If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube.
THE NETWORK ADVERTISING INITIATIVE issued guidelines for targeted advertising that drew distinctions between targetable and non-targetable characteristics. The guidelines tell member companies, which include AOL’s Advertising.com and Google’s Doubleclick, to avoid tracking HIV/AIDS status, sex-related conditions (including STD’s), psychiatric conditions, cancer status or sexual orientation. Things that are “sensitive” but trackable include age, philosophical beliefs, pregnancy status, ethnicity, criminal history, disability, marital status and various addictions. The guidelines also suggest that members should avoid monitoring children under the age of 13.
MLBAM and YAHOO signed a three-year deal that will add MLB.TV to Yahoo Sports, retaining its current pricing model. Yahoo will also handle ad sales for MLB.TV. FastCast (a daily MLB highlights show) and other MLB videos will appear on Yahoo Sports.
IAC will launch Life333.com, a new “how-to” site. Reportedly, the site will include lessons that can be learned in 3 minutes, 30 minutes or 3 hours (hence the name). The site will offer video and text lessons, which will be distributed across the IAC network of sites.
THE FCC and other federal regulators issued $6.6 million in fines to retailers for failing to put “consumer alert” labels on analog TV’s and other technology that will be affected by the transition to digital. Fines for this and other transition violations were levied against Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City, Fry’s Electronics and CompUSA. In total, the FCC inspected over 2,200 stores and issued 349 warnings for failure to comply with regulations.
CENTRIS sounded another warning about the upcoming transition to digital television, issuing an independent report that says 9.2 million analog households are in “challenging reception areas.” Executive VP David Klein said DTV-signal coverage will be “significantly more limited” than is currently anticipated and called for greater consumer education. The study listed ten “high risk” markets, including New York, Washington D.C. and Boston.