A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM E!

Cynopsis: DIGITAL
04.19.13

Good morning. It’s Friday, April 19, 2013, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Guggenheim Partners has been hired to advise Hulu on a potential sale of the streaming video company, according to Reuters. Hulu had retained the investment firm in 2011, the last time it was put on the block by its owners, which include Disney, News Corp., and Comcast. Where Guggenheim’s involvement gets extra-interesting this time around is the fact that Guggenheim Digital Media, a division led by former Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, is one of Hulu’s potential suitors. This should be a fun conflict of interest to follow.

Guggenheim Digital Media, by the way, has also been chatting with VEVO to potentially buy a controlling stake in the music video and programming provider, according to The Wall Street Journal. Not sure how this would affect Guggenheim’s interest in Hulu, and vice versa, even with Levinsohn’s bulky “war chest” for acquisitions (which WSJ notes is at “hundreds of millions” of dollars).

NBA Digital’s coverage plans for the upcoming league playoffs include TNT Overtime. A companion-viewing experience available on NBA.com, TNT Overtime will allow fans to watch playoff games via four alternate camera angles, as well as check out analysis from a TNT studio talent (NBA Digital is a joint operation from the NBA and Turner Sports). NBA.com will also feature hubs for every playoff series. Here, fans will be able to access video highlights, box scores, game stories, and other information. The NBA Playoffs Pulse tool on the NBA.com homepage will let fans share user-generated videos, watch animated gifs, check which topics and content are trending on Twitter, and watch behind-the-scenes videos from players and celebrities. Other aspects of the NBA Digital playoff playbook include a predictive game called NBA Challenge and a live social stream called the Social Spotlight. On mobile, the NBA Game Time Assist iPad app will give fans the ability to sync to a live game on TNT and access the latest video highlights, scores, and updates.

MTV, VH1, and CMT have launched an “artist opportunities hub,” allowing musicians to showcase their work and reach fans online as well as on-air across MTV, VH1, CMT, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, VH1 Soul, CMT Pure, and Palladia. At Artists.MTV, Artists.VH1, and Artists.CMT participants can create an account and then submit their music videos for on-air rotation across all of the aforementioned Viacom-owned channels. MTV, VH1, and CMT’s music teams will evaluate the videos based on “the velocity of fan engagement on each artist’s page” on the hub; this will determine which videos make it to air. Selected artists will be notified when and where their music video will go into on-air rotation. Via the hub, artists will also be able to submit their music videos and tracks to be featured across MTV, VH1, and CMT’s network of sites. With a central goal of connecting artists with fans, MTV, VH1, and CMT plan to introduce a mobile app for the hub as well as an “artist commerce tool” in the coming months.

The Paley Center for Media will live stream Bates Motel: Reimagining a Cinema Icon, a panel discussion featuring the A&E series’ cast and creative team, including Executive Producers Carlton Cuse (LOST) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights), and stars Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Nestor Carbonell, Olivia Cooke, and Nicola Peltz. The live stream will begin at 10:50pm ET/7:50pm PT on May 10, and will be available at PaleyCenter.org.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

MAZ, the publishing platform that powers Forbes’ iPad app, is rolling out an update (MAZ 3.0) that now offers publishers user consumption data such as time spent per page, click-through rates for links and multimedia content, and metrics like total number of app and content sessions. This data will be available through MAZ Stats, a new analytics and reporting tool that will also offer social sharing breakdowns by social media channel. With the launch of MAZ 3.0, the publishing platform now also supports Android-powered smartphones and tablets, as well as the Android-based Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD devices.

SapientNitro’s Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Gaston Legorburu, has been named a member of the Cannes Mobile Lions Jury for the 60th International Festival of Creativity. Other judges on the panel include Martin Lange, Executive Marketing Director/Digital Strategy, Ogilvy & Mather; Rei Inamoto, CCO and VP, AKQA; and Chris Miller, Chief Digital Officer, Draftfcb Chicago. The judges will review and award “the best in global creative communications” for the Cannes Lions Festival, which takes place from June 16-22, 2013. The Mobile Lions award is judged based on “creativity, execution (usability, user experience, craft, and design), relevance to the mobile platform, and results (level of user engagement and any quantifiable outcomes).”

