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Monday, 5/20/13
Recent Headlines Media news by sector GO TO: MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS TELEVISION & RADIO INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA ADVERTISING & MARKETING MEDIA COMPANIES MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS Tribune Acquisition Sought in Crowdfunding Effort Wichita Business A nonprofit group called the Other 98% has launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy Tribune, owner of the Los Angeles Times and other daily newspapers. The group said the move is designed to keep the papers "out of the hands of Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers." Hearst Launches Sales Division for Global Media Adweek With the launch of a new division, Totally Global Media, Hearst hopes to bring efficiency to ad buying and production, at least on the digital side. TGM will give brands a way to advertise across all Hearst magazine digital brands worldwide, as well as licensees and related companies. Time Inc: No Clear Front-Runner for CEO Position New York Post Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is nearing the home stretch in his search for a successor to Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang. And with little more than a month to go, no clear front-runner has emerged. "It's not like there are 10 people lining up outside his office waiting to get the job." Conde Nastie Jumps to Audio Content Syndicator Adweek Former Time Inc. CRO Paul Caine isn't wasting time raiding media companies as he bolsters his staff at Dial Global, the audio content syndicator he joined as CEO in March. In his first major hire, he tapped Conde Nast veteran Christina Albee as chief marketing officer. Bloomberg Faces More Questions from Customers USA Today Bloomberg LP is facing more questions from banks and regulators who want detailed information on its breach of customer data. JPMorgan is asking for data going back to 2008 and wants logs of all Bloomberg staff and a description of their roles and what they were checking. Financial Times Website, Twitter Account Hacked Reuters The website of the Financial Times was hacked on Friday, apparently by the "Syrian Electronic Army," a group of hackers and online activists who say they support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Stories on the FT site and messages on the newspaper's Twitter feed were replaced. News Corp Publishing Spin-Off Names Executive VP Broadcasting & Cable Antoinette Cook Bush has been named EVP and global head of government affairs for the new News Corp., the publishing portion of News Corp. following its bifurcation into two independent companies. She will report to Robert Thomson, CEO of the new News Corp. Tribune Newspapers Said to Lure 40 Possible Suitors Chicago Tribune Seeking to reduce the "noise" over the possible sale of its newspapers, Tribune CEO Peter Liguori has sent an email to employees calling speculation about a transaction premature. "A sale transaction is only one of our possible strategic options, and there are many others." McClatchy Digital Subscription Program Sees Results Sacramento Business The digital subscription initiative that McClatchy rolled out last year is exceeding expectations, CEO Pat Talamantes told shareholders at the company's annual meeting. "The Plus Program is on pace to generate approximately $25 million in new revenues this year." >> MORE TELEVISION & RADIO NBC to Air Reruns on Amazon Prime Video Service AllThingsD Amazon is boosting its web video catalog in a new deal for reruns of several shows from NBC and other channels owned by Comcast. Amazon's Prime Instant Video customers will get exclusive access to programs including "Grimm," "Suits" and "Hannibal." ABC's Revived Online Soaps Cut Release Schedule Reuters New episodes of relaunched soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" will now appear online two times a week, rather than four, said producer Prospect Park. Many fans have been viewing several installments at once, and viewers had trouble "keeping up." CBS Sees Advertising About-Face on DVR Viewers Bloomberg Les Moonves said advertisers are having a change of heart about the value of viewers who record shows and watch them later. About a fifth of CBS's ad commitments this year will target viewers who watch shows as many as seven days after the broadcast, the CEO said. ESPN Nabs Rights to U.S. Open Tennis from CBS Bloomberg ESPN has reached an agreement for exclusive rights to the U.S. Open, wresting