Revenge's Popularity

Jace Lacob talks with Revenge's creator and cast about the show's popularity and helps to make it safe for us to call this simply a good TV show, rather than a "guilty pleasure" (a phrase that is a culturally backhanded compliment).

No More Starz Live

With the Starz deal ending, Netflix subscribers will no longer be able to stream Starz live on Netflix. Also, this just in: Netflix subscribers were able to stream Starz live on Netflix. (Seriously, had no idea)

Hashtags on TV

Sree Sreenivasan judges some recent uses of Twitter hashtags on TV.

Logo Changes

The cable channel Logo is shifting away from gay-themed content, and Ben Harvey says maybe that's ok for the gay community.

Voice & Smash Crisscross

Peter Lauria analyzes how The Voice is rising while Smash is falling on NBC.

JCP Wins

So after all the controversy, JC Penney ended up a big winner at the Oscars with its ads featuring Ellen DeGeneres, according to a metric of ad effectiveness.

Luck's Ratings

Josef Adalian highlights Luck's very low ratings.

Moonves Optimistic

The headline is a breaking exclusive, by the way. Les Moonves expects a healthy upfronts increase and sees big retrans dollars ahead in future years.

ESPN on Facebook

ESPN has posted the ESPN3 video player to Facebook, just in time for March Madness.

Metered Access Issue

Andrew Wallenstein explains how new metered broadband plans from Time Warner Cable could spell trouble for Netflix and Hulu: " By making consumers mind their viewing time, metered billing could seriously undermine the value proposition of the subscription VOD model employed by Netflix or Hulu Plus, which is predicated on offering consumers all-you-can-stream rights for a monthly fee."

DVR Use Stats

Nielsen has a research study on DVR usage: "Today: 98% of homes own a TV and most have some kind of device hooked up to their television. 85% of TV content is viewed live. DVR usage accounts for 8% of our TV time." More coverage of Nielsen viewing numbers.

Tuesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: American Idol (Fox), NCIS (CBS), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Disappointing: The Biggest Loser (NBC)
-Losers: Cougar Town (ABC), The River (ABC), Ringer (CW), Parenthood (NBC)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 15.83 million, CBS: 14.54, ABC: 5.56, NBC: 5.50, CW: 999,000
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.0 rating/13 share, CBS: 2.8/ 7, NBC: 2.0/ 5, ABC: 1.6/ 4, CW: 0.4/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
Daniel Fienberg's take.

Turner Profile

Stephan Galloway has a lengthy profile of media mogul Ted Turner.

February Cable Ratings

We've heard about oddly lower network ratings, but cable channels also saw some ratings dips in February.

Bravo Sponsorship

Stuart Elliott reports on Bravo introducing advertiser sponsorships: "A branded entertainment deal for a reality culinary competition series on the Bravo cable channel will give the presenting sponsor billing as a co-producer and add its name to the title — the official title, anyway."

Interactive TV Info

Jeannine Poggi offers a primer on interactive TV.

Murdoch Steps Down

James Murdoch, Rupert's embattled son, is no longer executive chairman of News International at News Corp.  He will reportedly shift his focus to the company's international pay TV business. (Murdoch's NYT bio has some background info on his troubles if you need a quick catch-up)

YouTube's the Best

Arden Pannell likes YouTube's model for online video that echoes television.

2 Broke Girls & Asians

Willa Paskin notes that 2 Broke Girls isn't giving up on its practice of stereotyping Asians.

Piracy Damage

Todd VanDerWerff explains why we should wait patiently for TV shows to become available rather than pirate them early: "HBO has been a force for good in the television world for almost two decades. I get why you’re cutting your cords, but isn’t it worth waiting a little while for a DVD in that case?"

Cable on Sprint

Sprint is offering bundled cable channels for its iPhone package.

Conan App

The app for Conan O'Brien's show is up and running.

Cord Cutting Chart

Looking at a quarterly chart of cable subscribers since 2010, the declines are quite evident. And yet (there's always a "yet" with cord cutting stats), Daniel Frankel highlights a 4th quarter pay TV subscriber rise.

Good TVeets

I understand that #Parenthood had a season finale tonight, but nobody spoil it for me as I'm still 53 episodes behind.
— Robert Kessler (@thebobkessler) February 29, 2012

I would be happy to bank with Limehouse because, as far as I know, my present bank does not produce its own bacon. #JustifiedFX
— Danger Guerrero (@DangerGuerrero) February 29, 2012

When you're 15, the only thing worse than geometry is only being called "pretty good" by Steven Tyler. #idol
— Daniel Fienberg (@HitFixDaniel) February 29, 2012

Why is everyone freaking out that Watson is going to be a girl? I've been a girl Watson for 35 years and the world still spins. #Sherlock
— Sarah Watson (@SarahWatson42) February 28, 2012

Note: There are a few plot spoilers and multiple guest star casting spoilers about Parenthood here, so those are near the end.

Netflix's Cable Future

Reed Hastings sees Netflix as a part of cable TV in the future, but right now sees TV Everywhere as the main competition.

TV Everywhere

Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes wants TV Everywhere to hurry up, while Viacom's Tim Dauman wants to take it more slowly. Either way, there's a trademark war on now involving the term TV Everywhere.

Global Ads Outlook

Global ad spending is expected to rise in 2012.

ESPN Twitter Reminder

ESPN sent out a reminder to employees to not say stupid stuff on Twitter.

Google TV Use

Less than one million Google TV devices are in use.

Idol Worries

News Corp.'s Chase Carey is concerned about American Idol's declining ratings.

TV's Reach Problem

Dave Morgan says audience fragmentation has challenged TV's reach.

