PBS’s "Masterpiece" has signed its first title sponsor in seven years, after ratings for the drama franchise have jumped 43% in the year, reports The New York Times’ Media Decoder blog. Viking River Cruises will be the sponsor starting in…
Comcast is taking steps to ratchet up revenue from its popular on-demand service by "dynamically" inserting advertisements into the shows, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, advertisements on VOD shows could be changed only monthly, the story says. But new technology…
An AMC show inspired by "Mad Men" is having a tough time convincing advertising agencies to sign on, reports Rupal Parekh in Advertising Age. "The Pitch," an hour-long reality show, is set to begin pre-production in a few weeks, and…
Kim Kardashian is suing Old Navy and its parent company, The Gap Inc., alleging that the company’s television commercial featuring a dark-haired lookalike violates Kardashian’s publicity rights, reports the Associated Press. The broadcast ad, which is called "Super C-U-T-E," began…
CBS’s promotion department has conceived a nakedly simple come-on for the season premiere of the Charlie Sheen-less return of "Two and a Half Men," reports Entertainment Weekly. The new ad shows newly cast Ashton Kutcher with co-stars Angus T. Jones…
Ad buyers continue to have confidence in a fledgling cable network despite a ratings performance that had the channel ending its first quarter as the No. 45 cable net in prime time and then slipping even lower, to No. 73,…
Time Warner Cable had a sudden change in a key executive position Friday, with a well-known, well-liked exec abruptly announcing he was leaving the company and another exec quickly moving into his spot, Multichannel News reported. Sam Howe. TWC’s chief marketing…
One of the most successful original Web series is marking the production of its 300th episode. Partners Reveille, Yahoo! and Toyota Motor Sales USA are celebrating the milestone for the series “Who Knew?” The companies reported that the series had…
A global advertising forecast from ZenithOptimedia was scaled back in the face of political turmoil in the Middle East and debt issues in Europe, reports Advertising Age. ZenithOptimedia now expects global ad spending to increase 4.1% to $471 billion this…
The chief executive of Canoe Ventures plans to leave the interactive advertising firm when his contract ends later this year, reports MediaPost’s MediaDailyNews. David Verklin has been CEO of the company since it started in 2008. Current Chief Operating Officer…