High-end products mingle with shows on Luxury TV

A new cable channel in development aims to provide a high-end alternative to Home Shopping Network and QVC. "Many are not able to advertise on television because it is cost prohibitive," said Rob Quish, a 20-year advertising veteran who exited his post in February 2003 as president of Lowe & Partners, a division of Interpublic Group, to become CEO of LTVN. "There is incredible fascination with luxury brands by more than just those shopping on Fifth Avenue." But instead of directly pitching to consumers, a la QVC, LTVN will embed its partners' products in a mix of original unscripted programming ranging from lifestyle shows to docudramas.

Read the article: www.hollywoodreporter.com

London 2012 bid eyes storyline in BBC's EastEnders

LONDON - The team behind London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games have held talks with ITV and the BBC about using some of their most popular programmes to raise awareness of the bid among the general public.

Read the article: www.brandrepublic.co.uk

French Connection unveils digital radio station FCUK FM

LONDON - High-street clothing label French Connection is to launch FCUK FM, a 'music-heavy' digital radio station, which will be broadcast on Sky Digital, the FCUK.com website and in French Connection stores.

Read the article: www.brandrepublic.com

Cocojambo Comment: Retail Distribution of content is the next step for brands, in the US, General Mills are releasing telelvision programs via DVD's on their cereal boxes, DKNY are releasing brand relevant films via DVD on fashion magazine covers, Pepsi are releasing access to 100million songs for free within their packaging.
Brands are funding old entertainment and brand new entertainment and offering distribution via new channels, the concept of broadcast is fading, content is available everywhere.

Starcom's broadband embrace

New York - Faced with a declining pool of commercial TV rating points, Starcom, one of the top buyers of children's TV advertising inventory, is making broadband video a part of its 2004-05 kids' TV upfront buying strategy.

Starcom has already begun planning to replace at least part of its kids' TV GRP (gross rating points) goals with ad buys on broadband video outlets, many of which include the sibling Web sites of top kids' TV players such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney.

Read the article: www.mediapost.com

Ten Alps boosted by Omnicom link-up

Ten Alps, the media company part-owned by Sir Bob Geldof, has signed a deal with US advertising giant Omnicom to develop its event marketing business. It is aiming to generate contracts from its collaboration with Omnicom's event marketing subsidiary, the Radiate group.

"Brand-driven content is going strong in the US, and Europe is not far behind," said Sir Bob, who also has a seat on the Ten Alps board. "This market is important to us."

Radiate's European managing director, Marc Bushala, said it was looking to make its clients' brands "an intractable part of the entertainment content as opposed to an interruption". "Increasingly, our clients want creative and impactful programmes that allow their brands to connect and engage consumers, not just a 30-second spot."

Read the article: www.media.guardian.co.uk

Coppola latest to make pitch on Amazon

LOS ANGELES - Francis Ford Coppola has become the latest celebrity to offer his talents for free to Amazon.com.

Coppola has made a couple of short films about the making of his feature film "One From the Heart," which was a bit of a bomb when released in 1982 but got a new life last week with the film's DVD release.

One five-minute short has Coppola welcoming shoppers to Amazon.com, and then describing his favorite scenes from the movie, which starred Teri Garr, Nastassia Kinski and Lainie Kazan.

Read the article: www.reuters.com

Amex plans Jerry Seinfeld-meets-Superman internet show.

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- In a move that further lifts its reputation as a pioneer in the field of branded entertainment marketing, American Express will launch a new show on the Internet starring Jerry Seinfeld, according to chief marketing officer John Hayes.

Read the article: AdAge.com

"ZipZaps" branded entertainment franchise, with Shockwave.com & Radioshack.

SAN FRANCISCO--Shockwave.com(TM), the Web's leading destination for interactive entertainment, today announced that it has re-teamed with RadioShack Corporation to create and distribute "ZipZaps Special Edition," the third installment in its record-breaking online racing game series.

Read the article: Business Wire

Marketers increase Branded Entertainment budgets.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The money is starting to follow the call to arms for the marketing-through-entertainment business.
As that community reconvenes Feb. 4 at Advertising Age's second annual Madison & Vine conference, there are tangible signs that advertisers and their agencies are taking a more central role in creating content for a media-hungry public.

Read the article: www.adage.com

TiVo bares facts on instant replay

LOS ANGELES: When Justin Timberlake tore at Janet Jackson's leather outfit, TiVo users took notice. Then they took notice again and again, using the digital video recorder to replay the event and to pause at the crucial moment in order to discern just what it was that Jackson had revealed to a billion people worldwide. TiVo said that particular halftime stunt was the most replayed moment not only of the Super Bowl but of all TV moments that the young company has ever measured.

Read the article: www.hollywoodreporter.com


Cocojambo Comment:

This amusing story highlights that Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) are about more than skipping ads. They fundamentally change the way viewers consume TV. Within 3 years, more than a quarter of all households are expected to have one.

The Times launches new online share trading game

LONDON – The Times Online, the website for The Times and The Sunday Times, has launched a new six-week online Fantasy Shares game, in association with Comdirect, Europe's biggest online stockbroker.

Read the article: www.brandrepublic.com