Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Media Pessimism
Daniel Gross calls out media pessimism for the impression that Today and CNN are struggling when they're making plenty of money.
"Live" Streams
NBC's online Olympics streams aren't precisely live, and, as you would only expect at this point, NBC has spoiled its own live streams.
Harmon Signs With CBS
After already signing a deal with Fox, Dan Harmon has also signed a deal with CBS to write a multi-cam script.
VPN Access
Ingrid Lunden highlights the use of VPN service providers to access BBC coverage of the Olympics from the US.
Defending NBC
Les Moonves says if CBS had the Olympics, he'd impose tape-delay too. And Jaime Weinman says NBC has not failed. Megan Garber also defends NBC, while James Poniewozik judges the livestreaming. Jason Mittell says we shouldn't think of what NBC is doing in prime time as sportscasting. Will Leitch says NBC is right to ignore the Twitter complainers. Andrew Wallenstein says the high ratings show the complainers are a small minority. Simon Dumenco says NBC is not a charity. NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus backs his network's approach, though NBC has apologized for the Today show promo spoiler.
Move TV to the Internet
Britain's House of Lords communications committee has recommended moving British TV channels onto the internet, leaving its former spectrum space for mobile use.
Twitter Controversy
Controversy is building over Twitter's decision to drop the account of a journalist who heavily criticized NBC, a move that was reportedly initiated by Twitter, not NBC. Jeff Jarvis sees this as a business ethics issue. The journalist, Guy Adams, says he's still awaiting an explanation from Twitter. Update: Adams is back on Twitter, as NBC lifted its complaint and Twitter's blog explains the situation. Kashmir Hill says NBC is the loser here. James Poniewozik reacts.
Schiller Interview
Neiman Journalism Lab talks with former NPR CEO and current NBC News chief digital strategist Vivian Schiller about NBC's digital efforts.
Tropes Toppled
Heather Havrilesky highlights three TV tropes (the hapless dad, the friend, the wise old professional) and praises the shows that overturned them (Louie, Girls, Mad Men).
YouTube Olympics
Robinson Meyer explains why some countries in Asia and Africa have the opportunity watch the Olympics live on YouTube.
ABC & NBC Ignore Bank Scandal
Media Matters calls out ABC and NBC evening news for not reporting on the LIBOR bank scandal for a single minute in the last month.
Pay TV is Fine
An analysts's memo insists that the pay TV model will continue to get along for at least the next twelve years.
WB in LA
Richard Verrier outlines Warner Bros' production activities in LA: "Warner Bros. has privately been tracking its costs for more than a decade, initially as an effort to educate film-wary communities about the economic benefits of film and TV productions. But this marks the first time the studio has publicly released such detailed information, providing a rare glimpse into the business operations of a major Hollywood studio."
Good TVeets
ME WATCHING OLYMPIC EVENT: “Holy shit that was amazing!”COMMENTATOR: “Ooh, that was not good at all. He must really be upset with himself.”
— rob delaney (@robdelaney) July 31, 2012
Quick, NBC is going to commercial. No one watch in case they spoil results. Or show a promo for "Guys With Kids."#Olympics
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) July 31, 2012
I think the reason NBC keeps spoiling the events is they're not used to broadcasting things that people actually want to see.#NBCFail
— Andy Borowitz (@BorowitzReport) July 31, 2012
I feel bad for other countries because their olympians have no compelling stories worth hearing about.#NBC
— Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Crowdsourcing Captioning
Janko Roettgers reports on how Netflix is apparently looking for a few good volunteers to help them with closed-captioning.
Poorly Timed Promo
NBC deserves credit for spoiling their own tape-delay strategy in ways we didn't even foresee: a Today show promo aired prior to a race tonight spoiled the winner.
The CW at TCA
Todd VanDerWerff covers The CW's presentations at TCA. Wayne Friedman covers The CW's branding shift.
Palin News
Ellen Gray discusses the reality TV careers of the Sarah Palin family, while CNN is under fire for an insulting music choice to introduce a Palin segment.
News Viewer Differences
A new poll showcases how Fox News and MSNBC viewers judge issues differently.
Favoring Distributors or Owners
Yinka Adegoke and Liana B. Baker sense that public sentiment is starting to lean toward pay TV operators in carriage disputes. Update: New analyst data shows content owners have more leverage.
