, Amanda Schull, Elisabeth Howser, Diane Neal and David Costabile.

White Collar kicks off with the aftermath that Sam (Treat Williams) is indeed Neal’s (Matt Bomer) biological father. Guest stars include Jackson Rathbone, Diahann Caroll and Hilarie Burton.

Necessary Roughness finds the football team facing their biggest challenge yet as ownership of the franchise is still to be determined. A secret surfaces with the potential to cause a scandal that could bring down the team’s entire season. Mark Cuban, Joe Theismann, Will Chase and Peter MacNicol are some of the guest stars appearing.

White Collar and Suits have already been renewed for new seasons.

Source: THR, 10/31/2012

Viewers looking for an update as Hurricane Sandy approached the U.S. East Coast made The Weather Channel the most-watched cable news channel on Sunday.

An average of more than 1.4 million people watched The Weather Channel at some point during the day, according to Nielsen data supplied by the network.

The Weather Channel beat rivals including Fox News Channel and CNN among viewers aged 25 to 54, the primary age group of interest to cable news advertisers. An average of 590,000 viewers in that age group tuned in from 3 a.m. Sunday to 3 a.m. Monday, its biggest audience for 2012, according to the Nielsen data.

“People had an immediate need for information about Sandy. We were just happy they came to us for it,” said David Kenny, chairman and CEO of The Weather Company, the channel’s parent company, in an interview on Monday.

The 25-to-54 viewership more than doubled ratings for News Corp’s Fox News Channel, which had 255,000 viewers during the same period, according to Nielsen data supplied by The Weather Channel.

It also far outpaced other news networks that were providing extensive coverage of the storm. A combined 478,000 viewers age 25 to 54 watched CNN, MSNBC and Headline News Network, the channel said.

MSNBC said it had 170,000 viewers age 25 to 54 for a slightly different time period, 6 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday. During the same time, Fox had 1.3 million viewers, according to data provided by MSNBC. The Weather Channel said its viewership reached 1.6 million during that period.

A CNN representative could not immediately be reached. A Fox News spokeswoman had no comment.

Digital coverage of the storm also attracted a large audience. The Weather Channel website weather.com had a record 300 million page views on Monday, it said.

The Weather Channel Cos is owned by a consortium of Comcast Corp’s NBC Universal and the private equity firms Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group.

Source: Reuters, 10/30/12

Besides popcorn balls and caramel apples, my favorite fall treats is anything pumpkin. That’s kind of a no brainer though in the fall, right?

I found this recipe from the Food Network show, Down Home With the Neelys and it looked amazing. I figured Chocolate + Pumpkin had to be delicious! Follow along here.

The cookies were very simple to make and were not too chocolatey or too sweet. They were the perfect compliment to the pumpkin filling. In my opinion there was not enough filling for each cookie, so next time I make it, I would probably double the filling recipe.

The recipe was very self explanatory and simple to make. I baked the cookies for exactly 8 minutes at 400 degrees and they were perfect. I actually only used 1 TBSP of dough and they made a good size cookie. That way, I ended up with 20 cookies (so I could share with coworkers) instead of just 12! Hopefully they appreciated!

The friendly family that has made ABC’s “Modern Family” so successful could soon fall prey to rampaging hordes of flesh-eating zombies.

The cost of ad packages for the third season of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” — a dark, violent series about survivors making their way against hordes of zombies in a surreal, post-apocalyptic tableau — hovered between $200,000 and $260,000 earlier in the year, according to two media buyers. And the network has been seeking as much as $375,000 for packages from so-called “scatter” advertisers who buy much closer to air time, according to an executive familiar with the tone of advertising negotiations surrounding the show.

Those figures suggest marketers value “The Walking Dead” almost as much as they do some of the most expensive programs on prime-time broadcast TV.

That’s partly because total audiences for first-run episodes of “Walking Dead” this season have come in between 9 million and 11 million people, reaching milestones normally reserved for the broadest of TV’s scripted fare — along the lines of “Modern Family,” which reached 12.2 million people last week, according to Nielsen, or Grey’s Anatomy, with around 9.7 million.

The reach of “The Walking Dead” this season among viewers from 18 to 49 and men from 18 to 34, moreover, is proving “really only second to football at this point,” said Brian Hughes, senior VP and audience analysis practice lead at Interpublic Group’s Magna Global.

