The Resident #12

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Halie Aaron

Since it can be inferred that “The Resident” is almost definitely making it to season two, I will try to predict how it is going to perform in the upcoming year.

“9-1-1” is an already renewed show of a similar genre. It would pair well going back to back with “The Resident”. I think it would be great for Monday nights, because “9-1-1” has a very strong following. This season, “9-1-1” premiered on Wednesdays. It did well in the ratings consistently every week. Airing at 9 p.m., the season finale of “9-1-1” drew a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.6 million viewers.

Olympic Closing Ceremonies

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Halie Aaron

The Olympics closing ceremony took place on Saturday, February 24 2018. The event was broadcasted on Sunday, February 25 at 8:00PM on NBC. Some of the program was shortened in order to fit the two-and-a-half-hour time slot. Some of the highlights of the night included a sports recap in the beginning of the show, a montage of medal ceremonies, Jessie Diggins carrying the flag, a 13 year old guitarist, Korean pop superstars, a look forward to the 2022 games in Beijing, and a performance by Martin Garrix. The major issues surrounding the closing ceremonies were the loss in overall ratings and the time change causing a tape delay and shortened content.

Programming

Prior to the closing ceremony, NBC put on an “Olympic Gold” special, which brought in a rating/share of 1.6/7 and 8.35 million viewers. NBC’s new show A.P. Bio followed the closing ceremonies at 10:30pm. It put up a promising 1.1/5 rating and had an impressive 4.69 million viewers. The Olympics definitely helped A.P. Bio, so it will be interesting to see if the show will hold on its own.

Ratings

The closing ceremonies brought in a 2.4/9 rating and 14.87 million broadcast only viewers according to Variety. This is significantly less than the opening ceremonies, which brought in 17.2 million viewers. It is expected for a closing ceremony to have a smaller viewership than the opening ceremony, but overall the Pyeongchang winter Olympics lost viewership by 7% compared to Sochi in 2014. Specifically, Sochi beat Pyeongchang closing ceremony viewership by .4 million. Since viewing habits have changed over the past four years, this is not considered a huge loss. According to the Chicago Tribune, On NBC alone, the Olympic coverage averaged 19.8 million viewers across broadcast and digital platforms, while the combined average for ABC, CBS, and Fox was 9.8 million. That is an 82% advantage, up from a 43% advantage in Sochi and an 8% advantage in Vancouver. These numbers are very pleasing to NBC.

Competition

Competing shows throughout the night did not come close to beating the Olympics in ratings. “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition” on CBS received a 1.4/5 and 5.18 million viewers. “The Bachelor: The Women Tell All” on ABC received a 1.1/4 and 4.19 million viewers. “The Simpsons” on Fox received a 0.7/3 and 1.81 million viewers. “Ghosted” on Fox received a 0.5/2 rating and 1.21 million viewers. “Family Guy” on Fox received a 0.5/2 rating and 1.31 million viewers. “La to Vegas” on Fox received a 0.4/1 and 1.1 million viewers. “Shark Tank” on ABC received a 0.8 and 3.12 million viewers. “NCIS: Los Angeles” on CBS received a 0.4/2 and 3.42 million viewers.

Promotions

Promotions for the closing ceremonies revolved strictly around promoting NBC only content. The network promoted shows across all categories such as news, entertainment, and even special events. To begin, NBC News teased an Ivanka trump interview regarding the Olympics, and said that more would be shown on NBC Today the following morning. There were promotions for the Olympic Channel, The Voice, Good Girls, AP Bio, Chicago Med, and the special event Jesus Christ Superstar. Interestingly, the network showed three spots promoting the NBC Snapchat account. This shows that NBC was conscious to hit traffic in all areas.

Advertisers/Sponsors

Immediately following content before cutting to commercial break, NBC highlighted its main sponsors. Some of these companies included McDonalds, Intel, Toyota, and Google. These companies paid more money for these sponsorships because they attract more attention than a regular commercial. The commercials that aired during the event were consistent with NBC’s and the Olympic committee’s values. The network showed commercials that appealed to the 18-49 demographic because that is the program’s most successful target. The network chose commercials that were family oriented and appealed to everyone. The companies with the most spots were Toyota, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Samsung Galaxy X9, Coca Cola, and Hershey’s. Visa used its two spots to cross market with NBC, using the Olympians as the stars of the commercial. There were three local commercials during the program. Two were for Adirondack furniture in Syracuse, and the other was for Laserview of CNY. According to the Chicago Tribune, NBC made a profit off this Olympics with $920 million in national sales. Sochi only brought in $800 million.

Grammy Awards

Posted on January 17, 2018 by mjmitche

An Overview of The Show

The 60th Annual Grammy Awards was held on Sunday, January 28th 2018 at Madison Square Garden by the CBS network–the first time since 2003 that the Grammys were not held in Los Angeles. The Grammys aired at 7:30 EST, hosted by late night television host James Corden for the second year in a row.

Kendrick Lamar opened with a compelling performance with the American flag and men in fatigues and ski masks as backup dancers. U2 and comedian Dave Chapelle joined in, with Chapelle saying the most quoteable line of the night–“The only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America. Sorry for the interruption.”

Ke$ha supported the #MeToo movement clad in all white during a performance alongside Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha, Andra Day, and others. Janelle Monae made a direct tribute in her speech to the Time’s Up movement.

Politics were highly addressed at the 60th annual awards. Hillary Clinton appeared in a video reading an excerpt from “Fire and Fury”. Camila Cabello made a timely tribute to Dreamers in the midst of Trump’s reform DACA.

The Winners

Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna accepted the first Grammy of the broadcast for “Loyalty” as best rap/sung performance.

Ed Sheeran won Best Solo Performance for his song “Shape of You”. Following speeches by Kesha and Janelle Monae, Sheeran was met with boo’s despite his generally agreeable demeanor and presence in the music industry.

Bruno Mars dominated the award show, accepting the Grammy Award for album of the year (24K Magic), song of the year (That’s What I like) and record of the year (24K Magic).

The Ratings

The Grammys have a key demographic of A18-49 and reached 19.81 million viewers with a 5.9 rating on January 28th, down a full 24% from 2017’s February viewership number. This was the lowest viewership a ceremony CBS has received since 2009. Even so, the 2018 Grammys were the most watched primetime entertainment show since the 2017 Oscars. (Deadline)

Metered market ratings were 12.7/21, worse than early returns suggested. It fell 20% from the early returns for the 59th annual Grammys, which had 26 million viewers and a 7.8 rating among the same demo A18-49.

The unique viewers on the livestream of the Grammys was up 40% over last year’s telecast, however. The Sunday had the second-highest sign-up day for CBS All Access. The big boost stemmed from the streaming service offering a live stream of the event on its service. This is especially helpful to the millennial and/or cord-cutting population who do not have cable and focus on SVODs. Unique viewers and subscriber sign-ups reached record numbers for the CBS service. This could also be due to the airdate for a highly anticipated episode of “Star Trek: Discovery” that is only streamed on All Access.

Social Media

Nielsen reported that the 60th Grammys was the most social TV event this year. If we look at the mobile app store, the CBS app rank in free apps was at #325, according to Sensor Tower. After the awards show, the app’s rank jumped up to #89 among free iPhone apps in the US, just 5 below the very popular dating app, Tinder. (Tech Crunch)

The Twittersphere reacted to much of the poltiical aspects to had negative reactions to the delay of the delay of the red carpet precursor to the awards ceremony, due to delays in programming.

Programming and Competitive

CBS had aired the 2018 Farmer’s Insurance Open on Sunday night. The golf tournament ran into the Grammys’ red carpet’s scheduled time, which yielded backlash on Twitter and social media. (Business Insider)

CBS assured users that the Grammys would still air at 7:30p.m., but many on Twitter in their key demographic were unable to view a much red carpet celebrity fashion. The Farmer’s Insurance Open already had a delayed airtime as the Michigan State and University of Maryland basketball game went into overtime. Although overtime in sports can be often unpredictable, we can only fault the program planning team at network for the adverse effects on the highly anticipated red carpet fashion show.

As for competitive, there was not much up against the 7:30pm CBS special. Premieres included Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo, Sister Wives on TLC, and Beachfront Bargain Hunt on HGTV. None of these shows even compare to the gravity of the Grammys.

