Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.
–NBC Universal said it would start offering interactive advertising services. The deal will include General Electric Co.’s 14 networks, including NBC, Telemundo and Bravo. With NBC already supplying mobile content through a variety of channels, the announcement could spell the company’s interest in expanding the scope of its offering.
–ABC News reported a partnership with social-networking site Facebook to provide political and debate information during the 2008 elections. While Facebook currently garners only a small portion of Internet traffic, and an even smaller percentage of wireless traffic, the move shows television networks are staying vigilant on tapping into different media channels to distribute content as well as reaching a more diverse demographic.
–Arbitron Inc. saw its stock price plummet after the radio ratings company said it would delay the rollout of an electronic audience-measurement service in a number of markets. The new service tracks traditionally underrepresented segments including young adults and ethnic groups, both of which are early adopters of wireless services. As radio-based services continue to move into the mobile space, ratings companies are going to need to adapt to the new medium to provide the necessary metrics for both content providers and potential advertisers.
