Is Netflix Kids' Streaming Part of Nickelodeon's Ratings Drop? Netflix Users Streamed 2 Billion Hours in the Fourth Quarter

By Jeanine Poggi
Advertising Age

Netflix is adamant that its streaming service will not cannibalize the cable industry, but Nickelodeon's recent ratings decline may provide the first suggestion that at least one subset of viewers is at risk of abandoning live TV.

While Nick parent Viacom has blamed Nielsen for at least some of Nickelodeon's apparent ratings drop, the decline also coincides with new high-water marks for Netflix streaming. Netflix subscribers watched more than 2 billion hours of movies and TV shows through its streaming service in the fourth quarter of 2011, more than in any previous quarter, the company said early last month.

This statistic suggests that Netflix subscribers are averaging an hour of streaming content daily, according to Janney Capital Market analyst Tony Wible.

"While this can't be proven yet, it seems more than coincidental that this 2 billion stat comes during the same quarter as Viacom's disastrous Nickelodeon ratings," Mr. Wible said. "This could mean Viacom sold too much of its content to Netflix or isn't charging enough."

Netflix and Nickelodeon don't think there's a connection. Netflix notes that it has worked with many cable networks without pressuring ratings. "By way of example, Netflix has had the Starz catalog since 2008 and Starz subscribers grew during that time," a Netflix spokesperson said.

Nickelodeon remains positive on its partnership with Netflix. Netflix subscribers streamed no more Nickelodeon content during the fourth quarter than in the summer, when the network's ratings were stable, according to one person at Nickelodeon.

Netflix has been showing increased interest in viewers under 12 years old, however, introducing a "Just for Kids" channel to its website in August and extending it to the Nintendo Wii in October and Apple TV in December. The section features family-friendly content organized based on favorite characters, viewer age and other easy-to-navigate subgroups.

Neflix declined to say how much of the fourth quarter's 2 billion hours of streaming came from children's programming. When "Just for Kids" was released, Netflix said that nearly half of its users in the United States and Canada had streamed two or more movies or shows intended for children during the previous 90 days.

Nickelodeon isn't alone in its ratings concerns, with some pressure being felt at other children's cable networks, including the Cartoon Network and Disney XD. But other networks' declines aren't as pronounced.

Their content offerings on Netflix, and other streaming services like Hulu, also aren't as robust, according to Mr. Wible.

In May, Viacom increased the amount of its content available on Netflix, giving subscribers access to Nickelodeon favorites such as "Yo Gabba Gabba" and more episodes of "Spongebob SquarePants," "iCarly," "True Jackson, VP" and "Dora the Explorer."

Nickelodeon also attracts a slightly younger demographic than the Disney Channel, its biggest competitor, whose ratings have remained steady. Nielsen puts Nickelodeon's target audience at 2- through 11-year-olds, compared to Disney's 6- through 14-year-olds.

Young children often demand to watch the same show -- or even the same episode -- over and over, as Netflix pointed out when it introduced "Just for Kids." That may be making it easier for parents to satisfy young children's demands with on-demand services.

If kids are indeed seeing more streaming video and less live TV, that could be worrisome for the traditional model. What happens as those kids grow up?

Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings has been vocal about being a "complementary" service to cable, saying on a conference call last week that the company has no plans to bid on the rights for current seasons of TV shows. Instead Mr. Hastings said it is positioning itself as better suited for "catch-up television." "We would rather be additive to cable, not competitive," he said.

Cable networks, however, aren't entirely at ease. Starz subscribers may have increased during the time that Netflix has offered the channel's content, but Netflix is also now losing Starz content -- reportedly because it refused the network's demand to put Starz content on a premium tier costing subscribers extra.

Ultimately, Netflix's two billion-streaming-hours milestone could have content providers scratching their heads.

"We think that Netflix has underestimated the resolve of content owners to seek a fair price for their content, and by advertising the 93 hours per subscriber of streaming consumption during the quarter, we believe Netflix has sealed its fate," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter wrote in a research note last week.

