- Kudos to CBS and “NCIS,” which tonight will air its 200th episode. The Navy/legal drama debuted in 2003, with actor Mark Harmon at the helm, who was best known for his work on NBC’s “St. Elsewhere,” and as a hunk-for-hire on such shows as “The West Wing.” “NCIS” has defied the approaching-a-decade malaise, delivering an average 22.7 million viewers for new episodes this season. 100 episodes is industry standard to reach syndication level. The record number of episodes in history television belongs to “Gunsmoke,” which ran for 20 seasons and 635 episodes.
- Super Bowl XLVI attracted a record 111.3 million total viewers, reports Media Life, to become the most-watched broadcast in television history. This is the third year running that the Super Bowl has set the record, held until 2010 by the series finale of "M*A*S*H" in 1983. It was also the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, with an average 47.0 household rating and 71 share. The game took a 40.5 share among adults 18-49.
- The post-Super Bowl Season 2 premiere of “The Voice” on NBC took a 16.3 rating adult 18-49 rating, and 37.61 million viewers, reports TVByTheNumbers. This was NBC’s best rating for an entertainment telecast since the “Friends” finale in 2004, with a 24.9 share.
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ruled that NBC’s WMAQ-TV Chicago had a right to deny long-shot GOP presidential candidate Randall Terry a Super Bowl ad spot, reports Broadcasting & Cable. FCC ruled that while broadcasters must make ad time available to qualified candidates, WMAQ judged fairly that Terry was unqualified, given his showing at the polls. The ad reportedly contained graphic images of aborted fetuses, which Terry believed was behind the denial.
- Univision and Disney are in talks for a Latino-oriented 24-hour cable news channel, in English. As TVNewsCheck reports, neither company will confirm or discuss the project, but are likely to launch the channel in time for the November presidential election. The 2010 census revealed that U.S. born Latinos comprise nearly 60% of the growth among U.S. Hispanics over the last decade, and that an increasing number speak English as a first language.
Online Ads: Poll Finds 15 Seconds the Limit for Consumers
Consumers understand that free content online is supported by advertising. But the majority at 54% considers 15 seconds the limit for in-stream and online ads, according to a survey by Poll Position. The company conducted a survey of 1,179 registered U.S. voters.
Of those polled, 54% felt that 15 seconds was acceptable, and 12% went as high as 30 seconds. But the numbers climb even higher, when you exclude the 27% who had no opinion. Of those who do have an opinion—
- 73% find 15 seconds acceptable;
- 5% find 30 seconds acceptable.
Demographic Divides
Interestingly, the figures were fairly close for male versus female voters and Republicans versus Democrats. But some significant demographic differences emerged.
Consumers in the 30-44 age group had the highest tolerance for 15-second ads, at 60.5%. Those in the 65+ demographic are far less patient, and only 40.1% of those consumers find 15 seconds acceptable, versus the 54.1% mean.
Among ethnic groups, 60.3% of white consumers find 15 seconds acceptable, but only 40.1% of Hispanics, and 33.3% of African-American respondents.
“Work It” Pink Slipped, “Walking Dead” Bloats
ABC has cancelled the cross-dressing comedy Work It after two barely-watched episodes. The network made the announcement over the weekend, and after a weak second episode rating of less than 5 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. The sitcom put two men in drag to get work as pharmaceutical sales reps, a woman-dominated field. Work It was plagued with bad press from the start. First it was derided as a ripoff of the 1980s Bosom Buddies, starring young Tom Hanks. It alienated Latino viewers with one-liners like “I’m Puerto Rican, I’d be great at selling drugs,” which drew protesters to picket outside of ABC’s New York headquarters. Finally, it drew the ire of GLAAD and other lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which placed a full-page ad in The Daily Variety complaining of “inaccurate or offensive images.”
No complaints surround The Walking Dead on AMC. The cable network announced over the weekend that it will order 16 episodes of the apocalyptic zombie drama for season three, up from 13 episodes for seasons one and two. Its November mid-season finale went out with a 3.5 rating among adults 18-49. Season two resumes on February 12. The network will use that premiere as a lead-in to its newest unscripted series, Comic Book Men, at 10pm ET/PT. The comedy is set in a neighborhood comic book store, and lampoons the fanboy culture (ironically, the culture that made Walking Dead a success as a graphic novel, before it was picked up by television).
Chart: Top 10 Cable TV Engagement , Week of July 11-17, 2011
About this chart: Content in Rentrak updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its TV Essentials data collection and analytical service. The “Stickiness” Index is the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all programs of that duration (i.e. 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min).
Chart: Top 10 Broadcast TV Engagement List, Week of July 4-10, 2011
About this chart: Content in Rentrak updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its TV Essentials data collection and analytical service. The “Stickiness” Index is the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all programs of that duration (i.e. 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min). Monday-Sunday primetime (8pm-11pm) and Sunday primetime (7pm-11pm) programs, includes roll up of air times. Excludes local programming and all premium non ad-supported channels.
