More than last season, this was the year Fox's "American Idol" came down off its high perch as television's big program. Now, what do we have? A more even playing field -- with a bunch of good-, but not great-rated, shows.» 1 Comments
It seems that small and mid-size cable network executives will always be at war with powerful cable operators. But, increasingly, all it takes to start their battles is a single business or legal decision that puts the kibosh on a whole enterprise or on future prospects. Independently owned Tennis Channel has just this kind of issue: a recent reversal of fortune in its long-running dispute to get basic carriage on Comcast cable systems.» 1 Comments
More than other digital platforms, Twitter has been compared to "live" TV -- or real-time media. So it may come as no surprise that Twitter executive Jean-Philippe Maheu believes live TV viewing will increase. The reason? Viewers are increasingly tired of dealing with "spoiler alerts" and other social media chatter that causes TV show outcomes to seep into their brains too soon.» 3 Comments
Some executives can see TV's future perfectly -- through the clouds. That's the point. Content owners and traditional distributors like Comcast Corp. see the "cloud" as TV's golden grail.» 0 Comments
Perhaps Intel has the right approach to revolutionizing the way we buy our traditional TV service - initially, anyway. Intel aims to start an Internet-delivered video service that allows customers to choose the channels they want - unlike the current cable, satellite and telco TV distribution systems.» 6 Comments
urviving tough times for many in the broadcast upfront business means maintaining an even keel. So far in this upfront, that's what the major broadcasters are focusing on. The "even" goals are the overall upfront dollar volumes generated by each network. Current reports put CBS at around $2.6 billion; Fox at around $2.0 billion and CW at around $400 million - all about where they were a year ago. ABC and NBC are left to be decided.» 0 Comments
Bans on TV advertising for specific products don't slow down technology. TV ads for tobacco-laden cigarettes, so bad for our health, were stopped in 1970. But now they are back -- in theory.» 3 Comments
The arguments connecting media violence or suggestive sexual content to real-life actions never seem to end. First, violence: A group from the National Academy of Sciences told the Obama administration that a "direct relationship" between media exposure and violent acts still doesn't exist -- but that some evidence points to a "significant relationship." Sounds murky at best.» 4 Comments
Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost.