September 16, 2016: Why the Emmys Ratings Forecast Doesn’t Look Bright, How Twitter is Changing Live TV, Seattle's Tourism Bureau is Hosting Pop-Up Libraries in Other Cities

1. WHY THE EMMYS RATINGS FORECAST DOESN’T LOOK BRIGHT: A noticeable drop in television ratings for awards shows and other live events in the past two years doesn’t seem to bode well for the Emmys, which air Sunday on ABC. The New York Times: “Over the last two years, these shows have started to lose their ratings luster. The Academy Awards this year hit an eight-year low in viewership. The Grammys hit a seven-year low. The Golden Globes have shed about 2.5 million viewers in the last two years. Last year, the Emmys broadcast had its lowest ratings ever. The ratings drops aren’t just for the major productions: Numbers for the ESPYs, the American Music Awards, the Country Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards have also gone down. MTV’s Video Music Awards lost a third of its audience last month, even though the show was broadcast on a number of cable channels and featured performances from superstars like Beyoncé and Rihanna. Executives in the television industry are aware of the declines and are wondering if they are part of the cyclical rise and fall of awards shows, or if people’s ever-changing viewing habits are finally affecting the ratings for these three- to four-hour, commercial-loaded TV events. … Finding an answer is critical for an industry that is desperately trying to maintain an ad-supported business model. Big live events that drive viewership and provoke engagement—on social media in real time, and in offices the day after—are a crucial component of that strategy. Executives point out that awards shows have long been prone to seesaw ratings, with any number of factors affecting their appeal. For the Oscars, viewership is often dictated by whether a series of blockbusters, or movies with big-name stars, were nominated for best picture. For other awards, the competition that night—whether it’s an N.F.L. playoff game that goes into overtime or a hit like The Walking Dead’—can dictate an up year or a down year. Some live events like sports continue to deliver strong numbers (even if the opening N.F.L. prime-time games this year dropped in the ratings, and the Olympics failed to deliver the same audience highs it did four years ago). This year’s presidential debates may set viewership records, coming off a primary debate season that shattered many cable news ratings records.” http://nyti.ms/2cBVgyH

2. HOW TWITTER IS CHANGING LIVE TV: Twitter live streamed its first N.F.L. game on Thursday between the Jets and the Bills, officially presenting a new way for TV watchers to view live events. Wired: "Twitter is already entrenched as a second-screen experience. Users will watch a sports game or an awards show on TV, phone in hand, tweeting and scrolling and faving. But it’s just one of a number of companies trying to turn that second-screen experience into a first-screen play. Merging live TV and the social sphere has proven tricky. All anyone knows is that it involves the Internet in some way. Now they’re working on how viewers find stuff to watch when the list of options is effectively infinite. They also need to build the necessary infrastructure to stream a live event to tens of millions of people simultaneously—your cable box doesn’t pause to buffer when it’s third and 10 and the ball’s in mid-air. … Even as its growth stalls and Wall Street sours on the company, Twitter is still the place people talk about what’s happening now. And big moments like the Oscars, the World Cup, and the presidential debates, are when the service is the most fun. 'It’s a simple but very powerful idea,' says Jeremy Rishel, Twitter’s VP of engineering. 'There’s a lot of conversation around Twitter, and it’s very engaging during these events. And you don’t have to be an expert Twitter user to understand the flow of that conversation, because during the context of a football game it makes sense.' Twitter has always been live. Over time, it’s also become more media-rich: from text to images, GIFs, Vines, and finally Periscope and full-fledged video. So for Twitter, the next step was simple: combine the conversation with the thing they’re all talking about. Football is a key piece of the Twitter live video strategy, because, well, it’s football. But the plan goes much deeper." http://bit.ly/2ccqgpX

3. SEATTLE'S TOURISM BUREAU IS HOSTING POP-UP LIBRARIES IN OTHER CITIES: To celebrate the city's literary history and in hopes to attract more tourists, Visit Seattle has launched a pop-up library campaign in other cities across the country. Called the Little Free Library, the campaign features stations that encourage passersby in Boston, Chicago, and Austin to exchange books and travel to Seattle. Adweek: "The tiny libraries, which are launching in celebration of National Literacy Month, are Seattle-themed on the outside—they're shaped like ferries or kayaks—and contain Seattle-themed books that people are welcome to take: travel guides and non-fiction, as well as novels that take place in Seattle or were written by Seattle natives. Crews will be restocking the libraries over the course of this month. Each book includes a Visit Seattle-branded bookmark, and people are encouraged to post selfies with their favorite books using the hashtag #SeattleStory. ‘Seattle is celebrated as one of the most literate cities in the U.S., and it doesn't hurt that we have Amazon in our backyard,’ said Ali Daniels, vp of marketing at Visit Seattle. ‘When it comes to planning travel, it's turned into a digital battle for people's attention, but the little libraries are something people can engage with on their own. It's not a street team member running after you with a pack of gum—you can walk up and discover them. It's helping bring Seattle into people's worlds in unexpected ways, and hopefully it'll inspire more visits.’” http://bit.ly/2cMe14c


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

BizBash president Richard Aaron will be inducted into the Convention Industry Council Hall of Leaders at IMEX America, which takes place October 18-20 in Las Vegas. Aaron is the first inductee that lists his affiliation with the International Live Events Association. The induction ceremony will take place October 18 at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria Resort and Casino.

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  Chicago-based parking reservation service SpotHero has announced SpotHero for Events, a new feature for event organizers designed to make finding parking for event guests easier through the company's app and website. SpotHero is available in 15 cities around the country. 

CHICAGO:  The Conrad Chicago hotel, which is slated to open in October, has announced Nathan Volz and Anistar Griffith will join the culinary team as hotel executive chef and executive pastry chef, respectively.

LOS ANGELES:  The Carousel of Hope Ball is slated for October 8 at the Beverly Hilton.

Carrie Whitt is leaving Bullfrog & Baum after six years in a full-time and freelance capacity.

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Florida Grand Opera has made three appointments to its staff: Kal Gajraj is director of marketing, Tom Patane is investor services director, and Anne Martinez is executive assistant to the general director.

NEW YORK:  The 12th annual Mental Health Film Festival is slated for October 1 at Village East Cinema.

The 46th annual All Nite Soul jazz concert will take place October 9 at Saint Peter's Church in Midtown.

The World of Children Awards Ceremony will take place October 27 at 583 Park Avenue. The event will honor Lily Aldridge Followill and Stephanie March.

After 33 years in the same location, Italian restaurant Sistina has changed venues on the Upper East Side, by moving from 1555 Second Avenue to 24 East 81st Street. The 20,000-square-foot restaurant now occupies the ground and basement levels of a six-story townhouse. At its new location, Sistina has a main dining room, a bar, and a winter garden. The restaurant has also added new menus for lunch and late-night bar dining

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Chroma Modern Bar & Kitchen will open September 21 in Lake Nona Town Center. The 256-seat restaurant will have seating indoors and on a covered patio, with options for private and semiprivate dining.

TORONTO:  The Kensington Market Jazz Festival takes place today through Sunday at venues including the Boat, Handlebar, Poetry Jazz Café, and Supermarket. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  President Barack Obama will present the 2015 National Medals of Arts and Humanities at a White House ceremony that will be live streamed on September 22. Honorees include Mel Brooks, Sandra Cisneros, Audra McDonald, Morgan Freeman, and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

Hilton Garden Inn Washington D.C. Downtown has partnered with Tesla Motors to bring its first electrical charging stations to the hotel. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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