Readings for Friday, November 4, 2016

Cubs-winning World Series Game 7 viewership tops 40M
What was the rating in the demo for Game 7 of the World Series? What percent increase is this from the last Game 7 in the World Series? What do you think "unadjusted fast affiliate numbers" are? What was the competition and how did they do?

AT&T - TW not a big deal, but DirectTV now is
This is an editorial from Broadcasting and Cable magazine. What is the main premise of Harry Jessell's argument? What is the FCC incentive auction? How does it affect broadcasters and AT&T? What is the current relationship between broadcasters and DirectTV?  How might the AT&T/Time Warner merger change this relationship? What are some of the cultural challenges that face AT&T as they move forward with the deal? What have been the political reactions so far? Who are the six major companies who have dominated media for the last decade? Who are the two new players? What is Direct TV Now and how may it affect the current power structure?

NBC bows to Fox's World Series Game 7, alters Wednesday lineup 
How did NBC alter its Wednesday lineup? What is the term for this that we learned in class? Do you think it makes sense? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Next TV Summit 2016: Welcome to the golden age of distribution
Why is it possibly "the golden age of distribution"? What does that mean? How are MSOs (Multiple System Operators or "cable companies") trying to plan for the future? What are some of the ideas of how MVPDs can evolve?

Apple unveils TV app
What is the new app and what does it do? What are other apps that are supported in it? What apps aren't?

Readings for Wednesday, October 19, 2016

ABC to "Stack" all episodes of new series
According to the article, what is "stacking"? What is TV Everywhere and what is an "authenticated viewer"? Where can authenticated viewers watch stacked shows? Which shows are being stacked by ABC? Who can watch live local broadcasts? What are the benefits of stacking shows? Who benefits? Any potential downside? Why is this deal so complicated?

"Bull," "Kevin Can Wait" and "MacGyver" grab full-season pickups at CBS
What is a full-season order? What does it mean for these three shows? Why is CBS confident about "Bull," "Kevin Can Wait" and "MacGyver"? What other shows have picked up additional episodes? Why has CBS delayed premiering a number of new shows, including "Man with a Plan," "The Great Indoors" and "Pure Genius"?

This fall's biggest surprises on broadcast
What types of viewing are included in the 11.8 rating for Bull? What are some other surprises so far this season on broadcast television?

The value of lead-ins: CBS gets a boost
What was the latest evidence that lead-ins are still important in this age of immersive media? How did CBS News get the most viewers for the Presidential Debate on Sunday? Who aired the debate? Who didn't air it and why not? How did the numbers for cable compare to numbers for broadcast last week? 

NFL fumbles its ratings this season
How are the NFL's television ratings this season? How are the numbers for all viewers and "the demo"? Which network has the greatest loss of viewers? According to the NFL, what are the reasons for the decline? What do you think is the reason for the decline?

NFL ratings plunge could spell doom for traditional TV
Why were NFL games viewed as the "last line of defense" against cord cutting and the move toward streaming? How is this decline causing existential angst for traditional TV? What are some other examples of sucess that traditional linear TV is holding up as an argument in its favor? What is meant by a "promotional halo"? Is this a short term blip? Is this a long term issue? Is this the death knell for linear television? If so, what is next? 

Readings for Friday, September 16, 2016

Football dominates but drops versus last year's opener


The most important TV shows this season for networks and ad buyers

"E! News"is betting on Facebook Live and Snapchat Discover


Wheeler circulates set-top rule proposals


Comcast blasts set-top rules proposal, says it exceeds FCC's authority

Readings for Friday, September 2, 2016

Promising start for new reality show "Better Late"
What is "Better Late than Never"? What are its ratings? How is it trending from week 1 to week 2? What are some of the keys to its success?
Marketers invest $2.5 billion in NFL telecasts
Who are the four major TV networks who partner with the NFL? How did Olympic ad spending compare to NFL ad spending? Did Olympic spending negatively influence NFL spending? Who advertisers in NFL games? Why is the NFL so popular? What are some chanllenges the NFL faces? What are "scatter and ad packages"? How much is an ad on NFL on NBC? How much on CBS? Why does NBC get more for their ads than CBS? How is ESPN's strategy for selling ads?
Weakest-ever Q2 for US pay-TV subscriptions
What are the second-quarter numbers for cable? How does this report compare to the overall trend for cable? What is telco IPTV? What percent of the drop was due to telco IP? How many pay TV customers were lost overall? What do the following terms mean in the context of this article -- penetration rate and occupied households?
NBC offers make goods as Games end down
How did NBC do on the Olympics in Rio? Why did viewership fall? What elements were in NBC's control? What negative forces were beyond NBC's control?
Midseason finale shows "Pretty Little Liars" is still a social TV phenomenon
What is Canvs? What are ERs on Twitter? What do they measure? How many did Pretty Little Liars have? How does that compare to other dramas? What are the top social TV shows? Why is getting ERs a good thing? What shows are most emotionally reacted to? Do you think the producers of these shows design them to get this reaction? If so, how? NOTE: No spoilers, as long as you DON'T CLICK on the hyperlinks in the story.

Welcome

Hello Programming Class:

We will be tracking current events in the media industry by following trade journals.

The sites listed below are free. You may need to create an account and log on, but there is no charge for this. You can also subscribe to receive e-mail newsletters and updates, if you like.

• Multichannel News -- News about the cable industry

• TV NewsCheck -- The business of broadcasting

• TVbytheNumbers.com -- Ratings updates and analysis

• Media Post -- Resources for media, marketing and advertising professionals

• WorldScreen.com -- International Distribution

• Variety -- Hollywood News

• Video Age International -- Media production and distribution

• Advertising Age -- Advertising business, news, and trends

• The Hollywood Reporter -- Entertainment news

• Media Freak -- Media industry commentary and editorials

Other sites of interest:

Broadcasting and Cable -- Great source on broadcasting; subscription required.

NATPE -The National Association of Television Programming Executives