When NBC bid for the right to broadcast the 2012 Summer Olympics, it anticipated a loss of more than $100 million, stemming from a loss of over $233 million from the 2012 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The ratings have skyrocketed, though, giving NBC the possibility of actually breaking even on the games, even with the controversial system of delaying high profile events until prime-time.

NBC planned to have 5,535 hours of Olympics coverage across 9 channels this year, bringing production costs, including staffing, to a whopping $1.3 billion. With a price tag like that, losses were anticipated, but the wild card turned out to be the interest in advertisers to online video and lower-profile sports, which are broadcast on the additional channels.

The London games have hit record ratings numbers, surpassing Beijing in just their first night. Through Tuesday, NBC averaged 35.6 million viewers on the first five nights, 10% above Beijing and 23% above Athens. NBC is now even selling air-time it had held back for make-goods.

With even more swimming and gymnastics to come, and the US Medal Count reaching 37 today, NBC doesn’t see the ratings roller coaster slowing down anytime soon.

You can read more at adweek.com.

A thousand times faster Internet, crystal clear HD channels & DVR? That’s Google Fiber. Fiber is a new provider for Internet and TV, but it’s also away to connect your data seamlessly from one device to another. And at $120 per month, Fiber has competitive pricing against Comcast & AT&T U-Verse. Fiber is currently only available in Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS, but more cities are set to launch soon.

Fiber currently offers 3 packages: TV and Internet, just Internet, and free Internet. The free package doesn’t run as fast as the paid packages, but still offers the seamless integration between devices. With the Internet & TV package, you also get a free Google Android Tablet (The Nexus 7) which can be used to stream, surf, or even as your remote. Fiber already comes with over 150 channels of HD, including Starz and Showtime, which you don’t have to pay extra for. The DVR even lets you record up to 8 shows simultaneously.

With tablets, phones, computers and TVs all connected, and the Google name to lean on, Fiber is surely a game changer in the cable service provider industry.

You can read more at google.com.

So far this year, there have been three battles between TV distributors and Media companies, in part due to the lack of new subscribers to TV, and the rising cost of carrying many channels to these satellite providers. Companies such as Viacom have become more profitable since 2010, while satellite TV providers profits have plateaued as they fight each other for new subscribers. The result has been bitter legal battles over carriage fees between companies like Disney, Tribune, DirecTV and Dish Network.

In March, Tribune pulled its programming from DirecTV after the two media giants failed to reach a settlement during contract negotiations. The result was the loss of local CW and Fox affiliates, including shows like “American Idol,” “Glee,” “New Girl” and “Gossip Girl.” Baseball fans were also in the dark, as they lost the Cubs and White Sox via WGN America, the Mets via WPIX-TV in New York, and the Phillies on WPHL-TV in Philadelphia. The deal was later resolved, but not without public scrutiny for both sides.

At the end of June, Dish Network dropped AMC Networks, which include channels AMC, IFC, We TV, because AMC Networks forced Dish to carry IFC and We, which Dish stated did not get sufficient ratings. AMC claims this is all just because of an unrelated lawsuit between the two companies; nonetheless, loyal Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead viewers are out of luck as the dispute continues.

And just Tuesday, Viacom pulled its channels from DirecTV after they failed to agree to a 30% carriage fee increase. Viacom’s channels, which include Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and many others, have gone black on their respective DirecTV stations. The result has been a scathing advertising battle, in which Viacom is now advising people to switch carriers, a negotiation tactic to get their 30% increase, says DirecTV.

DirecTV refuses to cave on the fee increase, and says Viacom is making a mistake and its ratings will suffer. Ms. Denson of Viacom countered that, ”in the long term, DirecTV will endure long-term asset loss from customers leaving or customers never coming on in the first place.”

Whatever the outcome ends up, we’ve been taking note of the bitter battles between satellite carriers and TV giants, and the industry’s cost pressures could mean the battles are likely to continue.

You can read more at abcnews.com.

At Neilsen’s Annual Consumer 360 Conference, an assembly of marketing professionals from industry authors to CEOs gathered to discuss this year’s trends, analyze real time data, and introduce Neilsen’s newest technology solutions. A standout in the 3 day conference held in FL was a session titled “Marketing that Matters,” in which Neilsen explained how Media Moms are the newest tech adapters, Lower Income Targets are increasing, and why we shouldn’t let the Baby Boomers out of our sight just yet.