Advertisers appear willing to pay all but football-like prices for the program. At even $200,000, a package of ads around “The Walking Dead” is priced higher than a 30-second spot in such well-known boob-tube offerings as CBS’s “NCIS:LA,” ABC’s “Revenge” or Fox’s “Bones,” according to Advertising Age’s annual survey of prime-time ad costs. And a $375,000 price tag is more than most marketers pay for 30 seconds in any show on broadcast TV except NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” — which commands a whopping average of $545,142.

Desire for the zombie program would seem to turn TV convention on its head. Advertisers often swear they yearn for family-friendly programming that kids and parents can watch together — stuff like “American Idol” and “The Voice” — or high-quality fare that focuses on characters and dialogue, a la CBS’s “The Good Wife” or ABC’s “Nashville.” And yet, here they are paying top prices for scenes of undead zombies sinking their teeth into human muscle and sinew.

“I think the show crosses over to many audiences: sci-fi fans, horror-film and horror-thriller fans and fans of ‘out of the box’ dramas,” said Billie Gold, VP-director of buying and programming research at Dentsu’s Carat. “People have always loved scary movies.”

While that’s true, “The Walking Dead” uses its perch on basic cable to take things more than one step beyond the pale. Scenes of protagonists stabbing through zombie noggins with steel implements are not uncommon. Nor are visions of the zombies sinking their rotting teeth into fresh human tissue. In the show’s first season, some of the heroes snuck past a large group of zombie “walkers” by dressing themselves in undead entrails and blood, hoping to mask their “live” scent from the mindless predators around them.

That’s a pretty far cry from what you might see on “Parenthood.”

Or is it? One cultural critic suggested “Walking Dead” isn’t that different from the rest of the TV schedule. “Sure, it is a guilty pleasure to watch blood and shambling guts once in a while, but it is the interpersonal narratives of the show that give it its ratings,” said Brad Ricca, a fellow at Case Western Reserve University who teaches classes on popular culture and comic books. “Strip away the zombies, and it is the same drama of straining marriages, growing up, and family skirmishes. The only difference is every so often zombies show up and this ‘family’ shoots them with crossbows. ‘Modern Family’ is essentially the same thing: an extended family of misfits going through identifiable suburban crises.”

It’s hard to imagine Phil Dunphy running from a pack of zombies on the sidewalks of the suburban enclave he calls home (though one could envision son Luke Dunphy trying to kill them). But other TV networks appear mindful of the success of “Dead.” Indeed, the only new thing approaching the status of hit this TV season is NBC’s “Revolution,” a sci-fi serial centered on survivors in a world without electric power or modern conveniences. Advertisers are willing to pay an average of $97,133 for a 30-second ad on the program, which has reached an average of 5.9 million people between 18 and 49 in the season through Oct. 21, according to Nielsen.

There’s more such stuff out there. FX recently launched the second season of its “American Horror Story.” In 2013, NBC is set to unveil “Hannibal,” a drama based on the cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter character from the popular books by Thomas Harris.

These programs may tap into a feeling that many consumers have in these days of a torpid economy and rampant job loss. “Audiences seem to be biting into escapist dramas,” said Carat’s Ms. Gold. “Maybe it has something to do with overpowering bad things around you.”

Of course, these dramas may also overpower certain advertisers. According to one media-buying executive, conservative marketers — such as those who sell packaged goods and food — may not find “The Walking Dead” to be the most suitable home for their commercials. The drama appears to be getting much of its support from auto marketers, movie studios, video game makers, retailers and telecommunications advertisers — sponsors who find strong support from younger consumers and aren’t as concerned about the violence and gore that attracts them to the TV screen in the first place.

Source: Ad Age, 10/25/2012

Spike TV is raising the stakes in the endless quest to discover the truth about the legendary creature known as Bigfoot, the seemingly mythical being that roams forests of the world, avoiding mankind. The network is announcing a new one-hour reality show, “10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty,” featuring ambitious teams of explorers on a brazen exhibition to unearth real evidence of Bigfoot’s existence. The $10 million in cash, underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, would be the largest cash prize in television history.

“10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty” is produced by Charlie Corwin’s Original Media (“Swamp People,” “Ink Master”) with Corwin, Michael Riley and Emmy(R) Award-winner Jon Kroll (“The Amazing Race,” “Big Brother”) as Executive Producers. Spike TV has ordered 10 one-hour episodes.

The network has already begun casting contestants for “10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty,” which will feature scientists, zoologists, seasoned trackers, and actual Bigfoot hunters who all believe in the infamous creature’s existence. The teams will be faced with the daunting task of proving to a group of experts that Bigfoot, the hairy ape-like sasquatch, exists with the irrefutable evidence. The winner will be the first team to secure proof – and win the unprecedented $10 million bounty.

