Friday, September 30, 2011
Bad Masculinity
Linda Holmes laments that TV is just as bad (if not worse) at depicting masculinity as it is femininity.
Spectrum Fight
The Washington Times' Tim Devaney lays out the spectrum auction debate. The NAB is warning of potential catastrophe, such as a shutdown of broadcast stations in Detroit, if wireless providers get their way, and says wireless companies should lose tax loopholes if this goes through.
Thursday Ratings
Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), The X Factor (Fox)
-Down but Not Out: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Disappointing: The Secret Circle (CW)
-Major Erosion: Charlie’s Angels (ABC)
-Losers: Community (NBC), How to Be a Gentleman (CBS), Parks and Recreation (NBC), Whitney (NBC), Prime Suspect (NBC)
Free Agents & Playboy Teeter
Free Agents and The Playboy Club are worthy of cancellation but NBC's Bob Greenblatt says he'll give them more time.
New Flow Issue
Check out the new Flow essays: Kristen Warner with Don't Hate the Player, Hate the (Nearly Impossible To Win) Game: Analysis of Minority Employment; Scott Webel with Garbage Collectors; Steven Boyer with Belmont, BRAVIAs, and Barcraft: Video Content and Game Consoles; and Brett Caraway with XXX Litigation: The Seedy Underworld of Copyright.
Show Apps
TV show producers and programmers are developing apps for their shows to encourage viewer interaction. (Note: article behind WSJ paywall) USA's Psych app is proving successful.
Viewer Study
A Blip.tv study finds that viewers are still mostly watching TV in prime time rather than online original video, but the percentage of viewers doing both is increasing.
State of Community
Alan Sepinwall and Todd VanDerWerff start by discussing last night's episode of Community and then expand into a consideration of the current state of the show.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Social Fall
Mashable tracked social media comments on new fall shows and found X Factor had the most mentions.
Peak Usage
Peter Kafka has a cool chart that shows prime time isn't only peak TV viewing time; it's also peak iDevice usage time.
Bounce Rival
Bounce TV has only just begun, and it already has a competitor in the works, courtesy of MGM.
Canadian Retrans
Canada's Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether pay TV operators should have to pay retransmission fees to broadcasters.
Pay TV Future
Ryan Lawler considers how pay TV operators have to plan for a future of devices and clouds.
Wednesday Ratings
X Factor helped Fox to a victory, but it's still not the juggernaut some expected. Suburgatory started well. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
Parks & Rec Process
Alan Sepinwall treats us to a two-part look at the writing process at Parks and Recreation and how pitches are judged in the writers' room.
Sex & Advertising
The PTC is happy that advertisers have dropped out of The Playboy Club, while they probably wouldn't be happy about the sex toy ads airing in the UK that might show up here.
Update: Some of the advertisers are saying they haven't left Playboy Club, and Wayne Friedman asks if Playboy Club is offensive or just bad.
Update: Some of the advertisers are saying they haven't left Playboy Club, and Wayne Friedman asks if Playboy Club is offensive or just bad.
Ratings Perspective
Josef Adalian shows how today's network hits are yesterday's bombs, in terms of the ratings they draw. Jaime Weinman adds thoughts.
Cable A La Carte
Reuters reports that cable operators are increasingly in favor of unbundling or a la carte pricing for cable, allowing consumers the freedom to drop expensive channels like ESPN. Ryan Lawler adds thoughts, as does Devin Coldewey. JB Flint says, don't hold your breath waiting for this. Kevin Fogerty says it's a bait-and-switch.
Twitter Reports
Twitter is doing quite well in product placements on TV, while Glee is not doing nearly as well these days on Twitter.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Free Ads in 2.5 Men
CBS is angry over Ashton Kutcher working logos of companies he invests in into Two and a Half Men shots.
Adjusting to Pay TV
Behind Variety's paywall, Marc Graser and Andrew Wallenstein look at how studios are dealing with the new world where premium channels are increasingly interested in producing original content rather than paying to air studio features.
Youtoo TV
If you've never heard of the AmericanLife TV Network, that's a good thing, because it doesn't exist anymore, having been rebranded as Youtoo TV, a channel that will feature user-submitted videos.