More NBC Issues
Deadspin reports that the eulogy montage that NBC cut from their broadcast of the Opening Ceremony because they were tailoring it to a US audience in fact contained images of two US servicemen. Also, a heavy critic of NBC on Twitter has had his account suspended for tweeting out an NBC exec's corporate email address.
Who Owns What
Jessica Plautz presents an infographic about media conglomerate ownership of TV. A Twitter reader points out that News Corp/Fox is missing from this.
Media Industry Seminars
Cynthia Meyers describes her experience at a Time Warner seminar, where TV Everywhere was a primary topic, and touts the value of such media industry education programs for academics.
Breaking Bad's Visual Landscape
Alyssa Rosenberg delves into how Breaking Bad "became the most sumptuous series on television."
Olympics Boost for Today
Brian Stelter looks at how the Olympics should help Today in its morning show ratings battle.
New In Media Res
Theme: Summer Olympics
- Monday, July 30, 2012 - Noah Tsika (Colgate University) presents: Queering the Olympic Charter: Media Representations of Gay and Lesbian Athletes in West Africa and the Diaspora
- Tuesday, July 31, 2012 - Evelyn Bottando (Indiana University Northwest) presents: Kickstarting the Olympics
- Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - Pellom McDaniels III (Emory University) presents: The Year All Hell Broke Loose: The 1968 Olympic Games and the Politics of Performance
- Thursday, August 2, 2012 - Scott F. Parker (University of Minnesota) presents: To Give Anything Less
- Friday, August 3, 2012 - Charlene Weaving (St. Francis Xavier University) presents: Ensuring Olympic ‘Sex Appeal’ Through Uniforms
New This Was TV Content
The TV history-focused website This Was TV has some great new content coming up.
Shooting the Bond Bit
The BBC's director of drama production describes how they shot the James Bond segment in the Opening Ceremony. Also, Anthony Lane highlights the movie references in the Ceremony.
Olympics Tweeting
As Twitter tracks the real-time pulse of the games, NBC's critics grow, especially over the tape-delay issue, and Twitter's head of TV takes notes. Jay Yarow insists NBC's coverage has been perfect.
Good TVeets
After a whole day of watching gorgeous 20ish superhuman athletes, seeing Bob Costas & Mary Carillo in HD is like staring at death itself
— Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) July 30, 2012
Breaking Bad was GREAT but would be BETTER if they cut away in the middle to have Seacrest tell us what people were tweeting.
— Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) July 30, 2012
In season three of Newsroom, Will & McKenzie will be hired to produce Summer Olympics, and they will do a much better job.
— Conor Yunits (@conoryunits) July 29, 2012
Recording tonight's #Olympics coverage. My Tivo: "This is a live event, would you like to add 1 hour?" My Tivo is a comedian.
— Carrie Raisler (@TVandDinners) July 29, 2012
Warning: Some Breaking Bad spoilers (tweets about the show are the last chunk)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Shooting Breaking Bad
Kodak has an interview with Michael Slovis, a cinematographer on Breaking Bad: Part 1, Part 2. You can also find ASC podcasts with Slovis here and here.
New Flow Issue
Check out new pieces from Flow: Gerald R. Butters, Jr, with Queering Hip Hop: Frank Ocean and Homophobia, Irina D> Mihalache with The chef who played too much: Performing masculinities in The Galloping Gourmet, Laura Portwood-Stacer with How We Talk About Media Refusal, Part 1: “Addiction”, Blackhawk Hancock with "Ask Your Doctor", and Keara Goin, Act Your Race, Not Your Age: Performativity and the Many Faces of Comic-Con Cosplay
Olympics Info
NBC's Olympics ratings are great so far, but Jeff Jarvis still sees NBC as failing. Terri Thornton looks at the social media infrastructure in place around the Olympics, and British tweeters apparently overloaded data networks during cycling coverage, affecting the production. One study finds that men get more Olympics coverage than women, and another finds that women's coverage is heavy on sports showing them scantily clad.
CBS at TCA
Alan Sepinwall has the schedule of events for CBS today. Daniel Fienberg has a live-blog of Nina Tassler's session. And Sepinwall covers the Elementary session. Lacey Rose has coverage of the CBS party.
Good TVeets
YES. OK. The opening ceremonies WERE weird. And that's why you, Internet, of all people, should LIKE them.