Each episode will follow the different teams as they ply their extensive research and presumed knowledge of the legendary creature, often battling nature’s inhospitable conditions.

The series will be shot in various locations throughout the country.

Sharon Levy is Spike TV’s Executive Vice President, Original Series, Tim Duffy is Senior Vice President of Original Series for Spike TV, and Chris Rantamaki and Justin Lacob serve as the network’s Executives in Charge of Production.

Show updates will become available at bigfoot.spike.com.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com.

Here’s a brand new edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! After chatting, we thought some folks were getting lost in the shuffle with the way we were sharing what we watched! So we’ve made a change! Each week we will feature one Viamedian and what they love on cable!

We hope you enjoy the new format! With that said, here we go!

Larry Bell

What are your favorite shows on cable?

 FaceOff (SyFy), My Strange Addiction (TLC), Frozen Planet (DISC), Conan (TBS), Pawn Stars (HIST)

What makes them your favorites? 

FaceOff – Would love to learn how to do that – would be a fun career in Hollywood.

My strange Addiction – Those people are crazy!   Frozen Planet – Big Nature/Animal buff   Conan  - Big fan, with DVR, don’t miss an episode   Pawn Stars – interested in antiques and collectibles.

Which character do you like and/ or can relate to?

Most of these don’t have regular characters. However, how can you not enjoy Chumlee from Pawn Stars

Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

Reruns – Friends, Big Bang Theory.      Bring back – Not sure if it stopped, just haven’t heard of it for awhile – All American HandyMan (HGTV)… love Carpentry and other handyman functions.   And Friday Night Lights (USA I think)

What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

NFL Redzone  (NFL)   - love to leave this on during Sundays and at least listen to all the scoring going on.

What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

Would have to be some comedy… Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Airplane, and Naked Gun would all do it.

What channel could you not live without?

Would have to be ESPN

If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

A mixture of sports, reality, game shows, and British comedy (Mr. Bean, Monty Python, Benny Hill, etc)

What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

Don’t get into “seasons” much, but was looking forward to the new FaceOff episodes

What show is your guilty pleasure?

One Born Every Minute (Lifetime) and Quints by Surprise (TLC) -  With 14 month old twins, we got into watching baby reality shows… can be quite therapeutic to watch others struggle with more multiples than you.

Favorite TV Moment?

Not much for “moments” – but I guess was great to see Conan back on TV when he arrived at TBS after his troubles with NBC

Thank you, Larry! That’s it for this week’s edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

As part of MTV’s “Power of 12″ election campaign, President Barack Obama will directly address the concerns of young voters in “ASK OBAMA LIVE: An MTV Interview with the President,” which will air live Friday, October 26 at 5:00 p.m. ET/ Tape Delayed PT across MTV’s screens including MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, and MTV Jams, and on MTV.com and MTV’s mobile platform. The half-hour special will feature MTV News Correspondents Sway Calloway, who will sit down with the President in the White House, and Andrew Jenks, who will be on-the-ground at a college campus in Washington D.C. with a group of young voters. MTV.com will also host a live-stream discussion with Andrew Jenks before and after the special.

Beginning today, the MTV audience can submit questions for the President on MTV’s Facebook page. Forty-five million 18-29 year olds are eligible to vote in this election, representing the largest potential voting bloc in the country. MTV’s “ASK OBAMA LIVE: an MTV Interview with the President” marks the first time in this campaign that either President Obama or Governor Romney have focused solely on young voter’s top concerns — including jobs, the cost of college, rising student loan debt, social issues like LGBTQ rights, and immigration, to name a few — on a nationally televised program. MTV has invited Governor Romney to participate in a live, 30 minute special as well, and hopes to also conduct a sit down interview with him in advance of Election Day.

Building on MTV’s nearly 20-year Emmy and Peabody Award-winning political legacy with “Choose or Lose,” MTV’s “Power of 12″ campaign is built specifically to reflect the Millennial generation and changes in the economic and political climate, and is designed to empower them to have a major impact on Election Day and beyond. A signature element of the campaign is “Fantasy Election ’12,” which gives young people a new way to hold candidates accountable and rewards them for getting involved in the 2012 elections. Similar to Fantasy Football, “Fantasy Election ’12″ enables users to draft a team of candidates pursuing the presidency or congress, earning and losing points based on how their players behave in the real world.

