Cynopsis: DIGITAL

06/03/10

Good morning, it’s Thursday, June 3, 2010, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.  If you would like to read this or any other Cynopsis edition online, click here.

We’ve got good news and bad news: The bad is that there will be no more all-you-can-consume 3G data plan for new iPhone or iPad customers, which is a bummer for power users who like to watch videos or stream media on the devices. (Existing $30/month customers will apparently be grandfathered in.) From now on it’s a metered system: the DataPlus plan gets you 200 MB of data for $15/month with additional 200 MB portions of data running another $15, while the DataPro plan delivers 2 GB of data for $25/month with each additional GB costing $10. As a concession to the FCC, customers who near their cap for the month will be sent a text message notifying them when they reach their limit. The good news is that AT&T is finally introducing a new tethering plan for an additional $20/month to allow iPhone users utilize their handset to share internet connectivity to another device such as a laptop. The new plans will go into effect on June 7 with the tethering option launching for the new iPhone OS 4 in July.
 

 
After outsourcing its fantasy platform to CBSSports.com, NFL.com is getting serious about attracting Fantasy Football fans, rolling out a new in-house fantasy portal that leverages video highlights of individual players. Highlights of all significant fantasy scoring plays will be integrated into the platform as the season progresses, along with hours of pregame video analysis to help fantasy players set their line ups. And for the first time this year, player projections will be tied to Madden NFL from EA Sports, which fluctuate each week. NFL.com’s fantasy game also syncs to GSIS, the NFL’s official Game Statistics and Information System, for live scoring and postgame corrections as soon as they become official.
 
MSN is launching a new comedy site dubbed “theBubble” featuring a novel user interface that organizes video into “bubbles” based on related content.  MSN partnered with Grind Networks to create the interface, which will highlight comedy clips from third party sites and present them alongside MSN original programming.
 

 
Taking a cue from Microsoft’s visually arresting Bing search engine, Google is now allowing users to customize the look of Google.com by choosing photos from their own Picasa Web Album or publicly posted Picasa images to spruce up the background of the page.
 
Surreal social web application ChatRoulette, the video chat app created by 17-year-old Moscow student Andrey Ternovskiy that pairs you up with random webcam users from around the world, will be honored with the Webby Breakout of the Year Award at the 14th Annual Webby Awards in New York on June 14.
 
The WGA, East (WGAE) has signed 23 new digital media signatories to new contracts so far this year, more than doubling the number of digital signatories signed thus far.
 

Mobile video ad network Transpera introduced a new network promising better engagement. The new “Audience Network” offers advertisers a variety of placement options and interactive experiences including pre-roll videos that appear before content or as interstitials within a mobile app. The company also announced a new $9 million series C round of funding led by BlackBerry Partners Fund with participation from existing investors Flybridge Capital Partners, First Round Capital, Intel Capital and Labrador Ventures. The company plans to use part of the funds to increase its mobile video focused ad-sales and publisher acquisition force. 

Video search engine MeFeedia is introducing an HTML5 Video analytics suite as a free offering- enabling video publishers to track performance metrics for HTML5 video views across the web, mobile and broadband-connected TV platforms. The offering is broken up into sections – Summary, Recent, Popular, Devices, Videos and Channels – and can be sorted by the web address for easy navigation between publishing outlets. The software is available as part of MeFeedia’s patent pending All Player video advertising platform.
 
ScanScout was the biggest gainer in video advertising for April according to ComScore, rising four spots to number two with a total potential reach of 80.7 million viewers (45.4% penetration). Tremor Media ranked as the top video ad network with a potential reach of 92.6 million viewers, or 52.1% of the total video viewing audience.
 
Top U.S. Online Video Ad Networks by Potential Reach of Unique Viewers – April 2010
Property                                                   Unique Viewers (000)  Viewer Penetration
Tremor Media – Potential Reach                              92,601           52.1
ScanScout Network – Potential Reach                      80,723           45.4
Advertising.com Video Network – Potential Reach       78,390           44.1
YuMe Video Network – Potential Reach                     76,762           43.2
BBE – Potential Reach                                           69,770           39.2
Adconion Video Network – Potential Reach                67,688           38.1
Break Media Network – Potential Reach                     67,391           37.9
SpotXchange Video Ad Network – Potential Reach      67,310           37.8
TidalTV – Potential Reach                                      65,698           36.9
BrightRoll Video Network – Potential Reach                59,229           33.3
Source: ComScore Video Metrix
 

 
Apple CEO Steve Jobs touched on range of issues during his appearance at the Wall St. Journal’s All Things Digital conference on Tues. evening. Jobs

• said the idea for the iPhone’s multi-touch display was actually born in the early 2000s when working on a tablet device (a shelved project that later became the iPad)
• defended the working conditions at Taiwanese contractor Foxconn, where there’s been a spate of suicides among workers
• hinted that there “might be an advantage” at having more than one iPhone carrier in the U.S.
• explained why Apple TV is just a hobby by outlining the inherent problem’s with an OTT device’s “go to market” strategy; “The only way that’s ever going to change is to go back to square one and tear up the set top box and redesign it with a consistent UI across all these different functions and get it to the consumer in a way they’re willing to pay for it and right now there’s no way to do that,” he said.

 
Jobs’ least favorite technology company Adobe unveiled a new digital viewer kit to help publishers adapt magazines to an interactive format tailored to the iPad and other mobile devices. The publishing platform debuted last week with the launch of Wired‘s $4.99 iPad app.
 

