Amy Carney
Amy Carney is President of Advertiser Sales, Strategy & Research for Sony Pictures Television. I recently had a chance to interview Amy to discuss upfronts, C7 ratings and the Yankees.
Q: Can you tell us about your background and what made you want to work in entertainment?
-My dad was a sports producer/director primarily for the NY Yankees from the 50s through the 90s. When I got out of college I naturally gravitated towards TV because it was such a big part of my upbringing. I wanted to go into production but my dad was a big proponent of sales. I started as sales assistant for a company called Telerep and just kept going from there.
Q: How did you first get involved with the HRTS?
-With my recent move to Los Angeles it has given me an opportunity to reconnect with it.
Q: What is a favorite memory from your career thus far?
-Favorite memory is hard when you have a career that is now spanning (dare I say) four decades! I think all my favorite memories have to do with the amazing people that I have worked with. Some of my best moments happened during the wee hours of the morning negotiating the upfront working with my Sony team. Things just get funnier after midnight!
Q: How do you position ads around a show or other branded property?
-We are very aware of the placement of ads in order to deliver the best value for our advertiser partners and we make sure to look at each show individually using that as the filter. We also use our branded entertainment integrations within the shows to deliver an organic message that fits with the branded content. The Doctor Oz Show is an example of a show that has been really effective with that.
Q: How would a move from C3 to C7 change ad sales strategies?
-I don’t think it will be an either/or scenario. For some advertisers C7 will make more sense than C3. A network should be able to capture the value of that audience whether the show is viewed that day or a week later. I do think it will have a great deal of impact on pricing strategies. It will also be important to be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of ads in a C7 environment. VOD viewing will be the platform of choice because the ad serving is dynamic and the ads are not skippable.
Q: How are CPMs in digital versus TV and how are they changing?
-Video worlds are colliding especially now with Nielsen announcing they can measure all viewing to a show regardless of platform. The audience is demanding that their favorite content be available to them on multiple screens. In that scenario the CPMs for quality content will be the same across platforms. That said, all video is not created equal. In the digital world there is a lot of video that attracts a ton of viewership but due to an abundance of supply, lower quality content, shorter durations, or all three it commands a lower CPM.
Q: How are ad sales strategies similar or different in television versus online versus videogame systems?
-Ad sales strategies are similar in television as in videogame systems when it comes to connecting passionate audience with brands. The differences come in timing, pricing and technologies.
Q: Anything you’d like to add?
-The secret to a long career and one that feels so rewarding is to be able to maintain a good work/life balance. I am proud of what I have accomplished in my career but my greatest accomplishments are my family and two children. Having that balance has meant everything to me.