the tennis tournament's finals away from CBS after 47 years. The cable sports network's 11-year-deal with the U.S. Tennis Association begins in 2015. The deal is said to be worth $770 million. CW, TMZ Teaming Up for 'Famous' Reality Show WWD The CW plans to air a new reality show called "Famous in 12," which will give one family 12 weeks to become famous. Tasked with challenges "to create a public profile fit for a Kardashian," the family will be shepherded by TMZ chief Harvey Levin and his crew at the celebrity news site. CBS Master Showman Moonves on Top of the World USA Today CBS CEO Les Moonves said the television industry faces challenges as the way people watch TV changes. "The biggest challenge is getting used to all the different devices." While CBS remains the No. 1 network, "this wasn't broadcast TV's greatest year in terms of new product." TBS, TNT Cable Channels to Begin Streaming Online Bloomberg Time Warner's TBS and TNT channels will begin streaming their content online 24 hours a day this summer, letting pay-TV subscribers watch the networks using the web or a mobile-device app. The channels are making the move as part of an industry shift toward "TV everywhere." USA Network Draws Battle Line with Twitter, Facebook Wall Street Journal Comcast's USA Network will unveil a rebuilt web and mobile platform that will bring more of the real-time conversation about its shows happening on Twitter, Facebook and other social media onto its own site. The cable network plans to sell ads to run alongside the content. Warner Bros Studio to Realign TV, Digital Operations Dow Jones Warner Bros. said it is realigning its television business and digital operations, as the studio, under new CEO Kevin Tsujihara, seeks to adapt to a shift in the way people seek entertainment. The changes will give new responsibilities to three of the company's top execs. >> MORE INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA Yahoo Approves $1.1 Billion Acquisition of Tumblr AllThingsD The board of Yahoo has approved a massive deal to pay $1.1 billion in cash to acquire Tumblr. The deal was said to be a unanimous vote by the Internet giant. Despite reports, there were no other competing bids to snap up the New York-based hipster blogging service. Internet Week New York to Gather Tech Celebrities Daily News Famous names in the tech world will descend upon lower Manhattan to "geek out" during Internet Week New York, the annual festival kicking off Monday. BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti and Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker will mix with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Frank Ocean. Survey: Young People Prefer to Read on a Screen BBC News Young people are now much more likely to prefer to read on a computer screen rather than a printed book or magazine, according to a survey by the U.K. National Literary Trust. "Not only are young people more likely to read on electronic devices, they also do it more often." Facebook 'Fatigue' Stirs Concern Among Investors Financial Times As Facebook marks its first year as a public company on Saturday, it is facing pressure from investors to address fears that young people are losing interest in the social network. Many investors believe that under-25s are defecting to services like Twitter and WhatsApp. Google Glass Targeted by Congress Over Privacy Wall Street Journal Members of Congress have asked Google to make assurances about privacy safeguards for the Google Glass wearable-computing device, which isn't yet for sale. The demands come as Google coaches developers on how to write programs for the new product. Yahoo in Talks to Acquire Tumblr in $1 Billion Deal Adweek Yahoo is said to be in serious talks with Tumblr to acquire the social blogging site. The deal is not done, but could reach as high as $1 billion. Such an acquisition could be just what CEO Marissa Mayer has been looking for to turn around Yahoo's momentum. Apple App Store Surpasses 50 Billion Downloads Associated Press Apple said its customers have downloaded some 50 billon applications from its App Store since its launch in 2008. The App Store had 500 apps when it first opened. It now has more than 850,000. Apps range from newspapers and magazines to games and business tools. YouTube: Judge Denies Copyright Class Action Hollywood Reporter In a nearly six-year-old dispute, a U.S. judge won't allow a large number of copyright owners to pursue YouTube in a massive class action. The lawsuit was brought by a group of plaintiffs including U.K.'s