CBC summer strategy, first schedule from new programming director
CBC Television’s summer programming schedule will be the first one orchestrated for new executive director of network programming, Kirstine Layfield, and it is shaping up to be quite a departure from its typical fare.
Layfield, who has been in the post since February, says the goal is to be innovative and for the public broadcaster to stand for something different – as well as recognizing that programming today must be year round and not strictly centred on a big fall season.
Specialty, pay, PPV continue to rise: CRTC report
The CRTC released its annual report yesterday on the state of Canadian specialty, pay and PPV services. There has been an on-year average of 10% since 2001. EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) show a 19.4% annual increase. Last year was especially high for EBIT at 31.5%, climbing from $418.2 million in 2004 to $549.9 million in 2005, while revenues approached $2.2 billion in 2005, an increase of 6.3% over 2004.
This year the report also details spending by type of program. For Canadian fare, our specialty services shelled out $162.5 million on drama, $128.4 million on news, $206 million on other info programming, $116.9 million on sports and a mere $38.3 million on musical and variety shows and $45 million on general interest programs.
The CRTC produced the report using the services’ financial statements.
Fuel taps notorious game to launch Fox series DVD
Fox Home Entertainment and Ottawa-based Fuel Industries have spawned a new online mash-up to grab and engage tweens/teens and non-boomer men. To tout the release of American Dad Season One DVD Collection, they’ve created a game that pits the animated characters of American Dad and The Family Guy series against each other in no-holds-barred combat, and in a crossover move, the winner faces console game hero Ryu from the original Capcom ‘Streetfighter’ series. It went live April 20 and is already viralling out of control with 175,000 unique hits in less than a week at press time. It was initially seeded by staff sending it to family and friends, and the team at Fox’s L.A. office planted it in chat rooms and blogs. Users are also pushed to the game by online ads.
It was a Canadian idea which grew from American office interest in the successful Canuck-born Stewie Live project(eight million hits), and a desire to do something similarly sticky. Fuel came up with the original idea of a kung fu game between the two TV families, wherein each character has weapons distinctive to their personality, like Stewie Griffin’s Diaper Bomb or American zealot Stan Smith’s Heart of Justice in which he stabs opponents with a U.S. flag. The target demo skews male 18-49; also 12-17s skewing male. www.americandadvsfamilyguy.com.
RBC and Sears trade places: Top radio ads – Media Monitors for April 17-23, 2006
RBC and Sears Canada played musical chairs last week in the race for brand with the most ad spots on rotation in Toronto. The Princess Margaret Hospital is doing its part to tout their annual sweepstakes, leaping up the charts from number 12 to number three. Check out others topping the radio charts by category and brand in the Toronto market for the week of April 17-23, 2006.
Rank by Brand
Rank by Category
Notes from the media landscape: Yaris break into Prison Break
Toyota and Fox have penned a deal that will have the automaker’s Yaris brand tied to the popular Fox property, Prison Break. Toyota will sponsor 26 mobisodes entitled Prison Break: Proof of Innocence, which will be distributed four times weekly in the U.S. via wireless carrier Sprint. Yaris ads will run prior to each mobisode and the vehicle will even make a cameo appearance within. The deal also includes a Yaris-branded microsite on Fox.com and category exclusivity during the show’s airing. Fox also bought print ads to drive viewers to the microsite and to pump the mobisodes. Toyota’s ad shop, Saatchi & Saatchi, will produce the mobisodes. Media buys for this deal were done by ZO in the U.S.
Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend: Home renovations
DIYers turn to TV and dailies for decor and deals
TV has been the main choice for the home reno category over the past several years with dailies getting its fair share in second spot. Magazines and radio have been consistent in third and fourth positions while OOH is the least used medium in the category led by big spenders Home Depot and Canadian Tire.
OLN does extreme survival series
OLN finds an Indiana Jones-type in Ray Mears, a Brit survival expert who travels the globe for the world’s greatest survival stories. The six-part, hour-long show debuts on Wednesday, May 31 at 8 p.m. and takes viewers to locales such as Belarus, Namibia and Thailand.
