Television Centre Future

The BBC has some future uses of Television Centre in mind, including creating a "digital experience" for visitors.

GoT Sex Infographic

Someone tallied up the sex in Game of Thrones and made it into an infographic.

New In Media Res

Theme: Nonfiction vs. Reality TV

•  Monday, April 1, 2013 - David Cooper Moore (Temple University) presents: Teaching Documentary in a Reality TV Environment: Taxonomies of Production versus Taxonomies of Texts 
• Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - Alan Pike (Emory University) presents: Unlock the Gates: Genre and Rhetoric in MSNBC’s "Lockup" 
•  Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - Evan L. Kropp (University of Georgia) presents: Blurred Boundaries: Approaches to Defining Documentaries and Reality Television 
•  Thursday, April 4, 2013 - Jeffrey David Greene (Southern Polytechnic State University) presents: Tell Me a Story and Make It True: Applied Narrative in Reality Television 
•  Friday, April 5, 2013 - Kate Morgan (UT Arlington) presents: TBD

Lessons of GoT

Rowan Kaiser says video games can learn lessons from Game of Thrones.

Kimmel v. Fallon

Willa Paskin says Fallon-Kimmel will soon become the central late-night rivalry.

Aereo Talks

Aereo is reportedly talking with pay TV providers about partnerships, but nothing's come about yet. Swanni says this is much ado about nothing.

AMC's Something More

Anthony Crupi checks out AMC's new ad campaign and tag line: Something More.

Buzz ≠ Ratings

Matthew Gilbert looks at why social buzz and ratings often don't mesh.

Egyptian Satirist Targeted

TV host and satirist Bassem Youssef is in trouble with Egyptian authorities, accused of insulting Islam and mocking the president.

Saturday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Spectrum Battle

Ted Johnson says the broadcast spectrum auction plan is shaping up into a battle between TV and telecom companies.

Doctor Who Visualization

The Guardian has an impressive data visualization covering 50 years of Doctor Who.

TV's Impact on Gay Marriage

Andrew O'Hehir cites key moments when TV might have affected American acceptance of gay marriage.

Game of Thrones Tour

Dave Itzkoff checks out the expansive Game of Thrones promotional tour.

Moffat Rules Tumblr

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains why Stephen Moffat has become a Tumblr icon.

Good TVeets

If you’re a struggling writer, one fun thing to do is remember that Manimal got greenlit.
— Bryan Donaldson (@TheNardvark) March 30, 2013

Working my way through PARENTHOOD, picturing Jason Katims as a mad scientist who extracts human tears and keeps them in jars.
— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) March 30, 2013

By the time I age into the CBS demo, my lifelong Mark Harmon crush will be considered "ahead of its time."
— Danielle Nussbaum (@daniellenuss) March 31, 2013

Friday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: CBS: 6.40 million, ABC: 4.89, NBC: 3.99, Fox: 2.49, CW: 947,000
 -Adults 18-49: CBS: 1.9 rating/6 share, ABC: 1.3/ 4, NBC: 1.0/ 3, Fox: 0.7/ 2, CW: 0.3/ 1
 -----
 -Winners: NCAA Basketball: Regional Semifinals (CBS), Shark Tank (ABC)
 -Losers: Happy Endings (ABC), Fashion Star (NBC), Nikita (CW), Touch (Fox), Cult (CW), Rock Center With Brian Williams (NBC)

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Analysis from Hitfix and Spotted.

ESPN Profile

The Economist profiles ESPN's strong market position.

NY Tax Credits

A New York tax credit program has been extended, which would make it easier for NBC to move the Tonight Show back to New York.

Global Co-Productions

John Plunkett explains why international co-productions are occurring more frequently.

Honest Cable Company

Peter Kafka came across an "honest cable company" ad.

Good TVeets

Any subject someone brings up just say, "Oh, they had a great piece on that in The New Yorker" and you win.
— Alec Sulkin (@thesulk) March 29, 2013

AMC says The Killing will return for its third season with a 2-hour premiere on June 2 ... or will it? No, wait, it will.
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) March 29, 2013

#Nashville is a show that tries to convince you that a world exists where a man would cheat on Connie Britton.
— Richard West (@RichieOnTV) March 30, 2013

Writing for TGIF

Vulture talked with five writers for shows that aired on ABC's TGIF night: "What was it like to work on an ABC family comedy during the eighties and nineties? "

Faith in Cable

Joe Flint reports on why CBS and News Corp. continue to invest in cable channels.

Pilot Casting Crunch

Michael Schnieder notes that the expansion in the production of original scripted series is resulting in a run on talent for pilots.

State of Late Night

Ken Tucker assesses the state of late night TV comedy and its various hosts.

Defiance Game

Cory Bergman checks out the trailer for the Defiance video game, which will be out next week, while the show premieres on April 15.

Kickstarting Veronica Mars

Henry Jenkins starts a three-part post offering opinions on the Veronica Mars kickstarter, which creator Rob Thomas sees as a guinea pig for cult TV shows. Part Two is up. Part Three is up.