 
Social networking, news, banking apps and sporting info. proved to be the fastest growing content categories accessed via mobile apps from Feb.-April 2010, according to a new ComScore MobiLens report. Some 69.6 million mobile users accessed an application on their phone in April, an increase of 28% from the previous year. Yet more Americans still used their mobile web browser to access information; a total of 73 million mobile users did so in April, with social networking also leading in that category. 
 
Fastest-Growing Content Categories via Application Access
3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2009 – Total U.S. Age 13+
                                                                Total Audience (000)
Application Access Category              Apr-2009     Apr-2010    % Change
Total Audience: 13+ yrs old                   232,000      234,000         1
Used application (except native games)     54,414       69,639       28
Social Networking                                     4,270       14,518      240
News                                                        4,148        9,292      124
Sports Information                                     3,598        7,672      113
Bank Accounts                                           2,340        4,974      113
Weather                                                    8,557       18,063      111
Movie Information                                       3,296        6,359       93
Maps                                                         8,708       16,773       93
Online Retail                                               1,416        2,701       91
Photo or Video Sharing Service                     3,131        5,950       90
Search                                                       5,434       10,315       90
Source: comScore MobiLens
 

 
One problem with the 3-D television movement is that most glasses solutions are proprietary, meaning that they won’t work on other sets. (In other words, you can bring your Samsung glasses over your friend’s house to watch the game on their Panasonic 3D-TV and be SOL.) Independent manufacturer XpanD is launching a new $129 pair of standardized active shutter 3-D glasses in the U.S. that will work on any television or PC with 3-D.
 
Lifetime Marketing and Lifetime Digital have launched Pieces of You, a new social media app utilizing Facebook Connect to allow users to take on the qualities of the lead character of Drop Dead Diva. Jane (portrayed by Brooke Elliott) returns to Earth after dying and coming back to life with completely different traits and the app allows Facebook users to select featured qualities Jane possesses — including shoe collection, fashion sense, body, hair, singing voice, sense of humor, empathy, brain or beauty.
 

 
NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker is working on a deal to leave the network a few months after Comcast takes a controlling share of the company, according to the NYPost. The size of his golden parachute will be in the range of $30 to $40 million according the paper, citing “sources.” NBCU extended Mr. Zucker’s contract earlier this year through 2013.
 
Publicis Group’s chief digital executive David Kenny is leaving the company after a rejecting a proposed move from Boston to Paris, according to reports. David served as Managing Partner of VivaKi, Publicis’ digital unit which combined the assets of Starcom MediaVest, ZenithOptimedia, Digitas and Denuo, and was CEO of Digitas when the holding company acquired the agency. Jack Klues will take over his responsibilities at VivaKi as CEO. Meanwhile, Jean-Michel Etienne will join the company’s management board to replace Kenny on July 1.
 
Frances Berwick was promoted from GM to President, Bravo Media, effective immediately. She will continue to report Lauren Zalaznick, President, NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks.
 
Meredith Corp. named Dina Nathanson as VP/Human Resources for the Meredith National Media Group.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

 
While reality TV and competition show producers wait patiently for the Google TV platform to launch, 2 screen solutions continue to be the way to bring interactivity to the boob tube. Philo is a new app and web platform from reality TV producer Greg Goldman bringing social media functionality to the television with the use of an iPhone app. Kind of a Facebook meets Foursquare, Philo lets users “check in” to and comment on television content then interact with friends and other viewers, with the option of pushing out comments to Facebook or Twitter. Casual games are also available to convince users to stick around longer and earn points or unlock prizes. Undercover Boss producer Studio Lambert and Donald Trump Productions (The Apprentice) have both signed deals with Philo to develop cross-promotional programs around the system according to Goldman, who used to oversee reality programming and specials for ABC. (FYI – Philo is named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor whose contributions were crucial to the development of the television.)
 

Later – Wayne
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
[email protected]
06.03.10

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JOB OPENING:  AE/NAT’L SALES MGR/Cellit/CHI: 2 jobs in new biz dev for top tier Mobile Mktg co. 3+ yrs exp media sales/bi-lingual Span. pref for 1 spot. Adv prospecting skills, lead gen, mktg savvy & techy. Apply: [email protected]  (6/9)  

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PROD INTERNSHIP/CINEFLIX ENTERPRISES/NYC: US citizen enrolled in TV/media college prgrm. Good at generating & sourcing contacts & ideas. Great oppty to gain exp on pop fact ent TV series. Resume: [email protected] (6/5)

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SITUATION WANTED: Dedicated & Experienced ADV. SALES PLANNER (NY) Sales proposals, resolving client discrepancies, quarterly post analysis, special sales service projects, expert computer skills. Contact- [email protected] (6/9)  

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SITUATION WANTED:  ASSOC ON-AIR/WEB PROD IN NY: – 5+ yrs exp in TV & Web Prod/Dev @ HBO/Scholastic Online. Infectiously proactive, inventive, & a pleasure to work with. Seeking greater challenges FT/ Temp-to-Perm. [email protected] (6/9)

SITUATION WANTED: CREATIVE DIRECTOR (NYC):Concept, development & implementation. Portfolio: www.baerdavis.com Email: [email protected] (6/5)

SITUATION WANTED: ACCOUNTING/FINANCE:  20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting &Cable.  Seeking FT/PT or Temp-to-Perm position:   [email protected] (6/4)

SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIR/SALES STRATEGIST – 20+ yrs media, Nielsen, Hisp, research, sales, and presentation experience. Email: [email protected] (6/4)

SITUATION WANTED: ASSOC ON-AIR/WEB PROD: 5+ yrs experience in TV & Web Prod/Dev @ HBO/Scholastic Online. Extremely proactive, focused, pleasure to work with. Seeking greater challenges FT/ Temp-to-Perm. [email protected] (6/4)

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