• TV's Lifespan: Less Than Two Decades Left?
    Reed Hastings, chief executive officer of Netflix -- a prominent TV disrupter -- believes TV's demise is only 16 years away. Make that 2030. We don't know if Hastings was really serious. But with all the digital disruption over the last decade and a half, many folks must have had similar thoughts about traditional TV's death.
  • Google, You've Got It Wrong: Pay ME $1 A Month
    Google has got it all backwards for its Google Contributor plan, which will ban ads for certain sites if users pay them $1, or $2, or $3 a month. No, Google. I don't pay you; you pay me.
  • TV Heads Will Roll - Sometimes, Even TV Ratings
    You can't be sure what happened at the "Today" show, with the very short reign of executive producer Jamie Horowitz, who lasted just over two months on the job. Rumors spread that Horowitz wanted to make some big major changes -- including moving out "Today"'s main news reader, Natalie Morales, as well as on-air personality William Geist, and possibly even main host Savannah Guthrie.
  • Netflix Should Mull Future Without Upsetting Too Much Of Big Media's Applecart
    Netflix is planning an event about the "future of TV" that will feature partners, "friends" and other folks from networks, movie studios and other related companies. That's good news. Futuristic renderings of TV's landscape are needed.
  • NBC Still Needs Help With Scripted Prime-Time Programming
    NBC's efforts to boost its scripted TV programming have taken another hit with its cancellations of plans for a new Cosby sit-com.
  • Current Media: All About The Pipes
    It's all about the pipes -- whether oil runs through it (the Keystone Pipeline) or video entertainment (pay TV and digital platforms providers). The licensing legality of YouTube, one of music's longtime distribution "pipes," is now being questioned by Irving Azoff, personal manager for many bestselling music performers. While YouTube is launching a music subscription service, Music Key, Azoff says he believes YouTube hasn't done all its necessary licensing deals.
  • TV Blackouts: Cord-Cutting, Propaganda, And Future Media Agnosticism
    CBS has been issuing warnings that another major TV blackout could happen -- this time with a possible Nov. 20 deadline for Dish Network. Last year CBS had a major month-long blackout with Time Warner Cable. Now this isn't about bashing any network or pay TV provider in particular. Many other TV networks groups -- big and small -- have been in the middle of negotiation disputes. Currently, Dish Network is in a carriage negotiation stalemate with some Turner Broadcasting networks, including CNN. So what's new here? Not much. TV consumers are getting used to this drill -- for better …
  • Growing Digital Viewership Complicates Monetization, But Brings Opportunity
    More than other TV companies, Viacom's young-skewing networks could be the barometer for not only future viewing trends but also subsequent measuring problems.TV ratings for Viacom's main trio of networks -- MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon -- tumbled 15% during the third quarter. But Philippe Dauman, Viacom chief executive, said that 30% of the viewing of its networks was through mobile apps, gaming devices and other platforms not dependent on those traditional Nielsen ratings.
  • Super Bowl Worries? Other TV Issues To Worry About
    Is someone really worried about NBC and the Super Bowl? Not sure that being 90% sold out of the biggest TV event in mid-November for an event to air February is a big deal -- or a big story. Yet NBC's name was everywhere in the press recently, with the worry that the network is behind. A year ago, by September Fox was 95% sold in the Super Bowl. Well, excuse me! Only 90% sold out.
  • 4K TV Market Moves Slowly: Have We Seen This Movie Before, In Fast-Forwarding Mode?
    4K TVs aren't the answer for everybody -- not when there is better stuff coming down the line. So-called Ultra TVs, which are four times as sharp as current HDTV, have gained some traction recently -- again in a small way.
« Previous Entries