Thursday’s Social TV Must-Reads (May 2)
Is YouTube the winner of the new TV? Google says it is and the company’s comments at the Digital Upfronts in New York are our top story in our daily mid-day roundup of Social TV news articles we think are must-reads.
Our top topics today:
- Tuesday and Wednesday TV Ratings
- Upfronts
- Company news (execs, earnings)
- Facebook, LinkedIn, Viacom, Time Warner
- Ad Market — Digital Ad Rev in 2012
- Sports — NCAA bans Hashtags on Football Fields
- Latin Market — UVideos top Univision at Upfront
Also, we have last night’s Social TV buzz, tonight’s TV recommendations and another report from the Digital Hollywood conference in Los Angeles.
Top Story
YouTube Says The Battle With TV Is Already Over
In a flashy presentation to advertisers Wednesday night, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt declined to forecast that Internet video will displace television watching. Instead he declared: “That’s already happened.”
YouTube to advertisers: You need us to attract a younger crowd
Google executives say the site is a key way to reach 18- to 34-year-olds, but it didn’t announce any major partnerships or revolutionary new programming during an event in New York.
Ratings
TV Ratings: FOX wins Wednesday despite ‘American Idol’ record low
Although ” American Idol” took a steep dip and hit its latest series low for a Wednesday performance episode, FOX still won the night in all key measures. It helped that, as is becoming a pretty regular thing this spring, nearly everything else was down as well, including series lows for ” Survivor,” ” Criminal Minds” and ” CSI.”
TV Ratings Tuesday: ‘The Voice’ Dips, ‘Grimm’ Rises, ‘NCIS’ Up, ‘New Girl’ Down, ‘NCIS: LA’ & ‘Dancing’ Hit Lows
Note: Overall television usage was down 4 percent from 8-10PM last night. NBC was the number one network in adults 18-49 while CBS was on top with total viewers. On NBC, a two hour episode of The Voice earned a season low 3.7 down 10 percent from last week’s 4.1 adults 18-49 rating.
Upfronts
Conde Nast Intros 30 Web Series, Promises to Pay to Promote Them
There are old media companies doing digital upfronts like CBS Interactive, NBC Digital and Univision. Then there’s old media that that still trades mostly in dead trees. Conde Nast, the publisher of high-gloss magazines from Vogue to GQ, joined the NewFront fray for the first time Wednesday with a presentation in New York on Wednesday, showing clips from a voluminous planned lineup of 30 new shows.
Reporter’s Notebook: TV’s Annual Upfront Circus
I went to the upfronts so you didn’t have to. I ate the BBQ sandwich at the Discovery Communications’ soiree (and fretted about having to work it off in the gym). I braved the crowds shrieking upon seeing their favorite E!
Company News
Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff On How The Company Will Use Its Technology To Attract Brand Advertisers
Vox Media has very quickly become a huge force in online media. The owner of websites like SB Nation and the Verge is seeking to create a whole new generation of premium properties online, as a way to attract big advertisers. One way it’s doing that is by extending its home-grown technology t..
Vevo’s Post-YouTube Strategies: Cable, Paid Subscription, Original Programming, More
The surprise exit of Vevo sales chief David Kohl, who had been there since 2009, is a big cause for concern among advertisers and music industry partners who worry about disruption to a business whose primary revenue source is advertising.)
Facebook beats analyst predictions with first quarter earnings, reports $1.46 billion in revenue
Facebook announced $1.46 billion in revenue Wednesday for the company’s first quarter of 2013, narrowly beating analyst estimates of $1.44 billion in revenue. The company saw first-quarter earnings of $0.12 per share excluding one-time charges, compared to analyst expectations of $0.13 per share.
LinkedIn Results Will Show Strong Growth Across The Board
LinkedIn ( LNKD) will announce its Q1 2013 earnings on May 2. We expect strong growth driven by international expansion and a higher number of users and recruiters signing up for premium services. Although the revenue growth will remain high, it may come down as compared to Q1 2012 due to a higher revenue base and pressure on monetization resulting from expansion in emerging markets.
