Cox and Turner Demonstrate 'TV Anytime' with Measurable Advertising Exposure in 'MyPrimetime(sm)'

Cox and Turner Demonstrate 'TV Anytime' with Measurable Advertising Exposure in 'MyPrimetime(sm)'

More than Eighty Percent of Cox's Customers Who View 'MyPrimetime' are Satisfied with FF-Disabled VOD Experience; Turner Realized Nearly Ten Percent Lift in Viewership

ATLANTA, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications, Inc. and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) today announced the successful measurement of advertising exposure in video-on-demand (VOD) content located within Cox's MyPrimetime On DEMAND service. In a trial effort, Turner confirmed that time-shifted VOD viewing of the Turner programs could be counted toward Nielsen C+3 ratings, a key industry measure that indicates how many viewers are exposed to commercials within three days of the original airing of a program. The On DEMAND programming was available free to select Cox Digital Cable customers with fast-forward functionality disabled, the day after the shows' first run on linear broadcast.

"One of the major challenges faced by programmers and distributors in offering consumers greater convenience in time-shifting content has been preserving the advertising business model that enables high-quality programming to be produced in the first place," said Bob Wilson, senior vice president of programming for Cox. "Our work with Turner demonstrates that consumers will view On DEMAND content, with advertising, and that this exposure can be measured; this is a major milestone that will enable more content and convenience for consumers."

Turner and Cox began testing customer response to On DEMAND programming with full ad load and fast-forward functionality disabled in December 2008. The tests involved On DEMAND playback of eight top Turner network TV shows including hit programs such as The Closer on TNT, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns on TBS and Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. The challenge addressed by the Cox/Turner collaboration was to meet the same measurement standards with On DEMAND content as is applied to broadcast viewing. Cox and Turner were able to preserve the Nielsen watermark, an inaudible cue tone that is detected by Nielsen's People Meters to measure advertising exposure, and to deliver the content in exactly the same form as linear broadcast. One of the most important findings in the trial is that, even with fast-forward functionality disabled, viewers still chose to view entire shows nearly 100 percent of the time, compared to online views which typically represent significantly less than entire shows.

The impact of offering the content on the day after original air, with full commercial load, was shown to give a meaningful lift (almost 10 percent) to the average program within three days. These figures are significant because they show that On DEMAND programming, regardless of commercial content, has strong appeal for many viewers. The trial was Cox and Turner's first involving the measurement of On DEMAND content and non-skippable commercials.

"This is a win-win for everyone involved," said Coleman Breland, COO of Turner Network Sales. "The collaboration shows how cable networks and their affiliates can preserve ad revenue, while still giving viewers anytime access to the popular programming they love. Because commercials aren't skipped, advertisers know their messages get through and most importantly, viewers get what they want when they want it."

Cox's 'MyPrimetime' offers digital cable customers free access to popular broadcast and cable network programs On DEMAND with the option of having the fast-forward function disabled, thus preserving the advertising exposure. With 'MyPrimetime,' customers enjoy the convenience of time-shifting with no additional per-view charges and programmers extend the shelf-life of their shows. Initially launched in 2007, 'MyPrimetime' now offers shows from more than 20 of the most popular networks the day after they first air. Cox's research shows that more than 80 percent of customers who view content in 'MyPrimetime' are satisfied with the experience. Twenty percent say that if the shows were not available in 'MyPrimetime' they would not have set a DVR to record the program and 27 percent would not have watched the show at all.

"'MyPrimetime' takes TV Anytime to a new level by giving consumers access to their favorite TV shows whenever they want at no additional cost, while giving networks an opportunity to expand viewership in a manner that they can monetize," added Wilson.

Cox is planning to significantly increase the programs available in 'MyPrimetime' in the fall.

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with 6.2 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network. Cox Business is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long-distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com, www.coxbusiness.com and www.coxmedia.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Source: Cox Communications, Inc.

CONTACT: David Grabert, +1-404-269-7054, or Erin Lambremont,
+1-904-372-4204, for Cox Communications; Misty Skedgell, +1-404-885-4396, for
Turner

Web Site: http://www.cox.com/

-------
Profile: intent