MEMORANDUM

TO:                         Steve Burke, CEO NBCUniversal

FROM:                   Susana Benaim, Strategic Planning Committee

SUBJECT:              Strategic Analysis: Second Screen Viewership and Usage

Executive Summary

NBC Universal owns media properties in television, cable, film, and online. Amongst these properties, cable and film are currently the most profitable. However, with the rise of digital media and the Internet, even the most profitable properties have reported some loss of revenue over the last few years.

Frank Rose’s book The Art of Immersion showcases many examples on how to further engage audiences with the content in these media properties. Second-screen viewing is one of these options. There are two types of second-screen usage: simultaneous and sequential usage. A 2013 report from research firm NPD Group shows that 87 % of U.S. entertainment consumers use at least one second-screen device while watching television. Although second-screens are used typically for non-related activities, about 30% of viewers search for actor’s names or other content-related information. Continue reading →

To:                        Steve Burke, CEO NBCUniversal

From:                    Susana Benaim, Strategic Planning Committee

Subject:            The Art of Immersion, How the digital generation is remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the way we tell stories, by Frank Rose

Frank Rose is “a leading writer and speaker on digital culture.” He writes a blog called Deep Media, which covers advertising, entertainment and storytelling developments and is a contributing editor for Wired magazine. Mr. Rose’s book, The Art of Immersion is an example-driven analysis of how new technology is changing the media industry. His theory is founded on the fact that stories are universal – however, the way we tell stories seems to change with emerging technology. People want to be immersed. They want to be involved in a story and make it their own. The question is, how can media companies accommodate this desire? Rose provides a plethora of examples, ranging from interactive marketing schemes from movies like the Dark Knight, to the creation of Wookiepedia, the Wiki of all things Star Wars. Through these examples, one can see the consistent thread of consumer immersion successes and failures that are affecting the advertising, film, television and videogame industry. For NBCUniversal’s interests, the book provides insight into immersion projects that could yield ideas for marketing content and creating a lasting relationship with consumers. Continue reading →

To:                    Richard Plepler, CEO Home Box Office

From:                Susana Benaim, Strategic Planning Committee

Subject:            Hooked Up, by Jack Myers

Jack Myers is the chairman of Media Advisory Group – an enterprise that advises and also invests in companies that in some way advance and support the media and the advertising business. He writes a weekly business report and a blog called MediaBizBloggers. Myers’ book, Hooked Up, provides predictions for the future in regard to a specific generation – the  “Internet Pioneers.” This is the group born between 1991 and 1995. The Internet Pioneers grew up in the world of Internet, always being connected, and constant instant gratification. Myers touches upon a variety of subjects inherent to Internet Pioneers such as their progressive views on relationships, their social-political activism on the web, and how their television habits from their youth that echoes in their personalities. For HBO’s interests, the book sheds light on three generational behaviors and trends that might affect the future of the premium-cable and the media at large: interactivity and two-screen activities, digital marketing, and consumer control for their variety of tastes. Continue reading →