It remains hard to say with certainty whether or how much Nickelodeon ratings are being affected by Netflix. Some observers dispute any connection.

"We do not believe Nick content availability of Netflix is the culprit," Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang wrote in a research note in December, pointing out that Netflix increased the relevant offerings most dramatically in February 2011, long before the Nickelodeon ratings drop. "Rather, it appears that declines in overall viewership in the people 2-11 demo and ratings share shift to Disney Channel are the main reasons," he wrote.

Children are seeing more digital video, but they're still watching just as much TV as before, said Jack MacKenzie, president at Magid Generational Strategies, a research-based consulting firm. "Kids know mom's phone or Dad's tablet is a potential TV show," he said. But Mr. Mackenzie believes these streaming outlets aren't replacements, but augment the TV viewing experience. "Kids are just watching more," he said.

But Needham analyst Laura Martin said it's important for content providers to continue to evaluate conditions. It's possible that Netflix can't pay enough to make up for the risk to live viewers and associated ad revenue, she said.

Even if Netflix users aren't streaming any more Nickelodeon content now than they did before the network's ratings fell, Mr. Wible added, perhaps some viewers' turn away from TV is lagging their adoption of streaming.

"We may see the same level of streaming, but could be seeing it finally displace TV demand were it was not in the past -- people are more comfortable without the TV element now," Mr. Wible said. "Lastly, the streaming of Nick needs to be looked at with all the other kids fare on the Netflix service that could be gaining share of time on the site at the expense of TV. It's too early to know the real story, but it is hard to explain why the Nick ratings are down otherwise."

Media Guru Irwin Gottlieb Gets New Position in GroupM Reorg

Media guru Irwin Gottleb has a new position, the result of a reorganization by WPP's global media management company GroupM.

Gottlieb will move from global CEO to chairman. The company announcement says, "Under the new structure, Gotlieb will focus on the overall strategic direction of GroupM and ensure that the company deploys data and technology to drive change for the benefit of GroupM clients and stakeholders."

Reporting directly to Gottlieb, in the newly created position of President of GroupM, is Dominic Proctor, the longtime CEO of Mindshare Worldwide, the announcement said.

The statement continued, "Proctor will oversee management of GroupM’s agencies worldwide, which in addition to Mindshare include Maxus, MEC, and MediaCom. GroupM’s regional heads, as well as the CEOs of the company’s four major media agencies, will report to him."

Replacing Proctor as CEO of Mindshare Worldwide will be Nick Emery, who has been Mindshare's chief strategy officer, based in London.

Irwin Gotlieb:

Here's the full announcement about the changes, released today, Jan. 26, 2012:

GROUPM STRENGTHENS GLOBAL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Mindshare’s Dominic Proctor Named President of GroupM

NEW YORK—GroupM today announced that Dominic Proctor, the longtime CEO of Mindshare Worldwide, has been named President of GroupM, a new position.

The announcement was made by GroupM Global CEO Irwin Gotlieb, who said the move is designed to strengthen the company’s senior management team in order to successfully meet today’s marketplace challenges and opportunities.

In his new role, Proctor will continue to report to Gotlieb, who officially becomes GroupM Chairman as part of the reorganization. Proctor will be succeeded as Mindshare Worldwide CEO by Nick Emery, currently the London-based Chief Strategy Officer for Mindshare.

“These changes represent a logical and important progression for us, and we’re confident that our clients and staff will prosper as a consequence,” Gotlieb said in making the announcement. “Our rate of growth and the complexity of our business require that we constantly evolve. Media investment management sits at the crossroads of media, data and technology and we must be positioned to capture the significant opportunities that are on the horizon.”

Under the new structure, Gotlieb will focus on the overall strategic direction of GroupM and ensure that the company deploys data and technology to drive change for the benefit of GroupM clients and stakeholders. Proctor will oversee management of GroupM’s agencies worldwide, which in addition to Mindshare include Maxus, MEC, and MediaCom. GroupM’s regional heads, as well as the CEOs of the company’s four major media agencies, will report to him.

“I’m especially pleased that Dominic, who has been so instrumental in the long-term success of Mindshare, has agreed to move into this new and important role in GroupM and concentrate on the global management of our company,” Gotlieb said.

Proctor has deep experience in managing media agencies. He launched Mindshare Worldwide in September 1997 as WPP’s first media investment management agency and led the company over the ensuing years to its current position as one of the leading media shops in the world. He started his career in 1979 and worked in various advertising agencies before joining JWT in London, where he became Media Director in 1989, Managing Director in 1991, and Chief Executive in December 1992. He held this position for five years, during which time he also had a seat on the board of JWT Worldwide.

“GroupM has become a large and complicated company requiring more hands on the wheel than in previous years,” Proctor said. “We have many more moving parts and we need more operational management to maximize the opportunities across our agencies. I’m delighted to step into this role, and equally pleased that Nick has accepted the CEO role at Mindshare. He has been a great partner since the start, and Mindshare will go from strength to strength under his leadership.”

Emery, a Mindshare veteran who joined the company when it was founded in 1997 and has worked closely with Proctor ever since, said: “Mindshare is a great global network with fantastic, market leading talent and clients. I'm honored and privileged to be able to take over from Dominic.”

Photos of Irwin Gotlieb, Dominic Proctor and Nick Emery are available on request.

ABOUT GROUPM

GroupM is the leading global media investment management operation. It serves as the parent company to WPP media agencies including Maxus, MEC, MediaCom, and Mindshare. Our primary purpose is to maximize the performance of WPP’s media communications agencies on behalf of our clients, our stakeholders and our people by operating as a parent and collaborator in performance-enhancing activities such as trading, content creation, sports, digital, finance, proprietary tool development and other business-critical capabilities. The agencies that comprise GroupM are all global operations in their own right with leading market positions. The focus of GroupM is the intelligent application of physical and intellectual scale to benefit trading, innovation, and new communication services, to bring competitive advantage to our clients and our companies.

Academy Award Nominations Announced Jan. 24, 2012. Complete List

Best Picture

• "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
• "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
• "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
• "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
• "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
• "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
• "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
• "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
• "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

• Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
• George Clooney in "The Descendants"
• Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
• Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
• Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
• Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
• Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
• Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
• Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Actress in a Leading Role

• Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
• Viola Davis in "The Help"
• Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
• Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
• Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
• Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
• Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
• Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Animated Feature Film

• "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
• "Rango" Gore Verbinski

Art Direction

• "The Artist"
  Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• "Hugo"
  Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
• "Midnight in Paris"
  Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
• "War Horse"
  Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

• "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
• "Hugo" Robert Richardson
• "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
• "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

• "Anonymous" Lisy Christl
• "The Artist" Mark Bridges
• "Hugo" Sandy Powell
• "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
• "W.E." Arianne Phillips

Directing

• "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Alexander Payne
• "Hugo" Martin Scorsese
• "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
• "The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)

• "Hell and Back Again"
  Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
• "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
  Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
• "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
  Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
• "Pina"
  Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
• "Undefeated"
  TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

• "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"
  Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
• "God Is the Bigger Elvis"
  Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
• "Incident in New Baghdad"
  James Spione
• "Saving Face"
  Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
• "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"
  Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

• "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Kevin Tent
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
• "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film

• "Bullhead" Belgium
• "Footnote" Israel
• "In Darkness" Poland
• "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
• "A Separation" Iran

Makeup

• "Albert Nobbs"
  Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
• "The Iron Lady"
  Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

• "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
• "The Artist" Ludovic Bource
• "Hugo" Howard Shore
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
• "War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

• "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
• "Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)

• "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
• "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
• "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
• "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
• "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

• "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
• "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
• "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
• "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
• "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

• "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
• "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
• "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
  David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
• "Hugo"
  Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
• "Moneyball"
  Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
  Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
• "War Horse"
  Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
• "Hugo"
  Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
• "Real Steel"
  Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
• "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
  Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
  Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
• "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
• "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
• "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin  Story by Stan Chervin
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
• "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
• "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
• "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
• "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

Many Brands Bid for Product Placement on 'Modern Family,' but So Few Make It -- Unwilling to Sell Soul of Show, Picky Producers Demand Relevance to Characters and Storylines

By Brian Steinberg
Advertising Age

Advertisers are working furiously to get their goods into the hands of the characters on ABC's "Modern Family." But only a select few will make it, as the producers are wary of turning the nation's best-loved TV family into a clan of shills.

