Lead-In Relevance Conference Is AT&T’s Way Of Introducing Its Advertising Business Unit’s goal is to ‘make advertising matter’

BY JON LAFAYETTE studio for a discussion earlier this year. T&T IS gathering some of McDonald said AT&T Advertising the top people from the expects to have this sort of confer- media world to christen its ence annually. Anew advertising business and “We don’t assume we’re the only debate the state of TV advertising. solution,” he said. “We know there The unit, headed by former GroupM are other really smart ones.” executive Brian Lesser and originally called AT&T Advertising Analytics, Open for Business will be rebranding this week at what AT&T is building a platform it the company is calling the Relevance would like other companies to use. Conference in Santa Barbara, Calif. Executives from NBCUniversal, Fox, “We realized there isn’t advertising CBS and Viacom are expected to be without analytics and data anymore,” in attendance. Kirk McDonald, chief marketing of- “Our job is to build a new kind of ficer for the unit, said. “It was a little advertising company, a marketplace like saying we were color TV. All TVs for premium content,” McDonald are in color.” AT&T will offer details of its ad unit’s rebranding during this week’s inaugural Relevance Conference. said. “We want to make sure that the way we deal with inventory sources, Making Ads Matter old kid who borrowed their dad’s and CEO Randall Stephenson. even our owned-and-operated inven- At a time when many marketers Chevy,” McDonald said. “It’s jerky The bulk of the program will tackle tory sources, is done in a way that is are questioning the effectiveness and you can’t quite get first gear industry-wide issues. Attendees will in the best interest of the consumer of TV advertising and consumers right.” hear from former baseball star and then the buyer. So to the degree are avoiding commercials on ad-free Advanced advertising today gets Derek Jeter, now a content maker that we can create technology that streaming services like Netflix, a lot of things right. Consumers get as a founder of the Players Tribune; enables a more effective buy, a more the AT&T unit’s ambition is to information about brands they’re actress Issa Rae of HBO’s Insecure; efficient sell and a better experience interested in, but sometimes basketball star-turned-sportscaster for the consumer, that’s what we’re those viewers are over- Grant Hill; soccer player-turned-influ- going to do.” targeted and continue to get encer Abby Wambach; LeBron James One of those owned inventory ads for those same brands business manager Maverick Carter; sources is Turner, acquired when even after a purchase is Arianna Huffington of The Huff- AT&T bought Time Warner. completed. ington Post; and Jeffrey Katzenberg “Our visions are so aligned,” said “Consumers are voting and Meg Whitman, who have raised Turner ad sales president Donna Spe- with their time and atten- $1 billion for a new mobile video ciale, who has been campaigning for tion, so how do we engage in streaming service. more targeted advertising and creating better ways to allow brands AT&T will also be sharing the a better experience for consumers. to have the conversation results of two new studies. One is the Turner has been among the leaders they want and allow consum- inaugural AT&T Relevancy Report, in introducing advanced advertising ers to experience the content a survey of 3,000 consumers which products that target specific audiences they want?” McDonald said. found that 66% of consumers wish rather than demographic groups. “We think AT&T is really advertising was more relevant to their AT&T expects the data it is bring- well-positioned, given this interests and lifestyle, while 57% ing to the platform to boost the arc of change as we become said ads are not relevant to them. The effectiveness of Turner’s ad inventory, a modern media company, to other is more industry-focused, look- and raise the amount of money it tackle that.” ing at the way advertising is bought generates. AT&T’s Kirk McDonald: “We don’t assume we’re the only solu- About 200 people from and sold. “We’re in the process of doing a lot tion. We know there are other really smart ones.” media agencies, market- Fixing what’s wrong with TV of testing right now with their data,” ing companies, marketing advertising has been the theme of a Speciale said. “I’m not going to bring tech and advertising tech number of gatherings recently. Linda anything out to market until we do make advertising matter. companies and programmers will be Yaccarino, chairman of ad sales at the testing, so right now, fourth-quar- “While data and technology have able to demo some new AT&T ad NBCUniversal, held an industry-wide ter [2018] is all about beta-testing sort of surfaced to enable our ability products, but only a handful of the meeting on the future of advertis- with our product. The goal in 2019 to get the right message to the right speakers at the three-day confer- ing in New York last year, and Fox’s is to bring some examples and case audiences at the right times, we’re ence will be AT&T executives, in- ad revenue president, Joe Marchese, studies to CES and then show how still sort of driving it like a 16-year- cluding Lesser and AT&T chairman brought executives to the company’s the data enhances our products.”

