
Steve Sternberg
Member since September 2009Contact Steve- Editor-in-Chief The Sternberg Report
- Thesternbergreport.com
- Facebook: steve.sternberg7@facebook.com
- LinkedIn: stevesternberg@linkedin.com
- Twitter: stevesternberg
- 94 Clinton Street
- Hoboken New Jersey
- 07030 USA
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
- A Brief History Of Superheroes On TV in
Research Intelligencer on
09/06/2023
From the earliest days of television, live-action series featuring superheroes have had their ups and downs. Occasionally popping up in the 1950s through early 2000s, these shows were most often used as counter-programming in an effort to appeal to a younger audience. In this week's edition, I analyze why only a few have enjoyed significant success and how the Marvel Cinematic Universe led to a rebirth of the superhero genre.
- TV Things That Make You Go Hmmm... in
Research Intelligencer on
08/07/2023
It's fascinating to watch the Fox Weather channel report on record heat and flooding across the country while assiduously avoiding the phrase "climate change." That's just one of a couple of dozen things about TV that make you say, hmmm in this week's special dog days round-up.
- Shows To Binge During The Summer (And Writers' & Actors' Strikes) in
Research Intelligencer on
07/17/2023
Lots of folks have been asking me for suggestions on what TV shows they should binge over the summer, and if the writers' and actor's strikes are long-lasting/ While I've written extensively about recent original scripted streaming series, there are also numerous top-notch shows that aired multiple seasons (broadcast, cable, and early streamers) available to binge on various streaming platforms. In this week's edition, I provide my recommendations for shows worth binging, if you haven't already seen them.
- Mid-Year Report: The 12 Best TV Series Of 2023, So Far in
Research Intelligencer on
07/06/2023
Ten years ago, I struggled to come up with a list of a dozen great television series in a single season. At the end of this year, my list of best shows will have more than twice that, and I will struggle to decide which shows make the cut. During the past three to five years, as all the major media companies tried to compete with Netflix, they spent enormous sums of money on original content, drawing new subscribers to their streaming platforms was initially more important to them (and Wall Street) than making an actual profit from streaming. As a result, there are more high-quality television series on more different platforms than ever before. In this week's edition -- an in depth, 34-page report -- I provide my analysis for the best 12 TV series so far this season.
- A Young Media Person's Guide To Evaluating TV Pilots in
Research Intelligencer on
06/05/2023
In a series of upfront presentations to advertisers, media agencies, and the press, the broadcast networks recently unveiled their respective primetime fall TV schedules. I've just started the process of reviewing the new series pilots for my annual predictions of hits and misses. The purpose here is to provide some insights into what to look for when evaluating the success potential of a new show. In the 40 years or so I've been analyzing the television landscape, the benchmark of success for a new broadcast series has continually shifted, with the bar gradually getting lower and lower. In this week's edition I explain how to evaluate new series pilots. But first some historical perspective.
- At The Upfronts: What They Said, What it Means in
Research Intelligencer on
05/24/2023
The official start of the fall television season is still four months away, but for insiders at media agencies, networks, and advertisers -- as well as television analysts like me -- the upfront season has placed thoughts of September squarely into May. In this week's edition, I break down what the major networks said during their upfront ad presentations, and perhaps more importantly, what they actually meant.
- Does Anyone Really Want 'Better' Audience Measurement? in
Research Intelligencer on
05/17/2023
The short answer is no. Sellers want higher reported ratings, while buyers want stability. Neither is conducive to better, more accurate audience measurement. I give the long answer in this week's edition, but it still winds up being no. Of course, advertisers want the most accurate data possible, but with a couple of notable exceptions, they have traditionally had surprisingly little influence over the way national television audiences are measured.
- Do The Upfronts Still Matter? in
Research Intelligencer on
05/08/2023
As they do every year, the major media companies are about to unveil their multi-platform strategies for the upcoming broadcast year, which includes their respective fall TV schedules. This marks the start of the "upfront" season, when advertisers spend upward of $20 billion buying commercial time on national television shows slated to air during the 2023-24 broadcast year. And as I do every year, I will be reporting on each company's presentation. Once I watch all the new series pilots, I will be evaluating their upcoming TV shows as well. Meanwhile, in this week's edition I raise -- and answer -- the question: Do the upfront even matter anymore?
- Star Trek For New (And Old) Generations in
Research Intelligencer on
05/02/2023
For nearly 60 years, "Star Trek" has been part of the television landscape. During its three season run on NBC (1966-69), The Original Series (TOS) aired 79 episodes. Today, three seasons on a streaming service produces less than half that amount. The Starship Enterprise was captained by James T. Kirk (William Shatner), whose five-year mission was to "explore strange new worlds...to seek out new life and new civilizations...to boldly go where no man has gone before." It was originally pitched to the network as a "Wagon Train to the stars. In this week's edition I analyze all generations of the Star Trek television franchise.
- If You Haven't Seen 'Succession'... in
Research Intelligencer on
04/17/2023
In today's video landscape, there are so many series on so many platforms that numerous great shows that have already aired for multiple seasons have not been sampled by many viewers. But unlike just a few years ago, it is easy to binge episodes and catch up if you subscribe to the appropriate streaming service. If you haven't seen HBO Max's "Succession," this week's edition explains why you might want to binge it now.
Comments by Steve All comments by Steve
- AMC+, Amazon Prime Rank High In 'TV Blog' Streaming Audit
by
Adam Buckman
(TVBlog on
11/04/2022)
Interesting. Surprised Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is not included in your Paramount+ analysis. I am actually going to have The Offer listed in my year-end review of the 25 Best TV Series of 2022. I can't recall a recent series that has had so many positive and negative reviews.
- CIMM Day 2: Will Multiple Currencies Require A Currency Converter?
by
Tony Jarvis
(MediaDailyNews on
02/18/2022)
Wish I knew this summit was taking place.
- Squid Game Yes, Squid Game No: Is 3 Billion Minutes Viewed Really That Good?
by
Steve Sternberg
(Research Intelligencer on
11/18/2021)
the 3 billion minutes is a U.S. number.
- New For Fall: Fame Is Fleeting In ABC's Intriguing 'Queens'
by
Adam Buckman
(TVBlog on
10/19/2021)
Wondering if everyone made a deal with ABC not to mention how similar this is to Peacock's excellent Girls5Eva. When Queens was first announced a lot of people commented on this. But I haven't seen a single review so far that even mentions Girls5Eva.
- Networks Ramp Up Promos For New Fall Shows
by
Wayne Friedman
(Television News Daily on
08/20/2021)
By not cross-promoting one another's shows as cable has done so successfully for years, the broadcast nets are wasting much of this money, and as usual, several new shows that are not part of a winning franchise will unnecessarily flop. More promotioal malpractice.
- Pre-Upfront Thoughts On Broadcast TV, Promotions, Nielsen, And AVOD
by
Steve Sternberg
(Research Intelligencer on
04/26/2021)
Thanks Jack. High praise coming from you.
- '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...

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