Steve Miller Musings

US Leads in Mobile Web Adoption

2008-07-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

The mobile Web has hit "critical mass" in the U.S., where it is used by 40 million subscribers, who make up at least 15% of the country's mobile users, according to a new study by Nielsen Mobile. The report, "Critical Mass: The Worldwide State of the Mobile Web," identifies the U.K. as having 12% penetration, and Italy as having 11%. Link: BBC News – July 11, 2008 – Mobile Web reaches Critical Mass

NBCU moves to win bid for Weather Channel

2008-05-30T21:46:00.000-05:00

NBCU has unofficially won the bid for the Weather Channel at $3.5 billion, according to NewsBlues. That’s well under the $5 billion that Landmark had hoped to earn. NBCU was part of a consortium that included Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. The offer of $3.5 billion, roughly half of which, or $1.8 billion, is equity, according to Reuters. Blackstone’s GSO Capital is also putting in $600 million. The future of WeatherPlus is the big question now

Mobille means Fewer more qualified Ads

2008-04-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Improvements to the mobile Web will continue to cause more people to conduct searches on their cell phones however a new challenge to Web advertising giants like Google, Yahoo and others just may well be the mobile phone's screen size. Traditional thinking might lead you to assume what Ben Kunz did in his article in BusinessWeek - small screen equals - less inventory to sell. It's true that a standard computer screen the Google's Ad Sense can fit about 10 ads, but on a cell phone you get only one or two paid ads.

Says Kunz: "Imagine the horror that would befall your business if a large slice of what you sell suddenly disappeared. A similar fate could befall companies that depend on online advertising, as small screens become the gateway to the Internet."That said, no one believes that mobile phones will replace laptops overnight, but if the adoption of Web usage on Apple's iPhone is any indication, Google and its competitors better get
prepared.

Isn't Google already working on this? Earlier in the first quarter, when those infamous numbers from comScore were released (not that those were necessarily wrong, by the way), Google came out saying that it was tweaking its algorithm to promote ads that were likely to convert while eliminating those that were not. The end result was fewer ads, but more qualified--and thus more lucrative--leads generated from ads that were clicked on. Perhaps Google decided to tweak its algorithm with a view to the mobile shift in mind? After all, if the future means less space for ads, wouldn't Google be wise to make sure that fewer ads cost more and convert better? Link: BusinessWeek - Apr 28, 2008 - The Real Threat to Google

Nielsen To Report Ratings For Place-Based Video Networks

2008-04-24T07:24:00.001-05:00

Joe Mandese with Media Daily News Reports this morning that "in a move that could bring the kind of structure to the burgeoning out-of-home video advertising marketplace that is associated with traditional television, Nielsen plans to introduce TV ratings "pocketpieces" for a variety of place-based television networks. The plan, which was revealed by Senior Vice President-Nielsen Strategic Media Research Paul Lindstrom, came out as part of a panel discussion on Wednesday during MediaPost's Digital Out-of-Home Forum in New York." Link to the whole story

YouTube videos accessed by TiVo

2008-03-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

Forget about squinting to see those sometimes bazaar videos on you computers screen, you can watch the latest web phenomenon on your big screen. TiVo and YouTube this morning announced an agreement that will offer access to web videos directly on the television via TiVo digital video recorder devices. The service will become available later this year for broadband-connected subscribers with Series3 DVRs or later models. Users will be able to surf through YouTube videos on their TVs and watch and save videos. They will also be able to log into their YouTube accounts in order to access existing favorite videos and channels. TiVo calls the deal one more step in the process of combining all web and television viewing needs into one service. Link: Tivo.com Press Release 3/12/08 - TIVO TO PROVIDE YOUTUBE VIDEOS DIRECTLY TO THE TELEVISION

Project Canoe

2008-03-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

We’ve all heard about it but the cable industry is still keeping details about "Project Canoe," the clandestine, cross-MSO, advanced advertising initiative, relatively close to the vest. The venture is an effort by all six major cable companies in the U.S. to deliver targeted TV ads to viewers via set-top boxes. The cable companies may control the set-top boxes, but they only collectively control about $5 billion of the $70 billion spent each year on TV ads. With better ad targeting through Project Canoe the cable operators hope to triple their take to $15 billion.

