Social TV Podcast

Very excited to link to a podcast about the future of social TV, which offers a conversation between blog favorite Cory Barker and my former student Andy Seroff, who now works for Miso.

USA Programming

Lacey Rose talks with USA's co-presidents about plans for programming expansion.

Hulu Sale Reconsidered

Andrew Wallenstein reports (behind Variety paywall) that the Hulu sale could still happen.

Morgan Struggles

Piers Morgan's ratings aren't measuring up to Larry King standards.

BBC & Sports

The BBC has lost the rights to a number of key sports recently and budget cuts will make retaining others even harder.

Netflix's Flaws

Dan Rayburn says Netflix's model has serious long-term flaws.

Beck Overhauling TV

Glenn Beck says that with his Mercury Radio Arts company, he will create a prototype of the TV of tomorrow.

TV Advent Calendar

If you like TV, advent calendars, and websites, the TV Club Advent Calendar series is ideal for you.

CBC Ad Study

A study commissioned by the CBC found that if ads are eliminated from the public broadcasting outlet, the consequences could be severe.

ESPN Criticized

Dan Bernstein criticizes ESPN for not digging deeper into evidence against Syracuse's Bernie Fine eight years ago. (My apologies to the late Three Stooges' Larry Fine for an earlier typo)

More Milch

David Milch has extended his deal with HBO and plans to develop William Faulkner properties as series.

Glee Singing Gender

There are many reviews to read about where Glee went so wrong last night (like Todd VanDerWerff's D- review at TV Club), but I'll highlight Louis Peitzman's in particular because I'm intrigued by how he reviews some of the songs based on the show's skewed gender politics.

Tuesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS), Last Man Standing (ABC), NCIS R (CBS), New Girl (Fox), Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (CBS)
-Fading Fast: Glee (Fox)
-Losers: 90210 (CW), Man Up! (ABC), Ringer (CW)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. CBS's odd combo of Rudolph, NCIS, and Victoria's Secret worked. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Gendered Molson Ads

This post is about print ads, not TV ads, but it's still relevant analysis: Lisa Wade highlights two Molson ads, one in Cosmo and one in men's mags that cynically comments on the one from Cosmo, thereby indicating different appeals to different target audiences.

Ownership Stats

Aaron Barnhart highlights Nielsen household stats: "The total number of U.S. households with TV sets declined year to year for the first time since Nielsen started counting TV ownership. The number of households with no TV at all is at its highest level since 1975."

"I Hate" Reflections

Maureen Ryan says I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which she calls "a shrieky nightmare," is evidence that "women are as capable of writing a misogynist, soul-killing TV comedy as anyone else."

Cable Data Fees

Alex Sherman reports that cable companies who offer internet data plans may boost fees for those who those who consume the most web content, especially Netflix users: "U.S. providers like Time Warner Cable have weighed usage- based plans for years as a way to squeeze more profit from Web access, and to counter slowing growth and rising program costs in the TV business. While customer complaints hampered earlier attempts, pay-TV companies are testing usage caps and price structures that point to the advent of permanent fees." Ryan Lawler also reports.

HBO Sneers at Cord Cutters

HBO's co-president says the premium channel will never make its content available digitally to non-subscribers, such as through HBO GO. More from Will Richmond, including an interview with HBO's co-president.

Work of Art Praise

Jace Lacob explains why Work of Art is addictive viewing. (I'm addicted too.)

ESPN Prez Interview

Reuters talks to the new president of ESPN about a few current sports news stories.

DA Merchandise

Just in time for Christmas, you can buy Downton Abbey merchandise in the UK. (I'm holding out for a Lady Ethel action figure. With real pouting action!)

On Too Long

Kimberly Potts lists seven shows that have soured after multiple seasons.

TWC on Android

Time Warner Cable's program guide app is now available for Android, but not the live TV app that works for iPad.

Political Ad Targeting

John Consoli reports that more political advertising will be headed toward sports and prime time in the coming year, "because news inventory will be tapped out and because some advertisers want to target certain types of voters."

