As we’ve reported (often), MediaBiz sold our MediaCensus suite of data products to SNL Kagan (which is doing one heck of a great job integrating it into their online tools).

We had developed MediaCensus based on our intimate (if that’s the right word) knowledge of just how MVPD businesses work ... down in the details and shown in the data.

Mining the data became something of an obsession with us.  Building trends (like tracking why B-to-B advertising was falling off a cliff as the latest and near-greatest recession began to accelerate) became the way in which we were going to grow MediaCensus ... but that would take some investment we weren’t quite equipped to do.

So we looked closely at lots of other ways companies were collecting, analyzing and using data.

That led us to partnerships with companies such as Jonda Martin’s Cable Data (tracking copyright helped us refine and continuously fine-tune MediaCensus), Mark Lieberman’s TRA (advertising return on investment that integrated some of our base data), Doug Callahan’s Argo Systems (with whom we integrated MediaCensus data into their online management systems), Bruce Lazarus’ Cable Audits (with whom we brainstormed “what next” scenarios); Pete Eliason and Gary Bombalicki’s iQ West (using their mining and analytic tools to spot anomalies and trends) and Bryan Darr’s Mosaik Solutions (formerly American Roamer; to build robust mapping solutions across all delivery systems.

And we aren’t the only ones using all those kinds of tools.  SNL works with Cable Data; TRA has dozens of advertising clients; Argo Systems dominates program management; Cable Audits (soon to be Media Audits Int’l, but that's a secret) dominates keeping everyone honest; iQ West helps Cox, as a spokesman put it, “identify equipment service trends and optimize future deployments. Advanced analytics help us to better understand customer behaviors and purchasing trends and ultimately allow us to serve them more effectively and efficiently”; Mosaik simply maps the world (well, almost completely the cellular part of it, growing everywhere else to fill it all in).

All of this is by way of suggesting everyone else do the same ... and these companies are – along of course with SNL Kagan – great places to data mine.

And, ya’ll stay tuned for what we do next.

Meanwhile: off on a bicycle pedaling from Charleston to Savannah.  Prepared for it by reading E. L. Doctorow’s The March.  A war much bloodier than the one in which I served.  Growing up in Coastal Texas, the War of Northern Aggression wasn’t quite as important as the revolt from Mexico and Texas Independence; but we sure learned pretty much only one side of it.  Still, we did learn “United We Stand” was a good result and beat the hell out of pointing fingers instead of finding answers and solutions.•

2012 Media M&A Activity 'Improved'

A compilation of new data shows that both the volume and value of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the media and marketing industries  picked up during the first quarter this year.

According to researchers at Berkery Noyes Investment Bankers, M&A transaction volume during Q112 increased 7% from Q411. The firm says while there were only four deals during the period (totaling more than $600M), transaction value increased 10% y/y.

Berkery Noyes calculates that BCE's announced acquisition of Astral Media is the largest deal so far this year at an estimated $3.4B and the largest transaction in the 'broadcasting' segment since 2008.

Included in the firm's Q112 M&A trends report includes: 1) overall activity in the 'marketing' segment is up 14%, with 'digital' volume up from 28 to 47 transactions; 2) 'entertainment content' activity jumped 46% driven largely by Lionsgate's $700M buy of Summit Entertainment. •

Current Counters Olbermann - FCC 'Modifies' White Space Device Rules - Twitter Goes Motown

In Court: A few days after Keith Olbermann sued his former employer CurrentTV (and blasted the net on Letterman), the company has countered saying the anchorman's claims are simply untrue. First, Olbermann's suit is for $50M and calls Al Gore and Joel Hyatt "dilettantes" posing as "entertainment industry executives." However, Current says it had every right to fire Mr. O "rather than continuing to pay a princely sum while receiving a pauper's performance in return." --- Viacom won an appeal in its copyright suit against YouTube. CNET has the story.

Rules & Regs: In anticipation of the FCC adopting new rules requiring TV stations to post their public inspection files online, the ACA said it is essential the agency require disclosure of all agreements between separately owned same-market broadcasters that facilitate coordinated retrans negotiations. --- The FCC modified its TV "white spaces" device rules by 1) increasing the maximum height above average terrain (HAAT) for sites where fixed devices may operate; (2) changing the adjacent channel emission limits to specify fixed rather than relative levels; and 3) increasing the maximum permissible power spectral density (PSD) for each category of device. Sounds kinda nerdy, but the bottom line is that the changes will "result in decreased operating costs for fixed TVBDs and allow them to provide greater coverage... thus increasing the availability of wireless broadband services in rural and underserved areas without increasing the risk of interference to incumbent services."

Research: More from the multi-screen front. Nielsen released new numbers that show 88% of all U.S. tablet owners use the device while watching TV at least once per month, 45% at least once per day, and 26% use both several times per day. Similar results regarding smartphones, the firm says, as 86% used their smartphone and TV at the same time at least once per month, 41% at least once per day, and only 14% never use their phone while watching TV. --- Strategy Analytics says 439M HHs worldwide already use a WiFi network in the home (25% of all HHs), with global penetration likely to hit 42% by 2016.

Service: Time Warner Cable is prepping an Android 4.0 app for streaming live TV. --- Comcast Xfinity subs will get access to HBO Go on their Xbox afterall ... starting this week, says the cable ops' blog.

Strategy: Twitter is opening an office in downtown Detroit. Local press has the story. --- Facebook is going to list its shares on the NASDAQ.

Online: That didn't take long. Experian Marketing says Pinterest is now the 3rd largest social networking website ahead of LinkedIn, Google+ and Tumblr. (Facebook and Twitter are #1 and #2, respectively.) VentureBeat says the site's popularity has skyrocketed so high and so fast that there's already a handful of Pinterest knock-offs. Data and links.

Sports: The NFL isn’t bullet-proof... the NFL Magazine ceased after only 4 issues.

Over, Up, & Under: The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says there are now 14M IPTV subscribers in China. --- Roku has surpassed 100 channel offerings in the UK and Ireland, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Fox News and Euronews. --- Caribbean communications provider Columbus Communications is deploying UXP Systems' multiscreen interaction platform (MINT) for its launch of 'home-phone-to-go' service. The new multiscreen service is designed to unify existing voice systems across tablets, smartphones and computers. More info, here.

People: Yahoo's Chief Product Officer Blake Irving turned in his resignation as many of the company's 2K workers laid off last week were under his watch.

Ha!: The New York Times embedded a goofy-fun video game into its website that lets readers shoot everything to pieces a la Astroids! Check it out. --- Outside of April Fools, Passover and Easter, April has 17 other 'holidays' worth celebrating. Mental Floss has the entire list. (You've already missed out on 'Sorry Charlie' Day and New Beers Eve.)

--- Catch today's media market news in The Evening BRIDGE. •