NBC's Prime Leno Plan Plays Well With Buyers

NEW YORK The last time NBC scheduled an entertainment program across five nights in the same prime-time slot was back in 1956, when Jay Leno was 6. He might have even watched the show from time to time -- it was the popular puppet series Kukla, Fran & Ollie, which aired at 7 p.m.Now Leno, who has helped shape the late-night TV landscape over the last 16 years as host of The Tonight Show, will soon make prime-time history. He will host the first Monday to Friday stripped series scheduled at 10 p.m. The format will be a variation of his late-night show, and will debut in September '09. That news was the talk of TV land last week and ad buyers and advertisers have mixed feelings about the move. Many consider Leno one of the more marketer-friendly producer/hosts on the air today, and someone who gets the fact that advertisers need to maximize the return on their ad expenditures beyond 30-second spots.On the other hand, the move tightens rating points for prime-time-scripted dramas and comedies, said Gibbs Haljun, managing director, media investment at WPP's Mediaedge:cia. "But I think it has some potential," he said.Others applauded the move. "I think it's an aggressive and bold move," said Andy Donchin, evp, director of national broadcast at Carat. "The networks can't afford to do nothing in the face of continued audience erosion."And Leno has offered advertisers integrated spots in his late-night show, buyers said. They pointed to the live ads that have been woven into his show. For example, a live ad for navigation device maker Garmin featured Leno sidekick John Melendez in a skit expounding on a serious male malady he termed "direction disorder," which often causes men to become "lost, confused and not knowing where to turn."Other sponsors who have done live spots on Leno include AT&T, TAG Body Spray and Klondike. This summer Mercedes-Benz sponsored a Tonight Show summer concert series where the studio audience listened to bands playing in an outdoor lot with strategically placed Mercedes-Benzes nearby.NBC sales president Mike Pilot said that Leno would continue to be open to unique ad and sponsorship integration ideas, although he stressed that talks with advertisers wouldn't begin until after the format of the program itself is finalized. "A lot remains to be determined," he said, "but it is Jay's unique ability and talent that will make possible a lot of opportunities."Of course, with more potential upside and less to lose, it is easier for the fourth-place network to be innovative, said Ed Gentner, svp, client director at Publicis Groupe's MediaVest. "With the exception of ER, NBC's 10 p.m. lineup has been pretty dismal. But from an advertiser standpoint it's great that somebody is going to shake things up a bit." Others agreed, but added that the move signaled that NBC was behind in prime-time development. But the flip side, said Gentner, is that NBC gets to retain Leno and also focus the bulk of its development efforts across two hours of nightly prime time instead of three hours.Some buyers wonder what effect Leno in prime time will have on The Late Show when Conan O'Brien takes over next year. Will the shows end up competing for guests? Will The Tonight Show audience shift to prime time? Will celebs avoid late night and go for the bigger prime-time audience? Pilot doesn't think it will be issue. "The fact that they won't be competing on different networks is a big plus," he said.Pricing also remains to be determined. Late-night prices tend to be lower than prime time where the audiences are bigger. Programs stripped across a schedule tend to be sold in packages based on their cumulative ratings for the week, whereas prime-time shows are often sold day and date specific and are often tied to other prime-time shows. Buyers and advertisers say it's too early to buy the new Leno show. "Clients are looking at immediate challenges versus nine months from now," said Haljun.

Convergent TV

NBC's Prime Leno Plan Plays Well With Buyers

Steve Mcclellan

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