Advertising and Sponsorship

Procter & Gamble aired an “oddball and bizarre” ad for the Old Spice deodorant and its target consumers, male A18-34. The ad agency Wieden + Kennedy produced the campaign that features a suave gentleman talking to women about “the man your man could smell like.”

The ad was broadcast entirely in French, with a woman crying of a loss of someone relating to Old Spice. The company’s marketing director sought to generate buzz for this huge media opportunity. According to a media buyer, CBS sought roughly $1 million for a 30-second spot during the Grammys. For that money, the ad really needs to make impressions. (Variety)

While the Grammys hit a huge viewership decline, its advertising revenue remains strong. CBS made $81.1 million in national TV revenue. Last year they earned $81.4 million,
Big advertisers include Target ($7.8 million), Lincoln Mercury ($5.8 million), Google Phones ($3.9 million), Uber ($3.9 million) and Warner Bros ($3.5 million).

ABC Television Network

Posted on April 8, 2013 by mjenkins

by Macy Jenkins

History

The American Broadcasting Company began in 1943, after previously operating as the NBC Blue Radio Network. The first television broadcast was in 1948. In 1996, The Walt Disney Company bought ABC, which is now a part of the Disney-ABC Television Group. Corporate headquarters and network news are based in New York City, while programming is based in Burbank, California.

The Players

Source: disneylandtraveler.blogspot.com

Bob Iger

Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company.

Iger began his career at ABC in 1974. Most recently, he acquired Pixar (2006) and Marvel (2009). He directed the merger between Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. and The Walt Disney Company. [1]

Source: Womensconference.org

Anne Sweeney

Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks; President, Disney/ABC Television Group.

Sweeney oversees ABC Studios, the ABC Owned Television Stations Group, the ABC Television Network, Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Family, SOAPnet, and A&E Television Networks.

Source: disneyabctv.com

Kevin Brockman

Executive Vice President, Global Communications, Disney/ABC Television Group.

Brockman oversees all corporate, news and entertainment communication efforts worldwide on behalf of the Disney/ABC Television Group.

Source: disneyabctv.com

Rebecca Campbell

President, ABC Owned Television Stations Group.

Campbell is responsible for the company’s eight local TV stations and their digital assets in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno.

First Quarter Report

The Walt Disney Company’s media networks (which include cable and broadcast stations) increased by 7% in 2012, ending with $5.1 billion in revenue. ABC Broadcasting revenue increased by 6% over the last year, going from $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion. This comes after broadcasting operating income increased by $36 million to $262 million in 2012. The increase in operating income was able to increase because of higher advertising revenues. The amount of online advertising increased, as did advertising rates. [2]

Ratings

Each of the broadcast networks has seen a decreased in ratings from last year. As of March 24^th, ABC is in fourth place (after CBS, FOX, and NBC) with a 26-week season average of a 2.3 rating. ABC is down 8% from last season. Among total viewers, ABC’s 7.8 million is second only to CBS’ 12.1 million viewers (CBS had the Superbowl and the Grammy’s, while ABC’s main event was the Academy Awards). [3]

Source: nydailynews.com

On Sunday February 24^th, 40 million people tuned in to watch Seth MacFarlane host the 85^th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. It was the most watched Oscars since 2010. And this year’s saw 1 million more viewers than Billy Crystal’s 2012 ceremony. [4]

Primetime Programming

In January 2013, ABC had television’s number 1 scripted program for adults 18-49,
“Modern Family.” [5] Source: scottfeinberg.com

Top Rated Shows: Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Once Upon a Time, Dancing With the Stars, The Middle, The Bachelor, Castle, and 20/20.

On March 21, 2013, Grey’s Anatomy beat American Idol for the first time ever. And ABC delivers its most-watched non Oscar week since November during the week of March 18th.

