• Streaming Don & Peggy: Netflix Cuts Syndication Deal For 'Mad Men'
    Starting July 27, Netflix members will be able to watch the first four seasons of "Mad Men" online, and the next three seasons right after they finish airing on AMC. That adds "Mad Men"'s Lionsgate to a list of other TV content providers Netflix has recently partnered with, including Twentieth Century Fox, CBS and Disney-ABC Television Group. A piece in Gigaom analyzes Netflix's multi-pronged approach to content-building, from "a variation of deep long-tail content, newer popular hits and exclusive access to original programming." Another as yet-untried, but possible approach: "adding shows with loyal fan bases that weren't popular enough …
  • Meredith Vieira Said To Be Eyeing Departure From 'Today'
    It's likely that NBC "Today" host Meredith Vieira will leave the show in September when her contract expires, according to anonymous sources quoted in The Hollywood Reporter.So who would take over co-anchoring duties with Matt Lauer? "Potential heirs apparent to Vieira are said to include 'Today''s Ann Curry and Natalie Morales, Washington correspondent Savannah Guthrie and CNBC's Erin Burnett," writes Lacey Rose and Marisa Guthrie in a piece that also provides the backstory of the long-time top-rated morning show.
  • Times' Sulzberger Testily Defends Pay Meter
    If you're getting sick of reading stories about the New York Times digital pay wall, well, duh -- Publisher Arthur Sulzberger is equally tired of answering questions about it. The Daily Beast's piece on Sulzberger's appearance at Columbia University journalism school event is thick with his sarcastic quotes. For example, when asked about the complexity of the digital plan, he compared it to print home delivery: "I know this is sounding complex, but bear with me! OK? So you have three different print plans that you can choose from. And sometimes, on top of that, you can even go outside …
  • YES First (Probably Not Last) Channel To Protest Inclusion On Cablevision App
    Yes, YES is indeed saying no to being a part of the Cablevision iPad app -- "as it would appear to compete with separate rights sold by MLB, one of the few sports leagues to pioneer digital subscriptions to its games," according to the New York Post.
  • Couric's Leaving One More Nail In Evening Newscasts' Coffin
    In the wake of confirmation that Katie Couric is indeed moving on from her spot on the "CBS Evening News" comes Jack Shafer's take on the death of the evening newscast as a whole. You've probably heard this idea before, but Shafer puts a snappy yet verging-on-nasty spin on the issue. Here's a sample of his tone: "...when ABC News gave Diane Sawyer the keys to its World News telecast in 2009, they were overtly endorsing the CBS News strategy of hiring a middle-aged bottle blond from morning TV to chaperone all the unschooled geezers turning on their sets at …
  • NBCU Aims For More Hispanic-Targeted Ad Dollars
    NBC Universal's "Hispanics at NBCU" program, which debuted today, allows marketers to buy advertising for a broad range of the company's TV network, cable and digital properties targeted to Hispanics -- from Spanish-dominant consumers to Hispanics who speak only English, reports Ad Age's Laurel Wentz. Advertisers must commit to advertising in four or five properties, with a digital component essential -- but will also receive customized research for each deal. The company previously offered similar themed cross-platform programs, including "Women at NBCU."
  • Top 25 Newspapers Ranked By Twitter Followers
    No big surprises on this list of the top 25 newspapers on Twitter -- except maybe the Chicago Tribune's spot in second place after the New York Times -- beating out, in order, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and L.A. Times. The chart also tracks the changes from when a similar list was published last fall, and the NY Times actually has the lowest number on that count -- just 15% growth.
  • Bravo Upfront Shows Net As 'Driving Force In Popular Culture'?
    Ed Martin opines that Bravo's upfront event last week "made clear that Bravo is much more than a thriving basic cable network. It's a driving force in popular culture, one that resonates as much with young people seeking escapist reality fare as with the upscale, digitally driven demographics that it cultivates and celebrates."All this after Bravo ran an upfront that Martin dubbed "history-making" because it included the "first-ever live, full-length telecast of a television program from an Upfront event." P.S.: This historic importance was probably lost on those watching the telecast of "Watch What Happens: Live" from home. Still, …
  • Puzzling Over Newspaper Profits
    In case you've ever wondered -- yes, crossword puzzle aficionados definitely add to the New York Times' bottom line, paying for $39.95 digital subscriptions, the 900-number clue line, and puzzle books, according to puzzle editor Will Shortz. "And all that money, all the reprints, flow to The Times, so the crossword is a very successful and profitable feature for the newspaper," he says. Meanwhile, in a letter to L.A. Times readers about that paper's crossword puzzles, Merl Reagle, now sole creator of its Sunday puzzles (the other long-time creator recently passed away), said he would be developing more …
  • Cable Operators, TV Nets And iPads: The Continuing Saga
    More wrinkles in the sometimes-controversial iPad-Cable TV story. First, Cablevision launched an app allowing its customers to watch some 300 channels at home on their iPads.And Time Warner Cable, riding a storm of protest from cable channels who said their contract with Time Warner did not include distribution on the tablet platform, has added 17 new networks to its iPad app.
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