Cynopsis: DIGITAL
02/29/12

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, February 29, 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.

A patent battle might be brewing between Yahoo! and Facebook. Yahoo! is alleging that Facebook is infringing upon 10-20 of its patents that cover technologies relating to advertising, the personalization of websites, social networking and messaging, according to the New York Times. If a settlement isn’t reached, the company might sue the social giant. According to the report, the two companies spoke on Monday to discuss the issue. In a statement, Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt, said “Yahoo! contacted us the same time they called the New York Times and so we haven’t had the opportunity to fully evaluate the claims.” Facebook is currently in its quiet period in the lead-up to its IPO. In a similar patent fight prior to Google’s IPO in 2004, Yahoo! acquired 2.7 million shares from the web giant.

Apple has announced an event on March 7 in San Francisco, which according to all indications will be the introduction of the iPad 3.

Adobe has unveiled an integrated video technology platform, codenamed Project Primetime, to enable “smooth, TV-like experiences” for ad-supported videos across all connected devices and platforms, which include iOS, Android, desktop operating systems and connected TVs. Primetime creates a single, end-to-end workflow solution that pulls together streaming, content protection, analytics and advertising (the last one through recently acquired Auditude’s video advertising platform), enabling content providers to deliver ad-supported live and on-demand viewing experiences on connected devices. The first phase of the project is the release of Primetime Highlights, which is available today (but currently, only for the iPad). It is a video publishing offering that integrates a web-based video clip editor with the Auditude ad platform. Adobe says other elements of the project will be rolled out throughout 2012.

Further looking for ways to drive physical sales of DVDs and Blu-rays, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. are tapping hard-drive manufacturers to build storage devices for movies and TV shows, reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek. This would enable consumers to watch purchased content on any device and offline. The other project that is part of this larger initiative is UltraViolet, the cloud-based digital locker that lets users watch content after purchasing a physical copy. The first products from SanDisk Corp. and Western Digital Corp., the manufacturers selected by the studios, will be available at some point this year.

BET.com has launched a companion website for RIP THE RUNWAY, a fashion show hosted by Selita Banks and Pooch Hall that will premiere on the network at on March 21 at 10pm ET. The site will feature video content, fashion style guides and photo flip books, as well as fashion tips from influential bloggers.

An upcoming Dateline NBC report on the owners and operators of day care centers in the U.S. will be complemented by a Google+ Hangout featuring host Chris Hansen and a panel of experts who will answer viewer questions about the investigative report. The Hangout will be on DatelineNBC.com and will also be streamed on the show’s Google+ page. The investigative report is set to air this Friday night. The Hansen-hosted Hangout will take place this coming Monday, March 5, at noon ET.

MindJolt, which is led by Myspace co-founder and former CEO Chris DeWolfe, will be changing its name to the Social Gaming Network (SGN), something the multiplatform game developer says more closely aligns with its new business focus and strategy. “The future of SGN is developing a great game… and monetizing it across multiple platforms,” said DeWolfe. SGN is behind several top games in the Apple App Store, including Fluff Friends Rescue, Jewels of the Amazon and Bubble Atlantis.

MediaMorph, a cloud-based service that tracks digital media and provides audience measurement and analytics across all platforms, has raised $8 million from Motorola Mobility and Smedvig Capital. MediaMorph’s client base includes Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Starz, HBO, Cablevision, Lionsgate and more. The start-up has raised $11 million to date.

Twitter’s Promoted Accounts and Promoted Tweets will be coming to mobile. Promoted Accounts, which show up in the “Who to Follow” section on the social network, have been integrated into Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android. In addition, in the coming weeks Twitter will begin to introduce Promoted Tweets in users’ timelines on its mobile apps. The offering will be the same as the one for the web; Promoted Tweets will pop up in timelines just like any other tweet and will be pushed down as it gets regularly updated. Initially, the company says a small number of users may see Promoted Tweets near the top of their timelines from brands they already follow.

Millennial Media is moving its self-service mobile ad platform, mMedia, out of private beta to a full release. Within the mobile solution, Millennial says advertisers and developers have access to a comprehensive dashboard that gives them full control over bids, creative, targeting and more, allowing them reach over 200 million global mobile users. The solution also features a hyper-local targeting service, in which advertisers can draw a virtual fence around their desired geographical area to deliver zone-based advertising.

Turn has updated its cloud-based Turn Media Platform to include real-time brand safety controls, contextual targeting and video ad optimization. The brand safety controls enable advertisers avoid placing ads next to content that does not align with their brand values. The new contextual targeting capabilities enable clients to create custom rules for buying inventory next to specific types of web content (e.g., Turn says travel advertisers might only want to place ads on web pages about warm weather). The new video ad optimization feature will let marketers adjust the price paid for in-stream or mobile video inventory based on specific performance goals.

SpotXchange has launched First Call, a new service that aims to help online publishers capitalize on premium video inventory demand via an exchange. Through the solution, publishers can set a minimum ask price in their online self-service tool at a level that they feel justifies placing ad requests to the SpotXchange marketplace first, before serving direct sold or ad network campaigns. SpotXchange then auctions the impression opportunity in real-time to advertisers competing through its video ad exchange. If no bids meet the publishers’ minimum price, the impression opportunity is automatically transferred to the publisher’s next buyer, offsetting any loss of revenue. SpotXchange says more than 20 publishers are already using First Call, including RealNetworks, which has seen a 168% increase in its CPMs on inventory sold on First Call.

AdoTube is capitalizing on parent company Exponential Interactive’s global presence in order to significantly expand internationally itself. The U.S.-based video advertising technology company has announced that it will be opening up five new offices in London, Toronto, Mumbai, Singapore and Dubai. In conjunction with the expansion, AdoTube has also unveiled a brand redesign that includes a new website, logo and aesthetic. The company says the expansion will allow it to help brands and advertisers meet the rising global demand for video head-on, delivering “highly engaging and relevant campaigns in online video content” to a wider audience.

Digital agency 360i is partnering with social software firm Expion to develop an integrated earned and paid Facebook platform and services that will combine community management, advertising, social apps and advanced analytics to measure and improve brands’ marketing initiatives on the social network. As part of the partnership, 360i’s parent company Dentsu Network West has agreed to purchase a minority stake in Expion. 360i says that brands’ success in social “rests heavily on the keen understanding of the interplay between earned and paid media.” To that end, this partnership with Expion will enable the two companies to offer a more holistic management of a brand’s overall Facebook program. Aside from being able to align advertising with content strategy in order to create deeper audience engagement on Facebook, the partnership will also offer real-time community analytics to inform ad targeting and bidding strategies.

Consumers now expect to see TV programming online, rather than believing it to be a nice perk to have, according to Knowledge Networks’ annual “TV Web Connections” report, per MediaPost. David Tice, director of home technology monitor at Knowledge Networks (KN) and author of the report, tells MediaPost that the current dilemma facing TV programmers is very similar to what the newspaper industry recently went through; that is, offering free content in full online and watching it become something consumers expect to receive. Even though the print industry has begun introducing pay-walls to build some revenue out of their online content, Tice can”t yet judge if it is proving to be a successful effort or not; a lesson Tice feels online TV content providers should keep in mind. The report also affirms the strong demand from advertisers for TV programmers’ digital ad inventories. While KN does not find a prevalence of “cord-cutting” just yet, Tice does acknowledge that connected devices are increasingly becoming portals through which consumers access television content; the laptop/personal computer remaining the chief one among them. And finally, the biggest developing trend is social sharing. “Over half the people used it, and said it increased their involvement with the program,” said Tice to MediaPost.

comScore‘s 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report, which examines the mobile and connected device landscape, finds that nearly 42% of all U.S. mobile users now use smartphones, along with 44% of mobile users across the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Span and the U.K.). As a result, mobile media use, which comScore defined as browsing the mobile web, accessing apps or downloading content, experienced increased growth, surpassing the 50% mark in many markets. “As the industry continues to innovate and more consumers look to multiple devices and platforms to consume digital media, we expect the mobile and connected device landscape to be shaken up even further in 2012,” said Mark Donovan, SVP of mobile at comScore. In addition, Donovan said that advertisers and publishers have an opportunity to better engage target audiences as “mobile channels present a more personal, social and ubiquitous experience to consumers.”

The just-finished awards season brought in record numbers for E! Online when compared to 2011, with web traffic increasing by 11% in terms of uniques; 23% in page views; and 22% in video views. Across online and mobile, but excluding apps, E! Online generated 156 million page views for the three days surrounding the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Grammys, of which 118 million happened online and 38 million on the mobile web. The website also generated nearly 40 million total on-site and off-site video views during those core red carpet days.

The digital media division of Breakthrough Entertainment has announced that it has started production on Picnicface Playground, an interactive iOS app that will give users the chance to cast themselves in a series of sketches from the popular Picnicface comedy troupe, which has a television series that currently airs on The Comedy Network in Canada. Users can upload an image of themselves or their friends, and will have access to a variety of environments, costumes, props, abilities, SFX and voice-overs (some free, some via in-app purchases) to generate sketches and then share them on Facebook and Twitter. The app will target the same demographic as the show’s audience (18-25 year olds) and is slated to be released in August 2012 in the Apple App Store.

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I have what can be best described as a love/hate relationship with food websites. On one hand, they are absolutely wonderful. The best sites offer you great recommendations and content on what you should be checking out, especially when you live in a cornucopia of eateries like New York. On the other, they always, without variance, make me really hungry. If you suffer from a similar affliction, take a look at Find. Eat. Drink. It’s a website from former Food Network host and VH1 VJ Robin Dorian that is designed for people who want to explore the wining and dining establishments in a city in which they are visiting (or residing). The site curates recommendations from top chefs, sommeliers, bartenders and other food experts, who share their favorite places to eat, drink and food shop. It also publishes Q&A’s with top culinary professionals and offers downloadable travel guides, with each covering one of 44 cities from across the globe. Happy eating, everybody (and don’t worry about me; as I write this, it’s almost dinner time).

Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Associate Reporter for Cynopsis Digital
02.29.12

Cynopsis Ad Sales:
Mike Farina – VP/Sales and Marketing – 203-218-6480 / [email protected]
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-381-9096 / [email protected]

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Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here .

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JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST SPORTS/Univision NY: Research support for Univision Deportes. 1+ years Nielsen exp. Resume to [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: SR. RESEARCH ANALYST SPORTS/Univision NY: Research support for Univision Deportes. Nielsen exp a must, advanced systems (NPower). Resume to [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: DIR SPORTS RESEARCH/Univision NY: Manage research support of Univision Deportes. Nielsen exp a must. Report/analyze ratings, experience with estimates preferred. Resume to [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: MGR, DIGITAL MKT & BIZ DEV/Qubo/NY: Develop and Support Digital Business Activities, including online, social media & internet. Exp in Kids media, a plus. Apply [email protected] EOE (3/7)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC COORD/CurrentTV/SF: Resp for assigning comml instr, editing bdcst logs & ensuring ad sales concerns are addressed during live prog. Min 1-3 yrs traffic exp. Knowledge of Orion preferred. [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: SALES OPS ASST TEMP/TV ONE/NY: Copy & order entry, data validation entry; crspond w/clnts. Attn detail MS Suite min 2 yrs office exp req’d. Brdway Sys; Ad Sales/Sales exp a+; Sal $22 per hr. Visit www.tvone.tv (3/7)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING ASST/TEMP/CABLEVISION MEDIA SALES/NYC: Min 2 yrs office exp. Microsoft office, Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, Adobe Suite. Assist dept in presentations. More info/apply at www.cablevision.jobs req id 16912BR (3/7)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AE’S/NY & CHICAGO: 3+ years industry ad sales exp in digital, agency & client contacts req, established properties, not a start up, trl and ent required, good benefits send resume to [email protected] (3/6)

JOB OPENING: VP, RESEARCH & MKTG SVCS/NYC: Lead qualitative & quantitative research/analysis; Sr-Level position; Proactive; 10+ yrs exp w/ primary research, test+control data & applied research; Resumes: www.lodgenet.com/careers (3/6)

JOB OPENING: SSE/SALES PLANNER/Current TV/LA: Seeking exp planner to oversee TV and digital sales plan creation for sales team. Target new biz, create presentations and manage developmental account list. [email protected] (3/6)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR ANALYST, OXYGEN NETWORKS, SALES RESEARCH/NBC Universal: Experience with Nielsen NetRatings and ComScore Media Metrics. Please apply at www.nbcunicareers.com Job#4413 (3/6)

JOB OPENING: VP MARKETING, DAILY CANDY/NBCU/NYC: 10+ yrs Mrktg exp. w/in Media/Direct/CRM, Strng Knwlg of DC brand, trends & digital marketplace, Strng Email Mrktg skills, Database Knwlge Apply: www.nbcunicareers.com Job# 4525BR (3/3)

JOB OPENING: DIR SALES DEV/MLS Digital Properties/NYC: Lead daily sales dvlpmnt efforts for MLS Dig Properties. 7+ yrs in integrated media envir with client & agency relationships @ sr levels. Exp mngng a team. [email protected] (3/2)

JOB OPENING: MGR PR/MLS Digital Properties/NYC: Mng daily relationships with our Digital Network Partners. 5-7 yrs in strt-up enviro with success in building a scalable bus. Hispanic mkt knwldg a +. [email protected] (3/2)

JOB OPENING: PROGRAMMING EXEC/The Hub/Burbank, CA: Temporary position. Hourly no benefits. scripted exp. Dev exp. Live action animation & game shows. Apply: www.hubworld.com (3/2)

JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST, ENT, ONLINE & SOC. MEDIA/Showtime Networks/NYC: Dvlp/implement media campaigns for ntwks orig prgrmng slate. Handle dig media outreach for publicity campaigns. 2+ yrs exp. More info/apply: www.sho.com/careers (3/2)

JOB OPENING: WEB DEVELOPER/BBC America/NYC: Conceptualize, build, and maintain projects focusing on show support for BBC America programming. 3+ yrs exp w/ PHP, WordPress, MySQL, and HTML/CSS. Rez to [email protected] (3/2)

JOB OPENING: LEAD DIGITAL PRODUCER/BBC America/NYC: Lead Digital Prod team on BBC America’s digital platforms. 5+ yrs exp w/web prod & editorial. Deep knowledge of digital best practices. Exp w/ WordPress. [email protected] (3/2)

JOB OPENING: DIR CORP COMM/BBC WORLDWIDE/NYC: Effective director needed for high impact internal/external corp and divisional press/PR campaigns. 7+ yrs exp. in Comm/PR/trade publicity w/ a media company. Rez: [email protected] (3/2)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH MANAGER/NBC Universal/Sprout/Philadelphia, PA: Experience with competitive digital research measurement tools such as comScore and/or Nielsen NetRatings is a must. Apply at www.nbcunicareers.com Job#4530 (3/2)

JOB OPENING: SR. AE/NIELSEN/NY: New bus dev & sales focus w/digital pb ind. 5-7 yrs exp sales & resrch. Tv/agncy/res suplr exp pref’d.Appl to https://nielsen.taleo.net/careersection/3/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1200585 (3/1)

JOB OPENING: SR. BUYER LOCAL TV/Radio Active Int’l in Pearl River, NY (15 miles from NYC): Min 4 – 5 yrs exp. in negotiating and buying local TV/Radio req’d. On location req. [email protected] call 845-732-8943 (3/1)

JOB OPENING: MGR, BRAND INSIGHTS/A+E Networks/NY: Focus on brand rsch, provide ratings analysis/support prog & mktg divisions. 3-5 yrs TV rsch. Nielsen/MRI/Simmons req’d. More info & apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html, #121084 (3/1)

JOB OPENING: PROMO SVC REP/Fox Ad Sales/NY: Mng sponsors’ off-air mktg activity, incl in-store POS materials & consmr promos. 2+ yrs promo/mtkg sppt exp in adv, entmt, or evt plnng. More info/apply: www.foxcareers.com FNG0000952 (3/1)

JOB OPENING:  EXEC ASST (FREELANCE)/NY: Support to the SVP, Dev & Prog (Unscripted), Lifetime Networks managing day-to-day admin responsibilities https://secure.sterlingdirect.com/jobboard/Default.aspx?JOBBOARDID=618&JobDetail=122825 (3/1)

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].

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PR INTERN/ILLUME PR/LA: Gain experience in digital media, gaming & tech PR by assisting agency on projects. Should be interested in tech & social media w/ strong writing skills. Send resume: [email protected] (3/2)

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: Jeanne Intile Burns, VOICE-OVER ARTIST/VOICE COACH, Cell: 845-721-9681, E-Mail: [email protected], Web Links: www.castingnetworks.com/jburns, http://jburns.voices.com, www.allegro-music.com (“American Biographies”) (3/7)

SITUATION WANTED: Multi Camera Remote/CAMERA OPERATOR: Experience with, Basketball, Football, Racing, Sports etc… I can Travel to VA, MD, DC, NC, DE, KY, NJ, NY, TN, WV, Contact [email protected] (3/7)

SITUATION WANTED: DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER/LA BASED: Reality/Ent/Docs. Specializes in talent, tape, paper and packaging, agency and network savvy, runs on Batteries. [email protected] (3/6)

SITUATION WANTED: Dedicated & Experienced ADV. SALES PLANNER/NYC: Sales proposals, resolving client discrepancies, quarterly post analysis, special sales service projects, expert computer skills. Contact- [email protected] (3/6)

SITUATION WANTED: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: position film/TV (NY) 10 years experience: Interned for a President, Executive Assistant to SVP/VP/film director/celebrity [email protected] (3/3)

SITUATION WANTED: SALES ASSISTANT/(CHI): Interned at Comcast SportsNet in Ad Sales, Works as Sales Assistant at NBCUniversal. Has B.A. from DePaul in PR/Advertising. Resume upon request. Contact [email protected] (3/3)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203.381.9096 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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