— hodgman (@hodgman) July 28, 2012
Pretty sure the #Olympics are just another excuse to make "NBC sucks" jokes. Not that I'm complaining...
— Evan Kirby (@evankirby) July 28, 2012
The 2020 Games were hugely profitable for NBC, after Congress passed a law confining Americans to empty, soundproof boxes until 8 pm.
— Philip Bump (@pbump) July 28, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
NBC's Problems Continue
NBC reportedly had streaming problems during the big Lochte-Phelps showdown today, which it didn't air live on TV so as to save it for prime time. Offering equal time for criticism, I should note that the BBC also came under fire for its cycling coverage today.
The Kiss Seen Around the World
June Thomas has more on the lesbian kiss from Brookside that aired in a montage within the Olympics Ceremony (and that also aired on NBC, contrary to many Twitter reports).
Sutter at TCA
THR covers Kurt Sutter's comments on Sons of Anarchy at TCA. Alan Sepinwall has a live-blog.
Landgraf at TCA
Daniel Fienberg live-blogged during FX president John Landgraf's TCA session, which included news of a fourth season renewal for Louie and Martin Sheen coming to Anger Management, plus annoyance that Netflix doesn't release precise viewing figures of shows like Lilyhammer.
Opening Ceremony Reviews
Check out critics' reactions from Matt Zoller Seitz, James Poniewozik, Robert Bianco, Sarah Lyall, and Bryan Bishop. The British perspective from the Telegraph and the Guardian, plus international reaction. Kevin Gosztola says smug American elitism was on display in NBC's broadcast, and Twitter captured a lot of viewer dissatisfaction. Twitter's UK blog covers the volume of tweets. Jim Stogdill is also not happy with NBC.
Talking About Rape Jokes
Amanda Ann Klein addresses Daniel Tosh's rape jokes and Louis CK's response.
Dish v. AMC Continues
Daniel Frankel checks in on the Dish-AMC dispute with nearly a month having passed since its start.
Opening Ceremony TVeets
This is insanely long, so I don't know if anyone but a PhD candidate writing a diss on transnational reception of TV spectacles will want to read it, but it offers you a chronological account of Opening Ceremony reception. After some preliminary tweets, it goes from British reactions to US East Coast reactions to West Coast, with some overlap here and there. If you get through all of these, you deserve a Gold Medal.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Hearing About Aurora
Michael Malone reports on stats indicating that a majority of Americans heard about the Aurora shootings from a non-TV source, though many subsequently turned to TV for more info.
NBC Delay
Despite NBC's digital commitment during this Olympic Games, it chose to not give the US the Opening Ceremony via a live stream. British response to the Ceremony seems very positive.
AMC Ends The Killing
We know now who killed Rosie Larsen, but we will know no more from The Killing.
BBC & Olympics
Like NBC, the BBC is using the Olympics to market upcoming programming. And IOC restrictions mean that rival channels can air only six minutes of Olympics footage per day.
Tax Incentives Losing
John Vanderhoef discusses the controversy following a report claiming that California's tax incentives for film and TV production put the state on the losing end.
Future of TV
Lost Remote presents an analyst's slideshow of 10 things you need to know about the future of TV.
All in the Family Episodes
Robert David Sullivan highlights ten episodes of All in the Family that help to define how the show changed television.
CNN Resignation
CNN Worldwide's president is stepping down due to CNN's struggles. Brian Stelter reports.
2008 Olympics Ratings
Spotted charted the ratings for the 2008 Olympics and found about a 10.0 18-49 average, with declines in week two.
India's TV Conscience
Vikas Bajaj profiles Aamir Kahn, who has turned from Bollywood star to host of a TV show that digs into India's social problems.
Olympics Tech
Janko Roettgers checks out how NBC and YouTube streaming of the Olympics will work, and Carolyn Giardina discusses how the new experimental Super Hi-Vision technology will be tested in London.
BAFTA Splits Writers' Award
The BAFTA award for TV writing will now be split between comedy and drama.
Olympics Tweets
NBC and Twitter are throwing a spotlight on tweeting during the Games with a dedicated Olympics Twitter page.
Britishness & Opening Ceremony
Anthony Bleach considers how the Olympics Opening Ceremony might present Britishness, or more specifically Englishness, to the world.
Development Scaled Back
Nellie Andreeva says ABC and NBC are cutting back on development and Fox will be more targeted.