Nielsen VOD

Nielsen is working on a VOD tracking metric.

Good TVeets

GregLaswell 

Whenever someone vaingloriously declares that they don't own a television, it reminds me that I need to get one for the bathroom.

danowen79 

ABC may not have cancelled PAN AM. Please put all aviation-based headline puns back in the box.

TVMcGee 

I GIVE UP, SHOW. YOU WIN. #Glee

AndyDaglas

American Horror Story is doing an episode about the Pope? Well, I'm sure it'll be handled as deftly as Glee's take on the Nicene Creed.

Follow @GoodTVeets

Group Concerns

David Lieberman reports that station group owners have concerns about revenue flow following election season, particularly as retrans share payments to networks ("reverse compensation") will hit hard.

CNN Falls Back

MSNBC retook the ratings advantage from CNN in November (though both lag far behind Fox News, of course).

More PLL

Pretty Little Liars, which will return to ABC Family for a second season in January, has been renewed for a 24-episode third season.

TV Gestures

The upcoming Xbox 360 live TV service could let you control your TV via the Kinect and thus with just hand gestures.

Homeland Views

Emily Nussbaum praises Homeland for not being 24, while Matt Zoller Seitz expresses disappointment in the show, an example, along with Starz's Boss, of a critic revising his initial enthusiasm.

Coulter on MSNBC

Ann Coulter went on MSNBC this morning and did that thing that Ann Coulter does.

Pan Am's Future

There's been a flurry of "Pan Am's cancelled" " No, it's not" claims flying around the past few hours, and Tim Surette says the bottom line is it's at least unlikely the show will be renewed.

Gory TV

Michael Schneider observes TV has upped the level of graphic gore recently.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas R (ABC), How I Met Your Mother R (CBS), Shrek the Halls R (ABC), 2 Broke Girls R (CBS), Two and a Half Men R (CBS), Mike & Molly R (CBS), Hawaii Five-O R (CBS)
-Losers: The Sing-Off (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), You Deserve It (ABC), Hart of Dixie (CW), Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: CBS repeats won the night. Cable ratings. Final ratings.

Burke Profile

PhillyMag's Steve Volk has an in-depth profile of NBCU CEO Steve Burke: "As the man in charge of reviving TV and movie giant NBCUniversal, Comcast’s­ Steve Burke just might be the most important person at the most important company in Philadelphia."

Bloomberg Praises FCC, NCTA Doesn't

Bloomberg likes what the FCC has proposed to deal with concerns about its program carriage rules for cable, particularly in terms of how independent programmers are treated. (You'll recall Bloomberg is battling with Comcast over this right now.) UPDATE: As you might expect, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association is opposed to the rule changes.

iTV Specs

Rumors are coming along about what Apple's iTV could feature, including voice control and screens from Sharp.

XBox Scripted

Deadline reports that Microsoft is looking to get into scripted TV, possibly as content for distribution via the XBox.

Music Video Network

A multi-cast music video channel called TheCoolTV is trying to revolutionize the format.

Children's Awards

BAFTAs were awarded to children's TV programming yesterday, and Michael Hogan praises the creative programming represented by the winners.

Al Jazeera Pressures

A former director general of Al Jazeera spoke of the pressures the channel receives from Arab governments.

Supreme Court TV

Adam Liptak says it's not likely that the Supreme Court will allow live cameras in the courtroom, but a few lawmakers are pushing for it.

Murdoch Re-Elected

James Murdoch was re-elected as BSkyB chairman, though there was some opposition; in fact, the Telegraph called it a "severe loss of support."

Good TVeets

TVMcGee 

Can't wait for Dan Harmon to write an ep of #Community that plays out as a flip book inside an issue of TV Guide.

