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Steve Sternberg

Member since September 2009Contact Steve

Steve Sternberg is currently Editor-in-Chief of The Sternberg Report. He has more then 30 years of television and video analysis experience, having held top research posts at Bozell, TN Media, Magna Global, and ION Media Networks. He also authors The Sternberg Report (www.sternbergreport.com)

Articles by Steve All articles by Steve

  • Counting Down The 40 Best TV Shows Of 2024: #10-1 in Research Intelligencer on 01/03/2025

    The first three parts of my "40 best TV shows of 202" contained a wide variety of program genres. In this week's edition, I reveal the top 10, which have just as much program diversity, but more significantly has the greatest amount of platform diversity. They come from eight different platforms - only Netflix and HBO (with two apiece) are represented more than once. This is a sign of a robust television landscape. Drum roll please...

  • Counting Down The 40 Best TV Shows Of 2024: #20-11 in Research Intelligencer on 12/27/2024

    The first two parts of my counting down the 40 best TV shows of 2024, which included #40-21, contained a wide variety of program genres. In this week's edition, I look at #20-11, which have just as much diversity (even though four vastly different and unique spy/crime thrillers made this section). This is a sign of a robust television landscape. Even as press headline shout that streamers are cutting back on spending and there are fewer new shows being produced, there are still so many linear and streaming series on so many platforms, that there's something (actually many things) for everyone. The era of Peak TV+ is far from over.

  • Counting Down The 40 Best TV Shows Of 2024: #30-21 in Research Intelligencer on 12/19/2024

    Twenty years ago, most TV critics lists of best series of the year tended to include largely the same shows. Viewer choices for original scripted series were, after all, limited to broadcast networks, and a few ad-supported cable and premium cable series (which made everyone's list since they were the only series on television that did not have the same content restrictions of ad-supported networks). In this week's edition, I give you my case for the 40 best TV shows of 2024, picking up with those ranking 30 through 21.

  • Counting Down The 40 Best TV Shows of 2024: #40-31 in Research Intelligencer on 12/11/2024

    There was a time, not too long ago, when I struggled to come up with 20 TV shows that deserved to be on my "best of" list for the season. Today, I have twice as many on my list and struggled deciding which excellent shows to leave out. Ten years ago, streaming was a new word in the media lexicon. In this week's edition, I give you my case for the 40 best TV shows of 2024, beginning those ranked 31 through 40.

  • Don't Do That: The Problem With NFL Analytics in Research Intelligencer on 11/26/2024

    With the NFL season just past the halfway point, in this week's edition I'm updating version of a column I wrote last season on NFL Analytics. Over the past few years, one the more controversial aspects of NFL football games is the idea of going for it on fourth down when a team needs two or three (sometimes more) yards for a first down. The reason? Something called "analytics," which has upended decades of NFL truism and tradition. This analysis takes a look at how the ESPN analytics model works as it relates to recommending whether to go for it on fourth down, attempt a field goal, or punt. Different teams use their own analytics models, but they likely contain many of the same elements - as evidenced by the common refrain that "analytics says go for it." I haven't heard any broadcaster or analyst (or coach) say that analytics says don't go for it on fourth-and-one or two.

  • Reviews: 'Industry,' 'Slow Horses,' 'The Old Man' in Research Intelligencer on 11/15/2024

    In this week's edition, I review HBO's "Industry" (good), Apple TV's "Slow Horses" (good), And FX's "The Old Man" (also good).

  • A Brief History Of Comic Cons in Research Intelligencer on 10/25/2024

    Comic cons have come a long way since the first "official" comic book convention took place in New York in 1964 with just over 100 attendees in a hotel conference room sitting on folding chairs. Originally, these conventions focused primarily on comic books and the surrounding culture, where comic book fans could meet creators, artists, experts, and one another to discuss story arcs, cover art, and buy and sell back issues. Today, most of them have grown into multiday events that include numerous pop-culture and entertainment elements, including comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anime, manga, toys, animation art, collectibles of every stripe, card and video games, graphic novels, professional wrestling, and cosplay (costume play, where fans dress up as fictional characters from movies, TV shows, comic books, or video games), as well as movie and television series previews and panels. In this week's edition, I provide a brief history of the major Comic Cons and why they should be relevant to you.

  • Review: The New Fall Broadcast TV Series in Research Intelligencer on 10/04/2024

    It's been an interesting few years when it comes to the broadcast networks debuting their new fall television series. In 2021 and 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed production and premiere dates for most broadcast shows. In 2023, the writers' and actors' strikes led to numerous delays for both new and returning scripted series. So this is really the first year in a while that has relatively normal new season premiere dates. While many viewers might see fall and spring seasons as anachronistic, since cable nets and streamers debut series year-round with season premieres not necessarily even air in the same month as previous seasons, the broadcast networks, driven primarily by advertiser-based timetables, still adhere to traditionally scheduled seasons - although they often extend slightly beyond the 2-4 week window starting in mid-September that used to signal the start of the fall TV season. In this week's edition, I give my assessment of the new fall TV series scheduled for the new broadcast network TV season.

  • Review: Special 'Evil' Edition in Research Intelligencer on 09/23/2024

    Most of my review editions analyze three TV series under the banner of "The Good, The Too Bad, And The Ugly." In this week's edition I'm giving you everything you'd ever want to know about "Evil," one of the best series on television, which has been canceled by Paramount+ after four seasons and 50 episodes. There has been some hope that Netflix or some other outlet might pick it up (some of the show's stars have been lobbying hard on social media, as has sci-fi/horror author, Stephen King), but I haven't heard anything, so it looks like this might be the end of the line. After the unexpected cancellation announcement, four additional episodes were ordered (making 14 for the season), so the series could come to a fitting conclusion.

  • The Emmys: Who's Rising, Who's Falling (How To Make The Show Better) in Research Intelligencer on 09/13/2024

    The Emmy Awards telecast traditionally alternates among ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Once seen as a major promotional vehicle for the broadcast networks (pre-2015), the host network would win a bunch of awards and have commercials ready to immediately tout their wins. Since there were no streaming platforms, and competing networks aired repeats, ratings were consistently strong. I'm old enough to remember when marginally rated series would become hits after winning multiple Emmys. It was a big deal. But this hasn't been the case for several years. In this week's edition, I review the most recent history of the Emmy telecast and how it can be made better.

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