Look Beyond 18-49

Gary Holmes tells the TV press to stop fixating on the 18-49 demographic.

Oscars Check-Ins

The Academy Awards ceremony set a record for check-ins a GetGlue.

Smash Assessment

Josef Adalian reads last night's Smash ratings and sees renewal.

HBO Go Facts

HBO co-president Eric Kessler delivered details about HBO Go, which will be available on Xbox starting April 1, such as that 75% of viewing is of original HBO programming.

FX Premieres

June 28 will be a big day for FX, when Charlie Sheen's and Russell Brand's new shows start and Louie and Wilfred return.

Parenthood Preview

Todd VanDerWerff previews tonight's Parenthood finale and looks back on the whole season.

BBCA Originals

BBC America is developing two original science fiction series to tie in with their Supernatural Saturday theme night.

Comcast Compliance

Comcast has submitted its first required report detailing how it is living up to the conditions of the NBCU deal.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Voice (NBC), The Daytona 500 (Fox), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Honorable Mention: The Bachelor (ABC)
Disappointing: Smash (NBC)
-Losers: Gossip Girl (CW), Hart of Dixie (CW)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 13.94 million, NBC: 12.13, CBS: 10.01, ABC: 8.34, CW: 1.28
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 4.5 rating/11 share, NBC: 4.4/11, CBS: 3.1/ 8, ABC: 2.4/ 6, CW: 0.5/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
Daniel Fienberg's take.

Desperate Housewives Suit

A wrongful termination lawsuit brought by Nicollette Sheridan against Desperate Housewives showrunner Marc Cherry begins today.

Liu in Sherlock

Lucy Liu has been cast as Watson in CBS's updated Sherlock Holmes pilot, Elementary.

Parenthood on the Bubble

The future prospects for Parenthood, which ends its season tonight, are uncertain.

News Favorites

A Harris Poll found Diane Sawyer and Anderson Cooper at the top of a list of favorite news personalities.

Teamster Picket

Teamsters and IATSE members are picketing a Spike TV show, 1000 Ways to Die, in support of striking crew members' union rights.

The Women of Community

Jace Lacob talks with Community's female stars and one female writer about the show and women in comedy.

Netflix Does TV

Brian Stelter discusses how Netflix streaming has become primarily a TV service, more so than a film service.

Good TVeets

Twitter is not cooperating AGAIN with me this morning, so no top favorites, just the full list after the jump.

New Flow Issue

• Examining the Jeremy Lin Phenomenon Through a Critical Lens
   Erica Chito Childs / Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center
• Now Watching: Black Web Series and the Promised Land of New Media
  TreaAndrea M. Russworm / University of Massachusetts, Amherst 
•  Loose Women – Women’s talk and ideological restriction
  Faye Davies / Birmingham City University 
•  Biometrics and Machinima, Reanimated: Jacqueline Goss’s “Stranger Comes to Town”
  Dale Hudson/NYU Abu Dhabi 
• The Great Wikipedia Blackout, The Stop Online Piracy Act, and You
  Wheeler Winston Dixon / University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New In Media Res

Theme: Media Fragments and Virtual Museums

• Monday, February 27, 2012 - Ian Peters (Georgia State University) presents: Life After Death? - Star Trek: The Experience Virtual Tour and Experiential Archiving 
•  Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - Laura Beltz Imaoka (University of California-Irvine) presents: Pixels and Post-Tourism 
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - Mabel Rosenheck (Northwestern University) presents: ‘The Past is a Foreign Country. This Is Your Passport.’: Media Fragments, Digital Archives and Virtual Museums 
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Ioana Literat (University of Southern California) presents: The Online Contextualization of Museum Exhibits 
• Friday, March 2, 2012 - Ross Melnick (Oakland University) presents: All the News That’s Fit to Stream: Cataloguing and Searching Newsreel Collections Online

Titanic on ABC

ABC will air Julian Fellowes' Titanic miniseries this spring.

GOP in HW

Michael Janofsky discusses the rising prominence of Republicans in Hollywood, though apparently they're not donating much to the GOP candidates, nor are Dems in Hollywood shelling out as much for Obama as before.

More on Episodes

Returning to the topic that sparked so much discussion, Ryan McGee clarifies some aspects of his argument about the problems of TV episode storytelling in the post-Sopranos era.

MSNBC & Buchanan

Brian Stelter investigates the divorce of MSNBC and Pat Buchanan.

TV Guide Sale

Claire Atkinson reports that CBS and Discovery are among the companies interested in buying the TV Guide Network from Lionsgate.

Netflix + Univision

Netflix is close to an agreement to add Univision shows, part of a period of growth for Univision.

Ball Stepping Down

Alan Ball is stepping down as True Blood showrunner.

Cord Cutting Lessons

Dan Reimold tells you how to manage cord cutting.

Sunday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. The numbers are still incomplete, but preliminary ratings say the Oscars did ok, slightly better than last year. Update: Turns out the ratings were flat in the 18-49 demo, but didn't fall compared to last year. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Netflix & Hulu Problem

Alyssa Rosenberg thinks Netflix and Hulu are heading down the wrong path with their originals by not clearly targeting a certain demographic.

Cord Cutting Assessment

Georg Salazai investigates fourth-quarter pay TV subscriber numbers and says they allay cord cutting fears to some extent.

Oscar TVeets

I had more tweets to add in than you see here, but Twitter has been clogged all morning and I just don't have time for its BS, so after the jump is the most of what I grabbed from last night. And much thanks to @KelliMarshall, @iamwesley, @jlschaefer, @frazbelina, and @michelleangustv for helping me to compile these.