6 BROADCASTING & CABLE SEPTEMBER 17-24, 2018 BROADCASTINGCABLE.COM Lead-In

FATES AND FORTUNES THE WATCHMAN EXEC MOVES Senior content producer Michael Malone's weekly look at the programming scene OF THE WEEK

n (1) JUSTIN DRAPER has Making ‘Magnum’ Their Own, FX Ventures to Oz, been named VP and general manager of CBS’s New Fox Comedy Pretty ‘Cool’ Sacramento, Calif., duo- poly, KOVR and KMAX. The fall season is here! Magnum P.I. starts on CBS Sept. 24. Stephen Hill plays T.C., and said he Draper, who was most re- reached out to Roger E. Mosley, who played T.C. cently financial controller in the original series. at CBS-owned KCBS and He told Mosley he would “pay homage” when he KCAL in Los Angeles, 1 could to Mosley’s helicopter-driving henchman. At succeeds Jay Howell at Comic-Con, Hill wore a beret, as Mosley at times the KOVR and KMAX did on Magnum. helm. Howell was tapped At the TCA Summer Press Tour last month, in June to lead CBS’s Hill mentioned how Mosley instructed him to Pittsburgh stations, KDKA make the character his own. “He said, ‘Don’t worry and WPCW. n (2) JULIE about me,’ ” Hill said. “ ‘Higgins is a woman now. They’re not trying to do the same show. Make it CHEN MOONVES is stepping your own.’ ” down as co-host of CBS’s Magnum P.I. Magnum, of course, shoots in Hawaii. “It’s beauti- The Talk. Chen’s move 2 ful, but it can be lonely,” Hill said. “At this point in followed a short leave my life, I actually like the loneliness.” from the show after her Mr. Inbetween starts on FX Sept. 25. Australian Scott Ryan stars in this unique series. Ryan husband Leslie Moonves made the film The Magician, a mockumentary about a hit man, in Australia back in 2005. The series stepped down as chairman is based on the film. Ryan plays a criminal for hire who’s balancing the responsibilities of fatherhood. and CEO of CBS amid Nash Edgerton directs the series, which was shot in Australia. allegations of harassment. The Magician was critically lauded, and commercially ignored. Ryan came to the States to do a new film, and it fell through. He delivered pizzas and drove a cab. Chen will reportedly “I lost the desire to make anything,” he said dur- continue to host CBS’s ing TCA. “I figured I’d get a 9 to 5, do what every- Big Brother through fall 3 body else does.” 2019. n (3) BRIAN NURSE Then FX called. has been appointed senior Ryan said he made The Magician for $3,000. He VP, general counsel and wrote, produced, acted and provided the catering. secretary for the WWE. It’s a different story with Mr. Inbetween. “It was Nurse, who will report to great to have other people to help,” he said. “It WWE chairman and CEO made it a lot easier.” Vince McMahon, will And The Cool Kids starts on Fox Sept. 28, leading out of Last Man Standing. Martin Mull, David Alan oversee legal affairs and Grier, Vicki Lawrence and Leslie Jordan play high- serve as principal legal 4 energy senior citizens in an old folks’ home. advisor to McMahon, co- Mr. Inbetween Mull, who just turned 75, refers to the project as presidents George Barrios “my gold watch” after a long career in entertain- and Michelle Wilson, and ment. “To work with David and Leslie and Vicki and the company’s execu- Charlie [Day, executive producer] on a thing that’s tive management team. 20 minutes from my house,” he said, “it’s my thank you note for doing this for 50 years.” n Freeform has tapped Mull credits Day, of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for having the knack “to find the right line to (4) RICHARD ENG as VP, fit in the right place.” Roles for guys his age, Mull said, are between him, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase. “Steve is busy creative, branding and playing his banjo and Chevy doesn’t want to do it,” Mull said. “So let’s get Martin Mull.” design. Eng, who was 5 previously executive creative director at Loyalkaspar, will lead Freeform’s campaign development and manage the network’s brand identity. He reports to Tricia Melton, senior STATOF VP, marketing, creative and branding at Freeform. n BRIAN EDWARDS has been advanced to president, THEWEEK MGM Television Operations, overseeing all business aspects of MGM’s television and digital productions. Edwards, whose contract was extended through mid-2022, will continue to report to MGM Global 31% Television Group chairman Mark Burnett. n (5) PATRICIO TEUBAL has been named general manager — Increase in views of premium video content of A+E Networks Italy starting in December. Teubal delivered either live or on-demand via set-top will oversee the company’s three channels in Italy: boxes in the second quarter, compared to a year History, Crime+Investigation and Blaze. He joins ago, according to a report from FreeWheel. from media and sports adviser Blackant, where he was managing director. He was also founder of Cucu

Sports. Mark Rogers/FX Neal/CBS; Karen Flemming/CBS; Sonja

10 BROADCASTING & CABLE SEPTEMBER 17-24, 2018 BROADCASTINGCABLE.COM