On March 21, 2013, “Grey’s Anatomy” beat “American Idol” in the ratings for the first time. And ABC delivered its most-watched non-Oscar week since November during the week of March 18th. [6] Source: homeofthenutty.com

New Shows – Winter 2013:

The Taste: The competitive reality cooking show premiered on Tuesday January 22, 2013. The eight-episode season consisted of auditions where the judges blindly tasted food and eventually eliminated teams to find the winner. The premiere earned a 4.0 rating but the spring finale raked in a mere 1.1. Critics say The Taste is simply a less exciting version of NBC’s The Voice. [7] [8]

Zero Hour: The drama premiered on Thursday February 14, 2013. It was the least-watched premiere for a scripted series in ABC’s history (1.3 rating/6.3 million viewers). Two weeks later, it was canceled. [9]

Red Widow: The drama premiered on Sunday March 3, 2013 and was picked up for eight episodes. It’s centered around a woman who discovered her husband’s secret business life after he is murdered. The premiere earned a 1.5 rating and it’s currently the lowest-rated show on the network. However, ABC hasn’t pulled the plug yet. [10]

Splash: The series premiered on Tuesday March 19, 2013 to an audience of 8.8 million and earned a 2.6 rating. It’s ABC’s highest-rated reality TV premiere in two years and the highest-rated reality TV premiere since The X Factor’s Fall 2011 premiere. [11]

Cast of “Splash”. Source: zap2it

How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life): The comedy premiered on Wednesday April 3, 2013. It stars Sarah Chalke as a divorced mother who moves back in with her hippie parents. The show premiered with a 2.9 rating. It airs after ABC’s #1 show, Modern Family. [12]

Source: Slant Magazine

(See the “How to Live with your parents…” trailer)

Family Tools: The comedy will premiere on Wednesday May 1, 2013 as a part of ABC’s Wednesday comedy line-up. The series is centered on a man who returns home from the army and has to take over his father’s hardware business. [13]

The only new shows from fall 2012 to escape cancellation (so far) have been Nashville, Malibu Country, and The Neighbors.

ABC Daytime

Daytime television as a whole is not what it once was. The soap opera era is over and only four traditional American soap operas remain on the air across all of the networks. Due to declining ratings, ABC canceled the long-running dramas All My Children in 2011 and One Life to Live in 2012. The sole survivor is General Hospital, which airs at 2pm.

Source: webpronews

The only other daytime programming the network offers is The View at 11am and The Chew at 1pm.

ABC News

ABC’s news programming includes World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline, Primetime, 20/20, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Good Morning America was the number 1 morning program in total viewers and in the Adult 25-54 demographic during the fourth quarter of 2012. In fact, it marked the first time the program has won the Adult 25-54 demographic since 1994.

Source: Facebook

Nightline was the number 1 late-night program in total viewers and in the Adult 25-54 demo.

World News with Diane Sawyer beat CBS Evening News in fourth quarter ratings and saw its strongest fourth quarter performance since 2009.

Diane Sawyer has been with ABC News since 1989 and serves as the leading face of ABC’s News Department. Source: ABC News

Online and Mobile

Election Night 2012 was the most streamed live event in the history of ABC News. [14] Source: Sun Times

ABC.com has a comedy web series that infuses recaps from the network’s programs with comedic situations. The latest is called “Taye Diggs Destroys Hip Hop.” Actor Taye Diggs leaves Private Practice and starts a career in the world of Hip Hop music. [15]

ABC was the first network to offer a mobile app (released in april 2010). As of April 5^th, the app had been downloaded 10 million times, there have been 200 million episode views and more than 1.3 billion ads run. [16]

ABC’s video player is the sixth most downloaded free iPad app of all time. Source: ABC

The Future

ABC still claims the number 1 scripted show, Modern Family, and has a large online presence. But overall, in the era of “blinkandyoumissit,” the major networks have no time to rest before they plot their next moves.

Sources

[1] “Robert A. Iger” http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/leadership/ceo/robert-iger

[2] “The Walt Disney Company Reports First Quarter Earnings For Fiscal 2013” http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/sites/default/files/press-releases/pdfs/q1-fy13-earnings.pdf

[3] “2012-2013 Season: CBS Leads Among Adults 18-49 & With Total Viewers Through Week 26 Ending March 24, 2013” http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/26/2012-2013-season-cbs-leads-among-adults-18-49-with-total-viewers-through-week-26-ending-march-24-2013/174970/

[4] “Seth MacFarlane-Hosted Oscars Watched By 40.3M, Up From 2012” http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/oscars-2013-tv-ratings-up-from-2012-abc-seth-macfarlane/