For information on MTV’s “Power of 12″ campaign please visit www.Powerof12.org or to follow MTV News’ political coverage, head to www.MTV.com/news. For more information on “Fantasy Election ’12″ or to start a league, head to FantasyElection.MTV.com.

About Sway Calloway:

Sway Calloway is pivotal member of the MTV News team and voice to the millennial generation. From giving Eminem and Notorious B.I.G. their very first radio airplay on his local show in the mid-’90s, to amassing an impressive list of exclusive interviews from the likes U2 front man Bono to Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Tom Cruise, Tyler Perry, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Kanye West, he has been a staple of the music-news arena for more than a decade and delivered some of television’s most ground breaking moments. Beyond music, Sway has been a key correspondent on a host of issues impacting young people from politics and young veteran’s issues, to hate-crimes, education and sexual health. He has reported from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and interviewed political leaders such as President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama, as well as Senator John McCain, Secretary of State and former Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Mike Huckabee and Governor Mitt Romney.

About Andrew Jenks:

Andrew Jenks is an award-winning filmmaker, creator of MTV’s critically-acclaimed series “World of Jenks” and a correspondent for MTV’s 2012 Election campaign, “Power of 12.” As the face of MTV’s “Power of 12″ campaign, Jenks is charged with informing, engaging and amplifying the voices of his generation throughout the 2012 election. In the reinvented second season of “World of Jenks,” Jenks will bring a new approach to his storytelling as he captures the unforgettable journeys of three young people and their unique experiences over the course of a year. His book ANDREW JENKS: MY ADVENTURES AS A YOUNG FILMMAKER comes out March 2013.

About MTV:

MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV’s sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

How will TV and video advertising be different in the future?  Dave Morgan, CEO and founder of Simulmedia, a TV ad targeting company, gave his forecast on the subject.

At a small industry event last week, I led a talk about the future of TV and video advertising in the U.S. over the next five to 10 years. Rather than just talking about emerging trends and leaving it there, I decided to offer up some specific predictions. As a startup guy, my job is to make bets and try to build businesses in advance of markets, or at least contemporaneously to their development. While it can be a bit perilous to go public with predictions, it can also be fun, so here are my “bets” on what the world of TV and video advertising will look in 2020:

1. Web-driven ubiquity. Television’s history has been defined by constrained distribution, but that’s about to change. Broadcast defined its development of sight, sound and motion programming and adverting delivered in virtually every home in America. Analog cable expanded the product in breadth and depth. Digital cable amplified that expansion. And, later this decade, TV will enter the fourth and most disruptive phase of its development, web-driven ubiquity, when TV video will be “technically” freed from its legacy TV-dominated distribution constraints. By 2020, I believe that all television will be ubiquitous, on-demand and intelligent.

2. 30-40% more video consumption. The explosion in video availability will drive even more consumption. As hard as it may be to believe, I expect total video consumption will grow 30-40% over the next seven to eight years. How is that possible when the average American already watches four and one-half hours a day? Today, most video is consumed in the home, with smaller amounts in the office or in restaurants or bars. In the future, with more screens in more places, even today’s time-constrained light TV viewers will be watching more.

3. TV device will still dominate viewing. Today, viewing on the TV represents 95-98% of all video consumption in the U.S. While it will lose some share to other devices, consumers’ preference for the best available screens mean that “lean-back,” TV-like devices will still capture the majority of viewing. My bet is 70%.

4. Multi-channel packages will still prevail. Contrary to the views of many, I don’t believe that most TV viewing in 2020 will go a la carte. No, I expect that 70% of viewing will still be tied to multi-channel subscription packages from operators and networks. Consumers have always favored “packaging” in their media and the owners of the programming have way too many long-term business interests in doing deals with distributors who will “un-bundle” their products. However, I expect extraordinary disruption in this segment of the market and believe that 50% of the “bundlers” will be new.

5. Ad dollars follow video viewing and screen impact. Sight, sound and motion will continue to be unparalleled in its ability to create customers or reinforce loyalty, and it will only get better with more ubiquity, more content and better technology. Video will continue to dominate ad and marketing expenditures and, as web-like ad technologies transform its targeting and yield management, growing its efficiency and the number of advertisers using video.

6. TV “dog” wags smaller devices “tail” in campaign bundles. Not only will TV not lose its ad dollars to the web and small devices, but most of the digital video ad spend will be bundled with campaigns anchored on TV and controlled by TV media owners. Only a modest minority will be sold and packaged for stand-alone delivery on mobile, tablet, PC or ambient devices, though out-of-home video might be an exception. Assuming that they learn how to leverage it’s digital capabilities, this will keep the TV media owners and media buyers in firm control of the digital video future.