More Screens Are Better
A Nielsen study commissioned by Google finds that consumer recall of ads rises when multiple screens are used.
Don't Fear the F Word
Gavin Palone argues that characters should be able to say f--k on networks and basic cable.
Reality Pitches
Peter Hamilton outlines what execs at channels like A&E are looking for in reality show pitches.
Tuesday Ratings
Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), New Girl (Fox), Unforgettable (CBS)
-Down but Not Out: Glee (Fox)
-Losers: 90210 (CW)
TV By the Numbers' numbers
Final ratings & Cable ratings
-Winners: NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), New Girl (Fox), Unforgettable (CBS)
-Down but Not Out: Glee (Fox)
-Losers: 90210 (CW)
TV By the Numbers' numbers
Final ratings & Cable ratings
Outlet Comparisons
PaidContent has a great chart comparing the offerings and distribution windows of Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, and Hulu.
GLAAD Report
GLAAD has judged Fox to be the most LGBT-inclusive network of 2011-21. The report includes a chart of LGBT characters with their ethnicity also noted.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ivi Losing Fight
Janko Roettgers reminds us that the Ivi online TV service is still fighting for the right to stream broadcast channels online, but in a sign that things might not be going well, Ivi is asking for public help with legal costs.
Ratings News
A bunch of ratings links: CBS won the first week in total viewers, FX had its best September ever, Boardwalk Empire was down, The Chew bested All My Children's 18-49 ratings yesterday, post-Oprah talk shows are doing well, and Jaime Weinman rambles about the first week of ratings.
Soaps on Online Network
The new outlet that plans to take up All My Children and One Life to Live will be called The Online Network.
Early Stream
Following Fox's lead with New Girl, NBC will make the next episodes of Up All Night and Whitney available via streaming before they air.
30 Rock Campaign
NBCU has developed a promo campaign to prepare local audiences for the syndication of 30 Rock.
NFL Thursday Paused
The NFL's plan to sell a package of Thursday night games has been dropped for now.
2.5 Men & Social Media
Simon Dumenco wonders if Two and a Half Men can continue capitalizing on Ashton Kutcher's social media prowess.
Monday Ratings
Initial overnight impressions from Marc Berman:
-Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Castle (ABC)
-Soft Launches:
Terra Nova (Fox), Hart of Dixie (CW)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
The Sing-Off (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), The Playboy Club (NBC)
More numbers from TV By the Numbers. Cable ratings.
-Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Castle (ABC)
-Soft Launches:
Terra Nova (Fox), Hart of Dixie (CW)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
The Sing-Off (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), The Playboy Club (NBC)
More numbers from TV By the Numbers. Cable ratings.
Tax Credit Rejected
It's official: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie rejected Jersey Shore's tax credits.
Hulu Bids
In the Hulu sale auction, Dish Network had the most favorable bid, but Hulu wanted more and is still deciding how to proceed.
Grace Malfunction
James Poniewozik wonders if decency groups will create a stink about Nancy Grace's nip slip on DWTS last night. (Check out GoodTVeets for the TVitterati take, which decency groups also probably wouldn't appreciate.)
Landgraf Profile
Joe Flint checks out how head of entertainment John Landgraf is pushing FX to greater success.
Good TVeets
Congrats to the writers and producers of the biggest ratings hit
on television, "Football Overrun."
Is anyone watching the Terra Nova premier? Am I allowed to like
this or should I pan it w/ a series of cutting tweets? Could go either way.
Follow @GoodTVeets
Monday, September 26, 2011
No Spectrum Shortage
So claims a report: "According to a CitiGroup market analysis, there is no shortage of spectrum, and control -- not availability -- of that spectrum is the constraint on mobile broadband. The Federal Communications Commission and White House have been pushing incentive spectrum auctions on the premise that there is such a looming shortage."
Netflix Analysis
Wired's Tim Carmody says Netflix is a video channel, not a replacement for your cable provider, and Netflix's co-founder defends the Qwikster move.
L+3 Ratings
The initial live plus 3 days program ratings for last Mon-Wed are showing some significant gains among certain shows (like Modern Family up 28%).
Big Hopes
Brian Stelter looks at how networks are spending a lot of money trying to create the next blockbuster show.
TAR & Social Media
I haven't watched yet so I'm avoiding reading this for now, but there's much buzz about how Twitter helped a couple succeed in The Amazing Race last night.
FX Ad Drama
FX has worked with Audi on a set of short-form drama episodes/advertisements that will air during Sunday night movie programming.
Lockout Impact
Old story, new sport: This time it's an NBA lockout that could affect TV, though not quite like the NFL one could have. (Note: article behind Variety paywall.)
Amazon Fox Deal
Amazon has made a deal with Fox to make some Fox programming -- some 2000 titles, including rare ones like The Wonder Years -- available on its Prime service.
Targeting Babies
Brian Braiker says marketers are trying to make infants to 3-year-olds a targeted demographic.
News Study
The Pew Research Center has released a report on views of the media from 1985-2011; Brian Stelter reports on the TV-related findings, and David Lieberman observes that the availability of mobile news could hurt local station news. Elsewhere, another study found that investigative reporting is becoming more rare on local news.
Ailes' Next Move
Howard Kurtz says Roger Ailes is repositioning Fox News' agenda for the 2012 election.
Good TVeets
kristenwarner
Follow @GoodTVeets
Dear Fall TV: #goodwife is how you do it in case you
were wondering.
My body is not equipped to deal with the kind of stress that #BreakingBad just put me through.
HOLY S--T. @questlove called "breaking
bad" the white "The Wire". #perfect
Follow @GoodTVeets
New In Media Res
Theme: Reality TV and Otherness
- Monday September 26, 2011 – Raquel Gates (College of Staten Island) presents: You Can’t Turn a Ho into a Housewife: Basketball Wives and the Politics of Wifedom
- Tuesday September 27, 2011 – Jeremy Sarachan (St. John Fisher College) presents: A Question of Taste: Cultural Identity on Chopped
- Wednesday September 28, 2011 – Charity Fox (University of Baltimore) presents: One Man Army: Ultimate Warfighters and Interchangeable Tough Guys
- Thursday September 29, 2011 – Roger Almendarez (Northwestern University) presents: Situating Snookie: The Jersey Shore’s Framing of an Ethnic Enclave
- Friday September 30, 2011 – Shawna Kidman (University of Southern California) presents: Fitting In on The Glee Project
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Week One Reflections
Josef Adalian looks back on the first week of the fall season and makes some predictions. Brian Stelter also has a look back. One major theme: comedies did well.
Netflix Signs Dreamworks
Netflix outbid HBO for the rights to stream Dreamworks movies. Greg Sandoval isn't impressed.
Social Showrunners
TV Guide delineates five ways showrunners can engage audiences through social media.
Pushing Conan Online
As Conan continues to struggle in TBS ratings, Turner works harder to bolster his online appeal and the revenue attached to it.
BBC3 & 4 Problem
The Guardian's Steve Hewlett argues that BBC3 and BBC4 have brought more harm than good to the BBC.
NYTVF Winners
The New York Television Festival winners will receive development deals. Aymar Jean Christian reports on what he saw.
Hollywood Shunning DVD
Ben Fritz reports on how the Hollywood studios are turning away from DVD and toward internet distribution.
The Chicago Way
Neil Tesser explores how Chicago is coming across as a setting for numerous TV shows.
Good TVeets
#SNL cast members need term limits.
Unless you're Phil Hartman there's no need for you to be on more than four
years.
Down to four women. Guess that's all they need? Or is
Christopher Hitchens their casting guy? #SNL
BREAKING: Florida Woman Spots Miraculous Image of
"Whitney" Billboard in Her Toast
Follow @GoodTVeets
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Good TVeets
jillianbowe
I bow down to thee Agnes Nixon. #AMC.
All My Children is really off the air? Or will it show up in 6
months, wearing a goatee and carrying General Hospital's baby?
I can't believe these people want to stay here and write. If
this was anything on CBS, we would've been waterskiing since 2.
Follow @GoodTVeets
Lost History
Damon Lindelof delved into the history of Lost during a keynote address at the New York Television Festival.
News Bias
A Pew study finds that most Americans believe news organizations are biased in their reporting: "The study found that more than three-quarters (77%) of Americans believe that when it comes to reporting on political and social issues, news organizations tend to favor one side -- a 3% rise from 2009, the last time the survey was conducted, and a 10% increase from 2001. Some 80% of respondents felt that news organizations were often influenced by powerful people and organizations -- a 6% jump from 2009."
