TW to bow media research lab in N.Y.

Time Warner today will launch a research and development lab in Gotham. Attempting to unravel consumer tastes amid rapidly shifting technology, Time Warner will open the doors Wednesday on a new 10,000-square-foot media research and development lab on the third floor of its Gotham headquarters. CEO Jeff Bewkes will preside at the ribbon cutting of the new space, where the company will test all types of programming on every device through all kinds of applications -- the key being that it will happen within a stone's throw of Madison Avenue. Advertisers will be able to see what plays best with whom -- what colors, shapes and sizes and even what angle people lean at while watching whatever they're watching. The lab has a screening room and a mock store to "provide insights into consumer behavior across the content spectrum, from media through to retail," said chief marketing officer Kristin O'Hara. The conglom will keep its research facilities at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta and Warner Bros. in Hollywood but the more expansive facility at Time Warner Center will become the hub with researchers from across various divisions.