Cynopsis: DIGITAL
08/09/12
Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 9, 2012, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. If you would like to read this or any other Cynopsis editions online, click here.
Netflix has brought its “Just for Kids” section to its app on the Xbox 360. The section allows kids and parents to browse and watch a wide selection of family-friendly programming. Designed for children 12 and under, Netflix says members have watched more than 2 billion hours of kids’ titles since “Just for Kids” was launched in August 2011. The section also organizes the content based on topics like superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs, and girl power. Now available on the Xbox 360, as well as on PCs/Macs, Nintendo Wii, PS3, Apple TV, select connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and streaming media players, Netflix says the section will be available on other devices, including tablets, later this year.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WESTDOC
WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference
September 9th-12th, 2012 – Culver City, Ca.
Documentary. Reality. Digital. DIY.
Meet Program Buyers, Network with Producers, Attend Pitchfest.
Speakers from: A&E, Animal Planet, BBC, Discovery, E!, MTV, NBC, Nat Geo, Ovation, PBS, Scripps, Snag Films, Spike, Sundance Channel, TLC, and more
www.TheWestdoc.com
Use code CYNOP12 for Discount Rate
Bryan Singer’s new live-action web series, H+ The Digital Series, which is a part of YouTube’s premium channels initiative, has premiered on the video site. The show takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where humans are installing a chip called “HPlus” into their nervous systems so they can instantly access the web 24 hours a day. Naturally, things go awry when a virus is released and wipes out a third of the global population. The show follows the aftermath of the catastrophe, and according to Singler, will offer multiple viewpoints as the narrative is pieced together. “As more episodes debut, the audience has the unique ability to rearrange them sequentially or by characters’ storylines or locations, so that they can retell our story in their own preference,” said Singer. The first two episodes are immediately available. Two new episodes will be released every Wednesday. The plan is to run 48 episodes with the final installment coming in January 2013. The YouTube channel will also offer weekly recaps and discussions with the series’ creators, for which fans will be able to submit questions. The series is created by John Cabrera (Gilmore Girls), directed by Stewart Hendler (Sorority Row), and produced by Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions, Warner Premiere, and Dolphin Digital Media, and distributed by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.
Cablevision has brought the full Optimum App experience to the Kindle Fire. The app allows the cable provider’s customers to access live TV on the Kindle Fire when they’re connected to their home Wi-Fi network, and all on-demand content they receive as part of their subscription package. Other features include an interactive program guide and the ability to use the Kindle Fire as a remote control to watch TV and to schedule and manage DVR recordings. A prior version of the Optimum App that was available to Kindle Fire owners offered the program guide and DVR capabilities, but not the access to live TV. The app is also available on iOS devices and Macs and PCs.
Samsung Electronics America has made Verizon’s FiOS TV app available on select Samsung Smart TVs and Smart Blu-ray players. This TV Everywhere app allows FiOS TV and internet subscribers to access up to 26 live FiOS TV channels, based on their TV subscription package of course, as well as over 20,000 on-demand movies and TV shows through Flex View, which lets customers buy or rent titles and then watch them on multiple devices. The live channel line-up includes CNN, MTV, HBO, TBS, TNT, and Food Network. For those who have a compatible Samsung Smart TV or Blu-ray player, the app can be downloaded from the Smart Hub App Store on those devices.
HealthiNation, a health and wellness media company, has inked a content deal with Remedy Health Media, a health information and technology company. Under the terms of the deal, HealthiNation’s “condition and lifestyle” video content will be distributed across Remedy’s owned and operated websites. The companies say they will also offer advertising clients research methodologies to measure the success of their video ad campaigns that run alongside the videos. Remedy offers a suite of healthcare information products online and on mobile devices; the company attracts 25 million unique visitors per month (comScore Media Metrix data from May 2012). HealthiNation syndicates health videos to multiple platforms, including online, on mobile, cable VOD, and even doctors’ office televisions; it receives over 8.9 million unique visitors per month (comScore Video Metrix data from June 2012).
Digital Media Management, a company that helps entertainment brands and celebrities manage their digital presence, has relaunched Glee star Dianna Agron’s artist-oriented website, You, Me & Charlie. The site is described as a “digital playground” for artists, where the actress will showcase the work of filmmakers, musicians, writers, photographers, and illustrators, among others, who she finds interesting. You, Me & Charlie is a part of Digital Media Management’s Women’s Influencer Network, which is designed to help brands and advertisers target and reach audiences online through a number of websites from celebrity women — including Agron, Felicity Huffman, and Vanessa Hudgens — that span various verticals, from fashion and beauty to moms and relationships.
PROGRAMMING CALL: Cynopsis Digital will be producing an Online Video Content e-Special Report on Wednesday, August 29. The report will take an in-depth look at the development behind some of the best original web series as well as the innovators who have made them successful. If your company has released a premium, original series this year, and would like it to be considered as among the best in the web video space, please send your submission, which should include a brief overview of the series with pertinent information such as creator(s), producer(s), story, genre, cast, and the latest stats, to Sahil Patel at [email protected], no later than August 10.
Facebook is now allowing mobile app developers to promote their apps within a mobile user’s news feed. This new mobile ad unit will make the apps appear as a sponsored recommendation under the “Try These Apps” section within the news feed. If a user clicks on the ad, they’ll be directed to the Apple’s App Store or Google Play if they don’t already have said app installed. The company says in the past 30 days it has sent people to the App Store and Google Play 146 million times via clicks from the news feed, timeline, bookmarks, and the App Center; thus this new ad unit is just another way in which it’s trying to help app developers increase downloads. Right now it’s testing the ad unit out with a “imited set” of beta partners, but is allowing those who are interested in participating in the program to apply to do so. Developers can design, launch, and monitor their mobile app ad campaigns through the App Dashboard.
Nielsen is partnering with ad management platform provider Digital Generation (DG) on a multiyear initiative “for the joint development of cross-platform offerings.” Under this agreement, DG will incorporate data and metrics from multiple Nielsen services, including Online Campaign Ratings and Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings metrics and national and local TV ratings, as well as campaign tracking data from KeepingTrac and Sigma, ad expenditure information from MonitorPlus, and online audience data from NetView, into its MediaMind campaign management platform. The goal is to offer clients a centralized analytics platform through which they can measure campaign performance and audiences across TV and online, and then put that information to use by optimizing multiscreen ad campaigns through the MediaMind platform.
The New York Times is in talks to sell the About Group, which operates About.com, to Answers.com for approximately $270 million, according to All Things D. The news media company originally bought the website for $410 million in 2005. After the report, The Times released a statement confirming it’s negotiating the “potential sale” of the About Group. “No definitive agreement has been reached. The negotiations are ongoing and there can be no assurances that an agreement will be reached or that a transaction will be completed,” the statement continued. The company did not comment on if it was negotiating specifically with Answers.com.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CABLEFAX
The Super Election: Profiting from Political Advertising in 2012
Wednesday * August 22, 2012 * 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET
The 2012 Presidential race will be the most expensive election with HUGE earnings in the 2nd half of 2012.
Discover how you can profit from it! Presented by:
Rich Ambrose, Vice President Political Media, Time Warner Cable
Brian Davis, VP, National Sales at Cox Media
Dan Sinagoga, VP, Political Sales, Comcast
Register Now.
The global smartphone race continues to be a two-horse race, according to Q2 data from IDC. Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS powered 85% of all smartphones shipped in Q2 2012, with Android sliding in at the top with a 68.1% market share of all smartphones shipped during the quarter, and iOS coming in second at 16.9%. Google has Samsung to thank for its commanding lead; Samsung accounted for 44% of all Android smartphones shipped in Q2 2012, which was more than the next seven Android vendors combined. Android’s year-over-year growth rate in shipments was 106.5% (from 50.8 million units shipped in Q2 2011 to 104.8 million), and iOS’ rate was 27.5% (from 20.4 million units to 26 million units). However, IDC notes that there were more iPhones shipped in the second quarter than smartphones from all of the platforms behind iOS combined. In addition, the iPhone 4S was released last fall and anticipation has been growing for the next model, which should be available this fall. IDC’s global numbers cover branded and unbranded phones, but exclude OEM sales for all vendors.
eMarketer estimates that by the end of 2012, almost 82 million US mobile users will log on to a social networking site on their phone on at least a monthly basis. If so, that would be over a quarter of the total US population. 95.5% of those 82 million mobile users will visit social sites using a smartphone. Looking ahead, eMarketer says the number of monthly mobile visitors will continue to grow, to 99 million by the end of 2013 and 116.8 million by the end of 2014. For all its troubles, Facebook will continue to be the king; eMarketer says 70 million people will visit Facebook from their phones each month this year, which is 85.4% of the overall mobile social networking population. That percentage will rise to 87.4% by 2014.
There’s equal interest in accessing Olympic content in some way on mobile devices among consumers in the US and the UK, according to a recent survey from mobile ad network Mojiva and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). 73% of US respondents and 76% of UK respondents said they would use a mobile device to follow their country’s teams during the Olympics. In addition, 22% of both US and UK respondents said they plan to stream the games live on their mobile devices, and roughly 50% indicated they would use their mobile device for Olympic-related activities while watching live events on the television. When it comes to mobile advertising, US respondents are more inclined to interact with mobile ads featuring an athlete they like than their UK counterparts (18% versus 6%). However, UK respondents are more likely than those in the US to respond to mobile ads from official Olympic sponsors (13% versus 8%), and ads featuring a sport they like (36% versus 22%).
More news from Facebook regarding app developers: The social network is now allowing Facebook app developers to sell subscriptions, something which it first announced in June that it would do. This feature allows developers to set prices based on local currency, including the US dollar, Japanese yen, and British pound, as well as offer different types of subscriptions, including the ability to offer a free trial of varying lengths.
Ad tech company Media6Degrees (m6d) has hired Avani Modi to be its new Director/Marketing. In her new role, Modi will develop and executive marketing plans with the company’s CMO, Elizabeth Hellman. Media6Degrees has also brought in Nadine Watson to be its new Director/Sales, Southeast. Watson, who comes from Digg, will manage and develop existing and new client relationships in the Southeast region. Modi is based in the company’s NY headquarters while Watson will be in Florida.
ABI Research has opened a new UK-based “research and forecasting” facility in Wellingborough. “The opening of this office demonstrates our continued focus on supporting our important and growing European subscriber base. It is also a clear indication that we intend to further pursue research at the leading edge of technology markets where localized talent is key to understanding innovation that can spring from any global region,” said ABI’s CEO and President, Tim Archdeacon, in a statement.
Brian W. Brady has joined the Board of Directors at social media sponsorship company IZEA. He is the Founder and CEO of Northwest Broadcasting.
Tom Blakeson will be joining Remedy Productions in the role of Chief Creative Officer, beginning in September 2012. Alongside being tasked with leading Remedy’s development into interactive game show formats, the production company says Blakeson will also play an integral role in its evolution into the digital entertainment space. He will report to Juliet Borges, Joint MD of Remedy Productions.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
8:00-10:00am | The Harvard Club, NYC The following Sports Luminaries will also be honored at the event:
David Hill [FOX Sports Media Group]
Mike McCarley [Golf Channel]
Larry Scott [PAC-12]
Preview the list of finalists for this SOLD OUT event: http://www.cynopsis.com/events/sports-awards/
Look for a special edition this evening recapping the winners!
