• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 8, 2008

Las Vegas -- TV affiliate meetings, NATPE, and advertising upfront presentations be damned.

The International Consumer Electronics Show wants to be the new place for traditional broadcasting, cable and syndicated TV producers. And it has an awful good chance of becoming the new conference home to these TV businesses.

Now the digital media cliché has expanded: Consumers want their content when and where they want it. And they don't want stations' affiliates, cable operators, or advertisers to get in the way.

The same could be said of networks, producers and the like. They want to make deals when and where they want to. If you are Disney-ABC or MGM, that means new media platform deals each of those companies made with Microsoft during CES for Microsoft's hot selling Xbox360 game device.

With new devices needing content, traditional media companies are ready, willing and able to break traditional business arrangements to meet that need. If angry voices are raised, they only need to point fingers at the fast-moving, technology-happy consumers craving the latest entertainment gadgets.

Sony has sometimes been a big player at CES. But this year NBC Universal took some big space on the CES floor as well -- originating some of its programming, "Access Hollywood" and "NBC Nightly New with Brian Williams," from the conference. Last year TV and media-industry bigwigs Bob Iger of Walt Disney and Les Moonves of CBS offered keynote addresses.

So instead of courting TV affiliate or cable operating executives, smart network and studio marketers will be courting the latest tech-geek device/technology/software/broadband service that is currying the favor of consumers.

TV producers need to catch up - and there is little time to spare. Forget that a recession may be around the corner. Opportunity and success goes to those throwing around crazy R&D money - like that hundred or so million dollars that networks each routinely spend on program development money.

Don't worry. It's lunch money for an iffy high school cafeteria. Nutritional value may be suspect, but you'll need the energy to get through pre-college calculus .