Comcast AnyPlay
Comcast is working on a TV Everywhere app for iPad that will let you stream live TV.
Audience Laughter
Cari Nierenberg notes many complain that multi-cam sitcom laughter is annoying, but a psychologist has proven its effectiveness.
Making the Daily Show
A Rolling Stone editor chats with Jon Stewart about how The Daily Show is put together.
Friday, September 23, 2011
African-American Consumer Stats
Nielsen has a report on African-American consumer behavior, including stats on TV and DVR usage.
Diversity Criticism
Sarah Ventre criticizes the Emmys, and TV in general, for a lack of racial diversity and says it deserves greater attention.
Thursday Ratings
Marc Berman summarizes the overnights:
-Winners:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Charlie’s Angels (ABC), The X Factor (Fox), Person of Interest (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC), Whitney (NBC), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Losers:
Community (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC)
More detail from TV By the Numbers and analysis from Josef Adalian: "The network with little upside today is NBC." Final ratings
-Winners:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Charlie’s Angels (ABC), The X Factor (Fox), Person of Interest (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC), Whitney (NBC), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Losers:
Community (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC)
More detail from TV By the Numbers and analysis from Josef Adalian: "The network with little upside today is NBC." Final ratings
48 Hours App
CBS has put its 48 Hours Mystery app behind a paywall: "Like everyone else in TV land, CBS is trying to figure out how to value its once-free on-air product when it moves off live TV and onto the Web as well as devices. For TV on the iPad, the network is defining value as access to full episodes."
Retrans Lobbying
DirecTV and Time Warner Cable are lobbying the FCC to overhaul retransmission consent rules.
Leslie Knope, Feminist
Alyssa Rosenberg praises last night's Parks & Rec episode for its feminist plot choices.
Facebook & Social TV
Cory Bergman says the Facebook overhaul announced today will kick social TV into overdrive. Facebook will add movies and TV into the mix and let users watch TV shows together on Facebook.
Blockbuster Streaming
Today Dish Network will launch a Netflix competitor through Blockbuster, which will further fragment the market. The details, though, indicate that this won't be a Netflix killer (especially because for now it's only available to Dish subscribers), and Dish is missing out on a chance to really challenge Netflix.
Morning Shows Rise
For the first time in a very long time, all three morning shows have added young viewers.
PTC v. X Factor
The PTC has filed a complaint with the FCC over a contestant's exposure on The X Factor.
Farewell to AMC
I've been watching All My Children since I was a kid, and there hasn't been a moment in my lifetime when I couldn't watch Erica Kane on TV. That ends today. Here are some goodbye links:
- An amazing pdf map of all the show's marriages, divorces, affairs, murders and resurrections
- Alice Hoffman says goodbye
- Eleanor Morrison says goodbye
- Cassie Belek says goodbye
- Jean Lethlean says goodbye
- Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) says goodbye
- AfterEllen says thanks
- Soap fans mourn and are furious
- Soaps are in trouble
- AMC's online future is uncertain
Good TVeets
These Republican debate audiences need to star in their own
reality show. Am I right, people?
My DVR is at 92 percent. My name is Ishira, and I am a
television addict. Too bad new Fall TV is the equivalent of crystal-meth #TAA
Why does Whitney exist?
Follow @GoodTVeets
Relationship Arcs
Alan Sepinwall interviews Parks & Rec co-creator Mike Schur about the Leslie-Ben relationship and writing long-term relationship arcs on comedies.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Bewkes Dismisses Cord Cutting
Staci D. Kramer reports: "Warned by an interviewer at today’s Goldman Sachs conference hat he was about to talk about cordcutting, the subject that won’t go away, Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes couldn’t resist a bit of a joke. “The cordcutting that won’t go away won’t come either. It hasn’t arrived yet.”"
Studio One
Noel Murray uncovers revealing info about 1950s anthology production and writing via an analysis of a Rod Serling-penned episode of Studio One.
