According to the New York Times, Sumner Redstone's media conglomerate is making savvy moves and cashing in on them. Viacom said yesterday that growth in advertising sales at its MTV Networks helped the company post a 27 percent increase in second-quarter profit. Viacom also announced that it had agreed to buy the online video and games company Atom Entertainment for $200 million as Viacom seeks to build its Internet …
Bono Plays Steve Forbes’ Fundraiser
Bono is one of six founding partners in Elevation Partners, a private equity group. According to New York Times, Elevation just acquired a stake of more than 40 percent in 89-year-old Forbes magazine and Forbes.com at a cost of $250 million to $300 million. Roger McNamee, a managing director and co-founder of Elevation, helps mere mortals understand why Ireland's King of Rock, wants to play media mogul. Bono was not …
Continue Reading about Bono Plays Steve Forbes’ Fundraiser →
MTV On Campus (The Print Version)
According to the official press release, MTV is strengthening its reach to the student market via acquisition. mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network and a division of Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Y2M: Youth Media & Marketing Networks, the parent of College Publisher, the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the US. The network reaches over five …
Ad Creep Reaches The Journal
According to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal will begin to place advertising on its front page this September. The move could generate tens of millions of dollars a year in revenue. The move is one more sign of the relentless financial pressures that have forced newspapers to consider new ways of raising money — like giving prominence to advertisers in areas of the paper once considered sacred. While …
Netlix Netflix Subscribers Invited To Premier (In Their Own Living Rooms)
USA Today reports on NBC's plan to reward loyalists and create buzz for its upcoming season. As part of its efforts to promote its fall TV season, NBC will offer the first episodes of two new shows, before they air, to the 4.8 million subscribers to online rental service Netflix. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 16, Netflix will offer subscribers a commercial-free DVD featuring the Sept. 17 season openers of Studio 60 on the …
Continue Reading about Netlix Netflix Subscribers Invited To Premier (In Their Own Living Rooms) →
Home Depot Is A Media Company
Three years ago at Madison and Vine, Coca-Cola's then CEO stood up and told the room his company was not in the business of selling sweet drinks, but was in fact a media company selling brand impressions. It seems "the memo" was well received at Home Depot's Atlanta headquarters. According to Adweek, Home Depot will begin selling ads on its web site. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer is hoping to entice …
Is the Ad Industry Ready For Nielsen Ratings For TV Commercials?
Ad Age takes a closer look at changes that are coming to TV ad spending: Come November, Nielsen Media Research will begin delivering average commercial ratings per program with measurements backdated to the start of the season. The figures will be in a format buyers can crunch much more simply than the minute-by-minute data available through Nielsen systems. "Agencies and clients have charged us with proving that …
Continue Reading about Is the Ad Industry Ready For Nielsen Ratings For TV Commercials? →
The VCs Have Landed
First Om Malik. Now Rafat Ali. Legenday venture capitalist, Alan Patricof, on why he invested in Rafat Ali's media company, Content Next: “I think this is a unique opportunity for Greycroft because paidContent.org and MocoNews.net truly are the publications you need to read before you start your day if you are involved in or care about any aspect of new media. I’ve been an avid reader of the sites for some time and …