Advertisers believe brand ad spending will grow faster than direct response in 2013, according to a new study from Vizu (a Nielsen company) and the CMO Council. In fact, 63% of marketers say brand ad spending will rise this year (with one in five saying the increase will exceed 20%). In comparison, 51% of marketers feel the same for direct response spending(with one in four stating the increase will exceed 20%). Other findings include:

• 70% of brand marketers plan to increase their use of social media in 2013, while 69% plan to increase their investments in mobile ads and 64% in video ads.
• 81% of agency executives surveyed project growth in mobile advertising, 73% in video advertising, and 57% in social.
• For the study, Vizu and the CMO Council surveyed 287 senior brand execs, 176 agency execs, and 152 publishing representatives during January and February 2013.

Food Network is partnering with Yahoo’s second-screen app, IntoNow, to offer companion content tied to the reality series Food Network Star. Throughout the season, fans will be able to access exclusive video content, photos, on-set commentary, trivia, culinary tips, and behind-the-scenes information. The app will sync to the live broadcast, as well as for viewers watching an episode on-demand, online, or on their DVR. Food Network Star, which debuts its ninth season on June 2, 2013, will pit 12 contestants against each other as they compete to win their own Food Network show. Viewers will be able to vote online and via their phones to help determine the winner.

PunchTab has released a free Android SDK that will allow app developers to offer customized loyalty and rewards programs to increase and retain user engagement. With the PunchTab technology, app developers can incentivize users to do things like share the app, “hit certain levels” within the app, or use it on a more regular basis. The developers can have it set up so that users who complete such actions are rewarded with points, which they can then redeem for a variety of “virtual, social, and real-world rewards.” PunchTab is already available for iOS.

Laura Rowley has joined Meredith as the new VP/Video Production and Product for the Meredith National Media Group. She comes from The Huffington Post, where she was the Executive Producer/Original Video and Partnerships. At Meredith National Media Group, Rowley will be responsible for overseeing Meredith’s digital video operations across its entire portfolio, including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, and Fitness. She will also focus on original content creation. She will be based in the company’s NY office.

Al Jazeera America has hired Andrea Stone and Tony Karon as Senior Online Executive Producers for the news channel’s digital team. Stone and Karon will be responsible for managing both US and global coverage for the channel’s website and other digital platforms. They will work together to determine the editorial direction for the site. Both will be based in NY.

Digital agency TVGla has appointed Ryan Kite as Director/Digital Strategy. As the head of the strategy team, Kite will focus on actionable solutions to help TVGla’s clients achieve their business goals. He will be based in LA.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis Webinar:
Leveraging Social Media and TV Ads: Best Brand Strategies
Tuesday * April 30 * 1:30-3:00p.m. ET

Moderated by: Arthur Greenwald (President, Greenwald Media, Inc. + Contributing Editor, Cynopsis Media), along with:
Seth Shapiro, New Amsterdam Media
Karie Ford, Subway
Mike Freeman, Hallmark Channel & Crown Family Network
Eleo Hensleigh, The Travel Channel

Register here: http://www.cynopsis.com/webinars/best-brand-strategies

Today the annual Time 100 list was released, http://time100.time.com, and wow, is it a beauty. Divided into five categories: titans, leaders, pioneers, artists, and icons, it’s both an elegant nod to the traditional in its lush photography and sophisticated essays (I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear what Michael Bloomberg has to say about Jay Z, who has brought cool and money back to Brooklyn as co-founder of the NBA Nets) as well as having a firm handle on a very definite 2013 vibe, thanks to a site that showcase tons of info for the pop culture junkies among us: a library of the seven different covers produced for this year’s issue, videos of former winners (Hello, Warren Buffett!) and easy to navigate, nostalgic looks at past years’ lists. This is a really great way to spend a rainy spring night, for instance, when it’s damp, chill, and you’re looking for an entertaining diversion.

Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Editor for Cynopsis Digital
04.19.13

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