Dateline Campaign
Brain Steinberg says Dateline's latest ad campaign was forged after closely observing fan behavior on social media sites: "For several months, "Dateline" personnel have studied the behavior and postings of the show's fans on Facebook and other social-media milieu, allowing them to create a campaign now that speaks to the way viewers interact with the program, not its smiling personalities or lurid headlines."
Gaming Key to 3D
Variety reports (behind paywall) that gaming might be the key to getting 3D TV sets off store shelves.
TNT Backing Away From Movies
TNT will pass on bidding for big hit movies, because the ratings don't pay off thanks to the availability of movies on other platforms before they reach basic cable.
WSJ Live
Ken Doctor says cable news outlets should look to the Wall Street Journal's new video app venture with competitive concern.
Disney Against Sports Tiers
A Disney exec said the company is not in favor of pushing mainstream sports channels into exclusive tiers, despite soaring sports rights prices that will make ESPN even more pricey.
Next British Decade
Telegraph's Emma Barnett predicts what the next decade in British TV will look like.
New Food Network
AdWeek interviews Food Network president Brooke Johnson about the Cooking Channel spinoff.
Imports Up, Revenue Down
Despite Britain importing more American dramas lately, they have generated less revenue, likely due to the recession.
Glee Web Series
Glee's British outlet, Sky, will produce an online series called The Gleekly, with behind-the-scenes features and fan reaction.
Social Media Interest
Wayne Friedman analyzes Glee and New Girl ratings results in light of social media buzz.
Overnights
The simple summary from Marc Berman:
-Winners:
The X Factor* (Fox), Survivor: South Pacific (CBS), The Middle (ABC), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI (CBS), Revenge (ABC)
*"Given the hype and the reteaming of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, the initial overnight results should have been stronger. American Idol this is not."
-Tired:
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
Free Agents (NBC), H8R (CW), America’s Next Top Model (CW)
FINAL RATINGS
-Winners:
The X Factor* (Fox), Survivor: South Pacific (CBS), The Middle (ABC), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI (CBS), Revenge (ABC)
*"Given the hype and the reteaming of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, the initial overnight results should have been stronger. American Idol this is not."
-Tired:
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
Free Agents (NBC), H8R (CW), America’s Next Top Model (CW)
FINAL RATINGS
Youth Drama Acclaim
Britain's youth dramas, like Misfits and Being Human, are earning acclaim for being bold and innovative.
Parks & Rec Profile
Parks and Recreation is back tonight too; Jace Lacob digs into the show with co-creator Mike Schur and stars Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.
Talking Dead
It's official: AMC will air a live discussion show following The Walking Dead. Jaime Weinman reacts.
Community Dissection
Community returns tonight. Prepare yourself with this in-depth dissection of the narrative algorithm Dan Harmon developed for the show.
Emmys Tweeting
Nielsen has an infographic on Emmys-related tweeting, which claims that the sentiment expressed was only 10% negative, 61% neutral.
Remotes Shunned
Remote controls are falling out of favor with youth, who prefer the idea of using their smartphones and tablets to control their TVs, and they also prefer TV guide apps to traditional ones.
Nielsen Glitch
Nielsen has told clients about a C3 ratings glitch that has resulted in incorrect data nearly all year, which may have inflated DVR viewing figures: "Nielsen said it became aware of the problem when clients "inquired about elevated average frequency levels" for the time-shifted viewing data, indicating that the glitch may have over-inflated TV audience estimates." Oops.
The V-Word
Bill Carter notes the newest fall TV trend: heavy use of the word "vagina." More on the topic from Mary Elizabeth Williams.
Low Power Fight
Representatives of low power TV outlets are trying to make their presence felt in DC so they're not ignored during the spectrum auction debate.
New Girl Platforms
JB Flint points out that The New Girl scored good viewing numbers on new platforms too, not just on old TV.
Labor of Unlove
Linda Holmes laments the emptiness of Charlie's Angels and the lack of creative passion in television it represents. Jaime Weinman also chimes in.
Soap Reflections
A group of soap opera experts reflect on the demise of the genre, while TV Guide interviews All My Children creator Agnes Nixon and cast members.
Good TVeets
Today is the one-year anniversary of GoodTVeets. Huzzah! I'll be celebrating this birthday on the @GoodTVeets twitter feed, where I'll periodically link to some of the best TVeets posts of the past year. Follow to experience the fun. And thanks for tweeting and reading all year!