"It is one of the shows where, across a lot of categories, you always hear people saying, 'How can I get involved?'" said Brent Poer, exec VP-managing director at Publicis Groupe's MediaVest.

Although requests from advertisers have ramped up in recent months, "we turn down, I would say, about 90%" of them, said Steven Levitan, one of the comedy's executive producers and creators. "We get offers constantly. We do very few. We try to be extremely selective." Mr. Levitan said the show will attempt one to three of these integrations per season, perhaps more if the story takes the cast to a remote location.

So far, Toyota, Audi and Target have enjoyed prominent placement on the program, with Audi's debut notable because carmakers typically avoid appearing in close proximity to rivals. For each, the appearances have been as hard to miss as a one-liner delivered by cast member Sofia Vergara, who plays trophy wife Gloria Pritchett.

A Toyota Prius, a car with an environmentally conscious bent, appeared in season one of the show. It was driven by Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who is an environmental attorney. Family chieftain Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) was spotted in recent weeks driving an Audi A8, with another character commenting on what a nice car it was.

And Target got a huge spotlight this past holiday season, thanks to a plotline in which the cast scurries to have an "express Christmas" before separating for the holidays. As part of the show, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) pushes a Target cart through a busy Target store, with logos evident throughout the scene. Whenever the family travels, an airline and hotel or other vacation site often appear as well.

Nearly every show on TV since its early days has had cars, high-tech gadgets or soda cans strewn about. Over the past several years, however, the rise of ad-skipping and the tougher economics of TV have given marketers more reason to be aggressive -- and networks less ability to resist. Yet the case of "Modern Family" is different. While anyone who watches CBS's "Hawaii Five-O" will see characters tearing up the road in sporty Chevrolets, few viewers will use the cars in the same manner. "Modern Family," on the other hand, puts name-brand goods in the hands of characters that incorporate them into their normal routine, in turn demonstrating exactly how most of the buying public might use them.

"Realism is the key -- a blue-collar character cannot be seen wearing Armani, and James Bond can't be seen in a stodgy sedan," said Charles R. Taylor, a professor at the Villanova School of Business.

One marketer whose wares have appeared in "Modern Family" does not want the program to accommodate more products. "It's not your usual sort" of prime-time program, said Scott Keough, chief marketing officer for Audi of America. "This is good, smart, funny stuff."

To make it into "Modern Family," a product's appearance has to be relevant to not only the plot but the characters, Mr. Levitan said. One gadget manufacturer recently approached the show about an appearance, he recalled (without naming the company) but was turned down. The reason: The gizmo has a whopping price tag and competes with many lower-priced rivals. That meant its appearance would not seem true to life, he said. Simply put, the "modern family" wouldn't be likely to buy it.

By contrast, Apple received huge exposure in 2010, even though no money changed hands, when its iPad -- at the time not available to the public -- was made a major part of a plotline in which technophile Phil Dunphy was coveting the new product.

Toyota was interested in getting its cars into the hands of Cam, Claire and the rest from the moment ABC screened the pilot episode of "Modern Family" at its 2009 upfront presentation, said Rob Donnell, president-founder of Brand Arc, a Santa Monica, Calif., brand consultant that helped place Toyota vehicles in the program.

"You have got producers that are willing to do it and know how to make it part of a script," Mr. Donnell said. "It's not just one scene, it's actually played out throughout the entire episode."

