"Box office blockbuster" has been a trusty phrase for more than a half-century, but it's going the way of bricks-and-mortar Blockbusters as a true measure of a movie's footprint. When, if and who will see boffo profits from the newest distribution venues, however, await another's morning's reviews. The major headlines today go to Google's YouTube, which is said to be close to signing agreements with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers that will allow it to stream their movies. Sharon Waxman of The Wrap broke the story. Currently, YouTube's feature film pickings are slim, although it maintains in a statement, "We've steadily been adding more and more titles since launching movies for rent on YouTube over a year ago and now have thousands of titles available." And that's all it would say about the current "rumors and speculation." The deals "would give the streaming service a shot in the arm as it tries to compete with Apple's iTunes, Amazon.com and Netflix," write Brooks Barnes and Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times. "YouTube has been trying several strategies to keep people on the site for longer periods as it tries to poach viewers from TV and attract ad dollars." Forrester analyst James L. McQuivey tells the Times that Google has a unique advantage: It can provide information on how many people have searched for movies, as well as the terms they are using to find them. "That's just a marketing chain of cause and effect that nobody else asking movie studios for rights to rentals can show," he points out. "You don't necessarily need to show that a rental has been blockbuster successful to show a movie studio that it's an avenue worth pursuing." The Wall Street Journal's Michelle Kung and Amir Efrati write that the deals are part of a larger overhaul as YouTube attempts to expand from just distributing homemade videos into "professional entertainment content and position itself for the rise of Internet-connected televisions that allow people to easily watch online video in their living rooms." Its revenue model reportedly will be more like the movie-rental service in Apple's iTunes Store, which charges $3 to $5 for 24 hours' access to its fare. Netflix, on the other hand, lets member watch an unlimited number of movies for a flat monthly fee, but they tend to be older titles. Sources tell the Los Angeles Times' Dawn C. Chmielewski that Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney are holding back from cutting a deal with Google because they fear that not enough has been done enough to deter piracy of their content, but discussions are reportedly ongoing. "The biggest challenge [YouTube faces] is a brand perception challenge," EMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna tells Chmielewski. "They are so synonymous with user-generated content.... How do you turn a ship that is so big and has so much momentum in one direction?" Blockbuster, meanwhile, is not to be counted out -- at least as far as Netflix is concerned. It writes in its annual letter to shareholders (Shira Ovide reveals in the "Deal Journal" blog):
"Over the past 12 months, both Hulu Plus and free video on Amazon Prime have launched. We also think Dish Networks is likely to launch a substantial subscription streaming effort under the Blockbuster brand. Our competitive strategy relative to other streaming services is simply to grow as fast as we can, so we can afford more content, more marketing, and more R&D than our competitors."Dish completed its deal to acquire Blockbuster last night. "Analysts say Dish coveted Blockbuster's video-on-demand service to complement its own sat-TV offering and is likely to market its own services in Blockbuster's remaining stores," Mark Harden reports in the Denver Business Journal. Funny that the Netflix letter should also mention Amazon, which has been a somewhat sleepy presence in the game but probably won't remain so. Until I received an email promotion Saturday, in fact, I didn't even realize that I had "free" access to more than 5,000 streaming videos on Amazon.com by dint of my Amazon Prime membership. Then there's Apple, whose "iTunes Cloud Could Be Free At First, But Will Eventually Require A Fee," as the head atop Sam Oliver's AppleInsiderpiece reads. "The long-rumored iTunes cloud will allow users to stream their music and media to Internet-connected devices, negating the need for content to be stored locally on a connected device like an iPhone or iPad," he writes. While Oliver's story focuses on Apple's dealings with the music industry, who amongst us thinks that Steve Jobs and the gang in Cupertino isn't also looking to cut deals for movies, TV shows and "media yet-to-be-invented," as all of the contracts I've seen recently put it. I imagine that someone researching old media some day may be reading this quaint piece as a 3D hologram beamed directly to her temporal cortex. And I don't expect I'll get a mill in royalties.
