by Wayne Friedman on Jul 17, 1:52 PM
Ad-skipping shouldn't be an obstacle for anyone in Apple's TV business point of view. The solution? Just pay TV networks for that permission and let consumers do it. According to a report from a former Wall Street Journal editor/reporter, Jessica Lessin, Apple is considering a "premium" service, allowing and encouraging commercial-skipping. But it would do so with the approval of TV networks. Are you listening to this, Dish Network executives?
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 16, 4:04 PM
It may not be the $3 billion or so that TV stations get in ad revenues from political advertising in major election years, but ad revenues surrounding the Affordable Care Act - which becomes law in 2014 -- may generate some $500 million in the coming months, according to a survey from Kantar Media.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 15, 1:31 PM
Ask yourself what News Corp and Walt Disney Co. are up to by not selling Hulu for the second time in two years. You might not have a clear answer.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 12, 12:48 PM
News Corp., Time Warner, and now Tribune Company have -- or are in the process of -- saying goodbye to their print media businesses by spinning off those units. And many are ringing the death knell for synergy.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 11, 3:08 PM
NBC Owned Stations has now joined the TVB in saying that live program plus same day ratings are "the most representative of the national C3 standard." But is that close enough?
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 10, 11:55 AM
Everyone in TV wants to be number one -- and when it comes to sports TV, that also goes for teams and players. A Fox Sports 1 teaser commercial shows different athletes running around and signaling what level they and their teams are on by sticking a finger in the air. No, not that finger -- the index finger.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 9, 12:16 PM
Cable, satellite, and teleco TV distributors are fighting to get into Internet-delivered programming. They would join such established players as Netflix and Amazon, and newer ones like Intel and Apple, in looking to secure Internet distribution rights for programming. Whether content owners will go along is another matter.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 8, 9:43 AM
So I was watching a cable TV drama, and up came a DirecTV commercial. That's right. I was not fast-forwarding, merely lulled into remote control inactivity by colorful pixels. The creative might have offered up the differences between DirecTV and Dish Network, its archrival and competitor. But that's not why I remember it. It was what followed. This DirecTV commercial led directly into a Dish Network commercial. Years ago, this type of commercial positioning conflict would have been relatively big news. But, given the rise of fast-forwarding and quick-fingered, time-shifting happy customers, does it really matter any more?
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 5, 1:18 PM
TV set manufacturer Samsung has agreed to buy over-the-top TV service Boxee, which also has a cloud-DVR service. Other services like Aereo have similar DVR storage devices. Even cable operators like Cablevision have toyed with taking more electronic boxes out of the living room by selling so-called "network" DVR.
by Wayne Friedman on Jul 3, 3:25 PM
Hulu is a valuable distribution asset for TV networks, but only as much as it can drive higher revenue for shows among all distributors.