Good TVeets
This Twitter outage must be Kripke proving the science in #Revolution is sound. We get it. Message received.
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) July 26, 2012
My goal for the season is to get one of my tweets on the Big Brother live show. I'm gonna have to start being a lot more dumb.
— Carrie Raisler (@TVandDinners) July 27, 2012
UPDATE: Security at the London Olympics will be provided by The Knights Who Say Ni.
— Disalmanac (@Disalmanac) July 26, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
C3 Value
Brain Steinberg highlights shows that have gained in household commercials ratings over last year without garnering comparable buzz.
Reality Lawsuits
CBS was handed a setback in its Glass House lawsuit, while ABC has claimed a First Amendment defense regarding The Bachelor casting.
Easy Authentication
Will Richmond appreciates how Comcast has streamlined the authentication process for logging on to NBC's Olympics content.
Late Night Stand-up Demos
Sean L. McCarthy details the demographics of stand-up comics on late night talk TV for the first half of 2012: "48 stand-up performances; 37 white men, nine men who aren't white, and two women."
Scalia Against Court TV
Antonin Scalia thinks having TV cameras in the Supreme Court would end up misrepresenting what the justices do.
FNL Roundtable
TV Club critics tackle Friday Night Lights' "I Think We Should Have Sex" in its latest roundtable on adolescence-themed TV.
ABC News at TCA
James Poniewozik describes ABC News' presentation at TCA, which mainly consisted of apologizing for misreporting information about the Colorado shooter.
Google Fiber TV
Google has launched a new TV service in Kansas City via fiber broadband. It's missing some prominent channels, though. Stacey Higginbotham lays out details. Peter Kafka doesn't see it as a game-changer.
Scripting the Olympics
I wrote a post over at Antenna about how the scripted BBC shows Twenty Twelve and EastEnders have benefited from the real Olympic Games.
Now TV Efforts
Robert Andrews covers BSkyB's over-the-top service Now TV and considers if it might cannibalize Sky's subscription service.
YouView Available
YouView is now available in the UK, but Nayeem Syed sees seven reasons why the internet TV service will struggle.
Online TV at TCA
James Poniewozik covers the web series presentations at TCA, including two YouTube projects.
Good TVeets
What a sorry year for chicken franchises. Chick-fil-A supporting anti-gay causes and Los Pollos Hermanos distributing meth.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) July 25, 2012
"We have scale and we have reach and we can drive people into this immersive world" --TCA answer or supervillain threat?
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) July 25, 2012
The TMZ TV show would be better if Harvey & all the other gossipy guys were sitting under old fashion hair dryers while they dish the dirt
— Greg Garcia (@WhoisGregGarcia) July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
White Collar & Class
Myles McNutt takes a look at White Collar through the lens of class and finds it problematic.
New Deal for Harmon?
Michael Schnieder reports that Dan Harmon is close to deal to write a multi-cam sitcom pilot for Fox.
Gendering the Remote
Max Dawson looks at how the remote control came to be associated with men and masculinity.
Small Operators' Challenge
Mark Robichaux covers a panel discussion among small cable operators about dealing with big carriage rate increases, with some wondering if Aereo could play a future role.
Political Animals & Good Wife
The Oncoming Hope compares narrative construction on Political Animals and The Good Wife.
Diversity Question
Maureen Ryan addresses the answers Fox's Kevin Reilly gave about diversity at his network at TCA.
Enabling Sheen
Maria Elana Fernandez explores how the TV industry and corporate America have helped Charlie Sheen to keep his career going despite his transgressions. Update: Alyssa Rosenberg reacts to this.
Stewart & Colbert Renew
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are signed to stay at Comedy Central until 2014.
Kids' Serial Animation
At This Was TV, Noel Kirkpatrick looks back on classic serialized animation for kids.
MundoFox Coming
The new Spanish-language network MundoFox launches on August 1 and will target 18-34s.
Retrans Arguments
The American Cable Association wants the 1992 Cable Act overhauled to fix retrans problems. CBS sees severe consequences if that happens, ABC affiliates see more sports migrating to cable, and the NAB says retrans is crucial to station value. TWC says it wants the free market to decide. Above all, a regulatory battle lies ahead. Free Press wants consumers valued most. Katy Bachman highlights the politics involved. Senators are deeply divided on this, with some saying TV is deeply broken and needs fixing.