professional soccer league and the National Music Publishers Association. Groupon Founder Plans Launch of New Company Chicago Tribune Groupon co-founder Andrew Mason is heading to San Francisco to work on launching a new company. The former CEO announced on his blog that he has "accumulated a backlog of ideas over the last several years" and will be turning his favorite one into a company this fall. Yahoo to Display Twitter Updates in Streaming News Bloomberg Marissa Mayer plans to start displaying posts from Twitter alongside other items featured in news feeds on Yahoo. U.S. users will see updates from the microblogging service on desktop and mobile versions of Yahoo's news service in the next few days, the CEO said on a blog post. >> MORE ADVERTISING & MARKETING Nielsen's Slow Shift to the Web Hinders TV Networks Bloomberg Broadcast and cable networks like CBS and Nickelodeon are failing to get paid for surging web audiences because those viewers are almost invisible to Nielsen. The dominant ratings measurement firm has been accused of being slow to count audiences on tablets and smartphones. TV Ad Sales Threatened by Fragmented Audience New York Post The rapid rise of time-shifted viewing — driven by DVRs, video-on-demand options and mobile devices — has decimated TV ratings in the first quarter and threatens to drag down the annual ad-sales season. Total primetime commercial ratings fell 8% across the board. Nielsen Gets Digital to Track Online TV Viewers Wall Street Journal Nielsen is testing a tool to measure online viewing of TV shows. TV networks are expected to use the tool to track viewership of programs on their own websites. The new technology is hoped to become the standard to measure viewing on sites like Hulu, YouTube, Yahoo and AOL. ZenithOptimedia: Online Video, Social Ads to Grow Financial Times Global advertising markets will grow 3.9% in 2013, according to the latest benchmark analysis from ZenithOptimedia. Internet advertising will remain the fastest-growing medium this year, propelled by rapid rises in online video and social media ads, the media buying agency said. WPP Chief Eyes Tech Deals Amid Media Change Beet.TV WPP is eyeing investments and acquisitions in technologies that power media buying, according to CEO Martin Sorrell. "We're not just 'Mad Men,' we're maths men as well," he said. "We're starting to get involved with the chief information officers and chief technology officers." Report: TV Regarded as Most Effective Ad Medium World Screen Television accounted for 62.8% of the total global advertising dollars taken in for 2012, according to Nielsen's quarterly Global AdView Pulse report. TV was again dominant, while spending on newspapers and magazines took a hit. Display Internet ads showed growth. Study: Public is Tired of 'Bad Ads' on the Internet BtoB A large number of U.S. Internet users are fed up with "irrelevant" ads and will ignore a company completely as a result, according to a study by marketing analytics firm InsightOne. Some 88% of U.S. Internet users said they have been "flooded" with online ad spam. Advertisers Embracing 'Brand Publishing' Trend Washington Post Dozens of companies, including Boeing, General Electric, Pepsi, American Express and Verizon Wireless, are becoming their own publishers, creating and distributing "content" — articles, videos, photos — that would be right at home in a traditional newspaper or magazine. Report: Digital Ad Revenue Climbs to $36 Billion Reuters Digital advertising revenue in the United States increased 15% to $36.6 billion hitting a record, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Advertisers turned mostly to search ads, the format that dominated almost half of total spending representing 46.3% at $16.9 billion. TV Ad Market Outlook Muted by Lower Ratings Wall Street Journal Broadcast-TV ratings have dropped sharply this season. And that, combined with the weak economy and competition from other media, augurs badly for the spring ad-sales market. Some analysts predict broadcast networks' take will be steady to slightly lower. WPP, Ford Apologize for Ads Showing Bondage CNBC Ford Motor and WPP, its advertising agency, have apologized for ads in India depicting women in bondage. One of the ads features scantily clad women gagged, bound and crammed into the back of the Ford Figo. The ads "should never have been created," said WPP. Advertisers Launching Branded Online Magazines ClickZ More and more marketers and ad agencies are launching their own online publications to directly compete with traditional