Most Clicked CTAM SmartBrief Stories
1. Traditional TV "brands," TV Everywhere can co-exist, panel says
CTAM SmartBrief | May 22, 2012
The rise of TV Everywhere on-demand-style programming could force some TV "brands" to narrow their demographic focus, but it won't result in traditional TV channels disappearing completely, according to a panel at The Cable Show in Boston. "I don't believe brands go away. When you say I want to have this kind of emotion, you go to this brand. That being said, I don't know if all brands survive. Maybe they tighten a little bit. Instead of 18-34, it's 18-19," said Coleman Breland, chief operating officer of Turner Network Sales. Broadcasting & Cable (05/21)
2. Comcast plans expansion of Outside Television
CTAM SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
Comcast, starting in June, will introduce Outside Television in Chicago as part of a rollout that will cover 14 of the company's 16 regions by the end of the year. The network, which debuted about two years ago from Outside magazine and the former Resort Sports Network, will be shown on Xfinity TV's sports tier. Multichannel News (subscription required) (05/21)
3. Cable sees long-term potential in courting younger customers now
CTAM SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Cable providers are looking to build long-term customer relationships with millennials by creating programming geared toward their interests, expanding on-demand and TV Everywhere content and developing budget-conscious pricing plans that allow bills to be split among roommates. Millennials "are worth less now but [they] will ultimately become our best customers if we treat them right," said Peter Stern, chief strategy officer at Time Warner Cable. Wall Street Journal, The (05/22)
4. Cutting channels would boost industry, Time Warner Cable CEO says
CTAM SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
The cable industry and consumers would be better served if programmers dropped low-rated channels and focused on their more popular offerings, according to Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt. "There are a lot of general-interest networks that have lower viewership, and the industry would take cost out of the system if they shut those networks down and offered lower prices to consumers. The companies involved would make just as much money as they do now because of the costs," Britt said. Bloomberg Businessweek (05/23)
5. Comcast and Nielsen partner on rating system for device viewing
CTAM SmartBrief | May 22, 2012
Comcast sealed a deal for Nielsen to test a rating system for content viewed on mobile devices. The cable company hopes other operators will sign on, creating an industrywide system. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (05/21)
6. Comcast exec: Cable must keep innovating
CTAM SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Comcast and the cable industry have demonstrated the ability to compete through innovations such as high-speed data, home security services and TV Everywhere applications, and they will continue on this consumer-oriented track, according to Comcast Cable CEO Neil Smit. The key is to keep innovating, even if some initiatives don't take off, Smit said at CTAM's Executive Management at Harvard Business School luncheon at The Cable Show in Boston. "I'm really tough on execution," he said. "I don't like sloppiness. As long as the intent was there, and we went down the path and we [did] everything we could to make it happen and it failed; that's OK. That shouldn't stop us from continuing to lean into things." Multichannel News (05/22)
7. Time Warner Cable chief is not a fan of DISH's ad-skipping tool
CTAM SmartBrief | May 22, 2012
New York Times (tiered subscription model), The (05/21)
8. Cable upfront could hit $10 billion this year
CTAM SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
The cable upfront, reflecting the platform's stability as a programming vehicle and the consistency of the audiences for its shows, is starting to rival the more established broadcast upfront. The upfront total for cable's 60-plus networks this year could reach $10 billion and edge the total for the four biggest broadcast networks. "I think a lot of advertisers and buyers look to cable as the foundation on which to build their annual media plan. After all, something like 82% of the buyable ratings points in primetime are now cable ratings points," said Mel Berning, president of ad sales for A&E Networks. Variety (subscription required) (05/19)
9. Comcast plans usage-based system for broadband customers
CTAM SmartBrief | May 18, 2012
Comcast plans to end its 250-gigabyte limit on data for broadband subscribers in favor of a tiered system in which heavy users would pay more. The cable giant will test two pricing plans over the next few months, with one granting 300 GB of usage each month to Internet Essentials, Economy and Performance tiers, and bigger data limits for higher tiers, and the other trying out a 300 GB cap for all users. Under both scenarios, users who go over the caps would pay about $10 for each additional 50 GB of data. Variety (subscription required) (05/17) Wall Street Journal, The (05/17) Multichannel News (05/17)
10. Rentrak, MasterCard team up to compare viewing, purchasing data
CTAM SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Rentrak and MasterCard, under a new partnership, will provide consumer research that blends data on TV viewing habits with information on retail purchases. The data, which will be available to marketers, agencies, networks and local TV stations, will break down buying habits by categories, such as retail, telecommunications, grocery, entertainment, travel and quickservice restaurants. Broadcasting & Cable (05/23) MediaPost Communications (05/23)
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