Thursday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: Fox: 7.53 million, ABC: 7.05, CBS: 6.92, NBC: 2.62, CW: 1.99
 -Adults 18-49: ABC and CBS: 2.3 rating/7 share each, Fox: 2.0/ 6, NBC: 0.8/ 2, CW: 0.9/ 3
 -----
 -Winners: NCAA Basketball: Regional Semifinals (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Scandal (ABC)
 -Losers: Wife Swap (ABC), 1600 Penn (NBC), Raising Hope (Fox), Beauty and the Beast (CW)

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

The NCAA tourney is doing well. Jake Tapper is not. American Idol is hitting lows.

GH at 50

Meg James discusses General Hospital's 50 year legacy.

Netflix Stock

Trefis Team analyzes Netflix's stock performance.

GoT Episodes

Andy Greenwald says Game of Thrones is now TV's most important show for a variety of reasons, including how its episodes are like book chapters. Ryan McGee responds via a podcast defending the value of having episodes that are episodes. Allison Willmore says Game of Thrones has compelled viewers to watch as it airs, rather than delay viewing.

American Accents

Noel Murray observes how common it's become for non-Americans to play Americans on TV and considers the implications of accents.

Walters Retiring

Barbara Walters is planning to retire in 2014.

Failed Pilot Success

Noah Hawley says a failed pilot doesn't mean failure; it means success: "In TV, something like 92 percent of all shows fail. As a result, there's no stigma to failure. None. Just the opposite. Simply selling a pilot script puts a writer in an elite category. Getting that pilot made bumps them up another notch. And the writer who gets to run his or her own show -- even for a few episodes -- becomes that most elite animal of all: a showrunner. Which automatically gives their next pilot a better chance of success. Put simply, in television we fail up."

Paying for Content

Eliza Kern says her 20-something generation has gotten used to not paying for online content, and it will be hard to reverse them into paying customers.

HBO Go Sports

HBO Go will reportedly stream live sports later this year

Happy Endings on Fridays

BigTVFan analyzes the implications of Happy Endings moving to Friday night.

Free Up HBO Go

Andrew Wallenstein thinks it would be prudent of HBO to make HBO Go available via a broadband-only subscription. But some predict cord cutting-alluring content is going to get harder to find.

Paramount TV

Lucas Shaw reports on CEO Brad Grey's plan to build a TV studio for Paramount.

AMW Cancelled

Lifetime is taking America's Most Wanted off the air, after a 25-season run, mostly on Fox.

RIP Bob Teague

Pioneering black TV journalist Bob Teague has died.

Today Mishaps

Alessandra Stanley notes that the Matt Lauer mess is just another in a line of morning anchor succession blunders for NBC.

Leno Ratings

Jay Leno's monologue mockery of NBC is coinciding with ratings highs.

FX & FXX

FX will launch a new channel called FXX, aimed at the 18-34 demo, and the offerings across its channels will rival a broadcast network in volume. The new shows will include a TV adaptation of Fargo, and the FX comedies It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League will move to FXX, as that channel will lean more toward comedy. FX programming will also be available via next-day streaming.

Analysis from Alan Sepinwall and Stuart Elliott.

Good TVeets

Winning America's Next Top Model probably looks really good on a Nordstrom application.
— Vanessa Ramos (@thatRamosgirl) March 28, 2013

I like that the #Idol judges sing along to the group number, probably to drown out the horror that is coming from the stage.
— Andy Dehnart (@realityblurred) March 29, 2013

The odds are favorable that John Hamm's penis will serve as the object of study for at least one doctoral dissertation in the near future.
— Christopher H. Smith (@CHSmithPhD) March 28, 2013

Charter Rejects Antenna Ad

Janko Roettgers explains why Charter has declined to air an ad from a cord cutting-encouraging antenna manufacturer.

China's in Second on Pay TV

China has surpassed Japan to be the number two pay TV market in the world.

Writing Diversity

The latest annual WGA study of race, age, and gender among TV writers finds only most recent gains by women, older, and minority writers. Alyssa Rosenberg highlights the shows that hired no women or minority writers in 2011-12.

Wednesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: Fox: 12.03 million, CBS: 7.27, ABC: 6.16, NBC: 5.51, CW: 2.43
- Adults 18-49: Fox: 3.1 rating/9 share, ABC: 1.9/ 6, CBS: 1.7/ 5, NBC: 1.5/ 4, CW: 0.9/ 3
 -----
- Winners: American Idol (Fox), Survivor: Caramoan (CBS), Modern Family (ABC)
- Losers (excluding repeats): Whitney (NBC), Suburgatory (ABC), Nashville (ABC)

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

Analysis from Hitfix and Spotted.

Catch Up With Corrie

June Thomas investigates how Americans can catch up with the 8,000+ episode-long British soap Coronation Street, now available on Hulu.

CW Gets Husbands

CW Digital has snapped up the web series Husbands.

Fox News Analysis

In response to assertions that Fox News focuses on fair and balanced hard news during the daytime hours, not conservative-inclined opinion, Erik Wemple analyzed a day of Fox News from 9 to 4.

Comcast Victory

Comcast won a Supreme Court victory when the court declined to hear a class-action anti-trust lawsuit against the cable operator.

CBS's TVGN Plans

Jeanine Poggi considers what CBS might do with TV Guide Network. Joe Flint considers the challenges and opportunities.