It’s no surprise media moms have become so tech savvy, with their busy schedules they become more open to technology that makes them more efficient. They also spend less time watching TV, but more time on those gadgets, especially when managing their financial transactions, price checking, or shopping.

Neilsen also argued, “Lower income consumers—those who earn less than $30,000 per year—are a growing segment and now represent about 30 percent of the country’s population. “

Baby boomers still number 80 million, and though the typical demo for this group was 18-49, many are reaching 50, and marketers are realizing this generation is too big and too valuable to let go of. Today, the 50+ age group is about 100 million consumers, and that number is expected to grow 34% by 2030.

Neilsen provided a new perspective on the opportunities these segments represent for marketers, and why they remain important as ever to the success of marketers and brands.You can read more at nielsen.com.

NBCUniversal joined a growing number of media giants hosting digital upfronts this week as it hosted its originally named “New Front” Tuesday Night in New York. At the “New Front,” NBCU unveiled new video content features, a new site tailored directly to cross content engagement, and an entire new executive team, all solely focused on marketing to women.

The new video related initiatives include a new web addition, called Oxygen Connect, that will allow viewers of it’s hit show “The Glee Project” to unlock exclusive interviews and chats through a series of online challenges. NBCU also owns iVillage, which will now add an original series, called My Best Idea, consisting of content curated by site editors and tips directly from iVillage users. The last of NBCU’s ideas is “StyleCandy,” a “a partnership between its Style Media and DailyCandy properties that will produce original video content featured on both the Style Network as well as social media platforms,” Says Ross Fadner of Online Media Daily.

The new advisory team responsible for creating and upkeep of all this is a specifically appointed board of senior executives from companies like Universal, Gilt, Neo@Ogilvy, and Google. NBCU is far from the first media mogul to pitch it’s digital content through an upfront, but it is certainly the first to tailor the entire thing to women. It will be interesting to see how these initiatives work; Oxygen may just give Bravo a run for its money.

 You can read more at mediapost.com.

Two new social media apps have already been unveiled for the 2012 summer Olympic games. Samsung debuted its “Olympic Genome” app at SXSW earlier this year, and The International Olympic Committee launched the “Olympic Athlete’s Hub” just today. Samsung’s facebook app allows fans to cross-reference their facebook pages (interests, hometowns, etc) with Olympians facebook pages, and discover what they have in common with them. This gives Olympic viewers a new chance to connect to athletes they may otherwise have not followed, or even heard of.

As users connect with more Olympians, they earn points to be used towards how-to videos posted by the athletes, Visa gift cards for merchandise, or even a trip to the next summer games. Samsung says the app tested well, and there is already a pre-registration page up on their website.
The second app to be announced this week comes from the Olympic Committee itself. It won’t run through facebook or twitter, but user’s accounts will be linked to them. Similar to Samsung’s, fans using this app will connect with Olympians and earn points, but will also be to view real time scores, status updates, and even participate in live chats with the athletes through their preferred media.

This is really the first Olympics we are going to see go viral, and these two new apps are the tip of the iceberg. The Olympics is going to be everywhere now, and fans are going to be more connected than ever to the Olympians. At 100 days away, we can’t wait.

You can read more at adweek.com.

Not even 12 months old in the US, Spotify has become the leader in Internet music streaming, surpassing even Pandora. Spotify started 4 years ago in Europe, and then launched in the US last summer, partnering with Facebook to solidify its popularity. Recently, Spotify has remained in the spotlight with the new feature of custom apps brands can design themselves. AT&T’s Surround Sound app lets users play music suited to the location they’re in, detected through, what else? Your smartphone’s GPS. Other companies creating apps with Spotify include McDonalds and Reebok.

Besides the launch of their app feature, Spotify also recently announced its partnership with another global company, Coca Cola. Spotify will be featured in Coca Cola’s 2013 Year of Music campaign, aimed at teens worldwide. Coca Cola has also agreed to promote Spotify in its paid media, and integrate Spotify into its Facebook timeline, which already has more than 40 million followers. Spotify, which already has over 13 million documented users worldwide, aims to increase that number through its Coca Cola promotions.