More fun on Teletoon
Animation net Teletoon is rolling out a couple of new series targeting kids of all ages. In Hey Joel! the eponymous character works at a music station and gets to interview the rich and famous, openly mocking them as he goes. The voice talent is led by Jon Cryer (Two and A Half Men.) The series preems Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. It airs Monday to Friday at 9 p.m. and weekends at 11 p.m. Taking it to the country, Camp Lazlo follows three friends who find themselves up against serious rules and regulations at camp when they only want to enjoy the outdoors. Lazlo and his bunkmates come to air Monday, June 26 at 8:30 a.m. and keep the fun going Monday to Friday at that time.
PMB Factoid
Dog and cat owners: Index by city
Silent Hill’s marketing strategy skirts TV, goes online and pushes fake news
Seems Odeon Films’ viral strategy to skirt a heavy TV buy touting Silent Hill (a horror film adaptation of the video game) worked; according to Nielsen EDI, the film topped the box office charts, grossing more than $20 million this past opening weekend in North America. In lieu of traditional TV trailers, the prodco went after the online audience. As part of Silent Hill‘s promotion, the Toronto-based company periodically released online photos of the movie’s monstrous creatures to demonstrate its authenticity and respect for the popular game and, according to Odeon president Bryan Gliserman, fans have ‘analyzed those photos like it was intelligence on a foreign army.’
itravel 2000 signs as corporate partner in new golf loyalty program
Mississauga-based itravel 2000 has signed on as the first corporate partner in a new golf loyalty program entitled Skins. Golfers earn a free round of golf after earning five Skins at participating private and public courses in Ontario in the program. The partnership will be supported via Ontario-wide radio ads, banners on the itravel site and an email blast to itravel’s newsletter client base of 350,000 in Ontario. Skins launches today throughout Ontario, hoping to entice the province’s two million golfers. Intelligent Golf Marketing (IGM), the developers of Skins, is actively searching for more partners. For travel company itravel2000, ‘it provides a point of differentiation for us,’ says Patti Laine, VP of marketing. ‘It’s an incredible value and a strategic competitive advantage over others in the travel industry.’ Laine adds that the program ‘makes golf even more accessible, and helps us cater to all our demos. Golf has become a travel product for us.’
Ron Gardner, president at IGM says golfers have a higher than average income, ‘they’re a desirable group but are very fragmented. And a program such as this allows for targeting at a cost-effective rate.’ The program is launching in Ontario after a test that ran during last year’s golf season. IGM has plans to take Skins national in 2007.
Entertainment is tops in the French market – Eloda analysis for April 14-20, 2006
The public service category is at the top of the heap in English Canada, while the French push entertainment in a comparison of top advertisers for the week of April 14-20. Meanwhile, the battle continues for top spot between the retail and entertainment categories with the largest variety of TV ads last week. Check out others topping the charts, and which brands had the most new spots. This info was gathered through Montreal-based ELODA’s online TV ad tracking, auditing and viewing services. All data supplied is based on the ELODA recording grid.
http://www.eloda.com
Celeb mag category heats up; Weekly Scoop goes for a quarter
As Paris Hilton says: ‘It’s hot.’ She might very well be speaking of the heat generated by the celebrity gossip magazine category. In Canada, Torstar’s entry, Weekly Scoop, is on offer this week for a mere quarter — a price point designed for mass consumption. ‘Celebrity gossip rags are doing very well in Canada. It’s something new, something different for us here. In the U.S., it’s just going nuts down there,’ says a Toronto-based media planning manager who asked not to be named. ‘Advertisers want Canadian players that we can put media dollars to. This [category] attracts a young demo, and it’s weekly, so there’s a frequency opportunity.’ Rogers’ Hello magazine is slated to debut in June.
CTV Travel takes a European journey
CTV Travel Channel is offering a ‘Springtime in Europe’ marathon on May 21. Each of the seven eps features a different spot, including Life Of A City: Rome, Discover The World: Portugal, Top Ten Venice, Secrets: Eiffel Tower Revealed, Top Ten London, and Don’t Forget Your Passport: Germany. The journey begins at 6 p.m. with hourly shows ending at midnight. There are no sponsors lined up for the strand as yet. Slots are still available.