This coalition has been spurred on by Google’s aggressive moves into new spaces, they are already testing their own TV ads on EchoStar’s Dish Network (no satellite companies are part of Project Canoe). Just last week, some Google TV Ad beta testers were able to start buying TV ads through AdWords as part of their regular advertising campaigns. In other words, they can buy search ads on Google, contextual online ads across the Web, and TV ads on Dish all through the same Google interface.
Clearly the cable companies have a lot of work to do to pull this off, but the prize is huge. Forming a viable coalition where incentives are aligned to encourage continued cooperation in the long term is a major step forward. I’m sure that we will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming months and it will be interesting to see how (and how soon) this plays out. Link: NYTimes.com, March 10, 2008 - Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads

Digital Display Strategy for the LA Times

2008-03-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Los Angeles Times is teaming with Clear Channel Outdoor to bring news headlines and images to 10 digital billboards throughout LA. The Times is the first newspaper to use the company's digital billboards and web-based interface for news alerts and branding. The partnership is a key strategic move for the newspaper, which desperately wants to increase exposure of its local news reporting. Link: Media Daily News, Mar 5, 2008 - New Digital Displays For 'LA Times

58 million US Mobile Subscribers have seen Ads

2008-03-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

Twenty-three percent (One out of four or 58 million) of all US mobile subscribers say they've been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report from The Nielsen Company. Half of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous month say they responded to a mobile ad in some way and are open to receiving ads if it reduces their bill. Link: NYTimes.com, Mar. 4 2008 - Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond

TV Advertising Falling Short of Expectations

2008-02-21T19:30:00.001-05:00

Are your clients complaining that their TV Advertising isn’t as effective as they once were? Well sixty-two percent of marketers say they believe that traditional TV has become a less effective ad medium over the past two years, according to a study by Forrester Research and the Association of National Advertisers. The study also found that about 50% of those surveyed are experimenting with new ad formats on platforms such as DVRs and VOD programs, while 87% see high value in branded entertainment. Link(s): MediaDailyNews, Feb 21, 2008 - TV Advertising Hit By Digital Competition and The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 21, 2008 – TV Ads Losing Steam, marketers say

Proven Value of Dynamic Digital Signage

2008-02-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

In another resounding example of the power of digital signage, Clear Channel Outdoors' digital billboard networks reached more than 12 million motorists and commuters during last week's Super Tuesday voting session. The changeable, LED-equipped billboards posted updates of tallies in 14 out of 17 of the markets where CC Outdoor has networks providing the public with real-time results of the Presidential Election Primaries through live RSS feeds from MSNBC and CNBC. Link: Clear Channel Outdoor – Feb 19, 2008 - Millions Of Voters Looked To Clear Channel Outdoor Digital Displays For “Super Tuesday” Primary Results

Fox Wins with 50th Daytona 500

2008-02-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday's running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Fox scored increased average audience, total audience and household ratings compared to a year ago, according to fast national figures released today by Nielsen Media Research.

The 50th Daytona 500 averaged 17.8 million viewers, a 1 percent improvement over last season (17.5 million). It was also the second highest-rated and second most-watched 500 ever on Fox, trailing the 2005 race in both stats. According to a network news release, 33.5 million Americans watched at least part of the race.

Obviously Ryan Newman Penske Racing and Dodge are not alone in Sunday’s winners circle. Fox had previously announced that it had sold out its inventory for the telecast with 30-second spots selling for $550,000 each, up from $475,000 last year.

DVR Playback makes Significant Increase to Viewing Levels

2008-02-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

Playback from DVRs is increasing the amount of time people spend watching television, according to new data from The Nielsen Company. In comparing total television usage (Live viewing plus DVR playback) for persons 18-49 in 11/07 to total television usage in 11/05 (before Nielsen measured DVR homes and penetration was very low) Nielsen found that viewing had increased slightly throughout the day, and was 3% higher at 9:00 p.m. and 5% higher between 11:00 p.m.-midnight. Links: Investor's Business Daily, Feb 14, 2008 - Nielsen Reports DVR Playback is Adding to TV Viewing Levels and Nielsen - Press Release

Big Win for Fox with Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-05T07:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday's Super Bowl XLII on FOX was the most-watched Super Bowl game in 42 years of Super Bowls and also ranks as the second most-watched program in TV history with 97.5 million viewers, surpassing the 1996 Super Bowl game which drew in 94.1 million viewers. It follows the final episode of M*A*S*H which aired February 28, 1983 and drew in 106 million viewers. As for the advertising, well Marketers are getting extra bang for their Super Bowl ad bucks through views of their spots on dozens of general and niche Web sites, as well as via playbacks on DVRs, according to this New York Times article. Link: NYTimes.com, 02/05/08 - For Marketing, the Most Valuable Player Might Be YouTube

IdeaCast and Transit TV do deal

2008-01-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

IdeaCast (which we covered in my post on 06/27/07 - National Cinemedia take big Position in IdeaCast), a private provider of custom television content and advertising to health clubs announced that it has entered into a strategic sales relationship with Transit TV and will represent digital OOH networks advertising inventory to IdeaCast's list of ad clients. In addition, IdeaCast has also entered into a letter of intent with an option to acquire Transit TV in Q2. Transit TV is a major transit-based digital out-of-home adverting network operator with systems installed and operational in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Orlando, Transit TV communicates with over 500 million riders per year on nearly 4,000 vehicles. IdeaCast's plans for Transit TV include expanding the Transit TV network to the top 10 U.S. markets, as well as contracting with Nielsen Media Research to establish metrics and a process for audience measurement for the transit network.