Good TVeets

CBS has renewed 18 of their shows. In related news, other broadcast nets ask "do we even HAVE 18 shows?!"
— damianholbrook (@TVGMDamian) March 27, 2013

Spinoffs of The Bible and Chicago Fire announced on the same day. One of them was created by an all-powerful being. The other, by God.
— Jaime Weinman (@weinmanj) March 27, 2013

God, I wish Jon Hamm's answer to questions about his penis were a five-minute monologue ending with, "It's not a penis. It's a carousel."
— Tim Carvell (@timcarvell) March 28, 2013

Warning: Survivor spoilers at the end.

Defining Mad Men

Todd VanDerWerff showcases ten episodes of Mad Men that define the show's storytelling pleasures.

Psych's Success

Paula K. Hendrickson looks at how savvy marketing and social media have helped USA Network's Psych succeed.

Amazon X-Ray

TV series will now be covered by Amazon Instant's X-Ray service for Kindle Fire, which lets you tap on a pictured performer and see a filmography window.

Wachowskis to Netflix

The Wachowski siblings will bring their first attempt at a TV series to Netflix.

New Youth Channel

Participant Media is starting a new channel called Pivot, targeting 15-34-year-olds, which will be available via cable TV and a broadband-only subscription.

Chicago Fire Spinoff

A show about Chicago police may be spun off from Chicago Fire.

White on Enlightened

Todd VanDerWerff walks through each episode of Enlightened's second season with creator Mike White: Part 1. Part 2.

CBS Renewals

CBS has announced the renewal of 18 (!) of its shows. A few titles are missing.

Duck Dynasty Standoff

Michael O'Connell reports that a Duck Dynasty renewal is on hold due to salary disputes with the show's stars, who know what ratings they've earned for A&E.

Pay TV Denial

Brian Proffitt says cable companies are in denial about over-the-top competition.

Cooper For Lauer

Word is that NBC is offering Anderson Cooper Matt Lauer's Today job, but some sources are denying details and saying Lauer won't be replaced by anyone.

Tuesday Ratings

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

Doctor Who Needs Women

Mathilda Gregory argues that Doctor Who needs women writers...even just one. ("Doctor Who hasn't aired an episode written by a woman since 2008, 60 episodes ago.") And she notes this is a problem with fantasy/sci-fi in general.

Peabodys

This year's Peabody Awards have been announced. Winners include Louie, Southland, Switched at Birth, Girls, Robin Roberts, This American Life, DL Hughley, Game Change, Doctor Who, 60 Minutes, and Real Sports.

Web Production Up in LA

Dawn C. Chmielewski and Richard Verrier discuss how web production is on the rise in Los Angeles.

Counting Local Time Shifting

Kevin Downey looks at how time shifting is finally starting to factor into local TV ratings measurement.

More Male Nudity

Matt Zoller Seitz wants to see more male nudity in Game of Thrones. Alyssa Rosenberg responds.

Advertisers Like Idol

Lynn Elber notes that while American Idol's ratings are down, it still excels in attracting advertisers.

Judge Joe Brown Cancelled

CBS has canceled Judge Joe Brown due to dipping ratings and Brown's salary demands.

Upfronts Preview

Brian Steinberg previews this year's upfronts, which DirecTV will now participate in.

Good TVeets

But if two men get married, they'll BOTH be stupid in detergent commercials and then no one will buy the correct detergent.
— Daniel Kibblesmith (@kibblesmith) March 26, 2013

Weird that the Supreme Court rules on gay marriage instead of the nation deciding via call-in vote based on which couples dance best.
— Abbi Crutchfield (@curlycomedy) March 26, 2013

How much would it cost for Kyle Chandler to give me a speech motivating me to sort my life out? Does 'Let me tell you something' cost extra?
— Fancy Pantsless (@AdrianDKirby) March 27, 2013

CBS Eyeing TV Guide

Nellie Andreeva reports that CBS is close to purchasing half of TV Guide Network, thereby bringing a basic cable channel into the fold, which Wayne Friedman says is becoming a common move.

Update: The deal is done.

Adventure Time is the Best

Via his review of last night's episode, Eric Kohn says Adventure Time is the best science fiction show on right now.

Intel Nearing Deals

Bloomberg reports that Intel is nearing some big studio deals for its online pay TV service.

Casting Extras

Mihal Freinquel discusses the job of casting extras on a movie.

PLL Renewed and Spun-Off

Pretty Little Liars has been renewed, plus there will show spun off from it.

NBC's Happy

The Voice has come back strong, and Revolution did ok.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
- Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Voice (NBC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Mike & Molly (CBS)
- Honorable Mention: The Following (Fox)
- Losers: The Carrie Diaries (CW)

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

History's Ascent

TV Week notes that The Bible's big ratings reflect the trajectory of success for History channel over the past few years.

Netflix & Buzz

A study of tweets finds that Netflix has a possible buzz problem with House of Cards.

Future of TV Transmission

A new study on future transmission possibilities for TV foresees a bandwidth problem. Also, Carol Wilson relays opinion that cable operators shouldn't look to all-fiber networks in the future.

Slim Enters TV

Dolia Estevez discusses how the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, is getting into the TV business.

GoT Viewing

Myles McNutt reviews the first four episodes of Game of Thrones' third season (no spoilers) and proposes the potential for different experiences based on one's exposure to the books.

Ratings Analysis

Media Life talks to a ratings analyst, who assesses where network TV stands in the ratings right now and explains why cable shows are DVRed less than broadcast network shows.

Y&R at 40

The Young and the Restless is marking 40 years on the air.

Anger Management Ratings

Adam W. Kepler reports on a ratings drop for Anger Management, with FX still on the hook for 80 more episodes.

CW Revamp

Yvonne Villarreal discusses The CW's attempts to broaden its target audience.

Tablets Growing

A BBC study finds tablets being used increasingly as TV viewing devices. In other tablet news, Comcast has helped Nielsen with measuring tablet-viewing ratings.

Good TVeets

How I know we're in Golden Age of Television: Cartoon Network is able to air a half-hour that leaves me an emotional wreck. #AdventureTime
— Corbin Stephenson (@PixelatedVis) March 25, 2013

It's not TV, it's your friends HBOGo account.
— Morgan Evans (@totallymorgan) March 25, 2013

Bill Haverchuck is 46 years old.
— Alejandro A. Arbona (@Alejandrobot) March 26, 2013

Reliving Real World

Tess Lynch writes about the experience of rewatching old Real World seasons.

NBC's Hopes

Tonight's a big night for NBC, as The Voice and Revolution return, and the NBC brass hope for a return to fall's success. Striking factoid in the latter link from NBC's Jeff Bader in regard to NBC's midseason struggle: "Ten of our highest rated fall shows weren't on our air during the first three months of the year."

Hulu Sale

Hulu's board is reportedly gauging interest in a sale. But Peter Kafka says nothing formal is going on yet. And Andrew Wallenstein says selling Hulu is only one possible option.

Upfronts Predictions

One analyst predicts a slight rise in upfronts revenue for the networks, but says the effect of soft ratings will be felt into 2014. Other analysts agree that marketers will likely be conservative with TV in the coming months and at upfronts.

Fandom at Fault

Richard Rushfield is concerned about where the Veronica Mars Kickstarter fandom precedent might take us: "In a time when superfan influence already drives much of our cultural conversation, that influence, thanks to Mars, is about to get even bigger. And that is not a good thing for our culture." Mel Stanfill also considers the fandom angle on this issue.

Solitary Binge-Viewing

Karen Valby explains the pleasures of marathoning a show like Friday Night Lights on your own.

Religion Trends

Kimberly Nordyke explores why religious-themed programming is hitting big right now.

Cougar Town Renewed

TBS is bringing back Cougar Town for a fifth season.

The Walking Dead & Death

Todd VanDerWerff is intrigued by how The Walking Dead treats death: "The Walking Dead gets a lot of things wrong, but it almost always gets major deaths right."

Amazing Race Apology

The Amazing Race offered an apology during last night's episode for a segment in Vietnam. Veterans including John McCain have accepted the apology.

Save Happy Endings

ABC is saying it's up to us to save Happy Endings. Brian Stelter also analyzes this campaign.

Spotify Video

Spotify is reportedly planning a streaming video service to compete with Netflix.

Spike Originals

Spike is developing scripted programming to better compete with the big general entertainment outlets in cable.

Sundance Going Commercial

Sundance Channel will go fully ad-supported in September, and it's also trying to expand its footprint.

Netflix Problem

Peter Kafka reports on a concern one analyst says Viacom should have about Netflix: "for kids’ programmers, and Viacom in particular, the Netflix deals are bad ones, because they train Netflix subscribers and their kids to watch the shows on the Internet instead of on TV."

Sunday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: CBS: 10.14 million, ABC: 6.20, Fox: 5.79, NBC: 5.61 -Adults 18-49: CBS: 2.4 rating/6 share, Fox: 1.7/ 4, ABC: 1.6/ 4, NBC: 1.3/ 4
 -----
 -Winners: 60 Minutes (CBS), The Amazing Race (CBS), Family Guy (Fox)
 -Fading Fast: Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)
 -Losers: Red Widow (ABC)

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

Analysis from Hitfix and Spotted.

Twitter Not in Ratings

Robert Seidman reminds us that Nielsen's new Twitter TV ratings won't be real ratings that count.

MSNBC's Griffin

Rebecca Dana profiles MSNBC's version of Roger Ailes, Phil Griffin, and his guidance of MSNBC.

Fox News Frustration

Some members of the Tea Party are frustrated with Fox News.

Nielsen Challenge

Sam Thielman profiles Jon Mandel and his attempts to measure ratings better than Nielsen.

Murdoch Waiting

Rupert Murdoch is waiting on the FCC to deal with media ownership rules before possibly moving forth with a plan to buy the LA Times.

Harvey Conquers Daytime

Brian Stelter profiles Steve Harvey's daytime success, which actually offers some good news for NBC.

NBC's Messes

Bill Carter has the latest on the Tonight show situation, noting that swapping him for Fallon would be a big gamble for NBC. And Joe Hagan digs into Today and Matt Lauer's problems.

Good TVeets

Theory: Tilda Swinton is actually always sleeping in a glass box and the world we know is just a dream she's having
— sethdmichaels (@sethdmichaels) March 24, 2013

Loving this eight year long History Channel special on The Catastrophic Decline of American Culture.
— dan guterman (@danguterman) March 25, 2013

Phil Spector is easily Pacino's 2nd best Dick Tracy villain.
— Pat Healy (@Pat_Healy) March 25, 2013

Warning: The Walking Dead tweets at the end lean spoilery

Saturday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Brits Watching More TV

Vicky Frost proposes ten reasons why British viewers are watching more TV these days.