Good Wife & Technology

Emily Nussbaum says The Good Wife is the first great series about technology: "Put bluntly, “The Good Wife is to the digital debate as The Wire is to the drug war."

Mad Men Marketing

Stuart Elliott looks at Mad Men's current marketing campaign.

Judging Good Wife

A federal judge believes The Good Wife is harmful to the judiciary due to its depiction of judges. (Note: showrunner Robert King responds in the comments section)

Saturday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Oscar Reviews

From Alan Sepinwall, Ken Tucker, Alessandra Stanley, Caryn James, James Poniewozik, Matt Zoller Seitz, Mary McNamara, Tim Goodman. Peter Kafka assesses the scene on social media. Tim Goodman proposes how to fix the awards broadcast. TiVo says the apparent nip-slip was a top rewind moment.

Good TVeets

Its original title was "Everybody Loves Raymond, Except Neil Doherty, the Real Estate Agent He Stabbed in 1982."
— rob delaney (@robdelaney) February 25, 2012

Carrie Brownstein makes me think I'm a lesbian, I want to raise gaybies w/ her. Fred does nothing for me. #KinseyScaleConfusion! #Portlandia
— Kel Kendrick (@TVKel) February 26, 2012

Goddamn it, I'm going to be watching the Oscars tomorrow. #firstworldproblems
— Les Chappell (@Lesismore9o9) February 26, 2012

SNL Women

Megan Angelo discusses how women have recently made a mark on SNL: "With the combination of sharp writing and comically savvy female hosts, “Saturday Night Live” this season has been unusually rich in funny, provocative female-focused moments."

Downton as Drama

Downton Abbey will now be considered by the Emmys as a drama, rather than a miniseries. Daniel Fienberg considers the impact this could have.

Friday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Blue Bloods (CBS)
-Down but Far From Out: Undercover Boss (CBS)
-On the Fence: A Gifted Man (CBS)
-Honorable Mention: Shark Tank (ABC)
-Losers: Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox), Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC), Fringe (Fox), 20/20 (ABC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 9.62 million, ABC: 5.08, NBC: 4.91, Fox: 3.29, CW: 1.13
-Adults 18-49: CBS: 1.6 rating/5 share, ABC: 1.5/ 5, NBC and Fox: 1.3/ 4 each, CW: 0.4/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Oscar History

The Paley Center's Barry Monush takes us through the history of the Oscar ceremony on radio and TV.

NASCAR & Social Media

Sam Laird discusses how NASCAR is trying to use social media to boost its TV ratings.

Colbert Toys With Sponsor

Stephen Colbert turned a Wheat Thins sponsorship into a bit.

Good TVeets

First order of business: I will not be doing any "That's What She Said" jokes.It's just too hard for me...
— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) February 24, 2012

Next #Justified ep title: "The Man Behind The Curtain." If Ben Linus comes to Harlan, I might die of happiness. #Lost
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) February 25, 2012

BOOOO THE WRONG PERSON WON #OscarsInAdvance
— Every Tweet Ever (@EveryTweet_Ever) February 25, 2012

TV > Movies

Jeff Bercovici says one reason viewers are less interested in the Oscars these days compared to previous decades is that scripted TV has gotten so good.

Harris-Perry Impact

Courtney E. Martin believes Melissa Harris-Perry's show on MSNBC is a major barrier-breaker in more ways than one.

Modern Family Plot

Ann Brenoff criticizes Modern Family's recent teen sex plotline: "What is put out there by Hollywood is a responsibility that shouldn't be taken lightly -- and one that Modern Family's writers and producers blew for me big time in this week's episode, "Virgin Territory.""

Awake Interview

Alan Sepinwall talks with Awake's showrunners about the long-term viability of the show. (One of them is Kyle Killen, whose last show, Lone Star, did not experience long-term viability. Or even short-term viability.)

Pilot Casting

Jon Weisman has a rundown of all the recent pilot casting news (behind Variety's paywall).

Fixing OWN

Tim Goodman suggests five ways to fix OWN.

Value of Community's Hiatus

Brian Nulle finds an upside to Community's hiatus and actually credits NBC for it.

Stereotyping Race

In a report for NPR, Eric Deggans talks about how network TV seems to feel ok about stereotyping Asians and Latinos in ways it no longer does with black characters.

Community Criticism

Larry Fitzmaurice picks apart Community's characters and fan expectations in an essay that will launch a thousand comments.

Friday Fun

Kids re-enact Oscar-nominated films (part 1):

Part 2:

See more at CollegeHumor

SNL Bands

Steven Hyden says Saturday Night Live is still an important venue for bands: "SNL is easily the single most important television show on which not to bomb."

Milennials = Generation C

Nielsen has named the current 18-34s Generation C, with the C for connected.

Thursday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), American Idol (Fox), Person of Interest (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Losers: Wipeout (ABC), 30 Rock (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC), Up All Night (NBC), The Finder (Fox)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 13.65 million, Fox: 10.80, ABC: 6.77, NBC: 3.33, CW: 1.10
-Adults 18-49: CBS and Fox: 3.2 rating/9 share each, ABC: 2.3/ 6, NBC: 1.6/ 4, CW: 0.4/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Idol is plummeting compared to last year.
Final ratings. Cable ratings.

TV People in the Academy

Rebecca Keegan explains how people with mostly TV credits have gotten into the film academy.

Tablet Apps

David Goetzl describes the potential for some new mobile and tablet apps, like the one for Conan O'Brien's show.

Web TV's Chances

Aymar Jean Christian wonders if all the new original web series, like Lilyhammer, will change anything for web TV.