[5] “ABC The Only Major Net to Grow Year to Year” http://tvafterdarkonline.com/2013/01/abc-the-only-major-net-to-grow-year-to-year/

[6] “ABC Delivers Its Most-Watched Non-“Oscar” Week Since November” http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2013/03/26/abc-delivers-its-most-watched-non-oscar-week-since-november-209415/20130326abc02/

[7] “The Taste’s Two-Hour Premiere Earned Solid Ratings” http://eater.com/archives/2013/01/23/the-taste-wire.php

[8] “’The Taste’ Ends First Season With A Sad Whimper” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/the-taste_n_2876049.html

[9]” ‘Zero Hour’ Canceled: ABC Pulls Anthony Edwards Drama After Three Episodes” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/zero-hour-canceled_n_2794162.html

[10] “Red Widow: New ABC TV Series; Cancel or Keep It?” http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/red-widow-new-abc-tv-series-cancel-or-keep-it-27528/

[11] “Ratings: ABC Makes a Big Splash, Body of Proof Rises, Smash Dips, New Normal Drops” http://tvline.com/2013/03/20/ratings-abc-splash-premiere-ncis-la-spinoff/

[12] “’How to Live with Your Parents’ Opens Strong, ‘Modern Family’ is Wednesday’s Number 1 TV Show” http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/04/how-to-live-with-your-parents-opens-strong-modern-family-is-wednesdays-number-1-tv-show/176484/

[13] “’Family Tools’ Cut Down To 10 Episodes: ABC’s Midseason Comedy Affected By ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Schedule” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/10/family-tools-cut-down-to-10-episodes-abcs-midseason-comedy_n_2109980.html

[14] “ABC News surges into 2013 propelled by strong 4th quarter 2012 ratings.” http://www.cynopsis.com/files/8013/5759/7642/ABC_NEWS_SURGES_INTO_2013_PROPELLED_BY_STRONG_4TH_QUARTER_2012_RATINGS.pdf

[15] “It’s No April Fools Joke: ‘Taye Diggs Destroys Hip Hop’ on ABC.com/ABCdotcomedy – Video” http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/01/its-no-april-fools-joke-taye-diggs-destroys-hip-hop-on-abc-comabcdotcomedy-video/175843/

[16] “Disney/ABC App Downloaded 10 Million Times.” http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/197432/disneyabc-app-downloaded-10-million-times.html#axzz2PslnXpZl

Programming and Program Development

Posted on April 8, 2013 by jzimmerman

Programming has traditionally been made up of two dominant genres, the drama and the situational comedy (or sitcom). In a typical week’s prime time schedule, the major five broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, and NBC) air a combined 43 hours of dramas and 18 hours of comedy. Another notable genre in the current schedule is reality and competition shows which currently make up 14 hours of the broadcast schedule. When looking into the broader scope of television, more and more genres begin to emerge. Currently on cable and premium networks, dramas and sitcoms also dominate the schedule but they are accompanied by more diverse programming such as mini-series, more reality, and developing genres such as mock reality. Schedules are constantly changing and adapting as new programs are developed and programs begin to come off the air. The development process is unique for each genre and the current season has already showed some success and failures.

Drama

The beginning of any drama series typically happens in one of three ways. Either a writer-producer meets with the network and a concept emerges which then turns into a script or a writer-producer already has a script and pitches it to the network. The third common way for a show to develop is for a highly regarded star to decide they want to do a television program and a team is assigned to develop something which fits their needs. Once a script is written and the network approves along with a cast and crew, a pilot is produced and shown to the network. How many pilots are commissioned is dependent upon the networks overall tone, for example The CW is unlikely to produce a large amount of comedy pilots since their schedule is dominated by dramas, along with their current needs. If not many dramas survive the season, more are likely to be commissioned for the next season.

In the current pilot season, Vulture magazine has already spotted several programming trends. One of which is franchise programming. Shows such as NCIS, The Vampire Diaries, and Chicago Fire all have related pilots being worked on. Going off of the success of Once Upon a Time, there is also a tendency towards magical or supernatural themed programs. Vulture predicts a rise in “House” type characters as well as many bigger name stars following Kevin Bacon back to the smaller screen. Much of this is based off of the successes of this past season and an effort to keep promising trends rolling.