The Neighbors' Evolution

Joel Keller looks at how The Neighbors has gone from critical target to consistent ratings earner for ABC.

Origin Stories

Matthew Gilbert notes the emergence of origin story TV shows, like Bates Motel and The Carrie Diaries, but questions their potential to be good long-term TV narratives.

TMZ Change

TMZ's Harvey Levin has hired a former Variety editor to take over his job as managing editor.

Comcast Bans Gun Ads

Comcast's ad sales division will no longer accept ads for guns or ammunition.

Michaels is King

Nellie Andreeva says Lorne Michaels' involvement in the coming Tonight changes will cement him as the true king of late night.

Good TVeets

[~] (emoticon of Tilda Swinton sleeping in glass box)
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) March 24, 2013

Whatever. Isabella Rossellini is actually *inside a painting* at the Met. See if you can find her! (Listen for giggling.)
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) March 23, 2013

DID YOU KNOW: Gonzaga is the highest-seeded team in tournament history named after a Muppet illness
— sir broosk (@celebrityhottub) March 24, 2013

Friday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Analysis from Spotted.

GoT, HBO, & Piracy

Graeme McMillan explains the conflicted relationship HBO has with streaming in regard to Game of Thrones and piracy.

Bunheads is the Best

Dave Wiegel explains why Bunheads deserves to be renewed.

Good TVeets

Real World Season 1, first night: discussing sleeping arrangements. Real World Season 28, first night: anal in a hot tub.
— Sara Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) March 23, 2013

"Called it.Florida Gulf Coast."-- Woman from your office who had her cat pick her NCAA brackets.#MarchMadness
— Crutnacker (@Crutnacker) March 23, 2013

If ABC Family is going to renew Baby Daddy, it should renew Bunheads as a form of apology.
— Alyssa Rosenberg (@AlyssaRosenberg) March 22, 2013

Leno Keeps It Up

Tracking Jay Leno's NBC jokes is apparently a thing we do now, and there was not just one but two tonight.

British Prime Time

Wesley Mead closes his look at prime time on British TV with sitcoms and light entertainment and reality TV, sports and news.

GoT Boxes & Cultural Capital

Myles McNutt analyzes HBO's marketing strategy to send out personalized Game of Thrones DVD boxes to celebrities so they would tweet about it.

Distracted Tweeting

Studies saying we can't tweet and watch TV with full attention at the same time might give networks and advertisers embracing Twitter food for thought.

Multi-Platform Value

A panel of execs offered upbeat projections about multi-platform opportunities for traditional TV.

March Madness Selling Well

Ad inventory for the NCAA basketball tournament is nearly sold out.

Fox Courting Leno

Sean Daly reports that Fox wants Jay Leno, if NBC dumps him. Leno continues to mock NBC in his monologue.

Aereo Strategy

David Goetzl surveys Aereo's possible trial strategy against the networks.

Spring Ahead Impact

John Consoli explores the possible impact that Daylight Savings Time can have on ratings.

Thursday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: Fox: 8.77 million, ABC: 7.56, CBS: 4.70, NBC: 3.10, CW: 2.16
 -Adults 18-49: Fox and ABC: 2.4 rating/7 share each, CBS: 1.6/ 5, NBC: 1.0/ 3, CW: 0.9/ 3
 -----
 -Winners: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “Scandal” (ABC)
 -Should Be Ready to Graduate: “Glee” (Fox)
 -Losers: “Community” (NBC), “1600 Penn” (NBC), “Beauty and the Beast” (CW)

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

Analysis from Spotted.

BBC Strike

BBC staff have a one-day strike planned for the start of Easter weekend.

Living Without Stewart

Tim Goodman says the real concern is late night is surviving with Jon Stewart on hiatus this summer.

Films for iPlayer

The BBC has announced it will commission a series of short films exclusively for iPlayer.

Format Success

With Who Do You Think You Are? as a primary example, John Ellis explores factors in successful reality TV formats.

Sports Emmys

Ken Fang offers predictions for the Sports Emmy Awards.

Cablevision-Viacom Analysis

Ben Bleiberg says the Cablevision-Viacom lawsuit is a sign of the end of the traditional cable model.

Time-Shifting Up

Media Life talks to a media research exec about the big jumps in time-shifted viewing this season.

Hallmark Originals

Stuart Elliott discusses how Hallmark Channel is now launching original series.

TV Centre Legacy

Tim Masters highlights the legacy of the BBC's Television Centre, which will be shuttered very soon.

Genachowski Exiting

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is stepping down soon. Women's groups are calling for a female chair to replace him, and one public interest group is heartily waving goodbye to Genachowski, but the FCC is touting his broadband moves, and he has other admirers. Russell Brandon sees it as a mixed legacy.

HBO Go For All

HBO's CEO has told Reuters that the outlet is mulling over the possibility of making HBO Go available without an HBO subscription but tied to a broadband internet service. But Peter Kafka says it's clear this isn't happening anytime soon.

Tonight Changes

Bill Carter reports that the Tonight show will move to New York with Jimmy Fallon as the host by fall 2014. Fallon is reportedly reaching out to Leno about the transition. Joe Flint reports on the Leno-Greenblatt spat. Josef Adalian says NBC would be crazy to push Leno out, even as Leno is keeping up the NBC jokes. Richard Rushfield explains why it's cool to hate Leno. Brian Lowry looks at the PR mess for NBC. Linda Holmes says the late night wars are boring.