You can read more at adage.com.

Due to a recent agreement with Comcast, OWN will see an increase in distribution, adding 3 million viewers for the network. Increased distribution is always a benefit to DRTV marketers, who may have experienced less than optimal results with the network in the past.

Recently, the SNL Kagan report, suggested due to estimated losses that co-owner Discovery might step away from the network. 

To learn how David Leavy, a Discovery spokesperson, clarifies this statement, click here.

Nielson, the industry’s leader in media research, ratings and data, has a new demographic, dubbed “Generation C,” or Americans 18-34, who are quickly becoming both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers, and redefining media consumption with their embrace of new digital technology.

Gen C makes up only 23% of the US total population, yet they make up 27% of Americans watching video or using social media, and over 30% of Americans using tablets. In fact, Gen C makes up a whopping 39% of all smart phone users in the US.

Gen C, who grew up alongside the growth of the internet, cell phones, social media, and the technology boom, has “taken ownership” of new media, changing the way advertisers and marketers approach them. New technology provides the opportunity for new content and new ways to distribute it, and Generation C knows how to access it better than any other age demographic out there. For us at TM and DR advertising, this means an opportunity to stray away a bit from TV in the future and expand into internet and mobile campaigns, while still using the results driven approach DR advertising requires.

From audio/video to augmented reality, Generation C’s fearless adaptation of new media is “representing both a challenge and opportunity for marketers and content providers alike.”

Read more at Nielsen.com.

One of the cornerstones of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is link building. It is often said that link building is 70% of SEO. Search engines look at links to websites as a vote for that site. A link to your site from the New York Times will carry authority and can have a significant impact on how well your website ranks. Finding websites to link to your site is a time consuming process that involves creating business partnerships, link exchanges, use of social media, promotion through guest blog postings, creating good quality content (link bait) and directory submissions.

Directory submissions as link building starting point
We have worked with several newly developed websites and have used directory submissions as a starting point to gain traffic and improve search engine rankings. In almost every case we have seen our targeted search terms raise the sites traffic rankings significantly- in many cases in the top 10.

Here is a summary of the benefits of submitting your website to directories:

One Way Links
Obtaining links to your site often requires an exchange with another site. While reciprocal links carry value, they are not as valuable as one-way links. Directories don’t expect you to post a link to their site so you get the benefit of a one-way link.

Anchor text of your choice
Anchor text is the text that is used to link to your site. Directories will allow you to choose the anchor text for your link which helps with your search engine rankings. If you have a real estate business that rents apartments in Poughkeepsie, you can use the anchor text“apartments for rent in Poughkeepsie” which will help you rank for that term.

Directories are for the most part free
There are benefits to submitting to a properly researched paid directory and we do recommend submitting to a few of these, but for the most part directories are free to submit to. The caveat is that many of them charge a fee for immediate submission but will post your site for free after a wait of several weeks or months.

Directory Submission Process

Research search terms
Find 5 search terms to use for your anchor text. Use the Google Keyword Tool to help with your research. The keyword tool will give you suggestions and will show you how many times the term is searched for monthly. You will also need to write a short description for each search term.

Compile a Directory List
Start by compiling a list of directories to submit to. A good list can be found  at seocompany.ca You can also search “ “list of web directories” to expand your list.

Check if category pages are indexed
Most directories are structured similarly. Find the category that best fits your business and copy the URL in the address bar and paste it into a Google search box. The URL should be number one in the search results. If the URL isn’t showing then Google isn’t indexing the page and the directory has no SEO value to your site.

Check for the “nofollow” attribute
Make sure that the page you are submitting to does not have the nofollow attribute applied to the links. Nofollow will not pass link juice to your site and will be of no SEO value. There is a Firefox extension called SearchStatus that allows you to check whether links are nofollow or not.

Check Page Rank
Google ranks pages from 0 to 10 with 10 being the highest. Google has a page rank tool that you can install in your browser that will show you the page rank of the page you are visiting. The page rank will give you an indication of how strong the link will be for your site.

Submit your site!
When you have found the proper category and have determined that the directory is SEO worthy, you should see a “submit your site” link. When you click this, you can submit your site by adding your title and description.