Doctor Who Fandom

A Doctor Who fan and scholar talks about the cosplay fan practice of women dressing up as the Doctor, and another fan discusses her experience at the Gallifrey One convention last weekend. Another perspective from Gallifrey. (And btw, thanks to Derek Kompare for these links) And now Derek Kompare has blogged about it.

Two-Minute Ads

Brian Steinberg judges the viability of longer, two-minute ads.

Oscar Night

Oscar night will features plenty of ads and plenty of social media activity.

Capitalizing on DA

Alyssa Rosenberg notes that PBS would like to capitalize on the success of Downton Abbey, but it's tough to find a similarly family-friendly show that fits there.

Price is Right's Charm

Linda Holmes explains what's still to love about The Price is Right after all these years.

Good TVeets

Whoever the "Mark Russell of Syria" is, he's got a tense couple of months ahead of him.
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 24, 2012

Everybody makes fun of NBC but their gross incompetence has given us so much.
— Justin Fowler (@JustinFowler) February 24, 2012

LESS THAN FOUR DAYS UNTIL WE ALL FIND OUT WHAT KELLY OSBOURNE THINKS OF OCTAVIA SPENCER'S LOOK.
— bobby finger (@bobbyfinger) February 23, 2012

Archer Renewed

FX has renewed Archer for a fourth season.

Pilot Problems

Lacey Rose explains how bubble show indecision is messing with pilot casting.

Rape Jokes

Tricia Romano assesses the recent rise to prominence of rape jokes on TV and Twitter.

Ads By Gender

A billboard that just went up in London uses facial recognition software to determine your gender, then delivers a commercial based on that.

Google's TV Efforts

Google plans to test out a new fiber-optic cable TV service in Kansas City. Also, Google is making glasses that will present you with information about what you're looking at.

Female Reporters Criticized

Betsy Rothstein of FishbowlDC doesn't like how young female political reporters are dressing these days; too much of the sexy look in their Twitter pictures (no really, that's what she's basing this on). Jezebel's Erin Gloria Ryan is not a fan of this position. This is all leading to some nice Twitter wars.

Mad Men Trailers

That's right: Mad Men trailers!

Aiming at Latinos

Gary Levin highlights the new cable channels targeting Latino audiences.

Paley Panels on Hulu

Hulu will stream some of the PaleyFest TV panels next month, including ones on Community, Revenge, and Vampire Diaries.

Defending Liz Lemon

Emily Nussbaum defends Liz Lemon against those who think her character has become an infantilized product of misogyny.

GH Fighting

Maria Elena Fernandez highlights how General Hospital is fighting for survival in a world of dying soaps.

Parks & Rec Visit

Andy Greenwald describes his visit to the Parks and Recreation set.

Good TVeets

I finally got Storify to work, but now my favorites won't load up (Get you act together, Twitter!), so no Top 3. But they're all after the jump at least.

Interactive Ad Effort Ended

A cable operator consortium effort to develop interactive ads is ending. Wayne Friedman wonders what's next.

Perceived Value of Channels

A survey of cable operators on the perceived value of channels found ESPN and Disney at the top of the list.

Wednesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: American Idol (Fox), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS),
-Honorable Mention: Survivor: One World (CBS)
-Fading Fast: Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
-Losers: Whitney (NBC), Are You There, Chelsea? (NBC), Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC), Remodeled (CW), 20/20: Before They Were Famous (ABC)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 15.88 million, CBS: 11.57, ABC: 6.85, NBC: 4.13, CW: 1.07
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.1 rating/14 share, CBS: 2.9/ 8, ABC: 2.4/ 6, NBC: 1.2/ 3, CW: 0.5/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Cable ratings.

Also, Downton Abbey helped PBS to a two-year high on Sunday. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Treme, The Wire, & Political Space

Katie Moylan explores the concept of political space in an essay on Treme : "Treme asks how space is political and in response incorporates multiple figurations of negotiations of public spaces in post-Katrina New Orleans. Like Simon’s The Wire before it, Treme functions as a sustained critique of the ways in which city spaces are used by both disenfranchised individuals as well as political and corporate elites." At the same site, Mediascape, Ioana Literat explores space in The Wire.

WWE & Women

Cory Barker addresses recent issues related to the WWE and its depiction of women, including a horribly sexist storyline and the CM Punk-Chris Brown feud: "On Monday night, the WWE opens its programming with a contemporary version of The Scarlet Letter, with the constant use of the word “Hoeski” to refer to one of its most visible female performers and the most visible male star degrading her ad-nauseum. On Tuesday night, the WWE constantly refers to a story about one of its biggest male superstars defending the treatment of women and addresses the most visible case of harmful action towards women in popular culture. I don’t know about you, but that’s a heck of a 24-hour period with a boat-load of dissonance."

Grammy Lesson

TVB says that the big ratings for Grammy night show that broadcast TV is still a place for audiences to share big moments.

Digital Consumer Stats

Nielsen charts out some demographic-based stats about digital consumption, including TV viewing, online video viewing, and social network visiting.

Actors Equity Backs Merger

An endorsement of the SAG-AFTRA merger from the Council of Actors Equity offered a boost to its prospects. But many are still opposed.

Network Problems

The networks have dipped in the ratings this year, and Tiffy Vogt proposes some reasons for the networks' struggles.

Decline of the Episode

Ryan McGee expresses concern about the negative influence of the HBO installment-style model of storytelling: "Why is treating an episode as an installment a problem? An episode functions unto itself as a piece of entertainment, one that has an ebb and flow that can be enjoyed on its own terms. An installment serves the über-story of that season without regard for accomplishing anything substantial during its running time."