Gugino Interview
Willa Paskin talks with Political Animals' Carla Gugino about the show and how TV presents strong women.
NBC at TCA
James Poniewozik summarizes NBC's executive session at TCA: "This morning at the Beverly Hilton, NBC entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt spoke to introduce the network’s new fall schedule, with a message: NBC can no longer afford pride. Those sophisticated, risk-taking, grown-up comedies? Love ‘em! Not going to do ‘em so much anymore!" Andrew Wallenstein and Maureen Ryan also have coverage. Ken Tucker takes issue with how NBC described its comedy strategy, and Alan Sepinwall covers the comedy issue too. Lacey Rose covers the NBC party. Tim Goodman says broad doesn't have to mean dumb.
Good TVeets
NBC's press tour this year feels like that year you went to the local Holiday Inn for vacation because your dad lost his job. #tcas12
— Todd VanDerWerff (@tvoti) July 24, 2012
#NBC prez thanks reporters for their patience and positivity over the last year. It's official: he does not follow me on Twitter. #TCAs12
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) July 24, 2012
I can't yet judge CHICAGO FIRE, but good or bad it looks like the most exciting new show of 1994. #tcas12
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) July 24, 2012
I'm fascinated by the tweets from TCA, which sound like they're coming from inside Showtime's Episodes.
— emilynussbaum (@emilynussbaum) July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
FCC Affirms Ruling
The FCC has voted to uphold its ruling in favor of Tennis Channel and against Comcast in regard to channel placement. The NCTA is not happy.
RIP Sherman Hemsley
Eric Deggans remembers actor Sherman Hemsley and his achievements. James Poniewozik also reflects.
NBC Premieres Online
NBC will offer the premiere episodes of its new fall shows online and via video-on-demand through pay TV providers before their TV airings.
Netflix Numbers
Peter Kafka analyzes Netflix's second quarter results and CEO Reed Hasting's comments. Daniel Frankel also reports, as does Will Richmond. Robert Andrews reports that Netflix has become a big threat to Amazon's Lovefilm.
Modern Family Problems
The cast members of Modern Family are angling for more money. The dispute has cancelled a planned table read.
Time Warner Seeks Academic Help
Time Warner is looking for a university to step up and sponsor a research project on media usage.
Live Glitches
Yesterday's streaming of the Aurora shooter's court appearance on live TV was filled with technical glitches; Brandon Rittiman explains why the technology used didn't work.
Online Previews Help
Daisy Whitney reports on studies finding that watching previews online helps drive viewers to watch on TV.
App Voting Problems
Robert Andrews discusses problems British networks have had with reality TV voting apps.
PBS Convention Coverage
PBS's Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff are set to become the first female team to anchor a network's political convention coverage.
Carey Signs
Mariah Carey has signed a deal to join American Idol. Wayne Friedman says a falling Idol represents danger for Fox.
NBC Marketing Comedy
NBC, which has its day in the TCA sun today, is launching a marketing effort around its comedies with the slogan "We peacock comedy." (The peacock logo looks a bit like a heart, you see.)
Fox at TCA
THR has details of Fox's panels on Fringe and other shows. Alan Sepinwall also has a summary. Ryan McGee has a report from afar. Tim Goodman says Fox's comedies are promising. James Poniewozik covers the Fringe panel.
Good TVeets
People who are frustrated by me talking about race and gender on TV: do you know how much I'd love for this to be ACTUALLY SOLVED?
— Alyssa Rosenberg (@AlyssaRosenberg) July 24, 2012
I keep watching NEWSROOM hoping it will get better, but I feel like it's the TV equivalent of the Chicago Cubs. #potentialbutnodelivery
— Meredith Hindley (@CapitolClio) July 24, 2012
Life has now become waiting for the next episode of Breaking Bad.
— marc maron (@marcmaron) July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Canada Unbundled
A Canadian regulatory body ruled that consumers should be able to subscribe to only the pay TV channels they want, rather than bundled packages.
HBO Misrepresents Review
HBO has cherry-picked positive quotes from negative reviews in marketing The Newsroom.
Banks Interview
Rolling Stone talks with this season's standout star of Breaking Bad, Jonathan Banks. (Spoilers from last night's episode in there)
Web Meter
The UK's TV ratings body BARB is planning to roll out a web-TV meter to enhance ratings measurement.