The Producers Guild of America wants to give a shout-out to those producing and creating digital content through a new initiative and gala awards event for later this year. Digital VIP will honor nine “Visionaries, Innovators, and Producers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of digital entertainment and storytelling during this past year.” Those are the actual category names by the way. The initiative will award three Visionaries, “who have brought forth new ideas about the creative application of technology to advance storytelling across all media”; three Innovators, “who have developed new methods or technology that enables the production of storytelling”; and three Producers, “who have created content whose reach, execution, and influence has advanced the audience experience.” The winners will be featured as part of a speaker series at Soho House in Los Angeles from November 2012 to June 2013. Membership in the Producers Guild is not required to be eligible to receive any of these awards. The Producers Guild is accepting nominations until 8pm ET on September 4.
Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Associate Editor for Cynopsis Digital
08.09.12
Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Media Entertainment
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group
Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP Sales & Marketing | 203-218-6480
Classifieds Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations & Content | 888-702-3858
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JOB OPENING: Established NYC prod co is expanding its reality development dept. Seek several DEV EXECS with rolodex, proven track record selling shows, finding characters and writing. [email protected] (8/16)
JOB OPENING: VP, PROGRAM STRATEGY/Viacom. 10+ yrs exp. in TV prog/sched; Min 2 yrs @ Sr. Dir level and above; Min 5 yrs exp managing a team. Prog research bckgd desired. B.A req. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.viacomcareers.com (8/16)
JOB OPENING: Hd BUS AFFAIRS/NY: Solid BA bkgrd in TV and Digital Prod. Draft, negotiate, review agreements. Standards & Practices/copyright. JD+3yrs industry exp, network & cable. Resume/credits to [email protected] (8/16)
JOB OPENING: VP/DIR, DISTRIBUTION/JIM HENSON CO/LA: Oversee sales TV, DVD & dig platforms for current & catalog series for Western Europe. [email protected] (8/16)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE FCPX EDITOR/Uncommon Content/NYC: Experienced and creative FCP X editor with background in creative services, promo and short-form. Please send resume and link to reel to: [email protected] (8/16)
JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC/OUTDOOR CHANNEL/CHICAGO: Dvlp, sell, implmt on-air/online media plns; new biz, mng accts, meet sls gls; 5 yrs media sls ind exp, 4yr deg reqd. Apply @ outdoorchannel.com/employment; EEO/M/F/D/V (8/16)
JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER/Pac-12/SF: Resp for producing creative content for on/off-air marketing platforms incl promos, szle clips, launch campngs, shoot scripts, image campngs http://hire.jobvite.com/j/?aj=oBbBWfw3&s=General (8/15)
JOB OPENING: DIR, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS, MKTG RSRCH/GSN/LA: primary rsrch leader, aud engagement specialist, multi-platform expe, Nielsen sys knwldg, mktg or agency background a +; 5+ yrs.media exp; [email protected] (8/15)
JOB OPENING: DIR, RESEARCH/GSN/LA: Strong Nielsen system knwldg, responsible for tracking, forecasting and competitive analysis, all digital rsrch, multi-platform exp a +, ; 5+ yrs.media exp; Apply: [email protected] (8/15)
JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESEARCH/OUTDOOR CHANNEL/LA,CA: Head of resch funct; provd anlytcs; make recomndtns to top mgmt; degree & 7-10 yrs resch exp in TV ind reqd; apply at www.outdoorchannel.com/Employment EOE,M/F/D/V (8/15)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH MGR/CAFEMOM/NY: Res. studies for ad prgrms, update synd. res. reports, ad hoc reports for mgmt insight. 3+ yrs exp; exp w/comScore or Nielsen NetRating data; Excel, PPoint. More at www.cafemom.com/about/jobs.php (8/14)
JOB OPENING: SENIOR APS/NYC: Seek 2 SR APs for PBS/feature doc. 3+ yrs serious journalism exp. req’d. Strong booking, archive, investigative, research, driver’s license, and good story sense. Res/cov letter to [email protected] (8/14)
JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/WB Digital Media Sales/NY: Generate online sales plans under the dir. of VP, Sales and ADs. Creates research-based presentations for sales team to utilize in client/agency meetings. Apply here (8/13)
JOB OPENING: DIR, L&BA/A+E Networks/NY: Negotiate, draft and manage all stages of programming deals. 5+ yrs relevant industry exp. #135069 @ www.aenetworks.com/careers (8/13)
JOB OPENING: VP, COMMUNICATIONS/MTV/NYC: 10+ yrs exp in Corp Comms/PR or Media Relations; extensive exp. in media industry, particularly entertainment & music; B.A req. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.viacomcareers.com (8/13)
JOB OPENING: ACCT MGR/ONLINE SALES/PCH/NYC: Dev & maintain adv & sponsorship deals & build proposals & media plans req. exp 3+ yrs working w/online ad sale space email res to [email protected] (8/13)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PROGRAM PLANNING/NBCUniversal/BRAVO: Responsible for Program Planning and Scheduling for linear platform and program acquisitions. Strong Research background is a plus. www.nbcunicareers.com #6056BR (8/10)
JOB OPENING: SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER/BRAVO DIGITAL: 7+ yrs of experience in digital project management. Monitor project risk and define scope. PMP certification and a passion for pop culture is a plus. www.nbcunicareers.com #5495BR (8/10)
JOB OPENING: MKTG & RSRCH DIR/TVG/NYC: Ad sales resrch on prgm perfmce & ntwk hghlghts. Dvlp resrch concpts 4 promo mtrls. Kwldg of syndictn, natl ratings, sales prm & sftware. Media/entmt indstry req, BA/BS pref [email protected] (8/10)
JOB OPENING: TEMP ASSISTANT/CREATIVE SERVICES/Crown Media/ Studio City: Perform administrative duties and provides support for Executives and CS team… More info & apply: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/jobs (8/10)
JOB OPENING: EXEC PROD/History/NY: Create, develop & oversee quality Prgmng on the Net. Strong development & show runner skills. 5+ yrs prgmng exp in a media environment. Apply: www.aenetworks.com/career.html (8/10)
JOB OPENING: DIG RSRCH ANALYST/A+E NETWORKS/NY: Utilize synd resources (Nielsen Online, comScore) to address ad sales rsrch req’s; compile/analyze data for reports; 1-2 yrs dig media exp; More info/apply: www.aetvn.com/careers/html (8/10)
JOB OPENING: DIR, PROMOTION PLAN’G/HBO/NYC: dvlp on-channel promo plans optimizing promot’l inventory & freq across all linear channels & platforms. 7+yrs exp. TV/cbl ntwrk or agency mngng on-air/media plans http://bit.ly/QjwKSG (8/10)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/REELZ/Albuquerque: 1+ years Nielsen systems exp. Join one of the fastest growing networks and work directly with the head of programming research. Apply [email protected] (8/10)
JOB OPENING: Established NYC PROD CO is expanding its reality development dept. Seek several DEV EXECS with rolodex, proven track record selling shows, finding characters and writing. [email protected] (8/10)
INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].
FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: INTERNS/Pink Sneakers Productions/Orlando: A one-stop, all-inclusive prod co creating entertaining, high-quality prgrmng. [email protected] (8/15)
FALL INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT ONLY: FanBridge/NYC: Online fan marketing & management platform for music, sports, entertainment & brands seeks interns interested in biz dev/marketing/social media. [email protected] (8/16)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected].
SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCHER/EXEC ASST/LOS ANGELES AREA: 16+ yrs exp +key player in Primetime TV as researcher, proofreader, copy-editor, writer, exec asst. Exc. etiquette. [email protected] (8/16)
SITUATION WANTED: EXP’D SPORTS SPONSORSHIP AND MKTG PROFESSIONAL/(LA/SF): 3+ years of exp on the agency/team/client side in sales, client mngmnt & sponsorship roles. Strong analytical/project mngmnt skills. MBA. Email [email protected] (8/14)
SITUATION WANTED: CREATIVE LIFEGUARD: Advertising & promotion, writer/producer/director – on-air, presentation, Internet. Site: http://www.creativelifeguard.com Contact: [email protected] (310)849-8596 (8/14)
E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 888.702.3858 for rates and specs for Job Openings.
Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.
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