NHL Should Have Brought ESPN Into the Rink by David Goetzl

From an NHL player's standpoint, the most encouraging news from a new deal to keep their league on NBC and Versus is the Versus brand will soon be gone. The network will be re-flagged this summer with the better-known NBC moniker in the name. Otherwise, they have to be questioning the NHL's decision not to find a way to place some games on ESPN. ...Read the whole story

Snacks by Bob DeSena

If you'll indulge me this week, I'd like to cover a couple of topics of interest in MediaTech. On Conferences: I attended two last week. There continues to be a steady drumbeat of discussion on the subjects of targeting and measurement, very often by the same strong voices. ...More

  • 'Manufactured' Reality TV: Viewers Can See The Thumbprints by Wayne Friedman

    Finally, a burnout over reality! "We heard a lot from viewers about how they felt that some programs were too manufactured -- that they could see the producers' thumbprint on the shows," Tom Calderone, president of VH1, recently told The Wall Street Journal. ...More

  • President Obama Comes to Facebook TV by Steve Smith

    Less than a year into its video streaming project, Facebook Live is building up a notable library of streams it has produced both on location and within its own studios. This Wednesday it nabs the best get yet - President Barack Obama, who will convene a town hall meeting over the service at 1:45 PST. ...More

  • Cable TV Apps Latest Challenge For MobiTV by Mark Walsh

    Cable operators and networks have been wrangling lately over rights for the streaming of live TV over iPad apps. Both Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have riled cable TV channels with new apps that their respective customers can use to watch a range of programming on the Apple tablet from anywhere in their homes. Time Warner has gone to court seeking a declaratory judgment of its rights to stream network content through its TWCableTV app. ...More

  • TV's Weekend At Bernie's by Mark Lieberman

    "Age/sex demos are dead." So went the refrain last week at the NAB Show in Las Vegas and, later, at an event my company co-hosted in New York. But despite all the chatter, and despite the industry's consistently and increasingly warm reception of the new generation of media-measurement solutions, many marketers seem inexplicably (to me at least) reluctant to let go of traditional television ratings. ...More

  • Rerun/Repeat Programming Becomes Today's Trend -- Tomorrow's, Too by Wayne Friedman

    Plenty of TV critics still complain cable networks are mostly just a bunch of reruns. That criticism isn't entirely wrong. But have you seen the broadcast networks lately -- and, more importantly, have you seen your DVR list of recorded shows? ...More