Update: Jason Mittell disagrees with aspects of McGee's take, as does James Poniewozik and Kathryn VanArendonk. Richard Lawson suggests they're all taking TV too seriously; Cory Barker rightly disagrees. More thoughts from Alyssa Rosenberg and Jaime Weinman. TV writer Kay Reindl doesn't buy McGee's argument.

AFTRA Approval

AFTRA's members have signed off on a new network deal.

Google's TV Ambitions

Garett Sloane reports on Google's early pay TV experiments.

Australia & Social TV

Asher Moses reports on how Australian TV is incorporating social media.

Character Problem

More TV criticism about what's wrong with TV: Scott Meslow says it's characters who don't change.

New Channels

Magic Johnson and Sean Combs are helping to launch new cable channels, an African-American-targeted channel and a music channel, respectively. Both, plus two others, are launching on Comcast, as part of its post-NBCU merger agreement to diversify. Another new channel will be targeted at Latinos.

Conan Extended

TBS has extended Conan O'Brien's show through 2014.

Comcast Going After Netflix

Comcast is launching a streaming VOD service for subscribers that will compete with Netflix. John Paul Titlow doesn't think this service will deter cord cutters. Peter Kafka says this isn't a Netflix killer yet but has potential. Will Richmond sees this as part of a broader Comcast strategy. Comcast insists this isn't just about Netflix.

Tuesday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. CBS was well ahead in total viewers; Fox did well in the favorite demos. Cougar Town...not so much. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Houston Funeral

Brian Stelter tallies the ratings on TV and online for Whitney Houston's funeral. Meanwhile, the BBC has been criticized for its saturation coverage.

Entertainment Coverage

Noel Murray assesses the problems in TV industry news coverage, especially when it comes to judging numbers, such as ratings: "The problem is that while the people who cover the business of showbiz have become smarter than they were a decade ago about which numbers to cite, the analysis still tends to be too shallow to be meaningful."

Oscar Night Value

Diego Vasquez discusses why advertisers like Oscar night.

Nominees Wait

The two nominees for FCC commissioner continue to wait out a political battle.

Knicks Ratings

Jeremy Lin is helping MSG achieve record ratings.

Voice-Controlled Remote

A number of tech companies are working up a voice-controlled remote control.

Good TVeets

DON'T DO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO, #GLEE.
— Austin Morris (@amorris7012) February 22, 2012

DO NOT DO THIS
— Cory Barker (@corybarker) February 22, 2012

Oh. Oh no. Oh no. #Glee
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) February 22, 2012

Downton Helped

Michael Schneider explains how Downton Abbey has really helped out Southern California's primary PBS affiliate.

Best Buy Porn Hack

Hackers managed to put pornographic images on connected TV in a Best Buy store.

Piracy Comic

A lesson for HBO, in one easy comic. Update: Andy Ihnatko says this strip is indicative of a sense of entitlement among torrenters, and Devin Faraci agrees.

Netflix-HBO Discussion

Netflix and HBO are discussing original content.

SOA's Gemma

Alyssa Rosenberg is devoting a week of posts to Sons of Anarchy and starts with an analysis of Gemma.

Feminist Perspective on Doctor Who

A contributor to a new blog dedicated to exploring Doctor Who from a feminist perspective plans to put every new Who episode to the Bechdel Test.

Community Returning...

...on March 15 (first night of March Madness, btw). This is part of a shuffling of NBC's Wednesday and Thursday night schedule.

BBC America Marketing

BBC America is launching a new marketing campaign with a "wry British tone," says Stuart Elliott.

Smash Ratings

Ratings for Smash continued their downward trend, and Andrew Wallenstein says the show wasn't built to last.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Voice (NBC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Mike & Molly (CBS), Hawaii Five-O (CBS)
-Ready to Retire: House (Fox)
-Losers: Gossip Girl (CW), Alcatraz (Fox), Hart of Dixie (CW), Smash (NBC)
-Total Viewers: NBC: 12.64 million, CBS: 11.00, ABC: 8.61, Fox: 6.46, CW: 1.25
-Adults 18-49: NBC: 4.6 rating/11 share, CBS: 3.5/ 9, ABC: 2.4/ 6, Fox: 2.1/ 5, CW: 0.5/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Competitive Apps

Michael Depp describes how competitive the TV apps world is getting, as companies figure out how to monetize them, and Tim Peterson profiles social media apps and check-in services.

Old & New Viewing

David Coursey discusses how his iPad has replaced his TV set for regular viewing, while Christopher S. Stewart discusses how online options are making it easier for people to cut cords and go with over-the-air TV.

Good TVeets

Maybe the recent anti-woman, anti-contraception rhetoric is really a guerilla marketing campaign for the upcoming season of Mad Men.
— Stephanie Brown (@stephbrown) February 21, 2012

Courtney professes her love. In the absolutely least emotional voice I've heard outside of my GPS. #bachelor
— Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner) February 21, 2012

SPOILER WARNING: Downton Abbey actually turns out to be a reeaally long prequel to the comic strip Marmaduke.
— Michael Kupperman (@MKupperman) February 20, 2012

Downton Debated

Some have criticized Downton Abbey's second series, but Willa Paskin defends it. Update: Alyssa Rosenberg agrees more with Maureen Ryan about the show's problems and adds additional ones.

Sunday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: 60 Minutes (CBS), Once Upon a Time (ABC), The Amazing Race (CBS), Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)
-Losers: The Cleveland Show (Fox), Pan Am (ABC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 10.46 million, ABC: 7.29, NBC: 6.26, Fox: 4.07
-Adults 18-49: CBS: 2.2 rating/6 share, ABC and NBC: 2.1/ 5 each, Fox: 1.9/ 5

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Unconnected Connected TVs

A research firm finds that only half of people with internet connection-capable TVs are actually connecting them to the internet. (Sounds similar to people who have HD sets but don't watch HD programming.)

