• Will Financial Metrics Replace Viewing Numbers In The Future?
    The CW continues to be profitable -- but not in the way you might think. Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corp., said CW isn't making money as a network "entity" but is definitely in the black when it comes to its two co-owner partners, CBS and Warner Bros., selling programming to other outlets. Specifically, CBS has said that CW's program deal with Netflix and Hulu Plus has made the mini-broadcast network a money-making venture.
  • Omnicom/Publicis: Looking Beyond Media Leverage
    Time was when looking for media leverage meant one thing: looking for the best pricing on TV. Turns out the announced merger of Publicis and Omnicom has little to do with this. Don't think CBS, Fox, NBC, or ABC. Think Google or Facebook.
  • Targeting Tales: Unwanted Shortcake & Lucky Sharks
    TV sets in men's gym locker rooms are pretty much standard issue these days. Nearly 100% of the time, the programming that runs on those screens will be sports, ESPN in particular. But one Los Angeles health club had another idea. I wandered into the locker room in the morning and the TV was showing perhaps the extreme opposite of what advertisers would think of to target male viewers: the animated "Strawberry Shortcake" on the kids' network The Hub.
  • Digital Sellers Would Like The Upfront Never To End
    The upfront TV/video business may not be over yet. Think about the turning leaves. We hear that traditional programmers -- broadcast, cable, and syndication -- are still doing upfront business. (Aren't we almost in August?) Their efforts are yielding nice but ho-hum, mid-single-digit percentage increases over last year. (Hard-fought, no doubt). Still, networks claim they have big-impact, engageable program assets that other media do not. Marketers will come around, they say. But now another upfront is coming -- in September!
  • Non-Linear TV Is Coming, But Not That Soon
    Linear TV and viewers? Breaking up isn't that hard to do. But it might be a long, not-too-pretty split.
  • In The Summertime, A Surprise Hit Fits Just Fine
    Yes, there are summer TV surprises. Over the weekend, Disney Channel delivered a big 8.4 million viewers for its movie "Teen Beach," an updated takeoff on 1960s' beach movies.
  • Time Warner, CBS, Mull Strategies In Carriage Dispute
    The current loud and testy negotiation between CBS and Time Warner Cable has seemingly lured in renegade alternatives for those viewers stuck in the usual morass of possible broadcast station blackout-land.
  • Hating The High Cost Of Entertainment -- In Theory
    Entertainment costs keep rising, even as consumers and business executives bemoan specific products. Take 3D movies. Criticism of many 3D movies continues from consumers, film business executives and analysts. But things are different when it comes down to actual consumer transactions and ticket fees.
  • Netflix's 'House of Cards' Makes Emmy History -- But Who Exactly Was Watching?
    Netflix's "House of Cards" series has achieved two milestones: the first online show to get Emmy nominations, and the first show in memory so honored without knowing how many viewers have been watching.
  • Google Tries Another TV Effort: Is This A Defensive Move?
    Internet-delivered TV from a bunch of no-name brands is one thing. But Internet-delivered TV from the likes of well-known brand Google might be something else. Reports are that Google is talking about starting up its own so-called "over the top" (OTT) Internet-delivered TV service.
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