Former ABC executive Mark Pedowitz will take over as president for The CW Television Network, replacing Dawn Ostroff, the network's most senior executive since it launched in 2006. The two partners of the CW -- CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment -- jointly made the announcement. The network was started from the remains of the WB and UPN five years ago. Pedowitz will have a larger portfolio than Ostroff, responsible for all programming, advertising sales, marketing, distribution, finance, research and publicity. He will take over this month. Ostroff is leaving the network to relocate to New York with her family. She will stay on through the current broadcast season, ending in May, to help with the transition. Pedowitz had been running his own production company, Pine Street Entertainment, since February 2010. Before that, from 2004-2009, he was president of ABC Studios, overseeing the shows "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty," "Scrubs," "Army Wives," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Criminal Minds." He also held a number of business posts -- as executive vice president of ABC Entertainment Television Group, overseeing all business, legal and financial affairs for ABC prime time and Touchstone Television, as well as business/legal affairs for ABC Daytime. Pedowitz joined ABC in 1991 as senior vice president of business affairs and contracts. Nancy Tellem, the executive who oversees The CW for CBS, stated that Pedowitz brought the network "a strong and diverse background as a business strategist and production executive, as well as a track record of success in all facets of our industry." Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group, added that Pedowitz was "the perfect executive to help us take the network to the next level."
TV station groups are starting to see lower financial results -- partly due to off-year periods with no Olympics or major elections. Dallas-based Belo Corp.'s total revenue decreased 1.9% in the first quarter of 2011 versus the previous year to $151.5 million, dipping to a net loss of $4.3 million versus a net profit of $13.5 million. "Belo's spot revenue excluding political was up slightly in the first quarter of 2011 despite difficult comparisons to the first quarter of 2010, which included significant Olympics and Super Bowl revenue," stated Dunia A. Shive, Belo's president-CEO. Olympics and Super Bowl revenue from the first quarter of 2010 totaled $10.7 million. Total spot revenue, excluding political, was up 0.4% with a 2.1% increase in local spot revenue and a 2.7% decrease in national spot revenue. Much of the same lackluster activity will continue in the coming periods. Shive said: "While pacings currently reflect a higher-percentage growth rate, we are currently estimating spot revenue excluding political to be flat to up to low-single digits in the second quarter of 2011, compared to the second quarter of 2010, due to the uncertainty surrounding auto supply in the second quarter. "While we have not yet seen a significant change in the overall pace of our business related to ongoing events in Japan," she added, "we do expect some level of disruption in the second quarter, particularly in the automotive category."
Station group Young Broadcasting, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has tapped board member Tony Cassara as CEO. The company also announced that Vincent Young, who founded the company with his father in 1986, has left the board. Vincent Young had been the chief executive for years before the bankruptcy proceedings. President and company veteran Deborah McDermott will continue to have the stations report to her; she reports to Cassara. The company owns 10 stations, including the San Francisco MyNetworkTV affiliate KRON, where financial trouble helped spur the bankruptcy. Other properties include the ABC affiliates in Nashville and Richmond. Young Broadcasting said KRON was profitable last year. Cassara stated that company-wide "local, national and political revenue grew exponentially in 2010, and company margins topped those of our publicly traded peers, including Nexstar, Sinclair, Lin TV, Gray TV and Belo." Tom Sullivan is the board chairman replacing Vincent Young, the company said. Cassara was a director at Univision from 2005-08 and worked with the company in an advisory role for years at Chartwell Partners, helping launch the TeleFutura network. He was president of Paramount Pictures station group from 1993-2000, where he expanded it from six to 20 stations. Earlier in his career in 1977, he became the youngest general manager of Los Angeles station KTLA and with KKR, helped lead a leveraged buyout of it from Gene Autry. It was sold to Tribune in 1985 for more than double the buyout amount of $245 million.
The recovery in consumer magazines is proving to be somewhat uneven, as Meredith Corp., a leading women's interest publisher and broadcast TV station owner, reported that total revenues slipped 3.4% to $341 million in the first quarter of 2011. This was attributed to lower ad revenues at its national media group, which includes Meredith's major magazine brands. The decline was offset somewhat by increases at the company's local media group (representing its broadcast TV properties), as well as its integrated marketing and brand licensing divisions, which are also counted as part of the national media group. Meredith's total ad revenues, across all its divisions, fell 6.7% to $185.9 million. Total revenues at the national media group declined 5.3% to $270 million in the first quarter of 2011, reflecting an 11% drop in ad revenues to $122 million. Meredith executives attributed the decline to weakness in key categories, including food and beverage, DTC and non-DTC pharmaceuticals, and home furnishings -- all categories where the publisher over-indexes compared to the rest of the magazine industry. Meredith's local media group, representing broadcast TV properties, saw total revenues increase 3.2% to $71 million, with non-political advertising revenues growing 5% to $64 million. This was due to increases in eight out of 10 major ad categories, led by automotive, retail and media. Brand licensing revenues, which are included in the national media group, grew 15%, while the integrated marketing division saw revenues rise 8%. Meredith didn't provide specific dollar figures for either of these subdivisions within the national media group.
TV Guide Network will launch two shows looking to capitalize on the seemingly endless celebrity fascination. Based on the Web site "Gossip Cop," an eponymous series will examine whether the tabloids have it right, while another unnamed show will take a "comedic look" at celebrity fashion. "Gossip Cop" executive producers include former VH1 executive Michael Hirschhorn and Dan Abrams, a co-founder of the namesake Web site, who also works as a legal analyst for ABC News. A third new show, serving as a guide to entertainment, will be produced by Michael Davies, who was behind the one-time phenomenon "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." The TV Guide Network, which is in 80 million homes, is planning to drop its traditional bottom-screen scroll from all homes. The network, which airs re-runs of "Weeds" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," will also offer a four-part mini-series in the celebrity crime genre. It carries the working title "Hollywood Crimes and Misdemeanors" and examines crimes ranging from Winona Ryder's shoplifting to the murder of Lana Turner's husband and the OJ Simpson case. The mini-series is scheduled for an August debut. Also coming this fall is the four-part mini-series "Icons and Innovators" (working title), in which TV Guide Network and TV Guide magazine team up to cover TV's favorite icons of the past with their contemporary counterparts. It's history-in-the-making when the stars of current TV series sit down with the TV legends who inspired them to get into "the business." The network and magazine have separate owners. A third mini-series also scheduled for the fall, currently called "Moments That Changed TV Forever," focuses on "milestone events" in TV history such as Ellen's coming-out kiss.
NBC's aggressively marketed new singing competition series "The Voice" hit a big note -- the best-rated premiere of a new show this season. The two-hour show, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. -- an "American Idol" wannabe, according to critics -- muscled a big Nielsen 5.2 rating/13 share among 18-49 viewers. "The Voice" numbers were the best for any new show going back to February 2010, when CBS' "Undercover Boss" had a strong opening, thanks to its premiere after the Super Bowl. Better news for NBC -- in its efforts to climb out of fourth place overall, it bested other big Tuesday night shows: Fox's "Glee" running a special 90-minute episode from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., which saw a 3.4/10, down from a 3.8 rating the week before; ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" result show turned in a 3.5/9 -- up from a 2.9 rating the previous week. The extra 30 minutes of "Glee" at 9 p.m. to 9:30 pm. -- along with "Stars" -- gave "The Voice" its lowest half-hour of the night, a 4.6 rating/12 share. Both "Glee" and "Stars" each earned a 3.4 rating during that time frame. During the 10 p.m. hour -- with little competition -- "The Voice" grew to a 5.5/14. Next was ABC's "Body of Proof," which landed with a respectable 2.3/6 -- down a bit from the 2.4 a week before. NBC also had a good story to tell with "The Biggest Loser: Couples" at 8 p.m., which earned a 2.7 rating/8 share versus a 2.1 rating its last time out. CBS, in rerun mode for its two "NCIS" shows, suffered a bit. "NCIS" was at a 2.0/6 and "NCIS: Los Angeles" at 2.0/5. Both were down versus last week's reruns, where "NCIS" was at a 2.4 rating and "NCIS: Los Angeles" was at a 2.2. NBC easily finished first for the night among 18-49 viewers with a 4.3 rating/11 share, up from a 2.4 rating a week ago. Fox was second at 3.0/8, two-tenths of a rating point higher than a week ago. ABC came in third at 2.8/7 versus a 2.1 rating, with CBS in fourth at 1.9/5, against a 2.2 rating. Univision was at 1.4/4, the same as the week before. Telemundo was at 0.8/2 and CW at 0.6/2 week-to-week.
More executive departures at the CW: Its senior marketing executive Rick Haskins is leaving. Haskins, executive vice president of marketing and brand strategy, will be leaving the network in August, according to executives close to the situation. A CW spokesman had no comment. He came to the network in January 2006, just at the time of CW's launch, the result of merging the assets of the former WB and UPN networks. He follows Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for the CW, who announced her departure some months ago. Ostroff will be replaced by Mark Pedowitz, who will name his own head of marketing shortly. Haskins was instrumental in a number of on-air and digital marketing campaigns -- including the somewhat controversial OMFG campaign for "Gossip Girl" and the Catch VD campaign for the network's hit "Vampire Diaries" series. He was also responsible for a number of digital marketing efforts to pump up Internet airings of "Gossip Girl" and other shows. Many of CW's viewers watch online. Haskins also pushed the early development of social media efforts on Facebook and Twitter for CW's shows. His most recent efforts include the "TV to Talk/Text/Blog/IM About" campaign. A former Lifetime EVP, he worked closely with Ostroff, who was executive vice president of Lifetime's program development.
Is Donald Trump a "carnival barker"? Are his collective media appearances of late the stuff of a "sideshow"? President Obama seemed to suggest as much during a very brief press conference yesterday in which he attempted to put to rest the largely Trump-fueled frenzy over the validity of his birth documents. Perhaps the president was referring to other public figures who have been busily fanning the flames of this latest political controversy when he declared, "We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," later adding, "We do not have time for this kind of silliness." But as I listened to him, the first name that came to mind was Trump. I'll leave it to others to determine whether such words apply to Trump's mission to verify Obama's personal history. I will assert, however, that they describe perfectly the Trump we have been watching this year on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." To give credit where it's due, Trump has made "Celebrity Apprentice" the must-see guilty-pleasure spectacle of the season. Make no mistake: It is pure, unadulterated trash -- but it is one of the few shows with any life on NBC's schedule, and it does generate money for a number of worthwhile charities, so it deserves recognition. And yet, as I watch, I find myself struggling to continually separate the three Trumps -- Reality Show Host/Producer, Business Titan and Possible Presidential Candidate (and, by extension, Possible President) - all the while wondering (and perhaps worrying) how much of the first soaks into the other two. Flanked by his adult children --- who never, ever challenge or contradict their dad -- Trump blusters, boasts and bulldozes his way through each episode, especially in those riveting board room confrontations, where it's celebrity against celebrity and Trump against all. I'd like to think that the boardroom segments of the show are expertly conceived and orchestrated by Trump to be exactly what they are - sizzling, exasperating, wholly engaging and a triumph of irresistible escapist entertainment. I'd also like to think that they in no way reflect how Trump and his executives conduct themselves in their real-life businesses. Consider the following: In the boardroom segments this season, we have seen Trump make inappropriate and irrelevant comments about the physical characteristics of two female contestants -- specifically, actress Lisa Rinna's lips and belligerent talk show personality Star Jones' behind. Try doing that during a meeting in your office without landing in Human Resources before day's end. We have seen Trump refuse to act on a complaint from deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who was made to feel demeaned on the job by another contestant (Dionne Warwick, a shocking study in unpleasantness) because she is unable to hear. Isn't that grounds for probation or a dressing-down by the boss? And how about that epic verbal assault by anger-management-challenged singer Meat Loaf against out-there actor Gary Busey? When Trump heard about it, shouldn't he have shown Meat the door? Go throw a tantrum and scream a few choice obscenities at a co-worker in the middle of your office and see what happens. And speaking of Busey, who suffered a severe head injury about 23 years ago and has for whatever reason acted in an increasingly eccentric manner ever since, was it right for Trump to use the word "moron" when talking to or about him? Discuss. Trump has also played fast and loose with the show's standards, firing LaToya Jackson because she might have been a weak player moving forward, rather than terminating the thoroughly obnoxious ratings magnet Star Jones, who, as ferociously controlling project manager, was 100% percent responsible for her team's epic fail in last Sunday's challenge. Of course, if he'd done that, we wouldn't have this week's titanic showdown between Star Jones and bombastic "Real Housewife" NeNe Leakes to look forward to, would we? We have seen questionable behavior on this show before. Trump has always enjoyed putting his contestants on the spot and goading them into attacking each other (or defending themselves, as he might see it). None of that ever really mattered. But this time, "Celebrity Apprentice" is playing out as people are seeking a deeper understanding of Trump's character, given his possible political aspirations. He's walking a very interesting line here. However things work out, if Trump tops off this season of "Celebrity Apprentice" by announcing that he intends to run for president, it will be one of the television events of the year. That will be a huge accomplishment for an aging franchise on a struggling network, not to mention a Titan of Trash TV.
Hulu couldn't do what Comcast's TV-based video-on-demand can: Offer current programs from all the broadcasting networks (including CBS, which Hulu doesn't have). Mind you, it isn't all current TV shows. Comcast's Xfinity TV On Demand service will have 32 of the top 50 network prime-time programs. And, as with other services, Comcast will offer only a few recent episodes -- four in Xfinity's case, as compared with five with Hulu. An interesting sidebar is that Comcast remains an equity partner in Hulu. But Xfinity is different, since Hulu is still predominantly an Internet service. Making matters more complicated, Comcast also has an XfinityTV.com Internet service. Why all the effort around just TV distribution? According to one Comcast executive, viewers like to watch "TV shows on TV." Hey, that's a refreshing and simple concept. This may seem like a half-step to the promised land of pure video-on-demand for every TV show on every receiving device known to viewers. Yet, right now, for those not completely digital savvy, for those with traditional Comcast cable service, this makes sense. With all the complicated stuff thrown at consumers, many people look to clarity. Comcast is trying to get to that. To my mind, Apple and its array of products -- iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, iMac, for example -- are marketed for that entertainment 'clarity' -- especially when presented on calming, easy-to-look-at white backgrounds with simple, easy-to-access functions. Now that Comcast is the only cable company offering current programs from all networks on a VOD basis, it would do well to build on its simple, easy-to-understand message. TV Everywhere? That's another matter, and not something consumers can entirely get their heads around right now. TV Everywhere gives Comcast customers free access to XfinityTV.com on any web-based device -- similar, but not exactly the same as its Xfinity TV On Demand service. Looking for those new digital clear entertainment services messages will keep consumers' minds from swimming in old-style TV static, which, in 2011, is still around.
Sometimes we think we know something about a subject only to discover, as William Goldman once said about Hollywood, "nobody knows anything." Such may be the case with creativity, the necessary but missing element in our MediaTech business. We hear the word all the time, usually in reference to an ad that grabs our attention (and too often without recall of the brand that's paying for the ad, but that's for another discussion). But we seem to dismiss creativity as the purview of others and, as a former U.S. Secretary of Defense once said in a different context, as something "unknowable." If that's true, it is not for lack of attention. Folks have been writing and theorizing about creativity for as long as folks have been writing and theorizing. We've studied the neurobiology of creativity, developed the metrics of creativity and described the creative process. There are countless books on the subject, including techniques for how YOU TOO can become more creative. Contrary to Goldman's belief, it seems that at least a few think they know at least something. But as long as most view creativity through the single prism of a single ad's words and pictures, we're limiting our own ability to leverage its greater potential, which is to solve problems. We've got challenges in MediaTech today. And we have, in equal measure, opportunities. Our best chance for success is to broaden our view of the application of creative thinking, and to think of its practitioners as including each one of us. The word, creativity, itself comes from the Latin word creo, to create or to make something. Once thought to be a result of divine inspiration, it has evolved to a more modern interpretation, i.e., the very human ability to improve something, to add value. Whatever its genesis, we need to think creatively today in all aspects of our business and our lives. I recently thought about creativity as problem solving when (talk about chaos theory) a natural disaster in Japan caused a misguided comedian to use a modern communications device to tweet some unfortunate comments about the victims. And shortly thereafter, Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of the Aflac duck, was fired. Event though it's hard to dispute that firing Gottfried was the right thing to do, it left an unforeseen hole in the middle of an iconic and very successful multichannel communications effort. Very quickly however, Team Aflac turned lemons into lemonade by devising and promoting a very creative initiative to discover who would be the next voice of their duck. Problem turned to opportunity. I think about creativity in the context of a business model that has recently propelled Netflix beyond Comcast in number of subscribers. And of the initiative begun but not yet completed to bring cross-platform measurement to reality. Our key challenge today does not revolve around a better execution of the same model. Our challenge and our greatest opportunity involves reinvention. Our individual creative processes need to focus on connecting a new consumer dynamic with new functional capabilities, sometimes by integrating formerly discreet disciplines. When we talk about data and its application as "the new creative," and about ROI accountability, we cannot ignore the special skills and approach that the direct marketing community brings to the discussion -- even if they would like us to. Creativity is an everyday and an everyone requirement, and it demands two things of us. First is clarity, a laser-like focus on the outcome we seek. And second is responsibility, that characteristic that leaders at every level of an organization display, that says I've got this one, whatever it takes. Maybe you can take a moment to think about it today. How do you become a Creative Director?
