Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 5

Marc Berman notes that the fast national ratings have been delayed today.

So I will post the when they are released.

The Business of Television
Fiber Video: What Telcos Can Offer That Cable Can't
Telco TV: Is Fiber Powering a Cable Revolution?
By Timothy Sprinkle The BRIDGE.com

It's tough being a cable provider these days. Although traditional coax services enjoyed a near monopoly on distribution for nearly 30 years, during the past decade they've seen the rise of two new, formidable competitors: DBS satellite TV and fiber-supported video.

Sure, the cable providers have more or less weathered the DIRECTV and EchoStar storms by expanding their product offerings - adding broadband services and interactive video-on-demand to the mix. But fiber is poised to take away that advantage with its big pipe approach to customer networking.

And that's just how the telcos want it. In their eyes, fiber, which is currently marketed as FiOS by Verizon and U-verse by AT&T, is the killer app that will finally overtake the cable industry.

FTTP will enable a new broadband economy through the delivery of a vast array of high-speed, high-capacity data services, along with voice and video products, to consumers and business customers, said Verizon Network Services Group President Paul Lacouture at the FiOS rollout in 2005.

And AT&T is no less convinced of its technology's potential. At a hearing in front of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2005, Lea Ann Champion, senior executive vice president of IP operations and services with AT&T, then called SBC Communications, testified that IP-based television will change the way consumers watch TV while opening a new competitive choice for millions.

The simple elegance of IP technology is that it allows various broadband applications to communicate and work together to enhance the capabilities of otherwise separate services, she said. It is vitally important for U.S. companies to invest in new technologies. It is not enough to repackage the same old stuff. We must bring a new level of integration and functionality to consumers.

What FTTP Offers

So what is all the fuss about? What can fiber offer the average television customer that cable can't?

Fiber delivers a lot of bandwidth, for starters. There's enough to handle the interactive and web-driven applications that viewers these days demand. Unlike traditional coaxial cable, which can only transmit so much data at any given time, fiber is virtually unlimited, capable of delivering voice, internet, video and more at high speeds.

Fiber is, in a sense, the communications medium of the future.

Unlike with a lot of the technology that's behind a lot of the other services, with FiOS we know that what we're actually putting in the ground to the customer is the best thing out there, explains Bill Garrett, Verizon's director of broadband services. Nobody's going to put out new copper coax at this point. The question really isn't whether fiber itself isn't a superior way of moving data around, because it obviously is.

Need proof? According to Garrett, the typical fiber connection can deliver speeds up to 15 times faster than a current DSL connection and can be broken down into four separate wavelengths, each focusing solely on a different service.

The technology's 870 MHz cable plant can offer 622 Mbs of data (shared between up to 32 customers per fiber) with segments dedicated to upstream, downstream, video and internet services.

We're able to very efficiently deliver each of the different services that we're trying to get to our customers, Garrett says. On the other hand, when I look at some of the newer products that customers are asking for - DVR, VOD, etc - how would I deliver those if all I had was that cable plant? That's when you find that [the cable model] is very inefficient.

And all of this fiber-supported capacity means that telco providers can offer customers a range of products and services. Verizon's FiOS, for instance, currently offers subscribers nearly 400 digital video and audio channels, including more than 20 in HD, an interactive program guide, off-site DVR technology as well as high-speed internet and telephone service.

And with AT&T's platform, We are very pleased with the service we are able to provide to our customers and their response to U-verse has been strong, AT&T spokesperson Jenny Parker says. Customer feedback on the picture quality, features and overall experience has been positive, showing consumers' demand for more video choice and an enhanced television experience.

Both companies' fiber services offer IP and broadcast TV as well as HD and standard-definition set-top options.

Wave Of The Future?

Given the telcos' existing reach, it's not surprising that fiber-supported services have grown fast.

AT&T's U-verse for example, is currently available in 15 markets and claims approximately 18,000 subscribers. The company expects to pass eight million units by the end of the year and have the service available to 19 million units by the end of 2008. A U-verse-driven voice service is expected to launch in 2007.

Our video strategy is showing strong momentum as we add new subscribers at an increasing rate, says Ralph de la Vega, group president -- Regional Wireline Operations, AT&T. Consumers are clearly hungry for an alternative to the cable companies, and AT&T U-verse is a very attractive choice. We offer more high definition channels than local cable companies in the markets we serve, the ability to record up to four programs at once, and the ability to set DVR recordings remotely using the AT&T Yahoo! portal or, soon, a mobile device.

Verizon's FiOS, on the other hand, is available in 16 states, making it the largest fiber service in the U.S. The provider expects to pass 9 million premises by the end of 2007 (18 million by 2010), which would represent about 60 percent of the company's total footprint. At the end of last year, FiOS had 207,000 customers on the books.

Looking forward, the company is planning to eventually open 17 million homes and manage a base of six to seven million customers.

It's about convergence in general, Garrett says. The idea is that Verizon now has all the networks that you're using to get everything in one place. The question is how do we take all those networks and bundle them together for you so you have the easiest access to all the information you need. The goal is to tie them all together in to a single experience.

Down The Road


Of course, what good is a wide-open fiber connection if you can't push it a little bit? Although both AT&T and Verizon currently offer a variety of standard video services like VOD, DVR and pay-per-view, both have their sights set on loftier goals.