MarieColette 

Please don't ever describe anything you saw on "Family Guy" to me everrrr.

mindykaling 

Bradley Cooper, stop asking Ed Helms to put us in touch with each other, I'm too busy with stuff

Follow @GoodTVeets

FX Midseason

FX has released its midseason schedule, and it's worth clicking on this link just to experience Raylan Givens staring back at you.

Hulu OK With Fox Authentication

Ryan Lawler says Hulu hasn't seen a significant impact from Fox requiring authentication to watch episodes the day after airing.

Fox & CBS Win

With all November sweeps precincts reporting, it's an 18-49 win for Fox and a total viewers win for CBS. NBC was merely flat in the demo versus last year -- woo-hoo!

Academy Hall of Famers

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced its new Hall of Fame class, which includes Chuck Lorre, Michael Eisner, Sherman Hemsley, Don Francisco, Mary-Ellis Bunim & Jonathan Murray, and Vivian Vance & William Frawley.

Enlightened Profile

Matt Zoller Seitz profiles HBO's Enlightened, a show which is flying under the radar but deserves just this sort of praise: "It’s a remarkable series, demonstrating an appreciation of human complexity and a mastery of narrative voice rarely seen outside of the best short fiction." (I just started watching and was captivated by episode 3.)

SOA & Soaps

Amanda Lotz discusses how in mixing soap opera elements with a milieu of masculinity, Sons of Anarchy challenges traditional definitions of gendered spectatorship and narrative.

New Trade Association

A group called the Connected TV Advertising Association has launched to help the industry navigate digital advertising on internet-connected TVs.

BeeTV Done

Social TV startup BeeTV is shutting down, and Cory Bergman says that this is indicative of the social TV app scene right now.

Cord Nevers Coming

One analyst says pay TV's coming problem isn't people cutting cords, it's youth never connecting them in the first place.

Drama Ad Ban

China is banning ads from TV dramas. Bloomberg reports: "The rule is meant to “lift the standards of public cultural services” and “protect the people’s basic cultural rights,” the regulator said...China's Communist Party has been pushing to assert more influence over the nation's culture and society, including in television and the arts."

Walking Dead's Issues

If you're caught up with The Walking Dead, check out Mo Ryan's take on some of season two's problems.

Update: Lesley Goldberg talks with Robert Kirkman about the midseason finale and where the show's going next. And Andrew Wallenstein defends the second season (from behind a paywall, as if hiding from zombies.)

Sunday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: 60 Minutes (CBS), Sunday Night Football (NBC), Once Upon a Time (ABC)
-Losers: Allen Gregory (Fox), Hallmark Hall of Fame: Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith (ABC)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: There was the NFL, and then there was everything else. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Kids' Ratings Down

Brian Steinberg reports on Nielsen's efforts to determine why there's a recent decline in ratings for cable channels targeted at children. UPDATE: Viacom's stock rating has dropped as a result of this. And ratings also show that more preteens are watching TV than last fall.

Volume Act

The CALM Act, which orders a regularization of the volume of ads relative to programming, will be up for an FCC public vote in a few weeks.

Labor Issues

We may or may not be looking at another strike, but there will at least be some contentious labor benefits issues on the Hollywood table this spring.

Community Wins

The winner of TV Guide's favorite show fan poll was Community.

Happy Endings & Race

Alyssa Rosenberg wishes Happy Endings would deal more explicitly with race and points to Living Single as an example.

New In Media Res

Theme: Sports Scandals

• Monday, November 28, 2011 - Samir Dayal (Bentley University) presents: Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno and Penn State Fans: Investments of Sympathy and Identity 
• Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - Bryce McNeil (Georgia State University) presents: Redemption, Privilege and Identification: the Narrative of Michael Vick’s Return to Atlanta 
• Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - April Strickland (New York University) presents: Peyton Manning and the Place of Stem Cell Research in Sports 
• Thursday, December 1, 2011 - Hinda Mandell (Rochester Institute of Technology) presents: A mother Tigress and her Tiger cub 
• Friday, December 2, 2011 - Neil Ewen (University of Southampton) presents: All That’s Bad in the English Game? Sports Scandals and Englishness

Real Dunder Mifflin

You will soon be able to really buy Dunder Mifflin paper at Staples.

