MTV Networks Coins New Sales Metric For The Upfront

Anthony Crupi APRIL 03, 2006 - MTV Networks is having a coming-out party of sorts this week for its new research guru, releasing a study that it says was developed to “advance the discussion around audience engagement and advertising effectiveness.” The in-house study, which analyzed advertising effectiveness in relation to the multiplatform universe and introduced a metric called “transference,” is the first extensive project undertaken by Colleen Fahey Rush in her new role as executive vp, MTVN Research. (...)

“It’s become more of an ecosystem,” said Fahey Rush, who replaces Betsy Frank, who left MTVN’s top research post in January. “It’s no longer a question of taking linear content and deciding how to make it fit somewhere else. Now you get the idea and you decide where to develop it.” (...) While some old-guard media agency executives have balked at adopting any metric that doesn’t bear Nielsen’s imprimatur, the industry is creeping toward consensus on a number of issues. (...)

While new metrics may grant more accurate gauges of consumers’ viewing habits, no single solution can satisfy every client. “There are different metrics for each client depending on what the needs of that client are,” said Lyle Schwartz, senior vp/director of media research at Mediaedge:cia. “Until we can come up with a unified approach to dimensionalize the consumer, deals are going to remain unique.”

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