Tribune Breakup
Lynne Marek reports on the possibility of the Tribune Company breaking up in the wake of its bankruptcy exit next year.
Console-ing Passions Report
Karen Petruska fills us in on what we missed at this weekend's stellar Console-ing Passions conference.
CBS Success Predicted
Brian Steinberg presents ad buyer survey findings that CBS's new shows are expected to lead the pack this fall, while Idol is predicted to fall more.
Tired Serial Characters
TV Club critics highlight 28 serial drama characters who outlived their use-value.
The Cliffhanger
Emily Nussbaum traces out the history and power of the cliffhanger. Mollie Wilson O'Reilly has a response.
PBS at TCA
Linda Holmes covered PBS's presentations at TCA, and Tim Goodman and the LA Times discuss how PBS is trying to capitalize on Downton Abbey's success.
Good TVeets
Critics w/out screeners for tonight's "Newroom" should just review it in two years for proper perspective.
— Daniel Fienberg (@HitFixDaniel) July 22, 2012
I could easily remove everyone from my life who isn't caught up on Breaking Bad.
— Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) July 23, 2012
Watching real love on shows like The Bachelor makes me realize my own marriage is a fake bucket of shit.
— rob delaney (@robdelaney) July 23, 2012
Warning: Spoilers for shows last night that start with B
Sunday, July 22, 2012
BBC Worldwide Revamp?
The incoming new head of the BBC is reportedly considering a revamp of BBC Worldwide.
More Sports
Steve Zeitchik notes that we're receiving access to more sports on more platforms but questions the payoff.
ESPN's Everywhere How-To
Peter Kafka introduces us to a video made by ESPN to explain their TV Everywhere app.
Streaming the Olympics
Richard Sandomir describes how those who register can access every single minute of live Olympics events online via nbcolympics.com.
Good TVeets
Aaaand the #TCAs2012 onslaught begins. Hope you're prepared, Twitter.
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) July 21, 2012
Paula Kerger cites 58 Emmy nominations as a reason for continued federal funding of PBS. If Downton wins, the GOP will finally be convinced!
— Todd VanDerWerff (@tvoti) July 21, 2012
If all people making television approached their job with as much joy, enthusiasm, and investment as #DowntonAbbey, TV would be more fun.
— Alyssa Rosenberg (@AlyssaRosenberg) July 22, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Downton Abbey TCA Panel
The cast and crew of Downton Abbey just offered a highly entertaining hour at TCA. Daniel Fienberg has a live-blog of it.
TCA Starts Now
The Television Critics Association tour commences today; Rob Salem has a good description of how it goes.
Murdoch Exits Boards
Rupert Murdoch is reportedly stepping down from a number of News Corporation's newspaper boards.
Stars Book Discussion
Self-promotional post: Over at the new TV history website This Was TV, they're starting a discussion of a book I wrote on Hollywood film stars on 1950s TV, and the discussion also expands into some interesting thoughts on today's stars crossing over to TV and to web series.
Now TV Launches
In Britain, Sky has launched Now TV, a movie streaming service that doesn't require a Sky subscription to access and that aims to take on Netflix and LoveFilm. Will Richmond's most recent podcast considers the lessons for the US market.
News in Ads
Journalists are growing dismayed at the use of news report clips in political campaign ads.
Multiplatform Quality
James Bennett extends questions of what constitutes quality TV to online platforms for shows.
Coverage Assessed
Ben Grossman assesses how the news channels covered the Colorado theater shooting in the morning hours. All the networks have now sent anchors out to Colorado, while Denver stations continue to cover the tragedy.
Anger Management Up
Anger Management's ratings went up rather than down for its fourth episode, boosting its renewal chances.
New Normal Objections
One Million Moms wants a boycott of Ryan Murphy's fall show The New Normal. Mary Elizabeth Williams has had her fill of One Million Moms.
DirecTV-Viacom Analysis
Peter Kafka outlines the deal. Daniel Frankel discusses how DirecTV won its showdown with Viacom, though others say both won. Andrew Wallenstein presents more analysis.
Preserving Retrans
John Eggerton describes the case NBC and CBS affilates are making for the Senate Commerce Committee to help keep retrans and must-carry rules in place.
West Wing for the Summer
Peter Kakfa discusses the concept of exclusive rights to digital distribution via Amazon's West Wing summer deal.
Good TVeets
If @PBS doesn't rehire Fred Willard, we should all stop pretending we watch @PBS.
— Mike Scully (@scullymike) July 21, 2012
"It's important that we don't overreact," said the cable news woman whose channel has reported on the tragedy nonstop for 8 hours
— Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) July 20, 2012
The #BB14 crew is talking about #Girls which probably means the universe is folding in on itself.
— Carrie Raisler (@TVandDinners) July 21, 2012
Warning: Big Brother spoilers at the end
Friday, July 20, 2012
Fan Activism
Henry Jenkins and Sangita Shreshtova introduce an issue of Transformative Works and Cultures on fan activism.
Kickstarter & Public Broadcasting
Janko Roettgers looks at how Kickstarter could affect public radio, not necessarily in a good way.
BBC Buildings
Owen Hatherly says one can trace the evolution of the BBC through the buildings it's been housed in, and it will soon exit the legendary Television Centre.
Multi-Screen USA
A USA digital exec discusses how the channel is trying to feed the multi-screen experience.
Deals Reached
DirecTV and Viacom have come to an agreement, and so have Hearst and Time Warner Cable.
Good TVeets
#Emmy nomination day! Or as we call it, Thursday.
— CW Network (@CW_network) July 19, 2012
The most tragic thing about the Fred Willard incident is the continuing trendtowards digital projection and the abandonment of 35mm film.
— Pat Healy (@Pat_Healy) July 20, 2012
You know you're funny when the entire comedy community fully supports you're right to masturbate wherever you want.
— Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Multicasting Making Money
Kevin Downey reports on research into earnings by digital multicasting channels.
Mobile Users Want Live TV
A report from mobile DTV providers says users would watch more TV if they could access it live on their phones.
BBC News Criticized
The BBC relies too much on men as experts, critics charge. US outlets garnered similar criticisms earlier this year.
Reality TV's Manipulations
Gavin Palone covers how reality TV is manipulated but also wonders how much people care.
Fight Over Epix
DirecTV says the sticking point with Viacom is a movie channel called Epix. Update: Viacom calls this fiction.
Emmy Noms
The Emmy nominations are out. Alan Sepinwall has analysis, as does Todd VanDerWerff, Willa Paskin, Myles McNutt and more Myles McNutt, Jaime Weinman, Jace Lacob, Ken Levine, Alyssa Rosenberg, Ken Tucker, Tim Goodman, Mike Hale, Josef Adalian, Emily Yoshida. Philiana Ng highlights snubs. The British apparently find the Downton Abbey love funny. The NYT has reaction interviews with Louis CK, Matthew Weiner, and a bunch of other nominees.
TV News Staffing Report
Radio Television Digital News Association has released in 2012 report on TV and radio news staffing: Part I and Part II. The latter part finds a record amount of news on local TV.
Gas Station TV
Did you know there's a channel that plays at gas stations? It's fittingly called Gas Station TV. Karl Greenberg reports that GSTV is now upping its game.
DVR's Fall Impact
Diega Vasquez talks with analyst Brad Adgate about the role time-shifting and social media will play in the fall season.
Hispanic Market Value
Jeff Bercovici says media companies are eyeing the Hispanic community as the next big market target. Media Life reports that Hispanic channels are growing in market share.
Sneaky Ads
June Thomas thinks viewers are watching more TV ads lately because advertisers are getting craftier in creating and placing them.
Zimmerman Analysis
Eric Deggans analyzes George Zimmerman's interview on Sean Hannity's Fox News show.
Good TVeets
Happy Bitchin' 'Bout The Emmys morning!
— Zack Handlen (@zhandlen) July 19, 2012
My guess is that everyone in the network drama departments is kind of wishing the CableACE awards were still a thing.
— Andy Greenwald (@andygreenwald) July 19, 2012
I haven't seen any "[Show X] now has more #Emmys noms than #TheWire" messages yet. You disappoint me, Twitter
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) July 19, 2012
What a lack of diversity in the #Emmy nominations. It's practically White People in Shows About White People: The Awards Edition.
— J. Chlebus (@J_Chlebus) July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
DirecTV-Viacom Closer...Or Not
Bloomberg reports that DirecTV thinks it's getting closer to a deal with Viacom. Update: Viacom disputes this.
Fragmenting Distribution
Ellen Gray highlights the challenge of seeing all the acclaimed shows you'd like to, given the fragmented distribution of original programming today, from Damages on DirecTV to Lilyhammer on Netflix.
Hulu Getting Thick
Hulu will co-produce the fourth series of the BBC's The Thick of It, streaming it at the same time it airs in Britain.
Depicting Sexual Assault
Alyssa Rosenberg praises The Shield and Sons of Anarchy for their portrayals of sexual assault.
Three's Company Suit
A play that purports to deconstruct the 1970s sitcom Three's Company is being sued by the show's copyright owner, with its status as parody in question.
Breaking Bad Analysis
Michelle Kuo and Albert Wu analyze Breaking Bad and its social and moral critique.
Call the Midwife on PBS
Glenda Cooper questions if American audiences who embraced Downton Abbey on PBS will appreciate the grittier Call the Midwife.
TWC Sued
Time Warner Cable is being sued by Nexstar over alleged retrans violations. Eriq Gardner describes, "According to the complaint, TWC has been taking NBC signals in Indiana and Pennsylvania and a CBS signal in Rochester, New York -- all owned by Nextar -- and retransmitting them to markets including Cincinnati, Louisville, Orlando, Winston-Salem and Burlington-Plattsburgh -- places where TWC's agreement with Hearst and Bright House have expired." Hearst is also complaining about TWC's retrans tactics.
BBC Awarded More Olympics
The BBC will continue to be the broadcast home for the Olympics in Britain through at least 2020.
Racial Integration Appeal
Tanner Colby appeals to HBO to produce a show about racial integration in the 1970s.
Good TVeets
I'm going to give Romney the benefit of the doubt and assume his past tax returns are chock full o' #BreakingBad spoilers.
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) July 17, 2012
I know fracking is a serious issue, but they're just going to have to call it something else if they want #BSG fans not to laugh.
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) July 18, 2012
Thought: Gays should be able to marry, raise children, etc, however Ryan Murphy should not be able to make TV shows. #pilots2012
— Libby Hill (@midwestspitfire) July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Viacom Ratings Hit
Sam Thielman highlights the ratings impact on Nickeldeon thanks to the DirecTV dispute.
Mobile Viewers
A Pew study analyzes how TV viewers use their mobile phones. Kit Eaton adds thoughts.
Colbert-Stewart Critique
Steve Almond finds Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert lacking in true impact: "What Stewart and Colbert do most nights is convert civic villainy into disposable laughs. ...Wit, exaggeration, and gentle mockery trump ridicule and invective. The goal is to mollify people, not incite them."
Transmedia Panels
Henry Jenkins has posted video of panels from the recent Transmedia Hollywood 3: Rethinking Creative Relations conference.
SNL Retooling
Meredith Blake delves into the challenge Saturday Night Live faces with significant cast departures.
Nickelodeon Tumbling
Joe Flint reports on Nickelodeon's big ratings drop due to the carriage blackout on DirecTV.
Value of LGBT Audience
Media Life talks with a marketing manager about why the LGBT community is a desirable target audience for advertisers.
Cable Upfronts
Diego Vasquez summarizes how cable upfronts have gone, with solid but not too high gains.
New Flow Issue
Check out posts from Kayti Lausch with The Carrie Diaries, The Television Reboot, and the CW’s Programming Strategies, Mary Vanderlinden with Robbing Opportunities: Stereotyped Portrayals Put Latino Actors out of Action, and Camille Debose with How Lena Dunham Set Me Free.
Walking Dead Looms for Dish
Daniel Frankel says it's not surprising that Dish barely broke a sweat with Breaking Bad premiering; it's The Walking Dead that will bring the real showdown with AMC.
Divided on Everywhere
Joe Flint says that the pay TV industry is divided over TV Everywhere schemes.
News Anchors
Paul Friedman discusses how the networks have retooled their nightly newscast anchor rosters.
TiVo Purchase
TiVo has bought a company that specializes in tracking the purchasing habits of TV viewers.
Daily-Colbert Back Online
Viacom has already relented on its online ban of Daily Show and Colbert Report reruns, brought about by its DirecTV dispute. So you can go ahead and watch Louis CK on The Daily Show from last night, where he talks about the Tosh thing; Alyssa Rosenberg responds, as does James Poniewozik.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Humor Doesn't Matter
Jack Neff reports on an ad agency study finding that funny ads aren't necessarily more effective ads.