Owners & Advertisers Win NBA Deal

Kevin Clark reports on the new NBA deal and says advertisers have much to be happy about.

Hulu in Germany

Hulu is eyeing expansion to Germany, though there are the usual rights issues slowing it down.

NBC & Retrans Proxy

Price Coleman updates NBC's attempts to act as proxy for its affiliates' retrans deals: "NBC would use its clout and scale to negotiate attractive retrans deals with cable and satellite. In return, it would give affiliates the first 25 cents per sub per month it receives, take the next 25 cents for the network, then split anything over and above that 50-50."

PBS in Britain

Eric Pfanner checks out the PBS channel that has launched in Britain.

NBC Apologizes

NBC has apologized to Michele Bachmann over the Jimmy Fallon incident.

Good TVeets

rudepundit 

Oh, #WalkingDead, thank you for using horrific violence to make me care again.

amandastewart 

It's been a night of holy shit. Between #dexter and #WalkingDead I love Sunday nights!

TVMcGee 

It's quite the Fall for fairy tales on TV: "Once Upon a Time," "Grimm," and "whatever the heck Tim Tebow is/isn't doing."

Follow @GoodTVeets

Laugh Track Revival

With a number of multi-cam sitcoms finding success today, Josef Adalian assesses the current and past use of the laugh track.

Today Tonight

Ever snake bit, NBC has been reairing the fourth hour of Today at 2am due to a late-night poker show being pulled because of fraud allegations against its sponsor. Brian Stelter observes, "With the 2 a.m. repeat, Today now makes up fully 20 percent of NBC’s weekday schedule."

Network Results

Brian Steinberg rates how the four major networks have done this fall, reserving the most praise for CBS and Fox, while Bill Carter says ABC has found new life in prime time.

Whedon, Prestige, & Occupy

Taryn Hart reposts a take on Joss Whedon, quality TV, and feminism (Note: wrong link now fixed) that takes on additional resonance in the wake of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Saturday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Nothing
-Losers: The night overall

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: A bad football game won the low-rated night.

Good TVeets

TVMcGee 

Thanks to Twitter Trending Topics, I pretty much always know what movie is currently showing on TBS.

amyschumer 

I dare someone to make a movie that looks more unbearable than "New Years Eve"

JimGaffigan 

Hey, insurance companies instead of having a commercial on TV every 10 minutes can you just cover some of my medical bills?

Follow @GoodTVeets

Media News Links

Every two weeks at Antenna, I catch people up on media industry news they might have missed.

Sports & TV

Reuters explains why sports media rights are so valuable globally right now, and the NYT explains why a recent Rangers hockey game made for such good TV.

Ratings FAQ

Ted Linhart, SVP of research at USA Network, is great about answering viewer questions on Twitter, and many of the questions revolve around ratings, so he has compiled an FAQ of the primary ratings questions he gets.  It's a useful outline of key ratings info from a channel perspective.

Friday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Nothing
-Losers: Hoops & Yo Yo Ruin Christmas (CBS) and the night overall

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: Univision for the 18-49 win!

Good TVeets

joereid 

Okay, I just saw the "American Horror Story" promo where they tie the whole narrative to the Vatican?? What a time to be alive.

zhandlen 

I swear to god, each scene in a #WalkingDead episode is written by a different writer whose never read anyone else's work.

meganganz  

Jack McCoy is so convincing. I wish I could hear his closing arguments in the case of The People v. Me Feeling Fat Lately.

Follow @GoodTVeets

The Right v. NBC

Eric Deggans discusses how the Jimmy Fallon/Michele Bachmann kerfuffle represents another entry in the political right's opposition to NBC.

Thursday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Also, Wednesday ratings.

Good TVeets

DannyZuker 

Parade banter makes award show banter seem like Shakespeare.

