It's the U2 mini-series -- on CBS. U2 will be the first musical guest on "Late Show with David Letterman" to be on for an entire week -- all to promote their new album "No Line on the Horizon," being released in conjunction with the Letterman appearance.» 0 Comments
The broadcast network business is tough enough in this economy. Imagine if you are a MyNetworkTV broadcast station affiliate! You are not even part of a fourth-placed network (that honor goes to NBC), or a fifth place network or a sixth. You're in seventh place behind The CW. And now the network's senior executives have decided they really can't compete in the original programming arena -- one of the primary reasons for being part of a network.» 0 Comments
For TV stations, it'll all come down to another Disney-ABC/iTunes historical media moment. NBC Universal's Jeff Zucker and CBS Corp.'s Les Moonves have all but said what's coming, even before the crushing recession started to take hold: Sometime in the near future, TV stations may not necessarily be a part of traditional TV networks.» 0 Comments
TV in your contact lenses? Sure. But you need to answer the question: Are you far- or nearsighted? Futurist TV scientists know one thing: TV viewers will want an ever-increasing connection with video content images. So let your imagination run wild -- and apparently screen-wise, much smaller.» 0 Comments
Don't worry about the dozens of consumer products finding their way into TV shows. In some cases, it's the other way around: programs content may be finding its way inside TV commercials.» 0 Comments
The questioning of GE CEO Jeff Immelt about selling off NBC Universal needs to stop. Think of more global and long-term inquiries. There are bigger issues to try and fry. Massive layoffs and plummeting revenues in the news are only the start.» 0 Comments
The Super Bowl media numbers seem more logical now: What has turned out to be the most-viewed game in history came at advertising prices that, for some, were lower than a year ago.» 0 Comments
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps does weed. Should we care? All this means it that sponsors and viewers were robbed -- he should have gotten more medals and world records. Marijuana will never be considered a performance-enhancing drug.» 0 Comments
Did you see a YouTube TV commercial in the Super Bowl -- or one from MySpace, or Facebook? Everyone has a good reason not to be in the highest-rated TV program of the year. Internet marketing executives probably learned their lesson from airing almost two dozen commercials in ABC's 2000 Super Bowl, the year they were spending money they didn't really have. Marketing and media executives are more appropriate these days. Spending $3 million for a commercial only seems appropriate when you might have a real product to sell, like a car.» 0 Comments
Economic and environmental factors might be in play for the future of big-screen TV sets. But think of the really big picture. Large, 48" flat-screen TVs can suck up as much electricity as some refrigerators -- far more than older standard cathode ray tube televisions.» 0 Comments
Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost.