Thursday, February 2, 2012
Race & Cable Ratings
The website Reaching Black Consumers highlights cable TV ratings categorized by African-American and white demographic categories.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
30 Years of Letterman
Richard Lawson looks back on 30 years of David Letterman. Over at Gawker, Drew Magary dumps on Letterman, and subsequently gets dumped on in the comments, most expertly by Jeffrey Sconce.
Ellen Defended
GLAAD has stepped in to defend Ellen DeGeneres from some group whose name is not worthy of mention in regard to that group's objection to DeGeneres as J.C. Penney spokeswoman.
The Ratings Game
Bill Carter highlights how the networks are juking the stats to get an edge in the ratings. All in the game, yo, all in the game.
This is This is SportsCenter
Tim Nudd discusses how ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" ad campaign has stayed strong over the years, and includes clips of some of the best ads over the years, like "Y2K" ("Follow me! Follow me to freedom!")
TWC Campaign
Time Warner Cable is going with the slogan "Enjoy Better" in an ad campaign about its services.
Sports Bill
Another piece, this from RBR.com, on how rising sports carriage fees impact cable bills.
ESPN & Platforms
AllThingsD has a video clip of ESPN president John Skipper discussing how he's happy to have ESPN on multiple platforms, as long as the content isn't given away. And Deadline has a brief summary.
New Sony Head
Bloomberg profiles the new CEO of Sony, Kazuo Hirai, and looks at the challenges he faces.
Apple TV Possibilities
A media analyst has suggested three possible routes the Apple TV set could go.
Tuesday Ratings
Marc Berman's summary:
- Winners: NCIS R (CBS), Glee (Fox), New Girl (Fox), NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS)
- Tired: The Biggest Loser (NBC)
- Losers: Celebrity Wife Swap (ABC), Raising Hope (Fox)
- Total Viewers: CBS: 10.61 million, Fox: 7.49, ABC: 5.54, NBC: 4.83, CW: 1.40
- Adults 18-49: Fox: 3.2 rating/8 share, CBS: 1.7/ 5, ABC and NBC: 1.6/ 4 each, CW: 0.6/ 2
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
- Winners: NCIS R (CBS), Glee (Fox), New Girl (Fox), NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS)
- Tired: The Biggest Loser (NBC)
- Losers: Celebrity Wife Swap (ABC), Raising Hope (Fox)
- Total Viewers: CBS: 10.61 million, Fox: 7.49, ABC: 5.54, NBC: 4.83, CW: 1.40
- Adults 18-49: Fox: 3.2 rating/8 share, CBS: 1.7/ 5, ABC and NBC: 1.6/ 4 each, CW: 0.6/ 2
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
Preparing For the New
Arthur Greenwald says broadcasters need to figure out how to deal with smart TV, connected TV, and TV Everywhere.
ESPN For Kids
A new multi-platform outlet called The Whistle is trying to bring sports media to kids. (And thank God for this bit: "The programming will not resemble ESPN’s cut down to child’s size; no mini-Chris Bermans will be shouting nicknames of Little Leaguers while reciting song lyrics from the ’90s.")
Good TVeets
danieltwalters
HBO renews
horse-racing metaphors in TV news stories.
Waiting for the Shit
Kristen Bell Says to Sloths video.
“I always feel like
you hear me better when I’m not talking.” God, how I wish #Glee used that as its ethos
all the time.
TV Everywhere Criticized
Andrew Wallenstein reports on News Corp. COO Chase Carey's belief that TV Everywhere is none too impressive yet: "Carey didn't mince words on how badly he believes cable, satellite and telcos have botched extending program viewing to digital platforms at no extra charge to subscribers who access content via authentication...Carey spoke candidly of the need to experiment on digital platforms even if it isn't immediately clear what the payoff is."
CNBC Using Rentrak
Phillip Napoli notes the significance of the fact that CNBC has signed a deal with an ad client that uses both Nielsen and Rentrak set-top box data to measure viewership.
Louis CK on Writing
As David Haglund explains, someone at a comedy website dug up a 2006 Usenet post in which Louis CK describes the development and writing process on the Lucky Louie pilot.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Characters Unite Month
USA is doing another Characters Unite Month to promote tolerance and acceptance (and, of course, USA).
Fox, NBC & Kaling
The Office's Mindy Kaling had her pilot turned down by NBC (even though Universal is producing it) and then picked up by Fox. Update: Andy Greenwald considers what this means for NBC.
Sports Help & Hurt
Rebecca Greenfield notes that sports are great for ratings and viewing, but the rights costs for sporting events are driving up carriage fees and cable bills, thus pushing people to cut cords.
Monday Ratings
Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Bachelor (ABC), How I Met Your Mother R (CBS), House (Fox), 2 Broke Girls R (CBS), Two and a Half Men R (CBS), Alcatraz (Fox)
Not Expected Back: Who’s Still Standing? (NBC)
-Losers: Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 8.49 million, CBS: 8.05, ABC: 7.62, NBC: 4.62, CW: 1.43
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 2.8 rating/7 share, CBS: 2.3/ 6, ABC: 2.2/ 6, NBC: 1.3/ 3, CW: 0.6/ 2
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
-Winners: The Bachelor (ABC), How I Met Your Mother R (CBS), House (Fox), 2 Broke Girls R (CBS), Two and a Half Men R (CBS), Alcatraz (Fox)
Not Expected Back: Who’s Still Standing? (NBC)
-Losers: Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 8.49 million, CBS: 8.05, ABC: 7.62, NBC: 4.62, CW: 1.43
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 2.8 rating/7 share, CBS: 2.3/ 6, ABC: 2.2/ 6, NBC: 1.3/ 3, CW: 0.6/ 2
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
AD Starting
Kimberly Potts reports that writing has begun on the new Arrested Development episodes and shooting is scheduled to begin.
YouTube Parallels Cable
Will Richmond explores how YouTube's original channels are paralleling the cable universe.
BBC Diversity Criticism
A diversity report calls out the BBC for not featuring enough women and older people, especially on panel and reality shows, though a survey of viewers says they don't care about age portrayal. In regard to racial diversity, British actor David Harewood (who plays David on Homeland) advises young black actors to head to the US because there aren't enough good roles for them in the UK.
TV Comedy Cabal
Grantland has a nifty infographic detailing how certain comedy actors keep popping up on the same set of sitcoms.
YouNow & Reality TV
Natan Edelsburg explains how a new social media platform called YouNow could change reality TV.
ESPN's Value
Michael Humphrey says the buzz that resulted from Blake Griffin's dunk last night (seriously, you have to see it) illustrates how ESPN earns its money and high subscriber fees.
Sky Developments
Robert Andrews reports on changes the Sky satellite service is making to deal with internet competition, including launching an online service this summer that doesn't require a satellite subscription and that would compete with Netflix and other outlets for UK streaming users.
Pakistan-India Reality Competitions
A pair of reality shows, one about chefs, another about musicians, are pitting Pakistanis against Indians.
Social TV Value
While some say social TV really matters, others say Twitter isn't saving TV, and USA Network is putting a lot of stock in social buzz, even though it can't be sure it's helping ratings.
Common Plugs Current
A new Current TV promo features the rapper Common, as the channel tries to make younger viewers aware of its existence. Elsewhere, Rob Lohman profiles Current's current state and future plans.
Deadline v. THR
The copyright dispute about news appropriation between Deadline and the Hollywood Reporter carries on.
Super Bowl Buzz
The ad buzz for the Super Bowl is already strong, and some of the ads are going viral. Toni Fitzgerald lays out some facts and figures about Super Bowl media buying, and Sam Laird says mobile and social media will be the big winners of Super Bowl Sunday.
Super Bowl Online
Peter Kafka says the NBC is making the Super Bowl available online, where it will earn less money per eyeball, because it's pretty sure you're going to watch on TV too anyway: "The network assumes that nearly every eyeball — and every ad dollar — that it gets from the Web this week will be a bonus, because whoever watches online is simultaneously watching on a big TV, the way football is supposed to be watched."
X Factor Changes
The X Factor is clearing the decks. Josef Adalian says these moves make it clear Simon Cowell doesn't get what the real problem is.
Good TVeets
TheTweetOfGod
American television is
now little more than a GEICO-ad distribution system.
Not a timely
observation, but what kind of world do we live in that bestows eight seasons on
'Entourage' and just two on 'Party Down'?
This "Fear
Factor" thing is hardly unprecedented; does no one remember "TV's
Bloopers & Practical Jokes & Also Someone Drinks Donkey Semen"?
New X Factor judge
suggestions: Mr. Bates. And Undertaker.
Monday, January 30, 2012
CableCard Numbers
Todd Spangler reports: "Through the end of 2011, the 10 largest U.S. cable operators have rolled out more than 32 million CableCard-enabled set-tops -- and just 554,000 standalone CableCard devices for use in TiVo digital video recorders and other devices, according to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association."
Fewer Can Be Better
Observing that ratings are up over last year for the shortened NBA season, Wayne Friedman notes that both sports and reality TV can benefit from fewer episodes, avoiding viewer fatigue.
Middle Product Placement
David Bauder assesses The Middle's VW Passat product placement from a few weeks ago.
Super Bowl Ads Top $4 Million
Wayne Friedman reports on a big increase in the cost of Super Bowl ads.
Fear Factor Ep Pulled
NBC has pulled an episode of Fear Factor planned for tonight due to the gross-out factor one of the challenges. Jaime Weinman puts this in a broader NBC context.
Pay TV Up To Challenge
David Lieberman finds that pay TV can handle the challenge brought by web competitors.
More Retrans Fights Coming
RBR-TVBR reports that more brutal retrans negotiations are coming in the next few years.
Super Loophole
Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry is trying to take advantage of a loophole in election advertising to get graphic ads on the air in some local markets during the Super Bowl.
NBC Programmer Profiled
Meg James profiles Pete Telegdy, president of alternative and late-night programming for NBC.
Sunday Ratings
Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Undercover Boss (CBS), Once Upon a Time (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)
-Losers: The Cleveland Show (Fox), Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Smile as Big as the Moon (ABC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 11.42 million, NBC: 10.74, ABC: 7.97, Fox: 4.11
-Adults 18-49: NBC: 3.7 rating/9 share, CBS: 2.2/ 5, ABC: 2.1/ 5, Fox: 2.0/ 5
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
-Winners: Undercover Boss (CBS), Once Upon a Time (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)
-Losers: The Cleveland Show (Fox), Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Smile as Big as the Moon (ABC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 11.42 million, NBC: 10.74, ABC: 7.97, Fox: 4.11
-Adults 18-49: NBC: 3.7 rating/9 share, CBS: 2.2/ 5, ABC: 2.1/ 5, Fox: 2.0/ 5
Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
RHOBH is Important
Kate Aurthur argues that this season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is riveting and important TV.
Good Wife Review
In his review of last night's The Good Wife, James Poniewozik praises the show for respecting the intelligence of viewers and seeming more like a cable drama in that regard. On Twitter, Noel Kirkpatrick lamented that critics always feel compelled to say The Good Wife is like cable drama, which glosses over what most cable drama is really like, an issue which he wrote about previously for In Media Res. And he blogged about it today.
Race & Hollywood
Alyssa Rosenberg addresses the reactions to Spike Lee's comments about the dearth of African-American influence in Hollywood.
Earnings Preview
Dow Jones Newswires predicts media company earnings and highlights how their TV properties are doing.
New In Media Res
Theme: Niching: Past and Present
- Monday, January 30, 2012 - Rachel Mizsei Ward (University of East Anglia) presents: The guy watching is HOW old?
- Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - Kimberly Owczarski (Texas Christian University) presents: "Like Shooting Nerds in a Barrel": Exploiting the Fanboy Niche
- Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - Caroline Leader (Independent Scholar) presents: Storytelling and the role of imagination in educational children’s TV of the 1980s
- Thursday, February 2, 2012 - Ethan Tussey (University of California- Santa Barbara) presents: Finding Your Niche on the New YouTube
- Friday, February 3, 2012 - Darcey West Morris (Georgia State Univesity) presents: Widercasting: Cable Networks Abandon the Niche
Transparency Objections
Steven Waldman wonders why broadcasters are objecting to a new FCC proposal to put documents detailing their public interest obligations and fulfillment online.
Sky Adding VOD Services
In Britain, the Sky satellite service is adding video-on-demand services from the BBC and ITV.
Spanish-Language Nets
Many believe Fox will succeed with its new Spanish-language network, MundoFox, and Univision's upcoming sports channel Univision Deportes is also lining up big advertisers.
Good TVeets
TVMcGee
If Sarah McLachlan
sings the National Anthem at this year's Puppy Bowl, I will straight up kill
myself.
Want to fund the next
20 years worth of pledge drives, PBS? Raffle off a chance to join Maggie Smith
for high tea at Downton. Boom.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
SAG Tweeting
SAG members will be tweeting from the awards ceremony tonight, and TNT has a handy seating chart to show who's joining in.
Being Human & Twitter
Liz Shannon Miller delves into how Syfy used Twitter and a hashtag theme to bring new viewers to Being Human.
Amazon's Potential
Tim Carmody analyzes Amazon's potential to take on Netflix and iTunes in streaming.
ESPN Mobile
Mark Walsh says ESPN is looking at mobile as a first screen these days, not a third screen.
DGA Awards
The Directors Guild Awards were handed out last night; in the TV categories, awarded shows included The Biggest Loser, General Hospital, The Kennedys, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Killing.
Good TVeets
catmolicious
I wish I were as good
at anything as Kyle Chandler is at looking put-upon.
Next on Hannity, why
can't Hollywood Celebs just shut up? Sean finds out with Jon Voight, Victoria
Jackson & Chuck Norris!
The Cheers theme song
is really sad when you realize the only place where everybody knows your name
is packed with alcoholics.
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