More analysis from Alan Sepinwall, James Poniewozik, Mary Elizabeth Williams. Jaime Weinman is curious about where the info leaks are coming from. Brian Steinberg considers Jimmy Kimmel's role in this. Rick Ellis has inside sources saying NBC execs want Leno out. Greenblatt and Leno had dinner last night. David Bauder questions this move (and quotes me!) given Leno's ratings. Many are baffled at this. In moving Tonight to NYC, NBC might benefit from a tax credit.

Good TVeets

NBC is debating whether to pick up Television for another season.
— dan guterman (@danguterman) March 21, 2013

Shows they’re running ads for on “TruTV” seem to be refinements on “Ow My Balls!” and “Look, Dumbshit!”
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) March 22, 2013

So has anyone sold CBS a crime procedural pilot based on that tweet about Drake yet?
— Devan Joneson (@djoneson) March 22, 2013

Live Broadcast Challenge

Rachel Bachman and Ben Choen delve into the challenge that sports broadcasters have with making sure not to swear on live TV.

Wednesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: Fox: 12.67 million, CBS: 10.47, NBC: 4.88, ABC: 4.02, CW: 2.52
 -Adults 18-49: Fox: 3.5 rating/10 share, CBS: 2.6/ 7, NBC: 1.4/ 4, ABC: 1.2/ 3, CW: 0.8/ 3
 -----
- Winners: “American Idol” (Fox), “Survivor: Caramoan” (CBS), “Criminal Minds” (CBS), “CSI” (CBS) 
- On the Fence: “The Neighbors” (ABC), “Suburgatory” (ABC), “Nashville” (ABC)
- Tired: “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC)
- Losers: “Whitney” (NBC)

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

Twitter & TV Alignment

Nielsen has a new study claiming a correlation between ratings and tweeting: "Specifically, the study found that for 18-34 year olds, an 8.5% increase in Twitter volume corresponds to a 1% increase in TV ratings for premiere episodes, and a 4.2% increase in Twitter volume corresponds with a 1% increase in ratings for midseason episodes." Todd Spangler reports. More from Cory Bergman. Alyssa Rosenberg says shows like Scandal prove this works.

VFX Examples

Ian Failes at FX Guide details examples of visual effects work on The Walking Dead, Spartacus, and Mr. Selfridge.

Good TVeets

Jon Hamm's might be bigger but Bryan Cranston's has better writing.
— Sean Thomason (@TheThomason) March 20, 2013

I can't be the only one who sees this huge plot hole in The Walking Dead. Dead people can't walk around and bite you. What are they thinking
— Andrew PG (@2house2fly) March 20, 2013

My favorite show set during the 1960s is probably Fox News.
— dan guterman (@danguterman) March 20, 2013

Pay TV Lagging

Claire Atkinson reports that pay TV growth is lagging behind the broader economy.

PTC on Violence

The PTC has released a study tracking recent media violence.

Dish Winning?

Swanni says things seem to be leaning Dish Network's way in the Hopper lawsuit.

Hot in Cleveland Renewed

Hot in Cleveland will get a fifth season.

Scandal Set Design

There's an official behind-the-scenes blog devoted to Scandal and set design.

McDowell Exiting FCC

Commissioner Robert McDowell is leaving the FCC.

NBC's Spring Hopes

Frazier Moore looks at NBC's upcoming spring programming and wonders if The Voice, Revolution, and Hannibal can pull the network up.

Tuesday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
- Total Viewers: CBS: 14.98 million, ABC: 8.88, Fox: 4.27, NBC: 2.94, CW: 802,000
- Adults 18-49: CBS: 2.6 rating/7 share, ABC and Fox: 2.0/ 6 each, NBC: 0.9/ 3, CW: 0.3/ 1
-----
- Winners: “NCIS” (CBS), “Splash” (ABC), “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS), “Dancing With the Stars: Exclusive First Look” (ABC)
- Losers: “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” (NBC), “The iHeartRadio Album Release Party With Justin Timberlake” (CW), “Go On” (NBC), “The New Normal” (Fox), “The Mindy Project” (Fox), “Golden Boy” (CBS), “Smash” (NBC)

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

Bundling Challengers

Janko Roettgers highlights five companies that would be happy to break up cable bundling. Verizon and Cablevision are turning out to be allies in this. On the other hand, Derek Thompson says we can thank bundling for playing a role in the current "golden age" of TV.

UK Comedy Renaissance

Tim Dams writes of the recent rise of comedy on British television.

Cord Cutting Language

Peter Kafka finds that cord cutting survey figures might be skewed by the words used to query people.

Y&R & Race

Arelya J. Mitchell is angry with CBS and The Young and the Restless for dismissive treatment of African-American women writers.

TV Viewing Up

Swanni reports on figures showing we're watching more TV over past years.

Girls, the Movie

Owen Glieberman says Girls is really a movie.

NCIS Spinoff

NCIS is trying to launch a spinoff with a two-part episode starting this week.

Sponsored Content

Stuart Elliott looks at the recent rise in sponsored content, as advertisers try to prevent us from avoiding them.