Getting into the show isn't cheap. "Modern Family" is one of the 10 most-expensive shows for advertisers this season, and a 30-second spot runs $249,388, according to Ad Age's annual survey of prime-time ad costs. Using back-of-the-envelope math, every second a product appears in the show could be worth slightly more than $8,300.

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Win $2,000 for Your Story That Was On TV, On the Internet, or In Print

February 3 EXTENDED TO Feb. 24th! This new date now marks the deadline for your chance to take home thousands of dollars for journalistic work you did in 2011. The American Legion’s Fourth Estate Awards selects three journalists to receive $2,000 EACH for outstanding achievement in the field of journalism.

The three categories for the contest are stories that have been on TV, on the Internet, or in print.

The Fourth Estate Awards honor news stories that deal with a topic or issue of national interest or concern. .

The American Legion has presented its annual awards for outstanding journalistic achievement for more than 50 years. 

Last year's winners were WTVF-TV in Nashville, the website for the Indianapolis Star, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

For more details about how to enter, please click here.

David Beckman in Super Bowl Ad For Retailer H&M. It's Company's First Ever Ad in the Big Game

By Emma Hall
Advertising Age

H&M has announced its first Super Bowl ad, intended to introduce the retailer's David Beckham Bodywear collection.

H&M is a surprising player in the Super Bowl ad lineup. The Swedish company is well-known for its tie-ups with big fashion names and celebrity style icons. It has produced collections with Madonna, Lanvin, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and, most recently, Versace. Each collaboration is launched with an original short film, created in-house, helping the H&M brand to establish its reputation as an innovative marketer, although it rarely spends heavily on media.

The Super Bowl spot will change that and will provide an opportunity for H&M to showcase its collaboration with David Beckham, one of the world's biggest and most bankable sports stars and a veteran of TV spots for PepsiCo, Adidas and other marketers.

Apart from his soccer career, Mr. Beckham has earned a reputation as a fashion icon unafraid to experiment with fashion, hairstyles and tattoos. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Victoria Adams Beckham, a former Spice Girl and now a successful clothing designer, and their four children, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. Although he plays for U.S. soccer team L.A. Galaxy, he has made public his ambition to be selected for the Team GB soccer squad at this year's Olympic Games in London.

That Mr. Beckham is a personal friend of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, only adds to his allure. The Beckhams were invited to the public wedding as well as to the private party at Buckingham Palace after.

The David Beckham Bodywear collection, subject of the Super Bowl ad, launches on Feb. 2 in stores worldwide and online. It will include nine underwear styles, including four types of briefs, three tops, and pajama bottoms and long johns.

David Beckham is famously rumored to wear a brand-new pair of underpants every day, so a move into his own underwear line makes perfect sense. He also had a long association with Emporio Armani as the face and body of its underwear range, while more recently tennis star Rafael Nadal and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo have been posing in their underwear for Emporio Armani.

Mr. Beckham is no stranger to blockbuster TV spots. He's appeared in Adidas and PepsiCo ads for years. And he starred last year with actress Sofia Vergara in TBWA/Chiat/Day's "Beach Tweet," in which Ms. Vergara shortens the line at a beach kiosk to buy a Diet Pepsi with a tweet pretending she's seen David Beckham, who then appears. He's also done ads for Vodafone, Gillette, U.K. supermarket chain Sainsburys and Sharpie pens.

H&M opened in Sweden in 1947 and now has stores in 43 countries. The retailer also owns Cos, a more up-market chain, and youthful brands Cheap Monday and Monki, which have recently rolled out stand-alone stores.