Measurement Crisis

Will Richmond discusses how concerns over viewer measurement in the multi-platform era are vexing the advertising community.

Groening on 500

Simpsons creator Matt Groening discusses how the show got to 500 episodes.

OWN Lesson

Jeanine Poggi says the struggles of OWN could mean other celebrities will avoid starting name-branded cable channels.

Next Oprahs

Brian Stelter says the competition to replace Oprah in daytime talking will really heat up in the fall.

VOD Grows

Aaron Baar analyzes stats indicating growing video-on-demand usage, via both pay TV and internet services, with the latter starting to usurp the former.

Auction Speculation

Joe Flint considers whether broadcasters really will give up spectrum for auction.

Smash Struggles

Anthony Crupi assesses Smash's middling ratings start.

Australian Viewing

Nielsen has a report on Australian multi-screen viewing habits.

Good TVeets

If the Dowager Countess were a judge of AMERICAN IDOL there'd be nine suicides in the first round of auditions. #DowntonPBS
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 20, 2012

The WGA Awards are The Emmys minus attractiveness plus alcoholism times anger.
— Mike Shoemaker (@shoemakermike) February 20, 2012

Every time Cary Agos smiles, a puppy is born. #TheGoodWife
— Sarcrilege Castro (@sarCCastro) February 20, 2012

Warning: There are Downton Abbey finale plot spoilers in here. I put the DA tweets last, so stop reading at the first ones appear if you don't want spoilage.

WGA Awards

WGA awards for TV writing were handed out tonight; Homeland, Breaking Bad, and Modern Family were among the winning shows..

Downton Reflections

With the Downton Abbey Christmas special having aired tonight, Maureen Ryan assesses the ups and downs of Series 2, and writer Julian Fellowes looks back on his work. Reviews of the finale from Meredith Blake, Alan Sepinwall, Ken Tucker.

Ads & Program Ties

A Bravo market research study found that ads that have thematic ties to programming are retained better by the viewer. More from David Goetzl.

Kapnek Interview

Yvonne Villarreal interviews Emily Kapnek, showrunner of Suburgatory.

Men & Comedy Central

A Comedy Central survey finds that comedy is central to young men.

Original Game-Changers

Anna Heim discusses why original productions by Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu are game-changers.

BSkyB's Internet TV Plan

Charles Arthur is impressed with BSkyB's plan to offer an internet TV service independent of its pay TV service: "Video-on-demand (VoD) for anyone prepared to pay, not just existing users of its pay TV service."

Image Award Winners

Most of the NAACP Image Award winners Friday night were from cable.

Free Market TV

Adam Thierer backs new Republican legislation that aims to dismantle the retransmission consent rules.

Merger Opposition

Joshua L. Weinstein outlines the opposition that some have to the SAG-AFTRA merger.

Saturday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: NASCAR (Fox)
-Losers: The Firm (NBC) and the night overall
-Total Viewers: Fox: 6.67 million, CBS: 4.79, ABC: 3.26, NBC: 2.72
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 1.9 rating/6 share, ABC: 1.0/ 3, CBS: 0.8/ 2, NBC: 0.5/ 2

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Colbert Back Monday

The Colbert Report will resume taping on Monday.

Soap Survival

Taffy Brodesser-Akner delves into what the existing daytime soaps are doing to survive. (Has it been soap week at the NYT or something? Not complaining, obviously; just curious about the many soap articles this week.) Update: For some reason, folks at General Hospital declined to comment for this article.

Good TVeets

BREAKING: CNN Says Nuclear Attack by North Korea Would Not Affect Whitney Houston Coverage
— Andy Borowitz (@BorowitzReport) February 19, 2012

I don't care how you hook it up, but I'm going to need you to get Jason Sudeikis to dance in an Adidas tracksuit at my funeral. #snl
— Tara Ariano (@TaraAriano) February 19, 2012

WHATEVER SNL BE FUNNY I WILL STILL HATE YOU FOR SOME REASON
— Every Tweet Ever (@EveryTweet_Ever) February 19, 2012

20th Original

20th Century Fox TV has gotten into the original web series game with a werewolf series and Kia sponsorship.

Good Title Sequences

John Sellers looks at some of the best title sequences for shows, which appear to be making a comeback.

Friday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: Undercover Boss (CBS), 20/20 - One Moment in Time: The Life of Whitney Houston (ABC), Blue Bloods (CBS)
-Losers: The 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards (NBC), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox), Nikita (CW), Fringe (Fox), Supernatural (CW), Dateline (NBC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 10.29 million, ABC: 7.13, NBC: 3.43, Fox: 3.05, CW: 1.64
-Adults 18-49: ABC: 1.9 rating/6 share, CBS: 1.8/ 6, Fox: 1.2/ 4, NBC: 0.9/ 3, CW: 0.6/ 2

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Downton Abbey Analysis

Carina Chocano analyzes Downton Abbey in light of the current state of American life: "It’s not so much a portrait of an era as it is an advertisement for an imagined ideal of an enlightened aristocracy whose conservatism included a sense of responsibility, not disdain, toward those dependent on it. Which, at this particular political moment, makes it just about the weirdest thing on American TV." And James Fenton says the show has become a soap opera (which, of course, can only be a bad thing from the perspective of a New York Review of Books writer): "The Abbey has jumped the shark, and we are still left waiting to see how it all turns out. It’s not the end, but it is the beginning of the end, a reminder of how easy we are to fool."

Life & One Life to Live

Patrick Healy discusses what the soap opera One Life to Live meant to him.

