With its massive NFL deal and presumably a renewal with the NBA coming, ESPN can continue to count on hefty per-subscriber fees that look to cross the monthly $7 mark in 2017. Based on distribution in 100 million homes, that would give it an annual take of about $8.4 billion in affiliate fees alone.

Over the next two years, if Congress chooses to get deeply involved in curtailing station blackouts, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA) offers a venue. The legislation covering an assortment of issues involving how satellite operators - principally Dish Network and DirecTV - offer local stations is set to expire at the end of 2014.

Since he took over Discovery, CEO David Zaslav has taken some pretty big swings. He's rebranded channels (one twice); launched a network with Oprah Winfrey; and even invested in a European sports network - a property about as unrelated to the company's portfolio as some TLC shows are to reality. But he's also showed a willingness to bide his time at the plate, taking pitches until he gets one to his liking.

As questions persist about the fate of Dish Network's automatic ad-skipping technology, there is at least one answer: money and handshakes go together. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves has said unless Dish abandons the Hopper DVR, he won't allow the satellite operator to carry CBS content. But he's also suggested he'd drop that push if Dish paid CBS $5 a month per subscriber. Station groups seem to have the same idea.

A group that might have at least slowed government approval of the proposed Nielsen-Arbitron merger through loud defiance signaled it will not stand in the way. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) believes the deal could enhance cross-platform measurement for the industry and won't have any impact on stifling competition in the TV arena.

There was a slowdown in Nielsen's proposed acquisition of Arbitron last week. After conversations with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), both companies agreed to give the regulatory body more time to review the matter. Arbitron had indicated it expected the deal to close as early as March 15. Now, Nielsen will re-file documents with the FTC, the key regulatory body reviewing the acquisition, as late as March 8. Does the delay offer any sign that the government will nix the deal? No. But it could signal that the FTC believes the deal isn't as simple as Nielsen merging an unrelated …

Yes, nirvana in TV measurement is knowing how many people saw a particular spot and then bought the advertised product, or took the other hoped-for action. But just knowing how many people watched a specific ad isn't a bad consolation prize. The Association for National Advertisers (ANA) has been pushing for that data to be made available since at least 2004. It finally seems to be getting some traction.

Subway isn't likely to win any awards for advertising creativity anytime soon. Its TV ads can be some of the most basic, ho-hum out there. A college film major with a C+ average could probably put many of them together. Ok, a B+.

There aren't many numbers that generate as much widespread interest as the cost of a Super Bowl spot. People perk up when they hear the numbers each year.

Ouch. There was no malice intended, but the advice column hurt. It was intended for PR professionals, but journalists had to feel pain. Nonetheless, while the column listed a bunch of phrases that are trite and should never be used, some have to at times and a Super Bowl analysis isn't a bad one.