Designing for Mobility

2008-01-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

Some 40% of web site operators have launched mobile sites and another 22% plan to do so in the next year, according to a new JupiterResearch study (appropriately named - "Designing for Mobility"). This is helping to fuel the growing base of mobile phone users in the US that browse the Internet from their cell phones. Current stats reflect that 25% of cell phone owners go online, with 16 percent doing so frequently. As adoption and use grows, the importance of Web sites suitable for small screens will grow in importance for media companies. Link: OnlineMedia Daily Jan 17, 2008 - Mobile Web Sites' Growth Spurt To Continue

SlingBerry?

2008-01-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

I must admit I was jealous when one of my client's IT guys showed me his Motorola Q connected to his Slingbox several months ago. The picture quality and smoothness of the connection was amazing. He could playback any channel or DVR recording available on his home cable box and he could not only view them but could setup programs to record. For us road warriors with a crackberry habit, this wasn't something available however today all that changed as Sling Media announced that it is extending the mobile version of its service to Blackberry smartphones. The new version which will be released later this year, will cost Slingbox customers a one-time charge of $29.99. In my perspective this is how I would utilize mobile TV while getting better value out of my monthly investment with my cable provider. Although the viewership of mobile TV is on the rise, I firmly believe most consumers will not adapt to it if it requires yet another monthly subscription and higher phone bill. For now the gatekeepers are the telecommunication providers however with companies like Sling Media I think the business model is about to change and will be monetized finally by advertising and not subscriptions.

DVR penetration to rise to 35% by 2012

2008-01-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year readers! Online video may be a hot topic and increasing in popularity as are VOD services however DVR penetration in U.S. television households will continue to expand, nearly doubling over the next five years, according to a new report from market-analysis firm JupiterResearch. Read more in this article from ContentAgenda.com

DVR and Viewership

2007-12-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

DVR penetration is still on the rise and while more and more viewers are recording programs, they're actually not delaying viewing for very long, according to a recent analysis conducted by Palisades MediaGroup. The study discovered that, on average, more than half of all DVR primetime program playback is done within the same day it was recorded. And by the end of the following day, DVR owners have completed approximately three-quarters of all program playback. "Nielsen estimates DVR penetration to be at 20%, up from 12% in January of this year. While this is a good-sized increase, the impact on viewership remains minor."

According to the study, ratings increase just over 15% due to DVR playback from live to live-plus-seven. The average rating against adults aged 18-49 was 2.5 for live viewing and 2.9 for live-plus-seven viewing; an increase of only 16.7%. While fast-forwarding through the ads is still an issue, not all people who use a DVR fast-forward. The data show that less than half of people who watch a recorded program fast-forward through the ads during playback. Equally significant, the top 10 most-DVR'd primetime shows among adults 18-49 experience as much as 58% of playback on the same day (CBS's Survivor: China) and as little as 27%.

Tivo and NBCU Strike Deal

2007-11-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

NBC Universal inked a multiyear deal with TiVo that will allow the entertainment conglomerate to sell interactive ads for TiVo’s digital video recorders. Terms of the new agreement allow NBCU’s 14 television networks and 10 owned-and-operated stations will be able to sell TiVo Interactive Tags in conjunction with existing commercial spots. It makes NBC the first top broadcaster to use TiVo's audience data and interactive ad tags. Link(s): The Wall Street Journal, Nov, 27, 2007 – NBC to use TiVo’s Viewership data, Multichannel News – Nov, 27, 2007 - NBCU Buys Into TiVo Ratings, Interactive Ads

Texting Ads to Shopping Carts

2007-11-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

We all have probably seen prototypes of LCD screens an other simular technology placed on shopping carts, I've yet to have one catch my eye that truly seems feasible. While I will admit that video screens on carts could serve up engaging ads, they are expensive to purchase and difficult to maintain. Here's is finally a version that appears durable and likely to succeed while enabling advertisers to position their messages right between shoppers' hands.

Modstream has developed a shopping cart handles where messages are wirelessly streamed to a small screen in a hard plastic case that replaces the standard shopping cart handle. Advertisers and retailers log on to modstream.com to enter their messages, selecting stores where they want their message to appear. Messages can be run across a complete chain or targeted to specific regions, stores or times of day. Since the messages can be changed on the fly, it's easy to adapt the ads for short-run sales or clearance items.

Since a a high percentage of purchase decisions are made by consumers while they're shopping, it makes sense to target them while they're in the aisles. Modstream states that their message handles will stand up to rain and snow, and have a 5-year battery life. The system is currently being tested at Home Depot stores in eight states.

Yesterday Banking, Today Pizza

2007-11-13T18:05:00.000-05:00

Applications abound in the Mobile sector and obviously that bodes well for the continued growth in mobile advertising. Yesterday AT&T announced the launch of a comprehensive, easy-to-use mobile banking platform that will enable consumers to view account balances and history, transfer funds and pay bills from their AT&T mobile handsets. Through an innovative relationship, AT&T, Wachovia Corp., SunTrust Banks Inc. and mobile banking and payment enabler CheckFree Corp. are providing a mobile banking solution that is accessible to millions of Wachovia and SunTrust customers. Appearently they agree with the forecasts from TowerGroup which estimates the number of US customers using mobile banking services will rise from 1.1 million in 2007 to more than 40 million by 2012.

Not to be left behind in the dining category is Papa John’s Pizza, which is offering its mobile savvy customers a new alternative: ordering via text message. It’s an innovative step that might help boost the company’s sales, and also will allow for more direct-to-consumer mobile marketing, including coupons and menu updates sent to users’ phones. Links: WSJ.com Nov , click Papa John's Pizza gets Finger Friendler, IntoMobile.com - AT&T launches nationwide mobile banking

AOL.com WAP Relaunch

2007-10-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

Aiming to keep pace with recent new wireless inroads made by Yahoo and Google, AOL Tuesday unveiled new mobile versions of its online services within a revamped WAP portal. This major relaunch, accessible on your web enabled phone at AOL.com, includes upgrades that are mobile-friendly versions of AOL Search, Mail, MapQuest, and AOL Instant Messenger, among other features. The new mobile search, for instance, will offer results that are more tailored to users on the go, such as driving directions and click-to-call options linked to services like MapQuest and Moviefone. A cool new mobile widget for GPS-enabled phones will also allow AIM users to locate each other, marking a step by AOL into the mobile social networking area.

AOL has quietly assembled a number of good mobile assets over the past couple of years, and they may become a force in the market. Obviously, its purchase of Third Screen Media puts the company into the mobile ad market in a big way. But its new partnership with off-deck content provider ThumbPlay gives it a range of content. If AOL actually can distribute these services and gain traction, then it may have a way to use mobile to get the brand back into users' hearts and minds. Between Yahoo's mobile search play and AOL's mobile portal play, it seems as if also-ran brands are using mobile as a kind of comeback platform. Link(s): Media Post, Oct 24, 2007 - AOL Follows The Mobile Trail and AOL press release

Portable Video Usage

2007-10-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday evening on a cross county flight from the east coast to San Francisco I noticed something I had not seen before. Passengers using portable video devices were at a level I had never witness before. Between those watching via their laptops, video Ipods and a host of others, it pushed 20% of the passengers on a full flight. I was taken back by the usually high percentage, most appearing to be watching recent broadcast shows. As I tried to make sense of why I may be seeing this spike, I put it off on the launch of a new season and a young highly mobile group of passengers of whom many sported the corporate logos of the silicon valleys dot com companies. Maybe I was witnessing a peak into the future because a new study from Parks Associates predicts that the number of portable media players with video capability will grow at an annual rate of 30% over the next five years. Obviously a key driver of this growth will be the expansion of broadband video services around the world and this is good news for mobile video advertisers, provided they can figure out an appropriate ad model.

ABC Moves Advertisiers on to the Golf Course

2007-10-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

ABC has inked an agreement with ProLink Solutions to sell space on ProLink's GPS screens in golf carts at some 400 golf courses. ABC will sell on a national level, and will earn commissions based in part on the prominence of the advertisers it brings in. ProLink will continue to sell space, as well. It is a growing trend to see big media moving into the growing out-of-home (OOH) sector. The O&Os of the television networks have begun seeking ways to bring in additional revenue by offering OOH options to advertisers, according to MediaPost. These options have included ads in grocery stores, taxis, screens on pumps at gas stations and on screens in Times Square. See recent SMM Post: 09/07/07 - CBS Purchases Sign Story. Link: MediaPost - 10/03/07 - Fore Real: ABC Pitches Ads On Golf Cart Screens

Google Upping the Volume on Mobile Ads

2007-09-18T15:56:00.000-05:00

Recently Google released its AdWords on mobile. Today it followed up by announcing the availability of AdSense for Mobile devices. Obviously their moves are to capitalize on the geometrically increasing numbers of consumers surfing the web away from their laptops or PCs. Unlike in the PC web space, in the mobile market Google is in the position of having to catch up to the other companies out there like AdMob who've built up a huge publisher network with tons of mobile-specific advertising. These recent moves into the mobile arena help Google quickly bolster its mobile ad inventory however the change has the industry buzzing. Here is what some are saying: Blogs - The Life and Times of ADMOB - "unexpected and unfortunate", Russell Beattie's Weblog - "Google's Mobile End Run"