Dish-TiVo Patent Dispute Continues

Dish Network and its set-top company EchoStar filed a lawsuit against TiVo, claiming their new DVR software does not infringe on TiVo's patents, Multichannel News reports. A jury ruled in April 2006 that Dish's old DVRs infringed on TiVo's patents, the newspaper says. Dish has filed an appeal and is asking a judge to overrule the verdict after examining its new technology, the newspaper notes.
—Vlada Gelman

ABC Hopes ‘Mole’ Isn’t Just a Blip

‘Flash Teases’ Get Stations, Viewers Talking About Show

By Josef Adalian

If you blinked, you might have missed some of ABC’s recent marketing efforts on behalf of returning reality show “The Mole.”

And we’re not speaking metaphorically, either.

With little fanfare, ABC in March began hyping “The Mole” with on-air ads that might just be among the shortest in TV history—as in, three frames and out.

Indeed, the spots were so short—basically no more than the show’s fingerprint logo—ABC’s marketing executives had to work with the network’s Standards & Practices department to make sure the ads weren’t confused with subliminal advertising (a big no-no in TV land).

“I was amazed at what you can register (with viewers) in three frames,” said ABC Executive VP for Marketing Mike Benson, explaining that the microspots—or “flash teases,” as he calls them—were designed with DVR viewers in mind. The thinking: Viewers who were fast-forwarding through commercials would be intrigued by the super-short spot and hit the rewind button to check out what they thought they just saw.

“We wanted people to say, ‘What’s this?’,” Mr. Benson said. “It’s about getting people to realize there’s a message there.”

The initial “flash teases” were so short, some affiliates actually called ABC to figure out what was going on.

“We got complaints from stations saying, ‘What was that? Was it a mistake?’” Mr. Benson said.

The campaign also got attention in the blogosphere, with viewers debating whether the ads were a legit campaign or just a mistake by an ABC engineer. “I thought maybe I was having a flashback stroke or something,” wrote one person commenting on a Gawker.com item about the spots.

Since launching the mini-ads in late March, ABC has expanded the marketing campaign for “The Mole” to include more traditional 30-second ads—as well as more subversive efforts.
The micro-ads have been expanded to movie theaters, with audiences now seeing one-second “Mole” flashes during the pre-show entertainment.

Online, ABC created a fake ad campaign for a bogus perfume called Deception that transforms into a pitch for “The Mole.”

Overall, the network doesn’t want to take any chances with its relaunch of the show, an in-house favorite that’s getting a rare second chance to find an audience after being canceled in 2004.

“We’re treating it as a brand-new show, and we’re educating people as to what the game is all about,” said Marla Provencio, who is co-head of ABC marketing with Mr. Benson. “We can’t assume anyone is going to be there.”

USA Creates 'Plain Sight' Digital Game

USA Network will partner with digital production company Big Spaceship to create a multimedia gaming experience online for its new series "In Plain Sight," Multichannel News reports. Users will be able to log on to a Web site to participate in interactive witness-protection cases alongside the characters from the show, the newspaper says. USA will extend the gaming experience with an application for Facebook and outreach to mobile devices, the newspaper notes.
—Vlada Gelman

Carat Exchange Wins Reprieve

By Jon Lafayette

Reports of the demise of the Carat Exchange, a forum where the ad industry can trade information about the digital television world, are premature.

A day after Mitch Oscar, the executive who ran the exchange, announced in an e-mail that the June 11 meeting of the exchange had been canceled and that the agency had decided not to fund the exchange in the future, Carat said the exchange was being re-launched.

The new Carat exchange will cover topics in all areas of media and marketing, according Scott Sorokin, president of Carat.

“Digital television is an important area for us to continue to explore—but we also want to ensure that our agency is examining, leveraging and educating the industry across multiple mediums,” Mr. Sorokin said.

Last year Carat combined its traditional media buying operation with its interactive group.

“The new Carat Exchange will create a forum across disciplines that represent our ability to activate brands and tap into the mind of the consumer across the marketing spectrum,” he said.

Ms. Oscar had said the exchange was shutting down partly because Carat Americas CEO David Verklin was leaving the agency. Mr. Verklin had started the program and put Ms. Oscar in charge.

Carat has also lost a number of accounts in the past year.

“Due to budgetary considerations, Carat’s new management has decided against funding future Carat Exchanges, he said in his e-mail.

(Editor: Baumann)

FCC to Prep Wilmington Stores for DTV

Federal Communications Commission staffers will visit Best Buy, Circuit City and RadioShack stories in Wilmington, N.C. on May 31, Broadcasting & Cable reports. The staffers will inform customers of what equipment they need for the test market's upcoming switch to digital TV signals, the newspaper says. They will also provide DTV demonstrations and sign-ups for DTV-to-analog government-subsidy coupons, the newspaper notes.
—Vlada Gelman

'Tori & Dean' May Feature '90210'

Oxygen's "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" may feature behind-the-scenes footage of Tori Spelling reprising her role as Donna Martin on The CW's "90210," the New York Daily News reports. Spelling points out that there could be overlap between the production of "Tori & Dean" and filming on "90210," which has yet to begin, the newspaper says. "Tori & Dean" returns to Oxygen for its third season on June 17, the newspaper notes.
—Vlada Gelman

MTV Gives Birth to '16 and Pregnant'

MTV is planning a reality show version of the Oscar-nominated feature film "Juno," the New York Post reports. "16 and Pregnant" will follow several pregnant teens facing the lows and highs of pregnancy, the newspaper says.
—Vlada Gelman

Technologist Goldstone Leaves Tribune

Tribune Broadcasting's chief technologist Ira Goldstone announced that he is leaving the company after 25 years, TVNewsday reports. Goldstone, who was based at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, said the decision was mutual and that he would re-emerge in another position soon, the Web site says.
—Vlada Gelman

ABC Breaks Upfront Dam

By Jon Lafayette

The upfront advertising market is up and running, as ABC struck deals with two major agencies.

Starcom USA and Zenith Media paid less than the double-digit rates that the network sought when talks began, according to one source. While the entire broadcast market is expected to be down because of lower ratings and the shaky economy, ABC’s take is up in these early deals because buyers view the network’s schedule as the most attractive, with hit shows that reach key demographic groups.

ABC and the agencies declined to comment.

The deals, first reported by Mediaweek, may mean a long weekend for network sales executives and media buyers. Until today the upfront market had been quiet with lots of talk but no agreement on pricing.

The only upfront deal that has been confirmed has been between Hallmark Channel and Starcom.

(Editor: Baumann)

486 of Top 500 Shows on Broadcast TV

Broadcast programming aired 486 of the top 500 rated shows, according to the Television Bureau of Advertising, Media Daily News reports. Among the top 500 programs in the 18-49 demographic, only 16 cable programs made it onto the list, with ESPN's "Monday Night Football" topping them at 59th place, the Web site says. Twelve of cable's top 16 shows were sports programs, the Web site notes.
—Vlada Gelman