The Next Wave in Media Measurement And Engagement: Multi-Screen Engagement Study...

The Next Wave in Media Measurement And Engagement: Multi-Screen Engagement Study Finds Greatest Advertising Value Among Audiences That Cross Platforms And Are The Most Engaged

Executives from MTV Networks and Harris Interactive Announce
Groundbreaking Engagement Research at the Advertising Research
Foundation's Audience Measurement 3.0 Conference
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
New research from MTV Networks (MTVN) and Harris Interactive,
reveals a critical companion metric to measuring audience size,
pioneering a new way for advertising brands to target the most engaged
and valuable audiences. This landmark research study finds that not
all programming viewers are created equal and that the value of
television advertising grows as viewers connect with marketing
messages across screens.

Following-up on its innovative Multi-Screen Engagement (MSE) case
study of MTV's popular "The Hills" series, MTV Networks and Harris
Interactive conducted industry-leading research across MTVN's brands,
which provides empirical evidence that audiences develop stronger
emotional connections to content and advertising messages when they
consume and interact with them across multiple platforms. In total,
more than 20,000 respondents between 13 and 49 participated in
evaluating MTV Networks' programs, as well as competitive programs,
networks and websites along a series of questions geared to defining a
scalable and predictive engagement measurement model that, in effect,
unlocks the value of engagement for marketers.

Specifically, this study reveals that some viewers are
significantly, and even remarkably, more engaged with the content than
others. These viewers with higher engagement are more likely to
remember seeing an ad, internalize the message and be motivated by it
to share more about the content and advertising with others when
compared with those that are less engaged. This translates into
increased purchase intent (up to two- and three-times) among viewers
for brands that advertise in engagement-rich environments.

MTVN and Harris Interactive will unveil the key findings from the
studies at the Advertising Research Foundation's (ARF) Audience
Measurement 3.0 conference on June 25th, during the "Catch Me Across
Platforms: Finding and Measuring the Audience that Matters" session.

As media touch points have multiplied for consumers during the
past decade, many producers and marketers have struggled to understand
the factors driving audience engagement with brands and programming in
this multiplatform environment that includes television, online and
mobile devices.

"What this research shows is that companies will need to adapt to
changing innovations to drive brand loyalty. Advertising and marketing
across platforms will drive consumer engagement moving forward. We are
excited to be a part of this groundbreaking research," said Marianne
Foley, senior vice president, innovation initiatives, Harris
Interactive. "Our partnership with MTV Networks provides a roadmap for
future cross-platform advances that will have the most impact on
consumers."

The level of engagement with a television program has critical
implications for an advertiser. Advancing technologies, especially
Web-based, are altering consumers' relationships with brands,
particularly among those whom are most tightly engaged with the
program. While television is still the biggest driver of brand
awareness, multi-platform media campaigns perform at double to triple
the effectiveness of a single platform. Simply said, the value of
television advertising grows as viewers connect with marketing
messages across screens.

"We're relentlessly focused on understanding how our audiences
emotionally react to our content, and today's marketers increasingly
want to forge deep, emotional connections with consumers across
platforms," said Colleen Fahey Rush, EVP, Research and Insights, MTVN.
"Our collaborative research with Harris Interactive provides our
marketing partners and the entire industry with new insights into how
multi-screen experiences impact engagement levels, and how brands can
build meaningful relationships with consumers."

Moving forward, this research will impact advertisers in many ways
as they assess the importance of engaging consumers through multiple
channels. Specifically, the more involved a viewer is with the
content, the more effective the advertising is for that viewer. The
more involved the viewer, the more cross-platform activity they engage
in, and therefore crossing platforms with advertising campaigns
increases the likelihood of targeting the most involved viewers. This
pattern is repeated across virtually every program measured, roughly
two dozen television shows.

Key research findings can be found at:
www.HarrisInteractive.com/News/MediaAccess.

Methodology

In February and March 2008, Harris Interactive conducted a broad
study of over 20,000 (HPOL panelists 13 years of age and older)
evaluating MTV Network programs, competitive programs, networks and
websites. Engagement metrics identified in a 2007 study of "The Hills"
were used.

In fall 2007, MTV Networks partnered with Harris Interactive (a
leader in the understanding of engagement through consumer
connections) to initiate a major quantitative study of the dynamics
nature of the drivers of engagement. The MTV program "The Hills" was
used as a case study. It was an in-market tracking study of 600 cable
television viewers, 13 to 24 years old, including viewers and
non-viewers of "The Hills" and a sample of virtual world participants.
Respondents were queried regarding specific advertising they had seen
on "The Hills," television show, online, and on multiple platforms.
This included seeking and generating information regarding the program
and various online behaviors both on and off MTV properties. The
research included a follow-up session of respondents recruited to
participate in qualitative online chat sessions.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research.
With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our
science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business
results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North
American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent
market research firms. For more information, please visit
www.harrisinteractive.com.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels 3 worldwide, owns
and operates the following television programming services - MTV:
MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY
CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, LOGO, NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC,
MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package
of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV
Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust
consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive
properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and
interactive television services and also has licensing agreements,
joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming
services can be seen worldwide.

Strat@comm
Julie Fidler, 202-289-2001
jfidler@stratacomm.net
or
Harris Interactive Corporate Communications
Tracey McNerney, 585-214-7756
press@harrisinteractive.net

Copyright Business Wire 2008