One of the more successful launches this Spring was Fox’s The Following starring Kevin Bacon. The show has already been picked up for a second season and has been consistently winning it’s time slot.

A significant drama which went off the air this spring was The CW’s Gossip Girl. While not a major player in the ratings, Gossip Girl was still influential in it’s run on the CW as a trend setter for other programming. The network saw an uptick in the amount of programs focusing on the glamorous and elite such as 90210 and this season’s The Carrie Diaries.

Cable networks typically are more adventurous in their programming and have been seeing a lot of success lately.

Among the biggest successes is AMC’s The Walking Dead. It is a slightly nontraditional show that has garnered huge ratings for the cable network. It was a major Sunday night competitor this season despite not being on a major broadcast network.

Another major program this spring was The History Channel’s mini series The Bible. It received a lot of attention for it’s content and created a viewing war with The Walking Dead.

Comedies

Comedies are developed in a very similar way to dramas. Typically more comedy pilots are produced each year because they are shorter and quicker to make. However, more concepts are abandoned and there are different standards for determining what shows get picked up. A comedy will rarely be picked up just because it’s funny. Comedies are evaluated more based on the current schedule and where there are holes. If a current show is going off the air or needs a stronger lead in, then a comedy has a stronger chance of making it to air. There is also a different target demographic for comedies. They are intended to appeal to younger, typically less educated, and lower income than other types of programming.

NBC had a much hyped new series in 1600 Penn which was given an early release of the pilot. The show did not hold an audience well and saw continually declining ratings. NBC chose to end the season early by airing multiple episodes in a night. The scheduling change combined with declining ratings led to cancellation rumors.

A more successful show this spring has been ABC’s How to Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life. It had a late premiere date but has still seen favorable ratings. It focuses on a single mom having to move back in with her parents and the struggles that ensue from her eccentric family.

This season will see the end of the long running NBC comedy The Office. The show was a hit for the network for many years and led to similar programs such as Parks and Recreation which is still on air. Show Runner Greg Daniels promises a heartfelt goodbye to match the series all around tone and characters.

Reality

There are four general rules that define reality television. The first is that they do not involve actors, at least in the traditional sense. Second, while they may be planned, they are not written in the way that comedies and dramas are. They are always produced on location, and finally they have some sort of special gimmick. When in development, these programs are judged more on the potential of the idea than the reputations of the writers or performers. Reality television has created a place for itself in the schedule over the past few decades. It is especially prominent on cable networks with networks such as E! and Bravo airing almost exclusively reality in their prime time slots. Bravo recently announced they have 17 new series being planned, nearly all of which are reality.

On broadcast networks, it is most common to see reality programming in the form of competition. The Voice saw a cast change this spring with Shakira and Usher replacing Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green as judges. The show has been seeing decent numbers with the new judges.

Emerging Trends

Mock Reality

Reality is clearly a genre which is here to stay. Over the years, reality programming has reached to some pretty extreme levels as far as the types of stories and characters that are put on the air. This has led to a new trend of mock realities, shows which are meant to look like reality shows but are scripted or improv and actually make fun of reality programming.

E! has an hour every week titled “Mock Block Monday” which features two of these Mock Reality Shows. The first is Burning Love which is an imitation of dating shows such as The Bachelor. The second is After Lately which is a supposed documentary of the office of Chelsea Lately, another popular program of theirs.

Other networks are picking up on this trend as well. MTV recently announced a new show, appropriately called Reality Stars, which will be about four friends who get involved in reality television. BET has committed to a second season of The Real Husbands of Hollywood. The show follows men of Hollywood in their “natural environment”.

Social Media

Nielsen announced earlier this winter that it plans to begin using Twitter to measure program popularity. This focus on the “second screen” could give more insight into what viewers are responding too and begin to dictate programming decisions. It can help programmers adapt to the growing social engagement of viewers and use social media trends to their advantage.