Liz Lemon Stands Alone

Ali Goldstein explores why there haven't been more Liz Lemon-like characters in sitcoms.

Good TVeets

Nielsen? Run by the Dharma Initiative. Ratings process: archaic paper records are submitted by fake families & left on an uninhabited island
— Jo Garfein (@jopinionated) February 18, 2012

I think there is much much more to Ferb than we realize. One day we will learn what it is. And we will be horrified.
— John Moe (@johnmoe) February 18, 2012

When the aliens land I refuse to be the one to explain the culture of Celebrity Funeral Porn.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) February 18, 2012

Modern Family Cited

During discussion of legislation banning any mention of anything non-heterosexual in Tennessee schools, a committee chairman said he doesn't think Modern Family is appropriate for kids to watch because of its gay couple.

OWN Deficits

Discovery expects OWN funding to exceed revenue for at least two more years.

Local News Advocacy

A local news station in Tampa has shifted from reporting to advocacy in covering steep budgets cuts directed at the University of South Florida.

MSG-TWC Make Nice

MSG and Time Warner Cable have solved their differences. Jeremy Lin for everyone! Fuse is also back.

Ratings Oddity

Many are questioning Nielsen as to why ratings are so much lower this week. Ed at Spotted has some thoughts.

Friday Fun

If TV Channels Were Your Family

Thursday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), American Idol (Fox), Person of Interest (CBS), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Fading Fast: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC)
-Losers: Wipeout (ABC), 30 Rock (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC), Up All Night (NBC), The Secret Circle (CW)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 16.49 million, CBS: 13.35, ABC: 6.78, NBC: 3.09, CW: 2.31
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.0 rating/13 share, CBS: 3.3/ 9, ABC: 2.4/ 6, NBC: 1.4/ 4, CW: 1.0/ 3

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

New In Media Res

Theme: The Future of Soap Opera. The week is complete.

• Monday, February 13, 2012 - Christine Becker (University of Notre Dame) presents: How (Not) To End a Soap Opera 
•  Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - Elana Levine (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) presents: Can This Soap Be Saved? 
•  Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - Cassandra Belek (TV Industry Professional) presents: Love and AIDS in the Afternoon 
•  Thursday, February 16, 2012 - Sam Ford (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) presents: The Trouble with Context in Archiving Soaps’ Pivotal Moments 
•  Friday, February 17, 2012 - Aymar Jean Christian (University of Pennsylvania) presents: Soaps Online: The Revolution That Wasn’t?

New Flow Issue

Some great new posts from Flow:

• Television studies, new media, and the divided curriculum Graeme Turner / University of Queensland
• The Dialectic of The Weather Channel Doyle Greene / Independent Scholar
• The Blurring of Fame and Talent: Female Celebrity and the Glossy Gossip Sector Rebecca Feasey / Bath Spa University
• The Return of Rosie: OWN, Celebrity, and the Branding of Basic Cable Julia Himberg / University of Southern California
• David Lynch’s Secret Passages Akira Mizuta Lippit / University of Southern California

Web TV & Online Video

The WSJ looks at the arrival of major original web series and online outlets seeking advertisers for video programming, while Stuart Elliot covers a panel discussion about the future of video content.

Lin Pressure

NYC's City Council Speaker is using Jeremy Lin's success to try and pressure MSG and Time Warner Cable into settling their differences. David B. Wilkerson sees this dispute as the kind of thing that could push sports programming into premium tiers.

Profiting From Child Stardom

Richard Verrier investigates companies that exploit the lure of child stardom in Hollywood.

Spectrum Auction Coming

Katy Bachman says it looks like broadcasters are satisfied with the impending spectrum auction legislation, which was passed today by Congress. More on the auction deal, which Harry A. Jessell thinks could have been better.

One-Third OTT

John Eggerton reports on a study finding that about one-third of broadband households watch video on their TVs via the internet.

Public TV Threats

Multiple states are proposing to drastically cut and even end public broadcasting funding. More from Michael Grotticelli.

Hoffman on TV

Dustin Hoffman talks with Scott Timberg about coming to TV in Luck.

Good TVeets

Louis CK just shared screen time with Amy Poehler. If Bryan Cranston had shown up, my TV would have exploded. #trifecta
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) February 17, 2012

The forced laughter on The Talk reminds me of the North Koreans mourning Kim Jong-il video.
— David Higgins (@DAnthonyHiggins) February 16, 2012

Oh, & my feelings re: tonight's #TVD? Goes like this: "Bored, Oh!Hot. Love her dress. Bored. Love him. Ha! Bored. Oh! No! Crap. EE 4Ever"
— Karen Petruska (@greeney28) February 17, 2012 

It appears that Storify has deleted all the tweets I stored in the post, and I already unfavorited them, so unless some miraculous recovery happens, the three above are all I'm left with for today. Sorry.

DirecTV Growth

DirecTV subscribers are up, and Daniel Frankel says that's partly thanks to Latin America.

3D Olympics

Parts of the BBC's Olympics coverage will be available in 3D.

Feminism in Studies

Elana Levine argues that it's essential to incorporate feminist approaches within media studies and TV studies.

Buchanan Out

It's now official that Pat Buchanan's out at MSNBC. Buchanan is blaming liberal activists.

SAG Lawsuit

Jonathan Handel says a lawsuit could delay the SAG-AFTRA merger, and the merger has drawn protesters.

Fall Voice

Sharon Waxman reports that The Voice will have a fall version, with the same group of judges it has now.

Internet Impact

Eric Spiegelman lists four ways the internet has changed our understanding of TV.

Aereo is Doomed

Dan Rayburn gives Aereo zero chance of succeeding.