7. Audience, not just content, becomes critical for advertising. Audience fragmentation, already a problem on TV today, becomes exponentially worse with the explosion of even more screens and more content. The ability to re-aggregate target audiences at scale becomes essential for all video media sellers and buyers. No longer is it just about putting ads in relevant content. It’s about finding, packaging and delivering the right target audiences across tens of thousands of networks and shows too. Surviving and thriving in ever-increasing audience fragmentation is probably the biggest challenge today’s media companies and marketers will have in finding success in 2020.

8. Audience data becomes indispensable. You can’t find, package and deliver target audiences without having the data to do it. By 2020, 90+% of all video ad campaigns will be “data-denominated” — packaged, sold, bought, optimized, measured or evaluated on granular data beyond impression, rating, GRP and demographic metrics. Media owners that underpin their content offerings with robust audience data capabilities will prosper. The same for marketers and their media agencies. Those who don’t won’t.

9. Exacting measurement and attribution reign. All video media and advertising will be measured and evaluated at the census level with attribution and return on investment analysis that far surpasses what we have today. Media that doesn’t deliver great results at the right price will go away. The same for agencies, marketers and people not comfortable operating in that kind of environment.

10. Foresight trumps insight. With wide availability of census-level behavioral data and massive, predictive computing power, data leverage moves from insight to foresight and the power and margins in media will go to those companies who predict, create and exploit consumers’ future behaviors. Companies and people not comfortable predicting the future and making successful bets on it won’t last long.

These are my bets for the video ecosystem in 2020. Will they all come true? I don’t know. However, they are the bets I made in launching Simulmedia, so at least my money is where my mouth is. What do you think 2020 will look like?

Source: Ad Age, 10/23/2012

Randy keeps Stan from trick or treating on an all-new episode of South Park titled “A Nightmare on Facetime,” premiering Wednesday, October 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

The boys are all ready to dress up as their favorite foursome, the Avengers, for Halloween. After months of planning their costumes, at the last minute Randy tells Stan he can’t go trick or treating with his friends. Instead, Stan has to pitch in and help his father with a new business venture.

Source: TV by the Numbers, 10/22/12

The new FX miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum got off to an insane start as its premiere telecast (10/17/12, 10-11:05 PM) was the #2 two-ranked primetime program on television Wednesday in Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Men 18-34 behind ABC’s Modern Family, and it was TV’s #1-ranked program in the 10 PM time-period in those demos. In addition, it ranked as cable’s top program on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49.

For the night, Chapter 1 of American Horror Story: Asylum, “Welcome to Briarcliff,” drew a combined multi-telecast audience of 5.79 million Total Viewers, 4.17 million Adults 18-49 and 2.7 million Adults 18-34 (premiere at 10, and encore telecasts at 11:05 PM and 1 AM). Those totals marked respective gains of +15%, +29% and +50% over the multi telecast audience for the 2011 premiere of its predecessor American Horror Story (10/5/11).

“We congratulate Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto and Tim Minear, the producers, writers, crew, and especially our award-winning cast,” said FX Networks President and General Manager John Landgraf. “Ryan’s decision to make this show a new miniseries every year was a stroke of genius and the audience totally embraced the concept. For FX to have Sons Of Anarchy and American Horror Story: Asylum on back-to-back nights as two of TV’s top-rated shows is a wonderful achievement and a true credit to our showrunners.”

On a first-run basis, AHS: Asylum posted 2.78 million Adults 18-49 (2.20 rating), 1.78 million Adults 18-34 (2.63 rating), 1.62 million Women 18-49 (2.54 rating), 1.01 million Women 18-34 (2.97), 771,000 Men 18-34 (2.28 rating) and 3.85 million Total Viewers. The debut of American Horror Story: Asylum outpaced any single telecast of American Horror Story (10/5/11), and topped that miniseries’ debut with increases of +37% in Adults 18-49; +50% in Adults 18-34; +49% in Women 18-49; +54% in Women 18-34; +44% in Men 18-34, and +21% in Total Viewers.

American Horror Story: Asylum was the #1 program last night at 10 PM in Adults 18-34 by a landslide, beating Nashville (ABC) by +56% (1.78 million vs. 1.14 million); CSI (CBS) by +111% (1.78 million vs. 844,000); and Chicago Fire (NBC) by +133% (1.78 million vs. 763,000). It also was the runaway #1 program at 10 PM vs. broadcast in delivery of Women 18-34 outpacing ABC, CBS and NBC in that demo by +26%, +106%, and +112% respectively.

