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The talk at the recent New TeeVeeLive conference I attended in San Francisco was about connected television, specifically Internet-connected and Internet-delivered video and data to the home TV screen.

Video is now the main driver of the Net. Choice and control--those "c's" again--reigned supreme in almost everyone's talk. See the highlights from this excellent conference.

By the way, Om Malik who runs GigaOM, and who ran the conference, did a terrific job. The sessions were 20 minutes each, which was great for those of us with short attention spans. There also were questions and answers from the very able reporters on the GigaOm staff, so we got the meat, and not the fluff or hype or pitch. Well done!

Here is some insight I gathered during the conference:

• Choice reigns, but fragmentation is pervasive.


• A stat I loved: It would take 200,000 years to watch the amount of video that crossed the Internet last month.


• Think of the concept of the smart TV. Like the cell phone, first all it did was make calls, now it's a PDA, GPS, computer, camera, and music player. Smart TVs will develop a lot like that.

I can't wait. That's why at CBS we are working with companies like Intel, Cisco, Samsung, Vizio, Sony, and more. We agree connected TV is going to play a big role in the evolution of the home screen.

Remember, it's not about what companies build, but how viewers at home watch. What the ultimate user experience is will determine what gets the most play. These are exciting issues, scary times.

The first week of the new television season is history, and CBS came out the winner. More viewers watched CBS premiere week than any other network, and CBS was the only network to be up over last year. A mighty accomplishment considering the extraordinary amount of competition in the media space. (Spoken like a true marketing guy?)

Now the race goes into its next phase: solidifying the hits and attracting more people to the other shows. We watch the week-to-week trends and see what direction the ratings are headed. Obviously, up is better! So we keep the marketing machine turning, pumping out on-air promotion, radio, and other messages. The good news for CBS is that our platform share of voice is the highest, because we are reaching more viewers, so our on-air promotion is more powerful than our competitors. That's a good thing.

This is the result of months of planning, strategy, execution, gamesmanship, and show biz. As I've tried to explain in previous posts, there are a lot of moving pieces to this game: creativity, media strategy, instinct, risk, and gut feeling. We have a terrific team of programmers, publicists, researchers, marketers, and such; they all strive to get the job done. Ultimately, the decision rests with the viewers. They vote each night, and we get the results the next day. That instant feedback is part of what makes this all so exciting.

Now that the season is underway, I will get back to my posts about the connected/digital home, the growth of home automation, and related topics. Thanks for watching, now stay tuned!

It's finally here!

After months of preparation and anticipation, the new television season begins. The networks will launch some 40 new shows, plus bring back returning favorites. There's a lot of media choice out there, and a lot of product calling for the attention of the nation's television viewers. The barrage of messages from on-air promos, print ads, cable, radio, billboards, and interactive technologies all set the stage to create awareness and attention. Now it's up to the audience to tell us what they like, and what they don't. So stay tuned and enjoy the shows!

We've waited all summer and now it's almost here: on Monday, September 21, the new television season officially begins. "Officially" is when Nielsen says it begins, because in the ratings race, Nielsen is the scorekeeper. The TV networks will launch more than 40 new shows in the course of a few weeks. Fortunes and careers will be made and lost in that time. This is one of the only industries that launches so much new product all at once against its toughest competition. This doesn't happen with soft drinks, toothpaste, or detergent.

But that's also what makes show business so much fun! In May we announced our new shows and fall schedule. We developed marketing campaigns for each. We created on-air promotional spots, radio commercials, outdoor billboards, interactive ads, cable TV spots, and print ads. Beyond that, we even developed the world's first video-in-print ad!

Take a look at some of our promos for the new shows.

Year after year, the No. 1 place people find out about new TV shows is on television; seeing previews or promos, as we call them, is the best and most effective way. It's a sample that reaches the most people. That's good news for CBS, as we have had the biggest audiences this summer to sample our previews. And we have the Emmy Awards on the Sunday night right before the season starts. Nonetheless, as strong as on-air promotion is, we have to reach beyond our air to get to entertainment fans, so ads on radio, cable TV, outdoor billboards, bus sides, the Internet, and print all play a part.

Then there's the big intangible: word of mouth. "Buzz" is a critical element, and the recommendation of a trusted friend or a so-called "TV expert" can make or break a show. Word of mouth cannot be bought; it is created as a mixture of awareness, advertising, and conversation. It is certainly a very special brew. There's good buzz and there's bad buzz. Our philosophy is that the public is smart and they can smell a good show from a bad one. Show me a clip and I'll tell you, they say. So here we are inside the 20-yard line. It's the red zone for the TV networks, and our goal is to score with viewers.