Sources

1.http://www.fox.com/the-following/
2.http://epguides.com/grid/
3.http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/07/bubble-watch-vegas-craps-out-on-friday-go-on-still-on-the-bubble-how-to-live-with-your-parents-and-hannibal/176840/
4. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/07/bubble-watch-vegas-craps-out-on-friday-go-on-still-on-the-bubble-how-to-live-with-your-parents-and-hannibal/176840/
5. http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/03/05/the-following-monday-ratings/
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFq-w5CxN8
7. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/the-walking-dead-ratings_n_2993622.html
8. http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/12/18/gossip-girl-finale-ratings/
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufkXlmtHJnw
10. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/fall-season-brings-shift-in-tv-ratings-race/
11. http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/nielsen-using-twitter-data-to-gauge-tv-programming-popularity/
12. http://www.bibleseries.tv/

13. http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2013/apr/060413-mtv-is-launching-a-new-tv-series-called-reality-stars.htm

14. http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/the-dish/bravo-announces-17-new-18-returning-series?page=0,1

15. http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/03/17/the-office-tease-series-finale/

16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzzerIyOI9s

17. http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/comedy-pilots-2013-everything-you-need-to-know.html

18. http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/pilots-2013-dramas.html

19. The Business of Television, Bleumenthol & Goodenough

Regulation of Distribution

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Baindu Saidu

by Baindu N. Saidu

Distribution refers to the means by which television programming is delivered to consumers. It is done through traditional means like Broadcast, Cable or Satellite television, or through newer means like Video on Demand (VOD), Digital Video Recording (DVR), and online Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services like HULU Plus and Netflix.

When it comes to overseeing and regulating of these different means of mass television distribution, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is the principle government agency in charge. Its jurisdiction covers the means of mass emerging television technologies at the intersection of telephone, internet, computing, and digital signals. [1].

via the FCC website (http://www.fcc.gov/logos)

Several events have been ongoing during this semester related to the regulatory and legal aspects of distribution include a satellite provider, Dish’s disputes with both cable and broadcast networks, and the FCC’s ongoing plans for an incentive auction to reclaim spectrum space for wireless operators.

Dish Network vs. AMC Networks

The Networks’ dispute started years earlier with Cablevision’s lawsuit against Dish over their Voom HD channel which Dish stopped carrying in 2008. AMC was spun off from Cablevision in 2011. In April 2012, Dish notified AMC that it would drop their channels and by July, when their contract expired, Dish removed AMC Network channels AMC, WEtv, IFC, and Sundance from its lineup [2].

The companies indicated different reasons for the dispute. AMC stated that DISH dropped its programming because it wanted to gain leverage in an unrelated lawsuit involving Cablevision and their Voom HD channel [3]. DISH, conversely stated that the dispute was over “bundling,” in which big networks like AMC try to sell several of their channels, both high- and low-rated, to providers in a bundle to get a better price [4].

Image via Deadline website (http://www.deadline.com/tag/dish-network/)

By September, Dish’s 14 million subscribers had been without any AMC channels for more than two months and feared not be able to view the season premiere of the AMC hit show, The Walking Dead, set to premiere October 14. Speaking on the dispute, Dish’s senior vice president of programming, Adam Shull stated that “The problem is they’re asking me to pay for four channels for really what is the price of three shows,” thus Dish wouldn’t be paying for any AMC shows [5].

On their part, AMC turned to social media in a quest to get their channels back on Dish, launching a YouTube video contest for angry Dish subscribers called “Hey DISH, Where’s my AMC?” [6].

The conflict would not be resolved until October 21 when Cablevision and AMC Networks settled their lawsuit with Dish Network for $700 million. The deal brought to end a dispute over whether Dish breached an affiliate agreement by terminating AMC’s Voom HD Network in 2008. At a trial that began in late September, AMC sought some $2.4 billion in damages from what it believed was Dish’s improper termination. Dish had defended itself by saying that it had the authority to cancel the Voom deal based on a contractual clause requiring Cablevision/AMC to invest $100 million per year on the channel. As part of the deal Dish also reached a new carriage agreement with AMC, bringing the network back to their lineup along with IFC, Sundance, and WEtv [7].

Dish Network’s AutoHop vs. Broadcasters

Image via Dish Network Website (http://godish.com/)

Another battle Dish Network has been involved in pertains to the AutoHop feature for its DVR systems, Hopper and Joey. Introduced in March, Autohop, an International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award Honoree, allows users who are watching Primetime Anytime recordings to completely skip commercials. When the user starts watching a recording, they are allowed to choose whether or not to skip commercials. Users who choose to skip the commercials move from segment to segment of TV shows without having to watch the ads [8]. This feature has undoubtedly caused uproar with broadcasters, who depend on ad sales for a majority of their revenue.