Good TVeets

RIP Amy Jellicoe.You died as you lived: in the most frustrating way humanly possible. #Enlightened
— itsonlyzach (@itsonlyzach) March 20, 2013

In protest to HBO, I will now only watch Girls, Game of Thrones, Curb,Eastbound & Down, Boardwalk Empire and all of their documentaries.
— aaron blitzstein (@BlitznBeans) March 20, 2013

I'm watching GIFs of Louis Anderson high-diving at a Chick-Fil-A on my phone. Never let someone tell you the past was better.
— edsbs (@edsbs) March 20, 2013

Girls & Louie

Christian Blauvelt contends that Girls gets criticized for the same things Louie is praised for.

Enlightened is Done

Kate Aurthur is reporting that HBO won't renew Enlightened. Alan Sepinwall has thoughts on this, as does James Poniewozik. Tim Goodman says HBO should still be applauded.

NBC's Falloff

Mike Stein chronicles NBC's downfall since fall.

Comcast Totally Owns NBCU

Comcast has completed the final pieces of its acquisition of NBCU from GE.

Girls Backlash

Jaime Weinman tries to explain yet another Girls backlash, this one against its ratings compared to its volume of critical discussion.

Reality Challenge

Josef Adalian tries to determine why the broadcast networks can't seem to develop a new reality TV hit, while cable thrives with shows like Duck Dynasty.

Leno Keeps It Up

Jay Leno is still mocking NBC despite reportedly being told by Bob Greenblatt to stop it. And did it again.

Cable News Diversity

Eric Deggans writes about the overwhelming whiteness of cable news anchors. And then comes news that Roland Martin is out at CNN.

C-SPAN Ratings

C-SPAN isn't rated by Nielsen, so the channel's reps conducted a survey to determine how many actually watch it: 47 million people at least once week, they claim.

Monday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers: ABC: 14.91 million, CBS: 8.01, Fox: 7.20, NBC: 6.06, CW: 775,000
 -Adults 18-49: ABC: 2.8 rating/7 share, CBS: 2.4/ 6, NBC and Fox: 2.2/ 6 each, CW: 0.3/ 1
 -----
 -Winner: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Castle (ABC)
 -Honorable Mention: How I Met Your Mother (CBS), The Biggest Loser (NBC)
 -Losers: The Carrie Diaries (CW), Deception (NBC)

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

Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

Liberty Buys Into Charter

Liberty Media is buying a large stake in Charter Communications.

RIP Henry Bromell

Prolific TV writer and Homeland executive producer Henry Bromell has died of a heart attack. Alan Sepinwall surveys his career. A remembrance from Matt Zoller Seitz.

The Never Watched

Will Richmond reports on a survey finding that 41% of DVRed programs never get watched.

Emmy Infographic

From the same issue of Wired as the previous two posts comes an infographic on major category Emmy wins by channel from the 1980s to today. The NBC trajectory is the biggest eye-grabber.

Nielsen's Obsolescence

Tom Vanderbilt says the new rules of TV mean Nielsen's ratings system is quickly becoming obsolescent. (Some interesting points in here, but also some gross overstatements, like "Twitter feeds are as important as ratings.")

The Netflix Era

Willa Paskin delves into how Netflix is changing the TV landscape.

Jingle Demand Helps LA

Colin Stutz reports that a rise in demand for commercial jingles is helping to keep money flowing to Los Angeles musicians.

Miniseries Are Ideal

David Haglund says Top of the Lake proves that miniseries are the ideal form for TV.

Writer & Character Plea

Jennifer Keishi pleads with the networks to hire older female writers: "If there are too few older women in front of the camera, there are almost none on the other side to write more into existence."

Daily Variety Ends

Daily Variety has released its final print issue.

Downton's PBS Ratings

Downton Abbey is now officially the highest-rated PBS drama of all time, and as Jace Lacob learns from  Masterpiece's executive producer, same-day releases with the UK aren't going to happen.

The Bible Marketing

Bilge Ebiri looks at how History marketed The Bible into a success. And there's a bit of a stir over the fact that some think Satan in the series closely resembles President Obama. The producers deny any connection. James Poniewozik says the problem with Satan's representation isn't Obama; it's the series' reliance on simplistic representations.

ABC App

Brian Stelter reports on an app ABC has in the works that will live-stream programming to mobile devices.

Good TVeets

FNL story line where Tammy holds an assembly & explains consent to the students despite parental backlash
— COUPON QUEEN 420 (@benewavvy) March 19, 2013

Why I kinda love Dallas: It's the last show on TV that A) kills people by throwing them down the stairs B) Uses 8x10 glossies for blackmail.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) March 19, 2013

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was looking sorta like Obama in a History Channel miniseries.
— Daniel Walters (@danieltwalters) March 18, 2013

Route 66's Ambition

Todd VanDerWerff recommends revisiting Route 66: "It was a show where an entire film crew traveled around the country and filmed on location. It would be all but impossible to get something like it on the air today without an HBO-sized budget."

BBC Criticized

The BBC is being accused of self-indulgence for heavily covering its exit from Television Centre.

Ivi Rejected

The Supreme Court has refused to hear Ivi's appeal of the injunction slapped on it for illegal online retransmission of TV content.

Studying Dislike

Taylor Cole Miller writes of the value of understanding viewer dislike of certain pieces of media, and he links to a new audience research study you can participate in on anti-fandom and ambivalent viewing.