At CBS we have four new shows, and we are returning our schedule of America's most watched programs. Now that it's back to school and after Labor Day, people's attention turns to the new season, so let the race begin!

When I started my career with CBS, the CBS Broadcast Center in New York was truly "Cronkite's house." The Cronkite Studio was a newsroom of its own--writers, producers, assistants, with Walter at his anchor desk as the Managing Editor. Every day, the whirl of activity in there grew steadily as airtime approached. As an aspiring broadcaster, I loved walking by the door and catching a quick look inside. It was intimidating, and always mesmerizing. Walter (Mr. Cronkite!) truly was a presence. I was lucky enough to be part of CBS News convention and election coverage, and some of the space mission coverage, when he held the anchor chair. They said he had "iron pants," because he could sit for so long. You could tell how much he loved it. And I was so inspired.

My apologies, readers. I had a very busy June with travel to Los Angeles and planning for the marketing of CBS' new season. So, here is some quick catch up.

On the tech front: I've been testing Windows 7 on my home machine. Love it. I got a Verizon MiFi so I can create hot spots everywhere and don't have to pay those ridiculous hotel Web access charges. I love that. I upgraded my iPhone software. Love it. I switched to Avast Virus protection for home machines and home servers. Love it! I went to E3 in Los Angeles and got the game's-eye-view from the very cool folks at GameSpot. Love them. (Can't wait for Beatles Rock Band in the fall!) Finished some major home automation upgrades and installs. Love this. Crashed my Eye-Fi photo card during a firmware upgrade. The boards were no help. Didn't love that. I figured out the fix after a reformat, and am back to loving it again. I signed up for Twitter, and started tweeting. That's a mixed bag.

On the TV marketing front: I'm working with our team developing the creative and media strategy for the launch of the fall season. It's always an intense time; we never stop learning, and that's what makes it fun. We found this incredible technology that will make quite a splash in September (lips sealed until then). But no matter what's out there, the No. 1 place people find out what's on TV is on TV! And that's great for us; people want to see clips of the new shows and see previews. We know people are smart, we don't take them for granted, and we only have their time and attention for fleeting moments. We have to get our stuff to click in their brains before they click us off with their thumbs.

Happily, we have an outstanding team of marketing pros on both coasts who know how to get this job done. Keep watching and let me know what you think.

On the digital frontier: hearing lots of chatter, many conferences, ample Web talk, seeing cooler gadgets, and better logos and T-shirts. And still, it's all about content. Thank goodness. You need to have something to put on these devices and delivery systems that people want to see, and thankfully, we do.

Hanging out with Pete

(Credit: Personal photo of George Schweitzer)

On the home front: my home automation hobby is like golf or fishing, even with some of the physical pain, but no bites or sunburn, thankfully. I have been learning like crazy, thanks to the help of some great people in the community. The goal is to manage the home, and not to have it the other way around. This centers on security, knowing what's going on with the operations of your house, and energy: managing lights, HVAC, sprinklers, and power. And it's green for the environment and wallet. Take that, you golfers!

And, oh yes, big news: I received my master's in Trojan football a few weeks ago at the "USC Trojan Chalktalk" session. Two days of intense briefings, demonstrations, and workouts with Coach Pete Carroll and his coaching staff. It's amazing to hear his philosophy in person and to watch how the team works from behind the scenes. I received a lot of management ideas from Pete, too. There are just a couple of months until the Trojans take the field again. Even though I am a proud Boston University alum, and we were the NCAA Hockey champs again this year (go Terriers!), thanks to my daughter's attendance at USC, I am also a devout Trojan.

Fight on!

GameSpot is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.

OK, we've screened the pilots, discussed the merits of every show, developed a new fall schedule, and unveiled it to the world. So, do things slow down now? No! It's the busiest time in "Network TV Land," because this is when we develop our marketing plans for the new shows and create all the advertising for TV, radio, print, outdoor, and digital...you name it. But this is the fun part. CBS has a really solid schedule of returning shows, and four new ones will join the lineup in September. Now is the time we develop the marketing plans for each show.

Meanwhile, we continue our quest to learn as much as we can about how people find out about what's on television. Good news: the number one source is television itself. TV promotion is far and away the primary source, and that makes sense. There's nothing better than a "sample" of a product to see if the consumer is interested. And our samples have sight, sound, and motion, which I might argue is a lot better than a free cookie or box of soap (but there's nothing wrong with either of those).

After a new show is aired comes word of mouth. Much like a restaurant or movie, TV shows are right up there in the "trusted friend" category. Think about it: it's the water cooler effect. We talk about a new show at work or school the next day. It's about how television is part of the popular culture and social structure. Along with the water cooler effect comes media advertising on radio, local broadcast stations, and cable television; in print magazines and entertainment media (People and "Entertainment Tonight"); and the Internet. We focus our attention on all of these factors, and then some. We craft our marketing plans specifically in each medium for each new show.