magazines. Degree deodorant's The Adrenalist website offers content on the "coolest adventures, extreme sports, speed, gear and gadgets." Nielsen: Cord-Cutters Are 'Zero TV' Households LA Biz Nielsen is working hard to track the cord-cutters. The TV ratings service is calling them "zero TV" households, but it's a bit of a misnomer. While most of these households do own a TV, the set is not connected to a cable or satellite service but to the Internet. >> MORE MEDIA COMPANIES FCC Chief Reflects on 'New World' of the Internet USA Today Julius Genachowski's stewardship of the Federal Communications Commission ends Friday, after more than four years dealing with issues such as broadband and media consolidation. "One of the most important things the FCC can do is preserve the openness of the Internet." News Corp: Facebook Faces Same Fate as MySpace Telegraph Rupert Murdoch warns Facebook may suffer the same fate as MySpace as the social network marks the anniversary of its IPO. He tweeted: "Look out Facebook! Hours spent participating per member dropping seriously. First really bad sign as seen by crappy MySpace years ago." Sony, News Corp Hackers Are Sentenced to Prison Wired Four members of the LulzSec group, an offshoot of Anonymous, have been sentenced in London to between two and two-and-a-half years in prison for their roles in a series of high-profile hacks against Sony Pictures, News International, Electronic Arts and other targets in 2011. Viacom's 'Star Trek' to Put Summer in Warp Drive Bloomberg "Star Trek Into Darkness," the second installment in director J.J. Abrams's reboot of the science-fiction series, is forecast to take in $112 million in its debut, boosted by an early start in theaters this weekend. The Paramount Pictures film opened a day earlier than originally planned. Comcast Shareholders Meeting Attracts Protesters Philadelphia Inquirer About a dozen tea party activists gathered outside Comcast's annual shareholders meeting to protest the company's ownership of the liberal-leaning MSNBC. Inside, shareholders complained about show host Rev. Al Sharpton. "Conservatives can abandon your business." Time Warner, Hearst Unveil Apps for Google Glass CNET Google has unveiled several new apps — or "Glassware," as it calls them — for Google Glass, its wearable computing device. The apps include CNN, Elle magazine, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Evernote. They join apps already available from the New York Times and Path. CBS Master Showman Moonves on Top of the World USA Today CBS CEO Les Moonves said the television industry faces challenges as the way people watch TV changes. "The biggest challenge is getting used to all the different devices." While CBS remains the No. 1 network, "this wasn't broadcast TV's greatest year in terms of new product." MGM Stake Bought by Activist Investor Daniel Loeb Hollywood Reporter Activist investor Daniel Loeb, who last weekend sent Sony a letter urging a spinoff of its entertainment assets, has another Hollywood target — Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Loeb apparently has been acquiring shares on the private market in the closely held movie and TV company. Time Warner's 'Gatsby' Opens Cannes Film Festival Reuters The Cannes film festival opens Wednesday with Baz Luhrmann's lavish period drama "The Great Gatsby." Leonardo DiCaprio and co-star Carey Mulligan will walk the red carpet on the French Riviera to promote the Warner Bros.-backed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. News Corp: James Murdoch Sells $25 Million in Shares Bloomberg James Murdoch, deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. and son of chief Rupert Murdoch, has sold $25.1 million of nonvoting shares in the company, capitalizing on a 65% gain in the stock over the past year. The sale comes ahead of a proposed News Corp. split-up. Sony Entertainment Asset Spinoff Seen as Inevitable Billboard The idea of spinning out Sony's entertainment assets isn't a new one. It's been in the air at 550 Madison Avenue for several years. Despite CEO Kazuo Hirai's protestations, some sort of spinout is "inevitable," according to a former Sony senior management veteran. Big Media: Report Names Industry's Top Paid Execs Deadline Media CEOs don't run their companies by themselves — a tally of the best paid media chairs, COOs, CFOs, general counsels and other execs with standout compensation includes CBS/Viacom's Sumner Redstone, Comcast's Stephen Burke and News Corp.'s Roger Ailes. >> MORE |
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