Patriots Dominate on Field and on the Dial

Rash Report: NFL Continues to Be Top TV Draw

MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) -- The New England Patriots dominated the field over the New Year's weekend, and ended up dominating the top 10 ratings list as well, thanks to an unusual deal between the NFL, CBS and NBC to air the most talked about game of the season. But America managed to watch a lot of other football last week. See which shows held their own against all the gridiron games. FULL ARTICLE

NBC to Host Its First Digital Out-of-Home Upfront

Meeting This Month Comes as Broadcast Upfront Still in Question

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a sign of the emerging power of TV outside the home, NBC Universal will hold what media buyers are likening to an "upfront" presentation for its digital out-of-home assets Jan. 16. The media company hopes to get more advertisers to consider NBC for placing ads on TV screens in supermarkets, near gas-station pumps, in taxi cabs and arenas, among other places. Meanwhile, the fate of the broadcast upfront events this year remain unknown as long as the Writers Guild of America continues to stay out on strike. FULL ARTICLE

Looking for Some Action? Turn to Fox

Media Reviews for Media People: 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With the writer's strike still ongoing, Ad Age TV Editor Brian Steinberg casts a critical eye on some of TV's mid-season series to help marketers determine which may prove to be the best showcases for their ads and products. Today, he looks at Fox's shot at reviving the Terminator franchise, made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, now California's governor, who will not be back. FULL ARTICLE

WGA, Leno Battle Over Monologue Rule

TVWeek's James Hibberd: Rated

The Writers Guild of America and NBC issued conflicting statements Thursday about whether late-night host Jay Leno violated union strike rules by performing a monologue last night. FULL ARTICLE

Scoble Finds Out Facebook Is a the Jealous Sort

ADAGES: It Wants to Know Who You're Sharing Data With

Robert Scoble, he of many thousand friends on Facebook, was suspended from the social network after he used a new Plaxo feature to automatically export the contact info of his Facebook friends. Facebook has now let him back in, but only after the uber-blogger's brief hiatus created quite the stir in--where else?--the blogosphere. This brings up an interesting question: Do you own your social network? Or does Facebook? FULL ARTICLE

What You Should Have Read, Jan. 4, 2008

Looking at Data Through a DVR
The Wall Street Journal dives into the data analysis, focusing on Janice Finkel-Greene, Initiative's exec VP-futures and technology, who with her team digs through reams of data on TV ratings, looking for answers to one of the biggest questions facing the TV business: How is the growing number of digital video recorders changing the way people do -- or don't -- watch commercials? One finding: In general, the closer viewers watch a show to its original airtime the more likely they are to watch the ads. FULL ARTICLE