TVMcGee 

I unlocked the "Too Much Turkey And Now I'm Too Lazy To Reach For The Remote So HGTV It Is" sticker on GetGlue.

EliBraden 

Black Friday has become too commercialized :(

Follow @GoodTVeets

AHS Review

If you've been watching American Horror Story, and whether you love it or hate it or can't possibly apply such straightforward labels to it, you really should read Todd VanDerWerff's review of last night's episode.

Community Hopes

Todd VanDerWerff offers fives reasons why Community has a good shot at reaching season four.

Good TVeets

TVMcGee 

My mother will have a happier Thanksgiving w/o the worry of having to figure out how to watch "All My Children" online, I suppose.

kpsmartypants 

Attraction of "Biggest Loser: Where Are They?" would be more accurately reflected in the title, "Are They Fat Again?"

sononick 

Logline for #Parenthood: An extended family of handsome people can't stop themselves from being jackasses. The world suffers until they hug.

Follow @GoodTVeets

NYPD Order

NYC police officers reportedly have been told not to interfere with journalistic access to protests, or at least not "unreasonably" so.

Walking Dead Issue

Amanda Marcotte has a problem with how The Walking Dead presented a morning after pill plotline. UPDATE: More from Kate Aurthur, who has an executive producer response: "We exercised our artistic creative license to explore a storyline with one of our characters, not to make any pro-life or pro-choice political statement. We sincerely hope that people are not turning to the fictional world of The Walking Dead for accurate medical information."

Soap Deals Dead

Nellie Andreeva reports that Prospect Park has pulled the plug on the plan to continue One Life to Live and All My Children online. Daytime Confidential has a bit of insider info, as Prospect Park claims they couldn't get a union deal, while the unions claim Prospect Park ignored them. Marissa Roffman laments how this late decision leaves fans without a proper finale to either series. Maria Elena Fernandez has more, as does Brian Stelter.

Good tweet from Marisa Roffman: "Do I think AMC and OLTL would have lasted another 10, 20, 30 years online? Sadly, no, those odds weren't great. But I did think they might have a DirecTV-like life (a la Passions one-year run after NBC axed it). And yes, many of the actors who signed on really believed it would continue, too. Mocking the failure to make this work now just seems cruel."

Value of Black Females

R. Thomas Umstead reports that cable channels and advertisers are increasingly targeting 18-49 black females, "whose members have emerged as the primary decision-makers for an African-American consumer base whose buying power is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015, according to Nielsen." Ariana Proehl responds to this article with frustration that the bulk of what these women are apparently tuning in for are reality TV shows that exploit stereotyping: "So if they’re looking to us, and they go where we go, can we not keep staring at the train wreck of tragic stereotypes and thus having everyone else’s eyes glued there too? Or we can just chalk it up to entertainment and let television be television. Either way, the networks are watching us and making moves accordingly. I think it’s about time we start making some moves, too."

Tuesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
-Honorable Mention: The X Factor (Fox)
-Tired: The Biggest Loser (NBC)
-Losers: 90210 (CW), Man Up! (ABC)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: Some holiday week lows. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Fox is likely to win November 18-49 sweeps, which has brought some tough times, though CBS is close. The nets are mostly up this fall, except NBC, of course.

Beetlejuice Gag

I assume all Community fans have seen this by now, but just in case you missed it, you need to see the Community Beetlejuice gag, three seasons in the making.

Dodgers TV Rights

The media rights to LA Dodgers baseball have become a matter for the courts.

Dish Spam

Peter Kafka has a problem I've had now and then here too: thinly-veiled Dish Network spam in comments sections. (I just delete it, but it's like playing whack-a-mole)

Regional Concerns

Some are concerned that BBC budget cuts threaten the future of regional public broadcasting in certain areas.

Be Prepared, Locals

Michael Depp reports that digital technology vendors recommend for local stations to be prepared for major changes, both challenges and opportunities, being brought by connected TVs, mobile devices, and social media.

