Market Meter – Magazines
4 out of 5
Magazine sales remained strong for fall but recent new launches may see spending redistributed in 2005 if advertisers don’t increase their magazine budgets. Shopping books LouLou and Wish had good launches and if Canada parallels the U.S. experience, shopping pubs are going to be a category to be reckoned with. (Wish is slightly different than LouLou because it combines shopping and lifestyle content.) This genre is primarily female-focused and could take ad dollars away from decorating/shelter and women’s service books.
2nd Annual Branded Entertainment Summit and 9th Annual Brand Business Forum
Oct. 5-8, NYC, 888-670-8200, http://www.iirusa.com/brandedentertainment
Hosted by the Institute for International Research (IIR), the summit is a business-focused meeting place for execs in brands and entertainment to build profitable relationships and discuss the latest strategies for creating effective marketing around their respective products.
For more media events, see http://www.mediaincanada.com/events/
Kidsnets Fall TV: Part One: YTV and Treehouse
Another new broadcasting season dawns this month, and as kidnets pull out all the stops to grab share with new shows, IDs and destination viewing opps, we take a look at the major programming strategies in play. This issue, in the first of a two-part series, we focus on the Corus family, and watch for deets on Teletoon, CBC and Family next issue of MIC.
Y? We’re too old
Why are branding professionals so often missing the boat on reaching Generation Y?
CRTC radio hearings get underway in November
The CRTC gets a marathon of radio hearings underway Nov. 1, beginning with the three applications for subscription digital radio services. Two of the services are via satellite (Canadian Satellite Radio in partnership with SM Satellite Radio and a partnership of the CBC, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Standard Radio) and one proposing wireless technology (CHUM).
Following these hearings, the CRTC has 38 other applications to decide. These include 16 for the Ottawa and Gatineau area from companies such as Astral Media, Global Communications, Corus, and Newcap.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca
More funding for Canadian magazines
The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) will be handing out $425,000 in project-based funding to magazine publishers next year. The funds will be divvied up in $5,000 to $25,000 chunks with up to 75% of the project budget eligible.
Eligible projects include first-time special issues or sections for an existing magazine; a new magazine from an existing publisher; development or enhancement of a Web site with marketing components; re-launches; circulation projects; and advertising sales projects. Publishers must be Ontario-based, at least 75% Canadian-owned and controlled; and solvent. The deadline for applications is Oct. 4/04.
Details and applications are available at http://www.omdc.on.ca.
Portable video may be next killer ad opp
Now that MP3 players are passé, the next big thing is being able to take your movies, TV shows and home videos along in your backpack. Microsoft, of course, is in on the ground floor with a system called Portable Media Center. Three companies, Creative, Samsung and iRiver, are taxiing for takeoff in the next couple of months with offerings in the $500 range, capable of 80 hours of video play.
For the time being, the new gadgets are only compatible with Windows XP for picking up content, although content is still scarce at the moment. Microsoft, however, is striking deals with entities like Major League Baseball to expand video offerings. At any rate, with a fun new app like this, can advertising be far behind?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/default.mspx
CFL. Magazine. Hike!
The Canadian Football League plans to hit the field next spring with a new publication, The Official CFL Magazine. It will have both English- and French-language versions and be produced by CanMedia, of Edmonton.
The glossy’s content will feature league news, reviews, analysis by sports personalities and a kid zone. Expect 10 issues per year of the mag, which will sell on newsstands and by subscription.
http://www.cfl.ca/CFLMediaClippings/home.html
New data-mining software digs deeper
Demographic and market researchers are the target of a new mining application development toolkit from Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG), which is based in Downers Grove, Ill. NAG says the new software is designed to be incorporated into the user’s application rather than the user having to learn a new interface. The newly released 2.0 version of NAG Data Mining and Cleaning Components allows users to select the elements they need for problem solving and then readily integrate them into existing applications.
Some of the benefits DMC 2.0 has over other commercially available data mining applications include enhanced data cleaning to resolve the problems of missing, invalid or incomplete data and, a wide range of added functionality for machine learning and pattern recognition. DMC 2.0 has been developed based on the learning from the three-year-old European Union funded project, EUREDIT, geared to find new statistical methods important to government-sponsored socioeconomic studies. NAG is a global collaborative network of 300+ computer scientists and mathematicians who work together to solve complex mathematical problems.
http://www.nag.com
Another reality show hits the air – this time about fishing!
Hosted by Survivor Africa‘s winner, Ethan Zohn, The Last Cull, a new venture into reality TV, is all about the fish. That’s right – it’s a 13-part, half-hour show that takes 25 teams from all over North America fishing in North Bay, Ont.
The teams tackle possible elimination based on catch and weight as they vie for $50k, the World Championship Fishing Trophy and a production deal for their own angling TV series.
It begins airing Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. on CHUM Media Group stations.
http://www.wcfl.ca/station_list.htm
A couple of TSN’s popular shows return to the sked
Called both thought-provoking and controversial, TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge and Off the Record are both returning for the fall season. Dave Hodge’s show, which offers a live 30-minute roundtable on the week’s Canadian sports issues, now airs 52 weeks of the year (Sundays, 10:30 a.m.), while Off the Record, which is celebrating its eighth season, takes it one step further with a 30-minute daily talk show that has host Michael Landsberg delve deep into current global sports issues (weekdays, 6 p.m.)
Prime-time movie shoots in Winnipeg resort community
The prime-time TV movie, Falcon Beach, is shooting Aug. 20 to Sept. 15 in the cottage community of Winnipeg Beach. The TV movie, which will air on Global this winter, will tell the story of a collection of teenagers summering in the fictional resort of Falcon Beach on Lake Winnipeg.
The MOW is actually a pilot and producer Kim Todd, of Original Pictures, says that if the pilot goes to series (Global will make the decision in January), there will be opportunities for product placement and cross-promotion. The pilot itself is using some product placement and hopes to incorporate about 12 musical artists, with cross-promotion planned for both these elements.
Global gets in on TIFF glitz
Global is going behind the scenes of the 29th Toronto International Film Festival to get up close and personal with celebs, experience the hottest galas, and highlight the top films with a one-hour documentary special. As well as capturing all the fashion, glitz, and glamour, 10 Wired Days – The Toronto International Film Festival: Director’s Cut will look at many of the independent films being screened and talk to film critics for their takes on the event and the entries.
The doc airs Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. on Global and Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. on Prime and is sponsored by Volkswagen and Reckitt Benckiser (Zero Dark Laundry Wash.) The festival runs Sept. 9 to 18 and has more than 300 films from 50 countries on its program.
Media Experts promotes two
Media Experts has announced two promotions. In the Toronto office, Richard Ivey becomes VP customer service. Ivey brings 15 years of buying and planning experience to the post. In the Montreal office, Lisa DiMarco has been named SVP customer service. DiMarco has been with the Media Experts for 18 years. Both appointments became effective Sept. 2.
Astral’s Parisien takes on more
Astral Media announced Sept. 2 that Jacques Parisien, president of Astral Media Radio will also become the president of Astral Media Outdoor Advertising. He replaces René Desmarais who is leaving to pursue other interests. Luc Sabbatini EVP of Astral Media Radio Québec takes on the additional position of EVP Astral Media Outdoor.
- Is GroupM being dismantled? Reports point to rebrand and restructuring
- Some GroupM Canada senior executives have left the agency
- Havas Media Canada makes three senior leadership appointments
- Media leaders concerned ad spend not going to Canadian media
- Upfronts 2025: Fox announces significant investment in sports
