Cable networks spend loads of cash trying to build a brand with a unique identity. Surely viewers exposed to a new show should have no problem guessing where the program will air. Of course, they know their TLC from their Bravo and Weather Channel from their History.

Dish Network is continuing to pursue a federal case against ESPN, appealing a February verdict. A jury awarded it nearly $5 million, but the satellite operator was seeking around $150 million. Still, it seems like the undercard.

There didn't seem to be any chaos at 30 Rock on Tuesday. As usual, tourists gathered outside the "Today" studio in the morning, while lines readied for the famed NBC tour that includes the "Saturday Night Live" studio. Employees used a new commissary with some sort of plant wall, where the originator must be some sort of feng shui expert.

No matter how many court victories it racks up, it's going to be hard to take Aereo seriously as a promising consumer product until it releases the number of subscribers it has. Based on what happened in a recent court appearance, that's a long time away.

If a magazine publisher entered the genre today, it might be met with a collective: "Are you joking? You must have some cash to burn." 'TV Guide' is turning 60 next week, but while its circulation remains over 2 million a week, it has nowhere near the influence it once did. So, there's no reason to think TV listings magazines are a growth area in the U.S. But apparently, it's the opposite in the U.K. Guess no one over there has heard of the Internet?

What an utter bummer that the Chicago Bulls ended the Miami Heat's effort to break the NBA's record for longest winning streak on Wednesday. For many casual fans, it had to be the first time in years that the endless NBA regular season piqued their interest. In addition to fans, networks had to be dispirited as well. TNT has the Miami-New York game April 2, where the Heat would have gone for a 31st straight win if the winning streak had continued.

AT&T has a considerable marketing budget and operates in an exceedingly competitive category. The fact that it has chosen to heavy up on broadcast TV is just one more example of the continued strength of the medium. So the recent discussion about the ad market losing some pop that may have a runoff effect on the upfront market seems not just premature, but misguided.

There's something to be said for DirecTV's confidence in wading into the clutter. Over the next month-and-a-half, there are so many upfront and NewFront events, a perfect attendance record would probably mean major job failure. But DirecTV thinks it has a compelling message with its addressable advertising opportunities.

Compared to many of Google's latest initiatives, delivering wires into homes would seem to be a lot more capital-intensive. But Google is up to something with its fledgling broadband-TV access business in the Kansas City area. Since no one outside Mountain View knows the end game (Google might not yet either), Bernstein Research is probably as good a source to turn to as any for insight.

Lawyers for Aereo went to court this week seeking sensitive documents from Big Media ranging from carriage agreements to NBCUniversal's Olympic research to contracts with Netflix. The discovery hearing came as Aereo preps its defense before a likely trial facing off against broadcast entities charging it with copyright infringement, leading to irreparable harm.