Women Under 35

Jennifer Keishi considers what we can learn about aging from the women under 35 depicted on a handful of  shows like 2 Broke Girls and Girls.

Girls Ratings

The Girls finale may have been viewed by a smaller audience than last year's, though Joe Flint says there's more to this ratings story.

The Carrie Diaries Analyzed

Myles McNutt analyzes The Carrie Diaries in light of things he learned at its TCA panel and the challenge of first seasons.

Sunday Ratings

Marc Berman's summary:
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 9.41 million, ABC: 6.06, NBC: 5.50, Fox: 5.42
 -Adults 18-49:
CBS: 1.7 rating/5 share, Fox: 1.6/ 5, ABC: 1.6/ 4, NBC: 1.5/ 4

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Final ratings. Cable ratings.
Analysis from Spotted and Hitfix.

Transmedia for Kids

Henry Jenkins highlights the release of a report on transmedia for children.

UK Twitter

A study of UK use of Twitter finds a lot of tweeting about TV.

Creating The Inbetweeners

The creator of The Inbetweeners talks about the process of creating the show.

Plans for Hulu

Disney and News Corp. are reportedly close to figuring out the their future with (or without) Hulu.

CNN Critcized

CNN is under fire for its coverage of the Steubenville rape trial.

Arias Trial

Coverage of the Jodi Arias trail is boosting HLN in the ratings. And Lifetime is planning a TV movie adaptation.

Saturday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers.

Moonves C7

Anthony Crupi reports on Les Moonves' crusade to get C7 ratings to count. Some say the change wouldn't have much impact.

Justified Praise

Matt Zoller Seitz discusses what it so enjoyable about Justified.

Knope Problems

Todd VanDerWerff pinpoints some problems with Parks and Recreation in its fifth season.

New In Media Res

Theme: The Supreme Court and Culture

• Monday, March 18, 2013 - Alison Kozberg (University of Southern California) presents: Biography and Judicial Philosophy: Media Coverage of Sonia Sotomayor 
•  Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - Chad Pollock (University of Arkansas School of Law) presents: Icons of Text: SCOTUS and the written word in a video age 
•  Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - Matthew Sundquist (Facebook) presents: Making The Law Free 
• Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Al Harahap (University of Arizona) presents: Swartz, Anonymous, and the De-Institutionalization of the Supreme Court Friday, 
• March 22, 2013 - Charlotte Howell (Georgia State University) presents: Don’t Fear the Justice?: Power, Fear, and Lifetime Appointments

What Verizon Wants

For its FIOS TV service, Verizon wants to pay carriage fees based only on ratings and to use its own set-top box data to calculate them.

State of News

The Pew Research Center has released its State of the News Media report for 2013. It shows that adults are turning away from news outlets, and local news is seeing declines in depth of journalism, with rises in sports, weather, and traffic, but at least revenue was up last year. Cable news is full of talk.

Diller's Aereo

David Carr profiles Barry Diller's push to shake up the TV business with Aereo.

Good TVeets

The TV season now breaks into people arguing about Skyler/people arguing about Brody/people arguing about Hannah/people arguing about Betty.
— Todd VanDerWerff (@tvoti) March 18, 2013

Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad are all returning soon. It's time to cut extraneous people out of your life.
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) March 18, 2013

Anyone who thinks #THESIMPSONS should be cancelled needs to take a long hard look at their own dark heart, and maybe also LAST MAN STANDING.
— Jeffrey Sconce (@JeffreySconce) March 18, 2013

Dish Request

Dish Network has asked a judge to reject a Fox request in the Hopper lawsuit.

Breaking Bad Cinematography

Dave Bunting, Jr., has created a video essay on Breaking Bad's season 3 cinematography.

Tuesday Troubles

Rock Kissell dives into the network ratings black hole that is Tuesday nights at 10pm.

Friday Ratings

Network numbers from TV By the Numbers. Analysis from Spotted.

Good TVeets

That's a wrap.
— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) March 17, 2013

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is redundant.It would be like calling his other movies Jaws the Shark or Lincoln the Long Boring Drama.
— Guy Endore-Kaiser (@GuyEndoreKaiser) March 17, 2013

Watchin that Veronica Mars episode where Keith is all like "don't you dare get involved with this case," and Veronica's like "Psh, whatevs."
— Nick Chaney (@NickJChaney) March 17, 2013

Fox, News, & Women

Alyssa Rosenberg highlights a video she says pinpoints how Fox News brands itself via its female anchors. And a local Fox affiliate has apologized for a segment on Woman's History Month that featured numerous shots of women's breasts.

AHS at Paley

Lesley Goldberg covers the American Horror Story session at PaleyFest.

Leno v. Greenblatt

Bill Carter says Robert Greenblatt is angry with Jay Leno over his monologue mockery of NBC.

Good TVeets

Lil Wayne is "recovering", according to Mia Farrow. Life on Twitter, 2013.
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) March 16, 2013

Pretty sure backing #VeronicaMars will create more jobs and national stability than any political contribution I've ever made.
— Kate Danley (@katedanley) March 15, 2013

So @hbo is sending celebrities GoT swag so celebrities will tweet about getting swag? @tvmcgee is right, they BETTER renew Enlightened.
— Libby Hill (@midwestspitfire) March 16, 2013