It ranked as television’s #2 program Wednesday at 10 PM in delivery of Adults 18-49 on Wednesday at 10 PM behind CSI (2.35 rating), and ahead of Nashville (ABC) by +8%, and Chicago Fire (NBC) by +45%.

FX’s lead-in movie to American Horror Story: Asylum, the broadcast premiere of Twilight: New Moon, turned in an outstanding performance, delivering 1.55 million Adults 18-49.

American Horror Story: Asylum also was a huge topic on social media last night according to Bluefin Labs Social Media (see Social Television chart below). According to Bluefin’s measurement of comments about primetime TV programs on Wednesday, AHS: Asylum dominated cable and was #2 in all of television for the night with almost half a million Total Comments. It was by far the #1 telecast in cable for the night and was the #1 scripted program in all of television. Its delivery of comments was 14x the amount delivered by last year’s American Horror Story premiere (437k vs. 31k).

Set in 1964, American Horror Story: Asylum takes us into a Church-run haven for the criminally insane, ruled with an iron fist by Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), a nun with a troubled past. Inside this locked down facility, danger lurks around every corner. From Nazis and serial killers, to mutants and aliens, no one is safe inside these walls. Starring Jessica Lange as “Sister Jude,” Sarah Paulson as “Lana Winters,” James Cromwell as “Dr. Arthur Arden,” Evan Peters as “Kit Walker,” Lily Rabe as “Sister Mary Eunice,” Lizzie Brocheré as “Grace,” Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Thredson,” and Joseph Fiennes as “Monsignor Timothy Howard.” Guest stars for the miniseries will include Frances Conroy, Chloë Sevigny, Adam Levine, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Mark Consuelos, and Ian McShane. American Horror Story: Asylum is produced by 20^th Century Fox Television.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons Of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

Source:  TV by the Numbers, 10/18/2012

It is getting close to Halloween, which means cable is filled with great Halloween-esque movies.  My favorite Halloween movies comes on ABC Family on Saturday at 11:30AM.  Teen Witch.  What a great 80′s movie.  Then Saturday night catch SEC college football action as Alabama takes on Tennessee on ESPN at 7PM.  The hit series The Walking Dead is back on AMC on Sunday at 9PM.  Cable is also full of great sporting events.  Monday Night Football on ESPN at 8:30PM showcases the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears from Soldier Field.  Wednesday you can’t miss the behind the scenes series All-Access Kentucky as ESPN takes a look at the greatest college basketball program in history – the iconic Kentucky Wildcats, at 7PM.  NBA preseason play kicks off on TNT on Thursday night at 10PM with the LA Clippers vs the Denver Nuggets.  There is a ton of other great movies, shows, and sports programming coming on this week, so keep reading to find out what’s worth watching this week.

Source: Showseeker

Here’s a brand new edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! After chatting, we thought some folks were getting lost in the shuffle with the way we were sharing what we watched! So we’ve made a change! Each week we will feature one Viamedian and what they love on cable!

We hope you enjoy the new format! With that said, here we go!

Deb Hattaway

What are your favorite shows on cable?

Property Brothers/HGTV…Pretty Brothers!; Catching up on the Mentalist/TNT…ones I’ve missed; and Tanked/APL…just love what they do

What makes them your favorites? 

Property Brothers…amazed at what they can do
The Mentalist…want be be ready for new season
Tanked…my husband and I love aquarians…and they’re CRAZY

Which character do you like and/ or can relate to?

Property Brothers…love the twins
The Mentalist…I really get into mysteries…and want to figure them out
Tanked…like to make ‘notes’…on places to visit when I’m in the area to see.

Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

Rizzoli & Isles/TNT…love them. The Closer…bring it back…not sure about Major Crimes

What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

Any HGTV and FOOD Network

What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

Pretty Woman!

What channel could you not live without?

HGTV

If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

Combo of HGTV and FOOD

What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

Rizzoli & Isles

What show is your guilty pleasure?

Supernatural…

Favorite TV Moment?

Last episodes of Mash…

Thank you, Deb! That’s it for this week’s edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

Lifetime today unveiled It’s a Wonderful Lifetime, its major star-studded holiday movie slate featuring the world premieres of ten Lifetime Original Movies featuring such beloved stars as David Hasselhoff, Mira Sorvino, Haylie Duff, Ralph Macchio, Lea Thompson, Marilu Henner, Harry Hamlin and numerous others, including Shelley Long and George Wendt reuniting together for the first time since Cheers.

The largest holiday stunt in the network’s history, It’s a Wonderful Lifetime will run from early November through December, during which Lifetime will telecast more than 50 holiday-themed films that capture everything about the holiday spirit. Set to kick off It’s a Wonderful Lifetime on Saturday, November 10, at 8:00pm ET/PT is the Lifetime Original Movie The Christmas Consultant, starring David Hasselhoff as a sought after consultant hired by a workaholic mother played by Caroline Rhea to get her and her family through the holidays. What she doesn’t bargain for are his taking over her role as head of the household and when Christmas and family collide, she realizes hiring him was the best decision she has ever made.

The remaining nine Lifetime Original Movies making their world premieres during It’s a Wonderful Lifetime are:

· All About Christmas Eve — starring Haylie Duff as Eve Wright, an over-extended New York City party planner who has to decide whether to jeopardize her career and go off on a romantic Christmas vacation or risk ending the relationship when a top client insists on throwing a huge Christmas Eve party 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. Cameo appearances by American Idol finalists and real-life couple Ace Young and Diana DiGarmo.

· Finding Mrs. Claus — When Mrs. Claus (Mira Sorvino) feels neglected by her less than attentive husband (Will Sasso), she goes to Las Vegas to help a little girl with her Christmas wish. But when Santa finds out and follows her to Sin City to make amends, he puts Christmas at risk when things don’t go quite as he planned.

· Holiday High School Reunion – Rachel Boston, Marilu Henner and Harry Hamlin star. Georgia (Boston), returns home during Christmas just in time for her high school reunion, where she hopes to reunite with “the one that got away.” In a series of hilarious flashbacks, we’ll see her high school experience play out as Georgia discovers that maybe the one who got away was instead the one who was there all along.

· Holiday Spin – In this heartwarming movie, Ralph Macchio stars as a former dance champion sidelined years ago by an injury. When his estranged son comes to live with him, he enlists his help in preparing for the Holiday Spin, a ballroom dance contest which takes place every Christmas Eve. Through teamwork, love and holiday cheer — and some pretty fancy dance moves by both father and son — they do what it takes to win the grand prize.

· Holly’s Holiday — Claire Coffee stars as advertising executive Holly, who can’t quite imagine why she is so drawn to the handsome mannequin in the perfect holiday window display she passes every morning. When she is knocked unconscious by a falling icicle, her once fake window man becomes the man of her dreams, but she soon discovers that though his looks are perfect, his personality is still, well, plastic.

· Love at the Christmas Table — Danica McKellar, Lea Thompson and Scott Patterson star in a romantic holiday tale about two best friends – Sam (Dustin Mulligan) and Katherine (McKellar) have spent every Christmas at the children’s table since they were toddlers. They grew up together sharing the highs and lows of young adulthood. Now nearly 30 years later, Sam realizes Katherine is the one… but he is afraid that the past will get in his way.

· The March Sisters at Christmas stars Julie Marie Berman as eldest sister, Jo March, on a contemporary take of the timeless novel, Little Women. We follow the sisters (Kaitlin Doubleday, Melissa Farman and Molly Kunz) as they fight to save their family home, Orchard House, and search for love during Christmas time. John Shea co-stars.

· Merry-In-Laws – In this laugh riot starring Shelley Long and George Wendt, together for the first time since Cheers, as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who are about to meet their future daughter-in-law, a single, uber-intelligent mother and her equally Mensa-type son. Imagine saying “yes” to your boyfriend’s marriage proposal and then finding out that your future in-laws are Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus!

· The Real St. Nick, directed by Penelope Spheeris, stars Torrey Devito and Callard Harris. Devitto stars as psychiatrist Kate, who attends to a handsome but unconscious man in a Santa Claus suit who saved her during an earthquake. When he awakens and insists he is Santa Claus, he is placed in the hospital’s psychiatric wing, where his Christmas spirit soon “infects” everyone in the ward and Kate can’t help falling for the man even before she finds out his real identity.

Other movies scheduled to air on Lifetime during It’s a Wonderful Lifetime include, among others, the 2009 Lifetime Original Movie 12 Men of Christmas, starring Kristin Chenoweth; Noel, with Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Alan Arkin and Robin Williams; The Perfect Holiday, featuring Queen Latifah; If You Believe, with Hayden Panettiere; The Christmas Hope, starring Madeleine Stowe; The Christmas Blessing, featuring Rob Lowe and Neil Patrick Harris; Nothing Like the Holidays, with Debra Messing and John Leguizamo; Recipe for a Perfect Christmas, featuring Christine Baranski and Bobby Cannavale; A Diva’s Christmas Carol, starring Vanessa Williams; Undercover Christmas, with Jami Gertz and Tyne Daly; and A Very Married Christmas, with Joe Mantegna and Jean Smart.

