TVB: We've revised 2009 spot revenue forecast down
For the first time in six years, the Television Bureau of Advertising has reissued its local broadcast television forecast. Yesterday the TVB predicted that total spot TV revenue next year will decline by 7 to 11 percent compared to 2008, with local spot off 4 to 8 percent and national spot falling 11.5 to 15.5 percent. In its earlier 2009 forecast, the TVB had anticipated that total spot would slip 2 to 5 percent, with local spot increasing 2 percent to decreasing 1 percent and national spot dipping 7 to 10 percent. TVB also said that 2008 spot revenue will fall 7.1 percent compared to last year instead of ending flat, as it had predicted in September. The reforecast was made based on developments in the ailing economy over the past few months. TVB president Chris Rohrs cautioned that future outlooks will be influenced by consumer confidence and spending, energy and food prices, debt and credit problems, the housing market and incoming President Barack Obama. The TVB last revised a forecast in 2001, when the attacks of 9/11 came just days after the 2002 outlook was issued.
More doom, less gloom: Consumers remain optimistic
It looks like many Americans have found a way to maintain financial optimism even in the face of mountains of sour economic news. While nearly half of Americans believe the country is on the verge of experiencing another great depression, most don’t believe it will hit them directly, according to a new survey from BIGresearch, the consumer research company. The survey found that 48.5 percent of the 4,086 surveyed saw the possibility of a major depression, and half believed that doom and gloom are in store for the financial markets. Yet some 75.7 percent felt that their own financial situation would stay the same or even improve in the next six months. Looking at their personal lives, the study found that some 32.2 percent remain happy with the way things are going, while 50.5 percent say they have good and bad days. Only 17.3 percent say they are unhappy. Meanwhile when it comes to the victory of Barack Obama in the presidential race, 35.1 percent believe it is a watershed event that is capable of sparking an economic recovery. However, slightly more, 36.2 percent, think not.
Ratings roundup: iRecord for Nick's 'iCarly' movie
The only thing as hot as politics and football on cable last week was tween sensation Miranda Cosgrove. The “iCarly” star’s Nickelodeon movie “iGo to Japan” attracted 7.6 million total viewers on Saturday night, making it the top entertainment program of the week on cable and No. 14 overall, behind only CNN and Fox News Channel’s election coverage and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” In fact, it was the highest-rated live-action TV movie ever on Nickelodeon among kids 2-11 (4.3 million) and kids 6-11 (3.6 million). The movie led into the 9:30 p.m. premiere of “True Jackson, VP” and gave it quite a boost. “True” averaged 2 million 6-11s and 2 million 9-14s, the biggest audience ever for Nick for a live-action premiere in those demos. “Jackson” will normally air on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Meanwhile, in other ratings, the premiere of Style Network’s new reality series “Ruby,” about a morbidly obese woman, attracted 545,000 total viewers at 8 p.m. on Sunday, making it the network’s most-watched series debut ever.
BBC boots radio host over turban-free taxi request
It’s not just the on-air antics of radio presenters that are causing the BBC headaches these days. Their off-air conduct leaves something to be desired too. The public broadcaster, still smarting over the recent scandal in which two radio comics made a series of lewd phone calls to an older actor, has fired a Bristol radio presenter after she asked a local cab company not to send an Asian driver over because “a guy with a turban might freak” her daughter out. Sam Mason had hosted the afternoon show on the BBC station since September. In a transcript of the off-air conversation sent to Britain’s Sun newspaper, Mason, who was calling the taxi for her 14-year-old daughter, says, “I know this sounds really racist, but I'm not being -- please, don't send anyone like, you know what I mean.” She then requested a female, English driver. The operator transferred the call to her supervisor, who reiterated that the company could not discriminate against a driver. “I work at the BBC. I'm far from racist,” Mason replied. “I don't want her to turn up with a guy with a turban on, it's going to freak her out. She's not used to Asians. She's not racist -- her godparents are black.”
Correction: Retirements don’t affect Parent & Child
An item in yesterday’s edition of Media Life ("Boston Globe and Scholastic also slashing workforce") was incorrect. Though a handful of the 110 Scholastic employees taking voluntary retirement packages work for the company’s magazines, which include 32 classroom magazines as well as consumer and professional publications like Administrator and Coach, none of them work for Parent & Child. Media Life regrets the error.
Latest layoffs: Digital division CondeNet cuts back
CondéNet, the digital arm of Condé Nast, is suffering from the same layoff flu that’s infected dozens of newspapers and magazines over the past few months. Yesterday came word that deep cuts are being made at the division, including members of the editorial, business, production and technology departments. Big names apparently weren’t immune from the rumored 60 layoffs. Though president Sarah Chubb will remain, Gary Van Dis, the corporate creative director and a 28-year Condé Nast veteran, will be leaving. Condé Nast recently initiated a series of cost-saving measures, including cutting staff budgets by 5 percent at all of its magazines, reducing Portfolio to 10 issues per year and slashing its web staff, and folding Men’s Vogue back into parent publication Vogue.
Experian: Thrifty shoppers go online and to Wal-Mart
The precarious state of the current economy notwithstanding, at least one retailer is doing well among thrifty shoppers, who are going online to make purchases. A new study by Experian Consumer Research of thrifty shoppers – those who prioritize saving money, getting the best deals on purchases, and taking the time to research and plan their shopping trips in advance – shows a recent substantial increase in purchases at Wal-Mart. During spring, the retailer showed the highest increase in sales since Experian began looking at changes in shopping habits of thrifty shoppers in 2004. In the past four years, sales of non-essential items such as jewelry have dropped 25 percent, while the sale of household essentials such as food and drugs are up 38 percent, according to the survey. Meantime thrifty shoppers are using the internet to comparison shop for the best deals at an increase of 36 percent since 2004. There’s been a 10 percent increase in online purchases by thrifty shoppers in the past four years, according to Experian.
Report: Video game sales healthy in U.S. and Britain
Despite economic woes, or perhaps because of them, a new study shows sales of video games in the U.S. and Britain are on the rise. A study by the NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Ltd. and Enterbrain Inc. report found that although sales of videogames in the three largest markets, which also includes Japan, were up just 1 percent year-to-year during the three months ending Sept. 30, in Britain sales were up 15 percent and in the U.S. they rose 8 percent. As a cheaper form of entertainment, the games may also be helping some to escape thoughts of economic woes. The top title in the U.S.? Madden NFL ’09 from Electronic Arts, which sold 2.96 million units. Meanwhile, sales in Japan dipped 21 percent, which is being blamed on a lack of popular video game titles rather than the economy. Video game sales in that country are not expected to be affected much by the current world financial crisis thanks to new portable hardware systems such as Sony's PSP-3000 and Nintendo's DSi.
TroopTube, e-connecting soldiers and their families
Soldiers can’t watch YouTube, but the U.S. military is hoping that its members, their families and their supporters will turn on TroopTube. After restricting access to online video-sharing web sites such as YouTube and MySpace for more than a year, the military is launching its own online video-sharing web site. The new site, which was created with the help of Seattle-based Delve Networks, allows users to register as members of one of the branches of the armed forces, family, civilian Defense Department employees or supporters. But don’t expect GIs gone wild. Unlike YouTube, someone in the Pentagon will screen each personal video upload, which can be used to communicate with those abroad, for national security issues as well as copyright violations and even taste. The Defense Department banned employees from accessing web sites such as YouTube because of security as well as bandwidth issues.