I don't like to think about all the time I've wasted on Twitter
that I could have spent watching TV.
Looking at ratings for Unforgettable once again confirms CBS
could put a blinking light on during prime time and still beat NBC's top shows
Christie Axing Credits
New Jersy governor Chris Christie is expected to end tax credits given to Jersey Shore's production company.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Cable Winning Broadband
Stacey Higginbotham reports that cable companies are outpacing telecommunications providers in signing up broadband customers, which could pay off as cord cutting increases.
Mobile Debut
PBS will make the first part of its latest Ken Burns doc available on Apple iDevices before it reaches TV.
CBS Likes Reverse Comp
Les Moonves really likes so-called reverse compensation money (via retrans money) from affiliates.
Louis on Louie 3
Part 3 of AV Club's journey through Louie's second season (this one includes the Dane Cook bit) with Louis CK.
Reality & Sports Rise
Chart alert! Nielsen has a new study analyzing the rise of reality TV and sports programming among top ten prime time network shows over the past decade. (A tough sight for sitcom fans.)
CBS Disses Hulu
A CBS exec says the network doesn't need Hulu, preferring viewers to watch CBS content on its own sites.
New Girl Soars
The New Girl did a great last night; from EricIGN: "New Girl had great premiere numbers, with over 10 million viewers, doing better than lead-in Glee (just under 9 million). Zooey power, yo." But Alyssa Rosenberg has concerns about its depictions of women.
Good Summer, NBC
Finally, a bright spot for NBC: it finished #1 among 18-49 viewers over summer (a time when many fewer are watching, but hey, NBC takes what it can get).
Tuesday Ratings
Tuesday's overnights summarized by Marc Berman:
-Winners: NCIS (CBS), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), New Girl (Fox), Unforgettable (CBS)
-Down but Not Out: Glee (Fox), Ringer (CW)
-Disappointing: The Biggest Loser (NBC), Raising Hope (Fox), Parenthood (NBC)
-Losers (excluding repeats): 90210 (CW)
Super Committee & Auction
Broadcasters will be watching the new Congressional Super Committee with great interest, because the group will include the spectrum auction issue in their deliberations.
Levitan Interview
Modern Family showrunner Steve Levitan spoke with a moderator about needing new ways to track viewership, the presence of gay storylines in the show, and the impact of Twitter.
More Talk, Less Soap
Mario Sciullo looks at how daytime is shifting to mostly talk and self-help shows: "What today's daytime TV offers -- perhaps as a result of copying the Internet model -- is niche programming for the masses. Cooking shows are not just cooking shows, they are Rachael Ray or Paula Deen whipping up dinner and serving it to celebrity guests."
NBC's Past & Future
A Spoiler TV blogger traces the downfall of NBC's programming over the past decade, and Comcast's CFO says NBC will need significant time to turn it around.
Newscasts Rise
For the first time in a decade, viewership of evening network news was up in 2010-11.
Fewer Viewers, More Ad Money
The WSJ highlights (behind paywall) the fact that advertisers are paying more as TV viewers flee.
Netflix-Discovery Deal
Finally some slight good news for Netflix: they're expanding streaming Discovery content. Discovery's CEO is excited about the deal.
Good TVeets
When ur relatives drive you crazy just close your eyes &
pretend it's dialogue in a woody allen movie
@SarahKSilverman tried that. Didn't work
Follow @GoodTVeets
Spoiler alert: One tweet in here spoils last night's DWTS results.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Soap Star Reflects
All My Children star Michael E. Knight (Tad) reflects on the struggles of soaps and his show coming to an end.
Al Jazeera Boss Resigns
The director of Al-Jazeera is stepping down. The AP reports: "Wadah Khanfar's resignation follows release of documents by Wikileaks, purporting to show he had close ties with the U.S. and agreed to remove some content in response to American objections." This has raised concerns about Al Jazeera's independence.
Top Chef Transmedia
Toyota is sponsoring transmedia offerings from Top Chef, including a webisode series that will give ousted chefs the chance to return.
2.5 Men Ratings
Two and a Half Men scored huge numbers, including a 10.3 in 18-49. NBC's Playboy Club...not so much.