The 69th Annual Golden Globes: The Complete List of Winners Announced Jan. 15, 2012

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION
2012 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
The 69th Annual Presentation
Presented on January 15, 2012
at the
International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011
PRESS RELEASE

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
HOMELAND
SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet,
Fox 21; Showtime

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
CLAIRE DANES Homeland (Showtime)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
KELSEY GRAMMER Boss (Starz)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
MODERN FAMILY
Levitan-Lloyd Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television;
ABC

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL
LAURA DERN Enlightened (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL
MATT LEBLANC Episodes (Showtime)

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE)
A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production; PBS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE
MADE FOR TELEVISION
KATE WINSLET Mildred Pierce (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE
MADE FOR TELEVISION

IDRIS ELBA Luther (BBC America)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JESSICA LANGE American Horror Story (FX)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
PETER DINKLAGE Game of Thrones (HBO)

BEST MOTION PICTURE
THE DESCENDANTS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
THE ARTIST
a La Petite Reine - Studio 37 - La Classe Americaine - JD Prod- France3 Cinema -
Jouror Production-uFilms coproduction; The Weinstein Company

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL
MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL
JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/ Hemisphere Capital/Amblin
Entertainment/Wingnut Films Production/ Kennedy/Marshall Production A Steven
Spielberg Film; Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A SEPARATION (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) – IRAN
Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION
PICTURE
OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION
PICTURE
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
MARTIN SCORSESE Hugo

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN Midnight in Paris

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
LUDOVIC BOURCE The Artist

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“MASTERPIECE” W.E.
Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, and Jimmy Harry

WINNERS BY TELEVISION SERIES OR PROGRAM
AND TELEVISION NETWORK

TELEVISION SERIES OR PROGRAM
Homeland 2
American Horror Story 1
Boss 1
Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) 1
Enlightened 1
Episodes 1
Game of Thrones 1
Luther 1
Mildred Pierce 1
Modern Family 1

TELEVISION NETWORK
HBO 3
Showtime 3
ABC 1
BBC America 1
FX 1
PBS 1
Starz 1

WINNERS BY MOTION PICTURE
AND MOTION PICTURE DISTRIBUTOR

MOTION PICTURE
The Artist 3
The Descendants 2
A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) 1
The Adventures of Tintin 1
Beginners 1
The Help 1
Hugo 1
The Iron Lady 1
Midnight in Paris 1
My Week with Marilyn 1
W.E. 1

MOTION PICTURE DISTRIBUTOR
The Weinstein Company 6
Fox Searchlight Pictures 2
Paramount Pictures 2
Sony Pictures Classics 2
Columbia Pictures 1
Focus Features 1
Touchstone Pictures 1

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Recipients of the 63rd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards

NATAS has issued the following press release:

New York, NY – January 12, 2012 -- The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) honored the recipients of the 63rd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This event marks the sixth consecutive year that the Technology and Engineering Emmy® Awards have been presented in conjunction with CES. The presentation took place at The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Hosted by the NFL Today CBS sports reporter Leslie Visser, the annual Lifetime Achievement Award for Technology innovation was given to David Hill, Chairman & CEO, Fox Sports Media Group.

“The National Academy’s Awards Committee has made an excellent choice in honoring David Hill, as this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree in Technology,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “David’s eye for technology has led to many innovations in television and changed how we view broadcast sports.”

“The National Academy’s Engineering Achievement Committee is pleased to honor these technology companies who have set the standard for much of what we do in broadcast television and to those that continue to broaden what is possible in bringing home to the viewer the best that television has to offer,” said Technology Achievement Committee Chairman, Robert P. Seidel, NATAS. He gave out a special award to Charles H. Jablonski, Vice President, Online, Inc., who led the committee for more than 25 years.

The individuals and companies honored at the event include:

1) Local Cable Ad Insertion Technology - Cable Digital Standards for Local Cable Advertising

SMPTE
SCTE

2) The System for Automated Migration of Media Assets

Samma (Front Porch Digital)

3) Pioneering Development of Large-Venue, Large-Screen Direct View Color Video Displays

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. - Diamond Vision Systems

Shuji Nakamura, Professor
University of California - Santa Barbara

4) Pioneering Development and Deployment of Active Format Description and Aspect Ratio Control Technologies and Systems

ATSC
SMPTE
DTG - Digital TV Group
DVB
NBC Universal
Ericsson
Miranda Technologies
CEA

