Sports organizations like FIFA, the worldwide soccer organization, have been against using television video replay for reversing an official's on-the-field decision. Yet these sports groups have no problem taking money from TV networks for the right to broadcast events around the world. There seems to be a bit of hypocrisy here. Sports leagues shouldn't be able to monetize their worth using TV while dismissing one of TV's key features, the replay.» 0 Comments
Soccer, with its long heritage in Europe, Latin America, and other parts of the world, always seemed like a sports poised for a break-out in the U.S. Now we have a U.S. men's team again getting to the quarter finals and showing some competitive kick in its loss to Ghana, with the biggest TV ratings ever for a soccer event: 19 million viewers. But odds are U.S. soccer won't take the ball and run with it, even after almost two decades of ramped-up efforts in high schools, colleges, and kids' leagues.» 0 Comments
The Motion Pictures Association of America looks like it got what it wanted: a final nail in the coffin of those who would start up a movies future business. But the ban isn't really about financial gambling. It's really a ban on information that perhaps the movie-going public should be allowed to have.» 0 Comments
In somewhat of a surprise, a federal judge dismissed Viacom's billion-dollar lawsuit against YouTube. Viacom is appealing. All this would seem like a big win for the little guy -- except YouTube really isn't the little guy. YouTube is part of a very big, powerful and growing media company: Google.» 0 Comments
Television production by a committee of professionals? It never works. So why would a bunch of viewers do any better? Syfy is working up a two-hour Saturday original movie to which viewers will contribute by voting: casting ideas, story arcs, characters, whatever. It's a nice publicity/marketing stunt. But if viewers truly contribute equally, we know how this stuff would end up: in one big mush.» 0 Comments
Don't throw away those bland commercials, roughly targeted TV media plans, and general wishful thinking: Set-top-box data ain't what it appears.» 0 Comments
So I'm driving in a rental Toyota Camry to a convention in Las Vegas. About an hour and a half into the drive, I'm cruising along -- maybe at a quicker speed than I realized -- rushing to get to my location. Then it dawns on me what the Enterprise staffer told me back at the rental office: "Yes. This Camry is good. It accelerates nicely." Wait a second. Toyota? Camry? Acceleration? Hello!» 0 Comments
Now that the TV upfront is over, we can focus on the usual and the not-so-usual: This would be the scatter markets. More strangely, it would also include the absence of TV networks' typical high-flying bravado of years ago.» 0 Comments
A small segment of young consumers isn't ready to anoint content as king. The price of that content may actually be taking that crown, instead.» 0 Comments
Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost.