Post by LIFE AND DEATH on Aug 5, 2005 23:09:11 GMT -5
Take Control It's Easy
Corporate Communications
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nation’s leading cable operators and cable networks today announced a new initiative to help families manage their home TV viewing and protect children from programming their parents may find inappropriate for them.
The campaign, coordinated by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), features an enhanced TV ratings system plus a comprehensive $250 million multimedia public service campaign designed to reach most of the 70 million U.S. cable subscribers with information about the parental control tools that cable provides. Cable operators serving more than 90 percent of cable households, and more than 100 cable networks representing a variety of genres, will participate in the campaign.
Featuring the tag line, “Take Control. It’s Easy,” the initiative emphasizes that parental control features provided by cable operators are accessible and easy to use. The majority of cable customers already have parental control technology available to them because it is a feature built in to the “set-top” box that is provided to all digital and many basic cable subscribers, and 100 million TVs have built-in V-chips that can block programming.
Elements of the initiative, which represents the next generation of the “Cable Puts You in Control” effort launched in March 2004, include the following industry commitments:
Creation of new television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and airings worth more than $250 million during the next 12 months;
Introduction of a larger TV ratings icon that will be inserted on the TV screen at the beginning of every rated program, plus a rating icon will be inserted on the screen after every commercial break; and
Comprehensive customer outreach efforts, including regular customer notification of parental control features; 100 “Control Your TV” events ted in communities by local cable systems; re-launch of the educational ControlYourTV.org web site; and creation of new materials providing instructions for using cable’s parental controls.
“The cable industry shares the concerns of many parents, who want to guard against TV content they feel may be inappropriate for their children,” said NCTA President & CEO Kyle McSlarrow in unveiling the initiative at the National Press Club. “While many cable customers already have the tools to block unwanted TV content, many are not aware of how to use parental control features. By improving the TV ratings system and launching a major $250 million advertising campaign focused on using parental controls, the cable industry wants to help parents understand how easy it is for them to take control of their family’s TV viewing.”
$250 Million Public Service Campaign
To alert cable customers to the parental control features available to them, the cable industry has pledged to feature PSAs in air time valued at $250 million over the next 12 months, in markets nationwide and during all TV viewing periods.
In addition to the PSA that was previewed at today’s event, the industry will be creating additional spots that are designed to inform consumers about cable’s parental controls, the TV ratings and V-chip, and direct consumers to the industry’s website, www.ControlYourTV.org, for more information. These spots follow previous rounds of public service advertising, and the new commitment to PSAs includes several cable networks and system operators that haven’t participated to date.
Cable operators and networks will immediately begin inserting the new PSAs into their advertising rotation and will air them regularly for at least the next year. (The new PSA can be viewed by visiting www.ControlYourTV.org, or the NCTA website, http://www.ncta.com.)
Enhancements to the TV Ratings System
Beginning June 1, two major improvements to the TV ratings system will be launched to make the ratings more prominent, which should help parents better understand whether the content of a specific program is appropriate for children. The size of the ratings icon that is displayed on the TV screen at the beginning of rated shows will be enlarged, and cable networks will begin inserting a TV ratings icon on the screen after each commercial break to remind viewers of a program’s rating throughout the duration of the program.
Under the new system that begins June 1, the TV ratings icon will appear on the screen four times during a 30-minute program with three commercial breaks and six times during a 60-minute program with five commercial breaks. Under the current system, the ratings icon appears on the screen only at the beginning of rated programs.
“We believe that increasing the prominence and frequency of TV ratings icons is a significant step towards helping parents better understand if the program they’re watching is appropriate for their family,” said Judith McHale, President & CEO, Discovery Communications, Inc.
Better Communication with Customers About Parents Controls
In addition to the $250 million PSA campaign, many cable operators will conduct several proactive customer outreach tactics to educate subscribers about cable’s parental controls. Leading cable operators also reaffirmed their commitment to provide free channel blocking technology to customers who currently don’t have equipment that allows them to control the flow of programming into their homes.
To further educate parents about media literacy and provide simple guidelines for developing a safe media environment for families, local cable systems, in partnership with the National PTA and local PTA chapters where available, will t 100
“Control Your TV” community events throughout the country during the next 12 months. Cable operators also will improve customer notification about the availability of parental control tools by providing materials and instructions to new and upgrade customers, notifying customers about parental controls through statements in cable invoices, and adding “one click” access to parental control information to the home page of company websites.
“Cable operators understand that parents want to better control their TV viewing environment. We’re proud to provide parents with a helpful array of tools and resources that enables them to better manage television viewing for their families,” said Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation, and Chairman of the NCTA Board of Directors.
In addition to activities involving direct contact with customers, the industry’s ControlYourTV.org website will be enhanced with more interactivity and richer information about parental controls so families can use the site as a resource. The website is available in both English (www.ControlYourTV.org) and Spanish language versions (www.ControleSuTelevisor.org).
Another component of the campaign is designed to take advantage of cable’s presence in the consumer electronics retail environment and broaden the parental control message to prospective TV buyers. A number of leading cable operators are developing partnerships with Best Buy and Circuit City stores throughout the U.S. and are exploring ways to add informational materials about cable’s parental controls to in-store displays.
NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.
Corporate Communications
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nation’s leading cable operators and cable networks today announced a new initiative to help families manage their home TV viewing and protect children from programming their parents may find inappropriate for them.
The campaign, coordinated by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), features an enhanced TV ratings system plus a comprehensive $250 million multimedia public service campaign designed to reach most of the 70 million U.S. cable subscribers with information about the parental control tools that cable provides. Cable operators serving more than 90 percent of cable households, and more than 100 cable networks representing a variety of genres, will participate in the campaign.
Featuring the tag line, “Take Control. It’s Easy,” the initiative emphasizes that parental control features provided by cable operators are accessible and easy to use. The majority of cable customers already have parental control technology available to them because it is a feature built in to the “set-top” box that is provided to all digital and many basic cable subscribers, and 100 million TVs have built-in V-chips that can block programming.
Elements of the initiative, which represents the next generation of the “Cable Puts You in Control” effort launched in March 2004, include the following industry commitments:
Creation of new television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and airings worth more than $250 million during the next 12 months;
Introduction of a larger TV ratings icon that will be inserted on the TV screen at the beginning of every rated program, plus a rating icon will be inserted on the screen after every commercial break; and
Comprehensive customer outreach efforts, including regular customer notification of parental control features; 100 “Control Your TV” events ted in communities by local cable systems; re-launch of the educational ControlYourTV.org web site; and creation of new materials providing instructions for using cable’s parental controls.
“The cable industry shares the concerns of many parents, who want to guard against TV content they feel may be inappropriate for their children,” said NCTA President & CEO Kyle McSlarrow in unveiling the initiative at the National Press Club. “While many cable customers already have the tools to block unwanted TV content, many are not aware of how to use parental control features. By improving the TV ratings system and launching a major $250 million advertising campaign focused on using parental controls, the cable industry wants to help parents understand how easy it is for them to take control of their family’s TV viewing.”
$250 Million Public Service Campaign
To alert cable customers to the parental control features available to them, the cable industry has pledged to feature PSAs in air time valued at $250 million over the next 12 months, in markets nationwide and during all TV viewing periods.
In addition to the PSA that was previewed at today’s event, the industry will be creating additional spots that are designed to inform consumers about cable’s parental controls, the TV ratings and V-chip, and direct consumers to the industry’s website, www.ControlYourTV.org, for more information. These spots follow previous rounds of public service advertising, and the new commitment to PSAs includes several cable networks and system operators that haven’t participated to date.
Cable operators and networks will immediately begin inserting the new PSAs into their advertising rotation and will air them regularly for at least the next year. (The new PSA can be viewed by visiting www.ControlYourTV.org, or the NCTA website, http://www.ncta.com.)
Enhancements to the TV Ratings System
Beginning June 1, two major improvements to the TV ratings system will be launched to make the ratings more prominent, which should help parents better understand whether the content of a specific program is appropriate for children. The size of the ratings icon that is displayed on the TV screen at the beginning of rated shows will be enlarged, and cable networks will begin inserting a TV ratings icon on the screen after each commercial break to remind viewers of a program’s rating throughout the duration of the program.
Under the new system that begins June 1, the TV ratings icon will appear on the screen four times during a 30-minute program with three commercial breaks and six times during a 60-minute program with five commercial breaks. Under the current system, the ratings icon appears on the screen only at the beginning of rated programs.
“We believe that increasing the prominence and frequency of TV ratings icons is a significant step towards helping parents better understand if the program they’re watching is appropriate for their family,” said Judith McHale, President & CEO, Discovery Communications, Inc.
Better Communication with Customers About Parents Controls
In addition to the $250 million PSA campaign, many cable operators will conduct several proactive customer outreach tactics to educate subscribers about cable’s parental controls. Leading cable operators also reaffirmed their commitment to provide free channel blocking technology to customers who currently don’t have equipment that allows them to control the flow of programming into their homes.
To further educate parents about media literacy and provide simple guidelines for developing a safe media environment for families, local cable systems, in partnership with the National PTA and local PTA chapters where available, will t 100
“Control Your TV” community events throughout the country during the next 12 months. Cable operators also will improve customer notification about the availability of parental control tools by providing materials and instructions to new and upgrade customers, notifying customers about parental controls through statements in cable invoices, and adding “one click” access to parental control information to the home page of company websites.
“Cable operators understand that parents want to better control their TV viewing environment. We’re proud to provide parents with a helpful array of tools and resources that enables them to better manage television viewing for their families,” said Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation, and Chairman of the NCTA Board of Directors.
In addition to activities involving direct contact with customers, the industry’s ControlYourTV.org website will be enhanced with more interactivity and richer information about parental controls so families can use the site as a resource. The website is available in both English (www.ControlYourTV.org) and Spanish language versions (www.ControleSuTelevisor.org).
Another component of the campaign is designed to take advantage of cable’s presence in the consumer electronics retail environment and broaden the parental control message to prospective TV buyers. A number of leading cable operators are developing partnerships with Best Buy and Circuit City stores throughout the U.S. and are exploring ways to add informational materials about cable’s parental controls to in-store displays.
NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.