TV Everywhere Security
A BroadcastEngineering columnist assesses the hardware and software needs of TV Everywhere services.
Downton Breaks
ITV viewers have complained about an ad campaign aired during Downton Abbey that they feel clashed with the show.
College Payday
Pete Thamel discusses how TV money is affecting college football conference realignment.
Aussie Controversy
The airing of a controversial comedy scene, involving sex in the prime minister's office with the country's flag used as a sheet, has the Australian Broadcasting Company in trouble with the government.
C3 Problems
Many are concerned that C3 ratings figures, which help determine ad rates, disadvantage certain advertisers: "The basic problem with the C3 system...is that the audience levels for the spots are based on average ratings for each break. As a result, the position of a commercial in the break, the length of the break and commercial length do not have any impact as far as calculating the numbers are concerned."
Sheen-Centric Reviews
If you're curious about how Two and a Half Men went without Charlie Sheen and how the roast went with him, Ryan McGee has an insightful review of the latter, and James Poniewozik and Todd VanDerWerff say the former had trouble fitting Ashton Kutcher into the dark nihilism of the show.
Good TVeets
There is something about watching Nancy Grace do the cha-cha
that makes Me regret creating eyes.
I don't think I'm ever going to watch #HIMYM. Even those of you who say you like it seem
to really hate it.
The #SheenRoast is some sort of social media PTSD where
flashbacks of all his horrible memes appear randomly on your twitter feed.
I think if we found out that Chuck Lorre was behind Qwikster,
the Internet might finally be happy forever.
Follow @GoodTVeets
Cablers Talking With Microsoft
John Paul Titlow reports on Comcast and Verizon courting Microsoft in order to offer pay TV subscriptions via Xbox: "Rather than sit idly by as Web content makes its way to television screens via set top boxes and smart TVs, companies like Comcast will instead try to position their traditional offerings alongside that streaming content. How? By adding it to set-top boxes."
Monday, September 19, 2011
Louis Discusses Louie
In another awesome showrunner interview, the AV Club has Louis CK take us through every episode of Louie's second season.
Chinese Talent Show Dropped
The Chinese government has shut down a popular reality TV talent show: "Although government officials did not elaborate on the reasons behind the cancellation of “Super Girl,” television executives and cultural critics suggested the ruling Communist Party was unnerved by the runaway success of the show, whose producers have created a string of American-style reality shows that have proven more popular than the turgid fare of the state-run broadcaster CCTV."
Fall Trends
After watching 19 pilots in 48 hours (good lord, poor woman), June Thomas observes some fall trends.
Ad Plan Struggles
Claire Atkinson looks at why a plan for cable to get a bigger portion of TV ad dollars has fizzled.
Affluent Lifestyle Channel
Biran Stelter profiles Velocity Channel, which focuses on fancy toys for rich people.
Iranian Arrests
Iran has detained a group of filmmakers it accuses of working clandestinely for the BBC.
Targeting Hispanics
George Winslow delineates how pay TV providers are trying to target Hispanic viewers.
Sports Niche Problem
DirecTV's CFO expresses frustration with rising costs due to narrowcast sports channels. ESPN is also a problem, with its big NFL deal.
New In Media Res
The timeliest of topics: Fall TV
- Monday September 19, 2011 – Jennifer Gillan (Bentley University) presents: Never Been Flown? Fall TV’s Paratexts
- Tuesday September 20, 2011 – Sharon Marie Ross (Columbia College Chicago) presents: Fall Variations on Nostalgia
- Wednesday September 21, 2011 – Megan Gwynne Mullen (University of Wisconsin-Parkside) presents: So Long, Kate Gosselin…And Cable Programming Too?
- Thursday September 22, 2011 – Ethan Thompson (Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi) presents: NBC Comedy, 2011-Style
- Friday September 23, 2011 – Robert Cannon (California State University, Los Angeles) presents: Can TV See Class? Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Believe in the American Dream.
New Media Star
Gabriel Sherman uses Glenn Beck's move online to briefly consider the future of the TV personality.
Audiences Appreciate BBC
The BBC achieved high audience appreciation scores this summer, thanks to the Royal Wedding, news coverage, and documentaries.
