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The fact that Tribune Entertainment will likely confirm a syndication deal for American Idol this week hasn’t diluted the appeal of the series for this season, Media Life writes. The series, which generated its best ratings last year - landing the most-watched program of the season and propelling Fox to its first full-season win in adults 18-49 - is returning for its fifth season next Tuesday, and many media buyers believe it will be as strong as ever.
For example, Shari Anne Brill, vp and director of programming at Carat, is quoted as saying, “Every show starts to slip once it’s in its fifth or sixth season, but I don’t see that happening with ‘Idol.’” And MediaVest’s vp and group research director John Spiropoulos said, “Because last year was strong, it will likely be down. But it will still be very successful.”
Part of the reason media buyers expect the show to remain on top is that popular judge Simon Cowell has signed on for at least four additional seasons.
Even when the show goes up against the Olympics in Feb., it will likely see only a slight dip in ratings, as American Idol viewers are a younger demo than those who tune in to the Winter Games.
All sectors of the media business will suffer from the weakened economy in 2008 and 2009, with a slump in local advertising particularly hurting newspapers and local TV, according to a new projection from Goldman Sachs.
Broadcast nets will experience…
The New York Times is shuttering its International Herald Tribune site; NYTimes.com will soon host the international news normally reserved for its sister website.
The move is not about cost savings, but rather about growth, NYTimes.com general manager Vivian Schiller…
Unilever’s Vaseline set forth on an unusual research project in a small town in Alaska. Setting up a storefront, the company began giving away free bottles of lotion and asking recipients to name the person who had recommended they come…
Meet the Press, the show hosted by Tim Russert for 17 years before his death last June, is beginning to slip in ratings.
Last month, CBS’s Face the Nation pulled ahead of Meet the Press for the first time in two…
Bloggers collectively create nearly one million blog posts each day, and half of bloggers believe blogs will be a primary source of news and entertainment in the next five years, according to Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere Report, MarketingCharts writes.…
Wal-Mart and Costco reported same-store gains in September, with sales rising 2.4% and 9% respectively. Sales at Target stores open at least a year fell 3%, writes Retailer Daily.
Below, fiscal results from the discount retail giants:
Sales of food and…