In May, three of the major broadcasters (CBS, NBC, and Fox) filed suit against Dish Network in Los Angles, contending that the technology violated copyright law. Dish simultaneously filed a suit against ABC, CBS, and NBC in New York seeking a declaratory judgment affirming the legality of their technology [9]. In documents filed August 22, Fox’s lawyer argued that AutoHop was in “violation of the express terms and conditions of its contracts with Fox and federal copyright law. Both parties argued their respective points of view in front of U.S. District Court judge, Dolly Gee, on September 21 in Los Angeles. On November 6, Gee denied Fox’s request for a preliminary injunction that would shut AutoHop down. Gee, in denying Fox said, “Although Dish defines some of the parameters of copying for time-shifting purposes, it is ultimately the user who causes the copy to be made.” She also pointed out that Fox hadn’t proved there would be “irreparable damage” if no injunction was issued. Any harm to Fox, she said, could be relieved by monetary damages. The judge did agree with Fox though that Dish had likely committed copyright infringement and broken the contract between the two companies in making copies of Fox programming for alleged quality assurance [10].

On November 9, Fox filed an appeal against the denial of its request for an injunction, moving the matter from the U.S. District Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District[11]. More legal action from broadcasters followed on November 24 when ABC sought a preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan federal court to also block AutoHop [12].

The broadcasters’ reason for going after AutoHop is that it “will ultimately destroy the advertiser-supported ecosystem” they depend on for revenue [13]. The networks make more than $19 billion a year in advertising, money that pays for the high cost of programming. Without advertising, network executives say, media companies would have to charge distributors three times the current rate for their signals, added costs which would be passed on to consumers. Dish, on its part, said that it believes that the AutoHop feature does not violate the networks’ copyrights. Instead, the company said AutoHop is simply an enhancement of existing ad-zapping technologies, and ultimately a matter of consumer choice [14].

FCC Incentive Spectrum Auction

Image via Cio website (http://www.cio.com/article/717594/FCC_Approves_Wireless_Spectrum_Incentive_Auction_Plan)

The FCC is a quasi-autonomous commission that has elements of each of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. It is part of the group of independent regulatory agencies (see also the FAA, FTC, and SEC) [15]. In its control of television, the FCC performs several distinct functions such as rulemaking, licensing, registration, adjudication, enforcement, and informal influence [16].

Last February, President Obama signed a law empowering the FCC to buy spectrum from broadcasters wishing to give it up and then turn around and auction it to wireless broadband carriers. The FCC is working on the implementing rules for the incentive auction — so-called because broadcasters have a cash incentive to give up their spectrum [17]. They have hopes that the auction could begin as early as 2014, but have until September 2022 to conduct the sale and license the airwaves to wireless companies [18].

For the most part, full-service broadcasters with major network affiliations and newsrooms have said they have no interest in the incentive auction, preferring to hang on to their entire spectrum so they can offer new services. However, other broadcasters that are struggling see the incentive auction as a way to recoup some or all of their investments. Speculators have also entered the market, buying up marginal stations with the intention of selling their spectrum at a profit in the FCC auction [19].

Fall FCC Spectrum Auction News

September 07, 2012: FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski set to release the FCC’s framework for the spectrum auction with target of having a report and order voted by mid-2013 and the auctions completed by the end of 2014 [20]. Full article.

October 04, 2012: Chairman Genachowski said that the FCC will exceed its 300 MHz target for freeing up spectrum, a target the commission set in the National Broadban Plan [21]. Full article.

November 13, 2012: An anonymous group of broadcasters interested in selling their TV spectrum in the incentive auction created the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition and tapped former Fox and Disney lobbyist Preston Padden to lead their efforts before the FCC as the commission writes rules for the auction [22]. Full article.

December 03, 2012: FCC officials spelled out some financial options in a PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP webcast, urging listeners to file comments as the commission works to write rules for the auction. The deadline for comments on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was extended to Jan. 25, with reply comments due March 26 [23]. Full article.

With the auction yet to occur, there is more news to come. To stay updated, check out the FCC’s official website.