AMC Networks has figured out how to make an easy adjustment to give those 14 million Dish subscribers something they might want. The programmer is putting its WE TV series "Braxton Family Values" and its AMC series "Hell on Wheels" on the Internet for free so consumers can watch, catch up on the episodes they've missed, and basically get around the Dish-AMC carriage dispute.

Dropping AMC and three sister channels has been good for Dish's bottom line. That's the sentiment from Charlie Ergen, chairman of Dish Network, according to the Denver Business Journal. But you have to wonder how much this kind of criteria could extend to other networks. Wouldn't dropping say ESPN, CBS, Fox News, Discovery, NBC, USA or TNT also help the satellite service's bottom line?

Don't give an inch -- even if it might mean bigger laughs. Seems the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was well along in negotiations to get late-night NBCer Jimmy Fallon to host the Oscars -- which has run for decades on ABC -- when Disney-ABC put the brakes on.

Cord-cutting -- or shaving -- by cable, satellite and now even telco subscribers is an issue that nags at the core. Cable operators may not worry too much, due to their other growing businesses of phone and broadband. For them, cord-cutting just means a shift in how consumers access their video and media.Satellite operators like DirecTV may have another problem to consider, however. Losing customers can be significant, even when their remaining subscribers pay more every year.

Cable executives and others may complain that the cost of sports networks puts undue stress on the average sports watcher, that the threat of giving ESPN a massive $5 a subscriber per month isn't worth it. Now another sports channel is looking to get launched -- the Surf Channel, from the founders of Tennis Channel and Ski Channel.

TV's loss leaders: We need them, we understand them. Then just when we count them out, they can give us a bonus. NBC's Olympics seem to be in this category. The Winter 2010 games in Vancouver lost around $225 million. The London Olympics were supposed to swim in the same pool of red ink. Now NBC says the London games should come close to breaking even, or possibly make a bit of money.

"New media" has taken another hit, but it appears to be only a flesh wound. No, we aren't speaking of the online world, but of a previous "new media": satellite TV. For the first time ever, DirecTV lost U.S. subscribers over a quarterly period

If we've learned anything about branded TV entertainment, it's that it can sometimes score in big ways. I'm not necessarily talking about entertainment shows. Just look at many European sports -- such as soccer, auto racing and cycling. Recently, General Motors spent big money -- some $31 million a year -- to get major jersey signage on one of the most storied soccer teams of the world, Manchester United.

Complain about NBC and the Olympics all you want -- then look at the bottom line. Tape delays have again been a big issue for consumers. Seems like this issue is an additional sport of the games. But "seems" is the important word: We now have more social media areas in which to vent.

The success of your product on TV might just depend on the success of your marketing skills. Not always, but sometimes. Joel Ewanick, chief marketing officer of General Motors, was let go over the weekend. Many factors -- including a specific problem about not vetting a certain European soccer sponsorship - have been cited as the reason, Stateside, one recent point of contention that may stick out could be General Motors' hardline stance on the U.S. TV upfront marketplace.