Quepasa, Spanish-Portuguese Community Site, Buys myYearbook
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Quepasa, the Spanish and Portuguese community site and social gaming operator, will buy teen socnet myYearbook for $100 million. While the first real challenge to Facebook’s social networking hegemony has recently come from Google+, myYearbook and Quepasa have attempted to carve respective niches within the community site sphere, suggesting that the space still has room for relatively smaller players, writes Paid Content. myYearbook claims to have about 25 million users currently—a veritable drop in the bucket to Facebook’s 750 million members.
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Addressing investors on a conference call today, Yahoo suggested turmoil among its sales force played a major role in its reduced performance -- down about 5% in Q2. U.S. display revenues were "unexpectedly down," while display revenues in Europe and Asia continued to grow. As a result of its staffing issues the company said much of its premium inventory - typically packaged and sold direct to advertisers and agencies - was instead pushed through its exchange during the quarter, garnering diminished revenues, reports ClickZ News.
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Behavioral targeting spending has been growing 20% a year or more for years and is forecast by eMarketer to keep growing at that pace through 2014. In fact, because of the utility of BT, banner ads may surpass search ads in revenues by 2015 after many years of relative decline. The big challenge remains privacy concerns, and the two bills in Congress are looking to limit the data harvesting. Facebook, Google, and also demand-side ad platforms, are affected, according to Forbes.com.
Chart: Top 10 Broadcast TV Engagement List, Week of June 27-July 3, 2011
About this chart: Content in Rentrak updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its TV Essentials data collection and analytical service. The “Stickiness” Index is the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all programs of that duration (i.e. 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min). Monday-Sunday primetime (8pm-11pm) and Sunday primetime (7pm-11pm) programs, includes roll up of air times. Excludes local programming and all premium non ad-supported channels.
Chart: Top 10 Broadcast TV Engagement List, Week of June 20-26, 2011
About this chart: Content in Rentrak updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its TV Essentials data collection and analytical service. The “Stickiness” Index is the average percentage of the program viewed, divided by the average percentage viewed for all programs of that duration (i.e. 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min). Monday-Sunday primetime (8pm-11pm) and Sunday primetime (7pm-11pm) programs, includes roll up of air times. Excludes local programming and all premium non ad-supported channels.
NBA Lockout Has $1.25 Billion Potential Impact | Netflix to Add Spanish, Portuguese Service
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ESPN/ABC Sports and TNT stand to lose as much as $1.25 billion in ad sales revenue if the labor dispute disrupts the entire 2011-12 NBA campaign. TheNBA audience has grown in value, with the postseason inventory now accounting for nearly a fifth of the full-season take, writes Ad Week. The NBA last locked out players in the 1998-99 season, shortening the schedule to 50 games, and it took three years before TV ratings returned to prelockout levels, writes Ad Week.
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Netflix will expand its streaming service to 43 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean later this year. Members in the region will be able to access Netflix in Spanish, Portuguese or English. The company said that Netflix members from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean will be able to instantly watch an array of American, local and global TV shows and movies on their TVs via consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as on PCs, Macs and mobile devices, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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AMC Networks, the former Rainbow Media, is now separate from former parent Cablevision. Completion of the spin-off gave the new company control of several well known entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv, writes Radio Business Report.
- Conan O’Brien’s TBS program, Conan, has fallen behind Chelsea Handler’s E! show, Chelsea Lately, in the rankings of the late-night cable talk shows. According to the latest ratings, Chelsea has pushed Conan out of third place in cable late-night thanks to a major influx of women viewers between 18 and 34, according to Ad Week.
Glenn Beck Wraps Up at Fox News | Musicians Protest Changes to Grammy Awards
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Glenn Beck’s final Fox News broadcast was a trip down memory lane while also defending his voluntary decision to leave the network to the mainstream media that has suggested otherwise. Beck’s opening monologue, which clocked in at 21 minutes, featured video comments from young people praising Beck’s show, a run-down of a chalkboard list titled “Things We’ve Learned.” Beck also brought his two writers out on stage, writes Broadcasting & Cable.
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A coalition of musicians that has protested the Recording Academy's decision to drop 31 categories from the Grammy Awards is stepping up the pressure, calling for a boycott of the Grammys' telecast partner, CBS, and hiring a lawyer to explore legal action. The group has claimed the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and called the Academy's decision racist, according to AP reports.
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Starz said today that due to significant production challenges, the network has decided not to exercise the option for subsequent seasons of its freshman original series Camelot. Camelot wrapped its first season earlier this month by drawing 1.5 million total viewers, the second-highest viewership for the series behind its two-hour premiere, which set a network record for a series bow. It had been on a ratings upswing for its final few episodes, reports Deadline Hollywood.
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Fox News Channel will launch a weekday ensemble opinion program on July 11 at 5 p.m. to replace Glenn Beck through the summer. Titled The Five, the new show will feature a roundtable of five rotating Fox News personalities "who will discuss, debate and at times debunk the hot news stories, controversies and issues of the day," reports Broadcasting & Cable.