Hallmark's History

June Thomas isn't a fan of the most recent Hallmark Hall of Fame entry, but she takes the opportunity to look back on the series' history and highlights the main reason to tune in as it launches its 61st (!) season on Sunday: the (almost) always effectively dramatic Hallmark ads.

Too Ambitious?

David Haglund criticizes Boss and Hell on Wheels for grasping for too much importance and fears that HBO's upcoming Luck will head down the same path. UPDATE: June Thomas piggybacks on this argument and pinpoints The Good Wife as a show that tries to do too much with too many characters.

Recycling Old Jokes

Neil Genzlinger complains that new sitcoms are recycling old jokes done much better by older shows.

Hulu Adds Carsey-Werner

Hulu Plus subscribers will now be able to stream a group of Carsey-Werner sitcoms, including The Cosby Show and The Tracey Morgan Show, but not including Roseanne and That '70s Show.

America in Primetime Praise

Jonathan Gray highlights what was so effective about PBS's America in Primetime documentary series.

NBC Upside, Downside

Upside for NBC: NBC Evening News outdraws all the other network evening news shows. Downside for NBC: NBC Evening News outdraws nearly all the network's prime time shows.

Best/Worst Revisited

Maureen Ryan reassesses her early season lists of the most and least promising fall shows.

Good TVeets

ditzkoff 

Is there a chance Sarah Silverman's new NBC show could be about her & the misfit students at some sort of community educational institution?

zhandlen 

I just got an e-mail informing me there will be an all new MOBBED tomorrow night. H8R Action Team, ASSEMBLE!

corybarker  

HBO: The network that keeps making shows about books so I don't have to read those books.

shondarhimes

I get that to some SLoan + AVERY = SLAVERY might have SEEMED like a good idea. I get it. Love the enthusiam. But maybe come up w/ new name?

johnmoe

As a graduate of a small liberal arts college, I'm more of a fan of Doctor Why.

Follow @GoodTVeets

HIMYM Twist

If you want more info on the How I Met Your Mother twist and what might be coming next, check out this interview with exec producer Carter Bays.

TiVo Adds Subscribers

After a few years of subscriber declines, TiVo finally saw some numbers to be happy about. TiVo also has value in patents and is betting on advanced TV.

Online Viewing Study

A study says that half on consumers with internet watch TV and movies online at least occasionally. Also, George Winslow writes, "An impressive 62% of TV shoppers said Internet connectivity is an important factor in their decision to purchase a new TV."

Comcast Live on Tablets

Comcast has a live TV viewing app for at-home tablets in the works, with no word yet as to what kind of charge will come with this service.

Cord Cutting City

Neal Justin profiles cord cutters in Minneapolis, the city with the biggest share of cord cutters among major metro areas.

Netflix's Cable Move

Sam Schechner and Stu Woo analyze Netflix's Arrested Development deal from a cable perspective (and unfortunately from behind WSJ's paywall).

Update: A similar perspective reported from John Moe.

AMC & Twitter

Laurie Sullivan reports on a Twitter strategy by AMC that has apparently been successful: "During the campaigns, both The Killing and Breaking Bad campaigns achieved click-through rate averages of 0.4%, higher than the Twitter average of 0.2%, and nearly double the average for entertainment-focused campaign."

Reality is a Pawn

Eric Deggans says shows like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars are benefiting from the recession.

ESPN Changes

There are some exec changes at ESPN, with George Bodenheimer named executive chairman and John Skipper replacing him as president.

HBO Movie Formula

Choire Sicha has grown frustrated with HBO movies, which to him seem too formulaically geared toward earning prestige and Emmys.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS, Mike & Molly (CBS), Castle (ABC)
-Losers: The Sing Off (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), You Deserve It (ABC), Hart of Dixie (CW), Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers: CBS coasted on Monday, though ABC had many total viewers watching Dancing With the Stars to be happy about. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Product Placement Exports

A study of UK TV product placement finds that value can come from international brands when the shows are exported.