News Corp & Scandals
Deadline's David Lieberman asks if News Corp can survive its scandal-plagued present.
Downton Crash
Not only did Downton Abbey have a big night in the US at the Emmys; its new series premiere helped to crash ITV's online player in Britain.
Nostalgia Convention
A group of classic TV fans are gathering for a nostalgia convention next weekend.
Freston in Afghanistan
Tom Freston, a former MTV exec, is in Afghanistan to help develop TV for the country.
Netflix & Qwikster
In a statement to subscribers, Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings says the company will separate its DVD business and call it Qwikster. Mark Suster says Hastings should be applauded; Henry Blodget says this is bad for consumers; Linda Holmes reacts; Chuck Tryon reacts and has more reaction; Ryan Lawler predicts Qwikster's future; Tim Carmody lays out different perspectives; like many, Will Richmond is critical of Netflix's decisions. Venture capitalist Bill Gurley says Netflix's recent pricing move resulted from demands from content owners who can make more money from digital rights than DVD (thanks to the First Sale doctrine). Also, Netflix apparently didn't check or didn't care that someone already has Qwikster as a twitter handle, and he doesn't exactly fit the brand. Qwikster will also rent video games. In the comments section of his blog post, Hastings refers to DVDs as "old fogey discs." The Oatmeal tackles the split. Dan Frommer cites 10 things to remember about Netflix through this.
Good Emmy TVeets
This
Emmys telecast is combining more good ideas and bad ideas than a Russell T
Davies script.
Let's all remember - it's not just important
that MODERN FAMILY won, but that GLEE lost.
Report: Jon Hamm no
longer upset about losing Emmy because he just remembered he's Jon Hamm. #Emmys
The commercial with
people doing important things on their iPads makes me feel bad I'm just using
mine to tweet about the Emmys.
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Emmys
Alan Sepinwall has an Emmy Awards wrap-up. Though HBO took home plenty of statues, it wasn't the focus it usually is. Also, just in case you didn't hear it last night, Alec Baldwin pulled out of the opening bit because Fox nixed a News Corp hacking joke -- or did he?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunny in America
Jeffrey Sconce says It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is distinctly American: "Uninformed, narcissistic idiots constantly arguing at cross-purposes, standing in a dying business in a dying neighborhood, ceaselessly scheming their way toward greater class mobility and failing utterly, but protected from their unrelenting idiocy by the residual capital reserves of their putative father—what could be more American than that?"
Emmy Facts & Figures
Bone up on your Emmy Awards facts and figures courtesy of the an Emmys website pdf.
Emmy Value
The LA Times has a roundtable where Michelle Forbes, Walton Goggins, Josh Charles and Johnny Galecki talk about the meaning of winning an Emmy.
Good TVeets
I wish I was even half
this gangsta RT @THR: Aaron Sorkin Breaks his Nose While
Writing
Ira Glass is WASTED. Each
week we choose a theme and this week's theme is slurryfaced. @bellhouseny
How to fix #CharliesAngels: 1) Fire all involved. 2) Cast
Strahovski, Torres, Sackhoff. 3) Change show name. 4) Let them kick ass.
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sorkin Breaks Nose Writing
A slow pre-Emmy Saturday, so this news of the weird makes the cut: Aaron Sorkin broke his nose while working on dialogue by head-butting himself in a mirror (link has a post-break picture. But wait til you see the mirror! Thank you very much.).
Iranian TV Ban
Iranian TV has banned provocative love stories, such as love triangles, and images of shirtless men. (Bonus: the article has a totally hot pic of Matthew McConaughey. Long live shirtless men!)
Sheen Roast
Brian Stelter previews the Comedy Central roast of Charlie Sheen, which should be a big night for the channel.
Emmy Items
Robert David Sullivan gives us an awesome set of pie charts detailing the most Emmy winning shows by decade, and Matt Zoller Seitz proposes some alternative Emmys.
Title Analysis
Jonathan Gray analyses the titles of new shows for their effectiveness (or lack thereof).
Good TVeets
It's amazing how adding
Louis CK to anything makes it awesomer.
SWANSON COMIN'!!!! #ParksandWire
Does someone keep jumping
out and scaring Zooey Deschanel right as her picture is taken?
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