So, there's a lot of creative development underway. Stay tuned.

It's development time in the network television world. That's when we look at all the shows that are contenders for the fall schedule. Network TV is still the biggest dog in the media pack, and people are watching more TV than ever. To that end, there are many more choices.

So, how are they selected? Let me take you through the process at CBS (and it's essentially the same for all the big networks).

We have very talented programmers and development executives whose jobs are to work with writers, creators, and producers to look for material that would work on our network. Past successes can breed new ones (the CSI franchise, for example), or a hot producer or writer with a track record can present a new idea that fits. What is "fit?" It's a balance of what we need, such as a 10 p.m. drama or an 8 p.m. comedy, and also what would work with our broad audience target.

Last year, our programmers developed a show called "The Mentalist," whose lead actor, the appealing Simon Baker, was on the verge of major stardom. It came from Bruno Heller, the writer/executive producer of the HBO series "Rome." It was scheduled last fall against Fox's quirky show, "Fringe," which also has a great pedigree from "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams. "The Mentalist's" audience target was right down the middle; it had great mainstream appeal to men and women of all ages. It was interesting, engaging, and clever. It became the industry's only bona fide hit of this season, and the No. 1 new show on all of network television!

Think of the TV development process like a giant funnel. Lots of ideas pour in and get discussed, and we hone down the list and buy scripts from those with the most promise. Then the very best scripts are given the go-ahead to make a pilot. That pilot gets cast, and ultimately produced, edited, and delivered to the network around this time of year.

Then we test every pilot at our state-of-the-art audience-testing facility in Las Vegas. That's where we get the best sampling of America's TV viewers who come pouring through Television City at the MGM Grand hotel.

I'll do a separate posting on TV marketing research, but suffice it to say, it's very cool. This is the place where America gets its say. The show may seem great to us, but what does America think? Caveat: research is a tool, not a rule; it's another piece of ammo used in our arsenal of decision making.

So, after that, our programmers and senior executives look at the pilots and we discuss the shows' strengths against our needs--how many hours we need to fill, what kind of shows work best, and what pieces fit well into the schedule puzzle. Plus, we discuss how well a show can be marketed to the viewing public, and what the competition is doing. Then we create a new fall schedule. On May 20, we will announce that schedule to the press and advertisers in a giant presentation at Carnegie Hall called the "Upfront." Why? Because most network TV ad time is sold up front, before the season, during early summer.

Let the games begin! You may not hear from me for a couple of weeks as we sort all this out, so stay tuned. I will try my best.

(Note: In the meantime, you can follow the fall development news and the industry Upfront reports on a great blog by a guy who really gets it, TVMoJoe by TV Week's Joe Adalian.)

For many years in the television marketing world the mantra about the future has been the three c's: choice, convenience, and control. Marketers believed consumers wanted more media choices, more convenience of viewing (remotes, VCR, DVR), and more control over their viewing.

Today, technology enables the balance of power to shift from the media provider to the consumer. It's now a world of infinite media choice, total convenience for consumers to view whatever they want whenever they want, and control so that no longer do they have to be in front of their TVs at 8 p.m. to see "Survivor" or they'll never see the episode again. Well, that's a big shift!

So where are the three c's now?

Choice. There may now be too many choices. After all, the more choices viewers have, the harder it is to decide. Navigation is key. (Look for my exciting navigation blog post coming soon! That's a promo.)

Convenience. Yes, TV viewing has become very convenient, but as simple as it is, to most consumers it's not simple enough.

Control. The consumer has complete control of the viewing experience, but even still, most viewing today is of live TV.

To those traditional three c's I have added four more c's (and if they were "c's-ons" I would be looking for the Frankie Valli connection here. Bear with me. I'm the marketing guy).

First is content. Above all, that is what everything revolves around. People don't watch technology. They watch content.

Then there's connectivity, and with connectivity comes convergence. They go hand in hand. People say they want multiplatform; they don't even know what that means, but bring it on. People are platform agnostic...or multifaith. They don't care about the delivery system. After all, people who get network TV over cable think CBS is cable because they get it on cable. It's transparent; they just want it quick, easy, and now!

Last, there is context. It's about how people live their lives and how they really watch and use media now. It's not all about the cool stuff we see here on CNET and Crave and at tech trade shows and in industry e-mails. That's for another day.

Confusing? (The eighth "C"?) You bet, and that probably means career security for media marketers. Stay tuned!