5) Development of Integrated, Deployable Systems for Live Reporting from Remote Environments

David Bloom

NBC

MTN Satellite Communications

6) Standardization of Loudness Metering for Use in Broadcast Audio

ITU-R Study Group 6
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

Communications Research Centre

Dr. Gilbert Soulodre

Craig Todd

7) Development of Professional Tapeless Portable Acquisition Systems Using Affordable Media

Sony Corporation

8) Pioneering Development of Removable Solid State Media for Video Camera/Recorders (Camcorders)

Panasonic Corporation

Launched in 1948, The Technology and Engineering Emmy® Awards honor development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognize companies, organizations and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that have a significant effect on television engineering.

NBC Says It Has Sold Out of Super Bowl TV Inventory, but Two Spots Are Up for Resale

By Brian Steinberg
Advertising Age

NBC Universal has sold out of commercial time during the upcoming Super Bowl and expects to sell out its online inventory for the digital stream, a testament to the power of one of media's oldest pieces of content at a time when new technology is undermining other traditional TV offerings.

NBC Universal sold its last ad berth for Super Bowl XLVI, to be broadcast Feb. 5 from Indianapolis, around Thanksgiving, said Seth Winter, senior VP-sales and marketing at NBC Sports Group.

But the media company is still in the market. Two sponsors that he declined to name are trying to back out of their Super Bowl plans, according to Mr. Winter, and NBC is attempting to resell their time to other ad hopefuls.

The digital stream -- the first time the Super Bowl will be shown in such fashion in the U.S. -- will contain fewer ads than the TV broadcast, including just a portion of the game's overall TV ad roster. "There are going to be fewer advertisements with less messaging, something that would be more conducive to how you would expect the digital experience to be," Mr. Winter said.

The digital stream will be available via NBC's website and Verizon's NFL Mobile application.

Ad sales for the 2011 Super Bowl, broadcast on News Corp.'s Fox, were largely complete by late October of 2010, but NBC's effort may have been more complex. Every advertiser for this year's Super Bowl has purchased a "package" of inventory, Mr. Winter said. Though that happens at other networks as well, NBC Universal could include the spot not just in the traditional broadcast but on the soon-to-launch NBC Sports Network, the coming Olympics broadcast, the digital stream of the Super Bowl or other NBC Sports inventory.

"Every package has a nuance that is different than another," Mr. Winter said.

The average price for a Super Bowl package was about $3.5 million, though one sponsor paid about $4 million, Mr. Winter said. The prices represent a significant increase over those for recent telecasts, when networks' ability to enact hikes was curtailed by the recession.

Super Bowl ad prices typically vary, depending on when a commercial airs during the game and the type of package a sponsor buys. Ad berths in NBC Universal's digital stream range between the high six figures and low seven figures, Mr. Winter estimated.

The continued demand for the Super Bowl puts a spotlight on perhaps the last truly sure thing on TV. As the web and other competitors siphon traditional viewers from boob-tube standbys like morning news and prime-time dramas, the NFL championship game has managed to increase its audience for the last several years.

In 2010, Super Bowl XLIV on CBS became the most-watched event in TV history with an audience of 106.5 million, breaking the previous record of 105.9 million viewers for the network's telecast of the "M*A*S*H" series finale in 1983. Perhaps more surprising: Fox's telecast of the 2011 Super Bowl passed both of those marks, reaching about 111 million.

NBC's broadcast of the 2012 Super Bowl will contain about 35 minutes of national advertising, with other time reserved for network promos and ads sold by local NBC affiliates. National sponsors include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Audi of America, Best Buy, CareerBuilder, Cars.com, Century 21, Coca-Cola, Dannon Yogurt, General Motors, GoDaddy.com, Hyundai, Mars Inc.'s M&Ms, PepsiCo, Toyota and Volkswagen.

If the event again posts outsize ratings, TV networks will remain aggressive.

"I'm still not quite sure that we have pushed the boundaries of what a Super Bowl ad is worth," said Mr. Winter.