Steve Sternberg

Articles by Steve All articles by Steve

• Make Mine Marvel: Reviews Of Every Marvel TV Series Available To Stream in Research Intelligencer on 04/05/2021
  

  Television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are based on characters appearing in Marvel comics who have a shared reality with the theatrical film franchises. From 2013-2020, a dozen shows were produced by Marvel Television, with ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios, across broadcast, cable, and streaming (ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform). A couple of series set in the X-Men universe, which were not officially part of the MCU, were produced by 20th Century Fox (for Fox and FX). In this week's edition, I review -- and rate -- all of them. Nuff said!

• New Broadcast TV Series: The Good, The Bad, And The Too Bad in Research Intelligencer on 03/15/2021
  

  Because of the pandemic, this is the first time in 30 years I haven't seen any fall pilots and have only seen a few mid-season shows prior to their premieres. So in this week's edition, I'm reviewing these new series after watching at least the first few episodes during their regular broadcast runs. Also due to the pandemic, many returning scripted shows didn't premiere until January or later. These include, ABC's The Rookie, Black-ish, Mixed-ish, NBC's Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Law & Order: SVU, New Amsterdam, Good Girls, FOX's Prodigal Son, The Resident, 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, CW's Batwoman, All American, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, Legacies, Charmed, Black Lightning, The Flash. Still to come this spring include, NBC's Manifest, FOX's The Moodys, and CW's Legends of Tomorrow, In the Dark, and Dynasty.

• Mask On, Mask Off And Other Thoughts On The New TV Season in Research Intelligencer on 03/01/2021
  

  There is apparently no standard for how prime-time series handle the Coronavirus pandemic. Many incorporate it into their storylines, while others touch on it briefly and then move on to an unspecified near-future time after the virus. For those that are existing in the time of COVID, there is one disturbing and baffling detail. In virtually every series, the main characters put on their masks to go outside, but as soon as they go inside, whether to a workplace or other venue, they take off their masks -- despite being in close quarters to multiple people with whom they obviously don't live. This, of course, is the opposite of CDC guidelines, not to mention common sense.

• Review: 95 Series Worth Bingeing in Research Intelligencer on 02/16/2021
  

  In this era of "Peak TV+," there are so many good series year-round on so many different platforms that I am constantly discovering new shows to watch, many of which have already been on-the-air for multiple seasons. Nobody has to watch the so-called "least objectionable programming" anymore, and those under 30 have probably never even heard that phrase. In this week's edition, I organized reviews of 95 series worth bingeing.

• Streaming Now: The Rise And Fall Of Ad-Supported Cable TV in Research Intelligencer on 01/25/2021
  

  Twenty years ago, with very few exceptions, four broadcast networks were the only places you could find new original scripted series programming - and basically only six or seven months out of the year. This started to change in the late 1990s with the debuts of HBO's "Oz," "The Sopranos," and "Sex in the City," then changed for good in 2002 with the premiere of FX's "The Shield." In this week's edition, I examine how that all changed again with Netflix's 2013 launch of "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black," and why the shift toward original streaming series may mean the fall of ad-supported cable TV.

• 10 More Hidden Gems To Stream in Research Intelligencer on 12/15/2020
  

  I've been analyzing television research and programming for more than 30 years, and have always prided myself on being able to keep on top of the ever-changing video landscape. In the era of Peak TV+, however, it takes longer and longer to become aware of new linear TV series, much less the wide array of original scripted streaming content. It's simply not possible to know what's available without exploring each service every month (or week). There are no fall or mid-seasons. Every time I start searching for something new to watch on Netflix, for example, there are several new series and movies I've never heard of, increasingly originating in other countries. In this week's edition, I offer my take on 10 more "hidden gems" worth streaming.

• New Television Season Things To Ponder in Research Intelligencer on 11/17/2020
  

  More issues with TV audience measurement, network promotional follies, why ratings don't matter anymore and how shows are dealing COVID-19 and police brutality are among the things I've been pondering during the pandemic. Want to hear more?

• TV Shows To Stream As You Wait For Your Favorites To Return in Research Intelligencer on 10/29/2020
  

  This week's edition focuses on some of the best original scripted series available to stream.

• A Dozen Binge-Worthy Hidden Gems To Stream in Research Intelligencer on 09/28/2020
  

  I've been analyzing television programming for more than 30 years. There was a time, not too long ago, when I could list every show on TV on any given night off the top of my head. Not today. This is the era of Peak TV+. In addition to broadcast television and ad-supported and premium cable, we now have several major streaming services - the first three, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video (which have only been producing original content for about seven years), were joined three years ago by CBS All Access (soon to be rebranded Paramount+), and over the past year by Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Peacock. There are also numerous smaller and more niche streaming services. In this week's edition, I give my picks for the most binge-worthy shows from Must Stream TV.

• How To Make The Emmys Better in Research Intelligencer on 09/09/2020
  

  My mother-in-law hasn't watched the Emmy Awards in five or six years. The main reason, as she puts it, "none of the shows I watch get nominated anymore." Now, I'm sure the networks aren't particularly concerned about the 75-plus crowd, but they do seem intent on driving away generations of people who grew up watching the Emmys without doing much to bring in younger viewers. I also know a fair number of 45-plus viewers that no longer watch the Emmys. The Emmys continues to award TV series that most people haven't seen, which only serves to depress ratings. In this week's edition, I explain how to fix this.

Comments by Steve All comments by Steve

• 'Wonder Woman 1984' Scores $16.7 Million At Box Office, Highest Pandemic Opening by Wayne Friedman (Television News Daily on 12/28/2020)
  

  Saying Wonder Woman had the highest pandemic opeing is like saying Washington is going to win the NFC East - intereting but meaningless.

• Poll Misfires: Maybe TV Show Questions Would Elicit Truer Results by Wayne Friedman (TV Watch on 11/23/2020)
  

  The idea that people lie in polls because they don't want to admit they are voting for a polarizing candidate is gibberish and the type of nonsense pollsters like to use as an excuse for their inaccuracies. The way most polls are designed and structured is fundamentally flawed as are ridiculously small sample sizes that are no longer representative of a much more splintered universe.  

• Disney+ Overdelivers: 10 Million Subscribers At Launch by Wayne Friedman (Television News Daily on 11/13/2019)
  

  Not sure this was a real overdelivery. In last month's Sternberg Report I said I thought Disney could have more than 10 million subs by 2020, and 30 million in U.S. by 2024.

• Disney's 'Mandalorian' Is Clint Eastwood In Outer Space by Adam Buckman (TVBlog on 11/14/2019)
  

  You beat me to it.  I was starting t write the same thing for The Sternberg Report.  Great minds...

• Nielsen To Add Out-of-Home Viewers To National Ratings In 2020 by Karlene Lukovitz (Digital News Daily on 09/12/2019)
  

  While I seldom disagree with Jack or Ed, and I do not question that bar viewers are attentive to the program, it is simply ridiculous to think that commercials are anywhere near as effective as in home. Anyone who watches sports in a bar, particularly in groups, knows that they can’t hear the commercials and seldom watch them. I did a lot of research on tho subject when I was at Magna. Any agency or advertiser who accepts this is not doing their job. 

• ABC Pushes Big On-Air Promos For New Fall Shows by Wayne Friedman (Television News Daily on 09/06/2019)
  

  But since the broadcast networks foolishly refuse to promote one another's series, much of the promotion you mntion is wasted.  Multiple ads on ABC game and reality shows isn't going to dramatically help a show like Stumptown or Emergece.

• This Will Be A Sellers' Upfront by Dave Morgan (Media Insider on 05/30/2019)
  

  Demand never outweighs supply in TV.  The upfront system creates an artificial demand for what is essentially a (nearly) unlimited supply of rating points.  As long as the upfront system rewards rankings over actual audience size, the networks will continue to be able to charge more for a shrinking product.  Also should note that as average ratings decline, it becomes much easier to estimate future program and network performance, so guarantees, the only reason for advertisers to still want an upfront, are not nearly as useful as they once were.

• 4 In 10 Ad Execs Predict Upfront Will Either Diminish Or Disappear In Five Years by Joe Mandese (Research Intelligencer on 05/08/2019)
  

  Real story is that more than 40% of advertisers and agencies think the upfront will expand.

• Older Companies' Message To Netflix: We Want Our Shows Back by Adam Buckman (TVBlog on 04/29/2019)
  

  I think tthat even though Friends and The Office might be Netflix's most viewed shows, most people get Netflix for original series, not off-net stuff.  Once they get it, they start watching a lot of other things.  So I expect that it might be annoying to lose Friends, it probably won't contribute much to churn.  On average, viewers willspend less time with aNetflix, but it won't inhibit subscriber growth much.

• Shorter TV Ads Command More Viewer Attention by Wayne Friedman (Television News Daily on 10/11/2018)
  

  This is the type of gibberish research that leads to gibberish headlines. 

About Edit

You haven't told us anything about yourself! Surely you've got something to say. Tell us a little something.