Viacom Management Discusses Q2 2013 Results
Sumner M. Redstone - Founder and Executive Chairman
Welcome to Viacom’s Second Quarter Conference Call. Once again, our outstanding team delivered on its proven strategy to grow our business and drive value for shareholders. Today, Viacom’s brands are better than ever. Our creative operative is booming. We are making smart, sustainable use of exciting new distribution measures and technologies
Time Warner Management Discusses Q1 2013 Results – Earnings Call Transcript
Jeffrey L. Bewkes - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Thanks, Doug, and thanks, everyone, for listening in this morning. Before I talk about our first quarter results, I’d like to touch on the biggest news that we came forward with over the last few months. And that was our announcement in March that we intend to spin off Time Inc. as an independent public entity by the end of the year. We think it’s the right step for Time Inc., for Time Warner and for our stockholders for a few reasons. As you know, Time Inc. is by far the largest magazine publisher in the world with iconic brands and massive reach. After the spin, it will have much more strategic, financial and operational flexibility, and it will be able to develop a shareholder base that’s aligned with its strategy and its growth prospects.
DreamWorks Animation Chief Talks Up Possible TV Programming Initiatives
The studio’s being “pretty aggressive” about at least one potential venture and hopes to have “news to share pretty quickly,” CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told analysts this evening following his company’s Q1 earnings release. He didn’t provide details, but offered his comment in response to a question about TV opportunities with a traditional cable channel, a possible DreamWorks Animation channel, and online.
Bob Pittman, Clear Channel CEO, on the Digital ‘Chaos,’ AOL’s Downfall at Milken Institute
“Facebook is the second walled garden after AOL. They are really smart and they are not letting anybody mess with their walled garden,” said Pittman, the former co-COO of AOL Time Warner who is now CEO of Clear Channel Communications.
‘The Tonight Show’ move to the Big Apple will create 400 new jobs, says NBC
Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’ will generate hundreds of direct and spinoff jobs. ALBANY – “The Tonight Show” will bring more than laughs when it relocates to 30 Rock from Burbank, Calif., in 2014.
U.S. digital ad revenue climbs to $36 billion in 2012
Advertisers turned mostly to search ads, the format that dominated almost half of total spending representing 46.3 percent at $16.9 billion. The latest report released on Tuesday is from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, which members include more than 500 media and technology companies responsible for 86 percent of online advertising in the U.S., and consulting firm PwC US.
Sports
NCAA Bans Use of Hashtags, URLs on Football Fields
There are still a few more months until college football fires up again, but the NCAA is not wasting any time in putting rules in regulations in place for the upcoming season. The most recent rule doesn’t have to do with an athletes’ eligibility, conduct or compliance, but what images or logos can be painted onto the turf or grass of a field.
NFL’s use of social media PR
Last week sports media was abuzz with the NFL draft. Fans of every team scoured the Internet for the latest updates, hosted draft parties and waited – wishing and hoping for the missing piece that would get their team back into the playoffs.
From USC Annenberg to Dodgers Social Media Coordinator
He’s 23-years-old. And now that LA Weekly Dodgers blogger Howard Cole has profiled Josh Tucker , many more fans today know the name of the person pulling the team’s Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram strings. Tucker graduated from USC Annenberg in 2011 and admits that he realizes every day how much of a dream job his self-described “digital cheerleader” responsibilities are.
UVideos, New Original Digital Content and Integrated Marketing Opportunities Center Stage at Univision
NEW YORK–Univision Communications held the industry’s first Hispanic Digital Content NewFront presentation this morning in New York City. During the event, the Company will unveil plans for a new slate of original digital content – including Flama, a new digital destination for Hispanic millennials – to reach an influential consumer that represents both modern America and Latino culture in an irreverent and authentic voice.
Social TV Daily publishes a daily roundup of news articles across the Internet. Excerpts are drawn from the content and full URLs are included.