NBC has enough problems. Now, with the potential presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, the future of one of the network's decently rated shows, "Celebrity Apprentice," could be in jeopardy -- and other marketing issues could come up as well. Trump has been a fixture on "Celebrity Apprentice" for the program's entire history, and his candidacy would push competing candidates for the top U.S. government job to ask NBC for equal time. It's not as if "Apprentice" by itself is likely to get the network back to being somewhat competitive. But ongoing, relatively low-cost, reality programs like "Apprentice" can be a key utility player for any network, and will be si for NBC especially after "Sunday Night Football" ends in the fourth quarter. NBC ran into this problem before -- but to a lesser degree. When Fred D. Thompson entered the race for the Republican nomination in 2008, he quit his role on series "Law & Order." To insure that no competitors would claim equal time on the network, NBC also stopped airing reruns where Thompson appeared. But on the flip side, NBC could surely use the attention of a Trump candidacy -- especially if, as rumored, he announces his intention to run on the May 22nd season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump's talk about running may be drawing more viewers into the Apprentice's orbit. If Trump goes ahead, NBC may just give "The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice" a small break -- say sitting out the spring 2012 time slot. Spring has been its usual seasonal starting place. But it could be back by that summer. Early in 2012, in the heart of primary season, Trump"s fate could be sealed if he is far behind, registers a few quick primary losses, and pulls out. But it's not just lost rating points that are a concern. "The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice" continues to be a big proponent of branded entertainment -- like NBC's other big reality show, "The Biggest Loser." "Apprentice" continues to be a big friend of marketers looking for that extra piece of on-air and off-air viewer engagement. Those kind of deals can evolve into bigger advertising/marketing deals that span across the whole network. Losing Trump, the "Apprentice" and a proven TV marketing platform will only make NBC's job harder on whatever road back it has planned.
Little surprise here: In the future, entertainment promotion -- from all participants -- won't be an option. Today, we find tweeting somewhat of a fascination. But with entertainment options multiplying almost every day, the need to get ahead of the noise becomes more important. Twitter as an entertainment marketing tool becomes more necessary. Increasingly, tweeting isn't just now and then. More and more TV performers can be found tweeting and lately more are doing so during the broadcasts of their shows -- including Jeff Probst during CBS' "Survivor" and Oprah Winfrey during a Sunday night OWN program. All this makes sense. But some believe it's only the start. Probst believes specific tweeting chores might be written into performers' contracts. Especially given lower ratings for broadcast shows, talent may be pushed -- or told -- to do more promotion/marketing. Cable shows -- especially on mature networks with greater investment in original shows -- may go the same way. It wasn't long ago that some movie actors wouldn't participate in studios' requested marketing efforts -- certainly not in brand entertainment marketing efforts for consumer product companies that supported movies. But all this has changed. And now social media -- the current marketing darling of the entertainment business -- has made consumer access way easier, delivering at times almost a one-to-one marketing message. Probst's thinking is that live tweets, by adding a dimension that viewers can't get from time-shifting, are an important connection or "engagement" -- something of big value to TV marketers. Immediacy of entertainment assets has been given greater importance of late. This isn't to say that TV networks and media companies don't also want to monetize future consumption of entertainment without social media elements. Maybe there's more to come. Anything to slow down eroding viewership of certain shows -- or fractionalization of other entertainment properties -- will be looked at seriously in the future. Right now those messages of 140 characters or less will help out.