Writing All My Children

Joanna Cohen describes her experience as a soap opera writer, including the writing the (sort of non-)finale of All My Children.

Madness OTT

Joe Flint reports on Turner offering all the March Madness games online for a price: "The move by Turner is aimed at consumers who do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV and those who do subscribe but whose distributors have not yet put in place a system to allow customers to watch cable content online."

Modern Family Ratings

TVBTN presents a geographic chart of Modern Family ratings.

Hulu Plus on Wii

Wii owners can now play Hulu Plus.

Set-Top Data

Jonh Consoli interviews the CEO of a TV ad measuring company about the superiority of set-top box data over traditional Nielsen data for determining ratings.

Wednesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: American Idol (Fox), Survivor: One World (CBS), Modern Family (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI (CBS)
-Honorable Mention: The Middle (ABC), Revenge (ABC)
-Losers: One Tree Hill (CS), Happy Endings (ABC), Remodeled (CW)
-Total Viewers: Fox: 18.63 million, CBS: 11.22, ABC: 7.86, NBC: 4.29, CW: 997,000
-Adults 18-49: Fox: 6.0 rating/16 share, CBS: 2.9/ 8, ABC: 2.8/ 7, NBC: 1.3/ 3, CW: 0.5/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.

Colbert Mystery

Taping of The Colbert Report has been suspended for the rest of the week, with word of a family emergency, but apparently the break won't be long.

Representations of Dwarves

Jace Lacob addresses the representation of dwarves in Game of Thrones and Life's Too Short.

Downton & Social Media

Natan Edelsburg says social media has helped to turn Downton Abbey into a hit for PBS.

TV Ad Effectiveness

An advertising association report says many national advertisers are putting more money into TV ads because of belief in their effectiveness.

NBC Leads Sweeps

The Super Bowl and The Voice have boosted NBC to a sweeps lead.

UST on CBS

Evan Shapiro argues that unresolved sexual tension is key to the success of CBS's crime procedurals.

Bilingual Multiplatform Show

TVNewsCheck reports: "NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and iVillage on Wednesday announced they have joined forces to form a multiplatform destination, iVillage Mujer de Hoy, designed to reach the 16 million Latinas in the rapidly growing Hispanic digital marketplace. This new bilingual offering will live online at both properties and will be highlighted on Telemundo’s morning show, Levantate."

AMC Sale

Peter Lauria says now is the perfect time for AMC Networks to go up for sale.

Saturday Reality

Fox will air an English-language version of Jennifer Lopez's Univision talent reality show Q'Viva on Saturdays starting in March, which will be a big change from the usual Fox Saturday night.

Auction Included

The spectrum auction is part of the new payroll bill, which will be voted on soon.

Nominees on Hold

Sen. Chuck Grassley continues to block the appointment of two new FCC commissioners.

Good TVeets

Everytime James Wolk smiles, a puppy is born. Fact. #HappyEndings
— System815 (@System815) February 16, 2012

Shoot. Just realized that when ABC told me the ratings, I misheard.I thought they said, "Cougar Town returns to all time ratings, bro."
— kevinbiegel (@kbiegel) February 16, 2012

I assume that, by the time it makes it to air, NBC's Hannibal Lecter series will be renamed "Law & Order: Delicious Victims Unit".
— Tim Carvell (@timcarvell) February 15, 2012

Hulu Measurement

Tom Cheredar says Nielsen should take a lesson from Hulu's plan for measuring the success of its original programs like Battleground.

Super Bowl Rates

Les Moonves is eyeing a $4 million price tag for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial.

Reality Salaries

Lacey Rose and Shirley Halperin explain how reality TV judge salaries have begun to soar.

PBS is Cool

Jace Lacob and Maria Elena Fernandez explain how Downton Abbey helped PBS become cool.

CBS Originals for Netflix

Les Moones says CBS might make an original production for Netflix. Andrew Wallenstein sees this as a bad idea.

King Really Leaves CNN

Apparently Larry King still had a deal in place with CNN to do specials. But not anymore.

Showrunner Responsibilities

A screenwriting blog got some info from Carlton Cuse about showrunner tasks and responsibilities.

Second Netflix Series

With Lilyhammer already out, Netflix is now producing a 13-episode comedy with Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, which Netflix sees as competition for HBO.

Viewing Record

A pair of Simpsons fans watched the show for over 86 hours straight to set a continuous viewing record.

Retrans Fees Up

Money taken in from retrans fees has risen significantly over the last few years and is poised to continue heading that direction. Joe Flint has more numbers.

Cable Model

John Consoli says broadcast networks are considering shifting to cable models of development and scheduling.

Low Losses for Comcast

Defying cord cutting projections, Comcast had its lowest cable subscriber loss volume in five years last quarter.

FNL Movie

There apparently might really be a Friday Night Lights movie.

Children's Renaissance

Emily Nussbaum praises the current state of children's TV, insisting that there is "a quiet renaissance among children’s shows, many of them innovative in ways that parallel the simultaneous rise of great scripted television for adults."

Pilot Casting

Gavin Polone digs into the problems of pilot season casting.

Tuesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Winners: NCIS (CBS), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Fading Fast: The Biggest Loser (NBC), Glee (Fox)
-Losers: Cougar Town (ABC), The River (ABC). Raising Hope (Fox), Ringer (CW), Parenthood (NBC)
-Total Viewers: CBS: 15.49 million, Fox: 6.25, ABC: 5.79, NBC: 5.36, CW: 909,000
-Adults 18-49: CBS: 3.1 rating/9 share, Fox: 2.7/ 7, NBC: 1.9/ 5, ABC: 1.6/ 4, CW: 0.3/ 1

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.