Coming Friday,
a Playboy centerfold in 3D
Other shorts: Study: Most don't change channel during ads
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
May 11, 2010
Coming Friday, Playboy centerfolds in 3D
The claim "I only read it for the articles" is about to get even less believable thanks to some new technology that makes it appear as though you could reach out and grab the centerfold in next month's edition of Playboy. The magazine is publishing its first-ever 3D centerfold, in an issue that hits newsstands later this weekend. It will be packaged with 3D glasses, the cost of which was offset by a joint promotion with HBO. The name of the pay cable network's hit series "True Blood" appears on the side of the glasses. The centerfold in question, Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk, appears to be handing the reader a glass of wine, and yes, everything that's supposed to, er, stand out, does. There's no word on whether the 3D centerfold, first reported by the Associated Press, will become a regular feature, though founder Hugh Hefner says he first had the idea for 3D naked ladies decades ago. It proved cost-prohibitive, but with the recent hot streak for 3D at movie theaters, Hef figured it was the perfect time to try again, not to mention what the new feature might do for Playboy at newsstands for a magazine whose circulation is less than half what it was at its peak.
Study: Most don't change the channel during ads
Forget the longstanding image of the man with an itchy (remote) trigger finger. In heartening news for media people, the majority of viewers watching live television actually stay with the channel they are watching when a commercial begins, contrary to popular perception. Findings released yesterday by the Video Consumer Mapping study, sponsored by the Council for Research Excellence and conducted two years ago through Ball State University and Sequent Partners, found that 86 percent of viewers stay with the channel they were on during breaks, and just 14 percent change the channel during a commercial break. Less than 14 percent change channels during the four minutes preceding or following a commercial break. "In short, when the commercials come on, people stay with the TV," says Laura Cowan, vice president and media director of RJC Advertising and chairperson of the CRE’s Media Consumption & Engagement Committee. "They only go the kitchen if they’re hungry, and they don’t fight over the remote."
Programming notes: Upfront presentations continue
Fox Sports en Español isn’t just about soccer. The Spanish-language sports network is on a four-city upfront tour showcasing its upcoming programming, which does include soccer but also features a handful of other sports. Besides the UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores and InterLiga soccer competitions, FSE will air regular-season Major League Baseball games, as well as the League Championship Series and World Series, along with Top Rank Boxing and Ultimate Fighting Championship matches. The network will also continue its news and commentary show “Tribuna Fox Sports” and the recently launched “La Hora de Cuauhtemoc Blanco,” featuring the Mexican soccer star. Meanwhile, in other programming, Syfy has picked up the rights to remake the 1960s British series “Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased),” developing an hour-long pilot. The project will be executive produced and written by Josh Bycel and Jonathan Fener. G4 has ordered 10 episodes of “It’s Effin’ Science,” a spinoff of “Attack of the Show” in which the hosts conduct strange science experiments. The new show is set to premiere June 15. And health and wellness network ION Life has picked up five series for fall: “Gadget Girlz,” a consumer technology show; “Body Fuel,” a fitness series focusing on food and supplements; “Smart Cookies,” a personal finance program; “My Workout,” a fitness program featuring celebrity trainers; and “Adrienne Reed’s Power Yoga,” highlighting unique yoga techniques.
DVR playback: 'House' overtakes 'Stars'
In this era of DVR playback, it’s possible to have two first-place finishers in the same timeslot. For example, on Monday, April 19, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” posted a 4.8 live-plus-same-day-DVR playback rating among viewers 18-49 from 8 to 9:30 p.m., while Fox’s “House” averaged a 4.1 L+SD rating from 8-9 p.m. that night, according to Nielsen. But with live-plus-seven-day-DVR playback factored in, “House” rose 1.2 ratings points to a 5.3 among 18-49s, while “Stars” increased by 0.3 to a 5.1. This supports what media people have observed for some time—live reality programming tends to attract higher initial ratings and lower playback rates, while scripted fare is more likely to grow with playback data factored in. “House’s” 1.2 increase during the week ended April 25 was tied with NBC’s “The Office” for the largest gain of the week, while ABC’s “Lost,” Fox’s “Glee,” NBC’s “Parenthood” and CBS’s “The Mentalist” each grew by 0.9. Among total viewers, “The Mentalist” was the top gainer of the week, adding 3 million viewers through L+7 playback.
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