Here’s a brand new edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! After chatting, we thought some folks were getting lost in the shuffle with the way we were sharing what we watched! So we’ve made a change! Each week we will feature one Viamedian and what they love on cable!

We hope you enjoy the new format! With that said, here we go!

Jim Slater

What are your favorite shows on cable?

Sons of Anarchy on FX

Suites on USA

Covert Affairs on USA

What makes them your favorites? 

Smart, cleaver and gritty dialogue
Strong characters and in the case of Covert Affairs, her smile

Which character do you like and/ or can relate to?

Raylan Givens, Deputy U.S.Marshall, Ma’am

Favorite rerun on cable, or cable show you wish they would bring back?

Deadwood

What’s one show you’ll leave on in the background while you do other things?

House Hunters International

What movie, when it’s shown on cable, will you leave on and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it or no matter where it’s at in the film?

Road House

What channel could you not live without?

FX

If you could create your own cable network, what would it be?

It would run all the guy shows that make my wife go screaming into the other room; Like I do when any ‘Real House Wife Of ____________’ comes on…

What show’s new season are you most excited to see?

Justified

What show is your guilty pleasure?

Saving Grace with Holly Hunter

Favorite TV Moment?

Ever UFC Fight on Spike with Anderson Silva

Thank you, Jim! That’s it for this week’s edition of What We’re Watching Wednesdays! My fellow Viamedians, if you’d like to be a part of What We’re Watching Wednesdays, click here and give us some answers on our survey!

Imagine five years out. It won’t hurt, we promise.

Even the worst-case forecasts have our economic malaise nearing an end by then, a dreaded lost decade coming to a blessed conclusion and a true recovery taking shape with low unemployment and revitalized consumers.

Once again the ad business will be growing. But a new media and marketing order will be taking hold. In measured-media terms, in 2016, the furthest year forecast by eMarketer, TV will still own the biggest piece of the marketing pie (36%), but just barely. Online advertising, at 31%, is sure to be hot on its heels. Further behind but growing fast will be mobile, whose share will have jumped from about 1% today to 5% as marketers chase a wholly mobile consumer reveling in constantly improving gadgets and services (see chart below).

The rise of mobile, coupled with an evolving, more web-like TV market will present a vastly different communications landscape. Rising to the challenge will entail many changes in old processes, from compensation to measurement. Whether you’re ready depends in part on what you do now.

BIG DATA COMES TO THE TV SCREEN 
With apologies to cable cutters and death-of-the-30-second-spot prophets, TV remains the best way to tell a brand story to something approaching a mass audience. Yet it is still a relatively dumb marketing medium in which irrelevant ads are shotgunned at viewers as though they don’t possess technology to skip them.

The TV market is inefficient, not ineffective, said Dave Morgan, founder of Simulmedia, a startup that’s trying to make TV more data driven. “There are a lot of ads going to wrong people, too much frequency for heavy TV viewers and not enough precision for micro-targeting campaigns.”

Mr. Morgan said that now 1% or 2% of TV advertising is data-denominated, with guarantees of GRPs and sales attribution. In five years, when as many as 75% of set-top boxes offer direct, second-by-second viewing data, that number should be more like, 15% to 20%. With real knowledge of who’s watching what and when, advertising’s biggest medium will change. For a glimpse of that world, look to Allstate’s addressable TV push for a relatively niche product, renters’ insurance, designed to be seen only by renters.

This kind of stuff is game changing and will put new demands on every part of the marketing supply chain. First of all, marketers can think differently about how they use TV. With more granular data about who is viewing their ads, those micro-targeting approaches begin to make sense and that will impact not only the marketing mix but also business strategy and product development. Agencies will need to shore up consumer insights and creative processes to deal less in overly emotive anthems and more in clear propositions for well-honed customer segments. And the buyers and sellers that populate the TV market will need to populate their ranks with analysts who speak the language of data. In 2017, TV will be less about checking GRP boxes and making sure the eighth season of “Cougar Town” is teeming with ads and more about meeting business objectives.

Read the full article from Advertising Age here:  http://nccmedia.visibli.com/share/MrgZdf