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| TODAY'S COMMENTARY by Jack Myers Thursday, August 9th 2007 Cable News Upfront; Sean Finnegan Talks Digital; TED: The Future We Will Create Also check out: Magazine Industry to Redefine Sales Strategies at JackMyers.com. The Media Industry Buzz By Jack Myers Boom Upfront Market for Cable News The news Upfront market wraps up this week with robust volume and significant CPM gains across the board, according to CNN chief operating officer, Greg D'Alba and Fox News Channel SVP Sales Paul Rittenberg. Agency buyers were more active in integrating TV with online inventory, which D'Alba advises was especially valuable for attracting non-traditional categories such as consumer packaged goods, entertainment, home electronics, beer, apparel and cosmetics. "A lot of activity from diverse categories raised the tide of the Upfront, and at acceptable pricing levels," D'Alba commented. "This is the best Upfront we've seen." Fox News did not include Fox Business Network in Upfront deals, but Rittenberg says "the pending Dow Jones acquisition certainly helped us make our sales pitch to the highest levels at the clients." With an election year approaching, news networks and programming can anticipate an especially robust scatter market, with heavy demand already for third and fourth quarter inventory driving pricing to record levels, well above Upfront pricing. Several general entertainment cable networks that are finalizing last-minute Upfront deals say scatter pricing is starting at 30 percent above upfront levels. Some buyers, however, continue to question the reported strength of the marketplace, saying analyses of actual spending suggest a flat broadcast network Upfront and cable up in the low single digits. TV Planning Models Evolving to Online Standards, Says Omnicom's Sean Finnegan "Clients are increasingly clamoring for more accountability in both web marketing and in the TV space," says Sean Finnegan, CEO of the newly formed OMG Digital division of Omnicom Media Group. "In the past, the Internet has been measured by a different standard than TV. In the early days of Internet advertising," he recalls, "accountability was translated as the ability to engage a consumer and begin dialogue, and it has evolved to quantifying the relationship and its impact on the bottom line. This is where we are in web marketing and it's now becoming expected in the traditional media space." Finnegan, who has been actively engaged in online media since 1995, believes "we are more than half way to connecting the front end [advertising] to the back end [sales results]. We can behaviorally target and quantify revenues and marketing impact on the bottom line. It's a model we follow every day for online clients. As other media platforms migrate to digital, we see them being able to follow these models." Finnegan adds, "while we talk a lot about TV and see advancements in ITV, I also see audio platforms making strides through podcasts, streaming, and digital. We have the ability to take these platforms and plug them into our online processes." Finnegan says he is especially excited about "the emergence of independent broadband video networks delivering original and unique programming that can suit different niches and fulfill consumers' ability to choose their own schedule. The ability," he points out, "to deliver a deeper level of metrics offers a better formula for successful advertising." The digital lens, he explains, provides a deeper reliance on analytics based on behavioral insights, empowering agencies to operate in an increasingly nimble fashion. "We can go to market in an expedited manner acting on intelligence points. We can be more creative because we can effectively manage a highly fragmented marketplace, becoming more dynamic and relevant." Finnegan also believes the business is starting to capitalize on the web as a borderless marketplace. "Media partners, clients, and technology companies can operate regardless of geographic boundaries," he points out. "It's interesting to manage a truly global medium, not segmented by hardware or infrastructure. Through a single platform we can reach customers globally. It behooves both the agency and client to be structured to operate in a borderless economy. Agencies will be selected based on how effectively they can transfer ideas across borders, and use their experience to benefit clients that may have smaller budgets but can take advantage of global capabilities." Asked about the acquisitions of DoubleClick, 24/7 Real Media and Aquantive, Finnegan would not comment on pending Omnicom acquisitions but he suggested he "is not convinced that pouring hard earned capital into technology is the right way to go when you can license best of breed." He acknowledged, however, "we need to be wise about our own business management tools and ownership of data, and need to be all we can to provide value to our clients." Contact Sean Finnegan at sean.finnegan@omd.com The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED At our Lunch at Michael's in August 2005, actress Daphne Zuniga spoke passionately about the environment, mercury poisoning and women's self-image. I suggested she consider attending the next TED Conference, an annual pilgrimage for several hundred leaders in the technology, entertainment and design fields. Not only did Daphne join TED 2006, but she brought her own camera crew and with the support of TED curator Chris Anderson, filmed the four-day event. The resulting film (The Future We Will Create) is now available and offers, for the first time, a behind-the-scenes look at an event that political leaders (Bill Clinton, Al Gore), business leaders (Jeff Bezos, John Doerr, Andrea Wong, Beth Comstock, Larry Page and Sergey Brin), religious and self-help leaders (Tony Robbins, Rick Warren), entertainers, musicians, scientists, and exceptional people from a wide array of diverse fields have elevated to a uniquely global experience focused on innovation and improving world conditions. Zuniga self-funded the film's production with co-producer Steve Latham and received completion funding from NetFlix,, which is making the film available at its site, at Amazon.com and through TiVo3, and will soon be distributing to retail outlets. NetFlix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told Jack Myers Media Business Report "the film is enlightening and entertaining. It's not a documentary that has to be taken like medicine. There are very heady topics, but they're presented in a very entertaining way. Several speakers tug at your heartstrings and they all have something worthwhile to say. It's important to make the TED experience accessible to a broad audience and Daphne's passion for the project convinced Chris [Anderson] to give her full access." The Future We Will Create is much more than a behind-the-scenes look at the TED Conference, and more than a presentation of exceptional speakers. It surprisingly captures the gestalt of an event that attendees typically consider emotionally compelling, absorbing and valuable from multiple personal, social, cultural and business perspectives. Film viewers meet speakers whose passions can open completely new horizons in fields of interest we rarely touch. Dr. Ken Robinson, a leader in alternative education, touched everyone with "a slightly different way of looking at the world but a way that has a radical impact," shared Sarandos. "Hans Rosling in 18-minutes left everyone awestruck, and Daphne did a great job of capturing that same impact in just a couple minutes in the film." Two years before the iPhone, NYU professor Jeffrey Han introduced the first virtual keyboard, asking "why are we conforming to machines rather than machines conforming to us." "TED speakers live in the same universe as we do but they ask a different set of questions," suggests Sarandos. "That's where real change comes from." Sarandos believes the film will create opportunities for extending the TED experience through live webcasts, a possible TV channel, and future films. Sarandos says he is in talks with television networks about distribution. "Daphne did an amazing job," he adds. "She captured the overwhelming nature of the first time TED experience. The art was in how she balanced giving enough of the TED talks but not so much that they would get dry." For information, contact tsarandos@netlflix.com Like Design Star, Reality Shows Must Turn Out Successful Winners
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