Ultimately, it's about delivering a better TV experience to customers, says AT&T's Parker. The IP platform enables features and integration that improve how customers watch and personalize TV and allows for future capabilities beyond what's in the market.

What future capabilities should we expect? More interactive features, for starters, including remote gaming systems and video-on-demand, as well as increased home networking capabilities.

According to Parker, AT&T plans to expand its U-verse service this year with the U-bar, an interactive component to U-verse TV that allows users to access stock, weather, sports or traffic information on the television screen. Users can set bar preferences in advance through the control panel so they only see what they want to see. In addition, users will soon have the ability to access online photos through a dedicated photo channel and gain the ability to call up their caller ID on the TV. Just a few weeks ago the company rolled out its mobile control package, which allows users to manage DVR recordings and control their system settings via an AT&T wireless phone.

And it's the same thing at Verizon: customer control is the key.

We know that customers want to run games, Garrett says, but we also know it's starting to become an issue because not everyone wants to spend $700 on a new Playstation.

The solution, he explains, is what Verizon calls on demand gaming. Using the interactive capabilities of the FTTP network, FiOS customers will soon be able to sit down on their couch, plug a controller into their set-top box and play a video game. The application itself will be hosted at the Verizon server and sent to the customer's TV as a standard video stream, using the interactive set-top to control the action off-site.

Along the same lines, the company is looking at a network DVR that will take the time shifting concept started by hard drive DVRs to the next level.

Right now you've got a DVR in your home and then you've got the VOD service, Garrett says, explaining that the problem with existing DVRs is capacity. You can only save as much programming as your unit's hard drive can hold.

With the network DVR what we're looking at doing is capturing broadcast content in real-time and immediately putting it on the VOD system, he explains. So even if you forget to record a program to your DVR, you'll still have access to it.

The Cable Response?

What does the cable industry think about all this? How are the traditional providers reacting to these new competitors?

Certainly, they're not taking it lying down, and many companies are looking for ways to do more with their limited bandwidth. After all, the high-definition video and broadband internet that customers want require a lot of resources, forcing providers to get creative when developing ways to meet customer demands within the limitations of their hardware.

Switched-video providers like BigBand Networks are playing a role, allowing providers to save bandwidth by delivering channels to a home only when a viewer asks for them. And industry watchers expect providers like Vyyo to be involved as well, integrating IP services with the standard cable stream.

Cable is going to have to invest in some way in all of these different technologies until they make the leap to full fiber, Janco Partners analyst Cameron Cooke told Reuters earlier this month. I'm thinking about 10 years from now you'll start to see cable operators taking cable into the home.

Does cable have 10 years to wait? Will fiber take over the world between now and then? And how will the satellite TV respond? We'll have to wait and see. But, whatever happens, clearly the video entertainment landscape is changing.

(For a free subscription to The Bridge write to thebrudge@mediabizcorp.com)

Whatever it takes, dad.

Thanks, Iteki. I forgot to make that change.

It should be fixed now, Iteki -- if I haven't messed up editing my sig.

Critic's Notebook
Dutch treat for fans of 'The Shield'
From Maureen Ryan's Chicago Tribune blog The Watcher

There's no denying that the furious ball of energy known as Vic Mackey is the focal point of There's no denyingThe Shield (10 PM ET/PT, Tuesday, FX).

But when the show, which began a typically stellar sixth season April 3, wraps up its seventh and final season some time next year, the character I may miss most is Holland Dutch Wagenbach, a dogged detective played by Jay Karnes.

Dutch, as he is universally known at the run-down police precinct referred to as the Barn, isn't part of the swaggering anti-gang Strike Team that Mickey leads. He's a guy who, one might guess, secretly wishes he were part of a team of elite FBI criminal profilers. Instead he often ends up investigating gang murders and other run-of-the-mill heinousness in the violent Farmington district of Los Angeles. Yet his intelligence and his sometimes shaky social skills set Dutch apart from most other cops. But over time, thanks to the detective's investigative skills, he has earned the respect of his fellow cops.

It's not as though he fits in exactly, said Karnes in a recent phone interview. People know who he is, and I think there's a begrudging acknowledgment that he is good at what he does, even if what he does detective work is not as highly valued as what Mickey does, breaking down doors and all that.

Karnes, a native of Omaha, is a longtime friend of Shield creator Shawn Ryan, who gave Karnes the pilot script in 2001. Karnes asked if there was a role for him in the drama and was surprised when Ryan mentioned Dutch.

He said, Let me do another pass at [the script] with you in In the new version, Dutch was, as Karnes recalls Ryan saying,mind.' you, except he's not interested in history, he's interested in crime.'

Karnes laughs as he recalls his reaction. This is me? What do you think of me?

Still, Karnes has obvious affection for the character, who was initially partnered with senior detective Claudette Wyms (C.C.H. Pounder) for years. The complicated working relationship between the older female cop, who's seen just about every kind of police misbehavior yet has managed to hang onto her moral center, and the eager yet sometimes clueless younger detective has been one of the best things about the show.

You don't often see that on TV, especially on cop shows, where there's that [typical] partner dynamic, Karnes said. The relationship is so needy on his part, and that's not something you see very often. But it's not a maternal thing, he hasn't turned her into a mommy figure. But he really needs her approval and her input. And at the same time they don't turn him into putty.

But Claudette has been put in charge of the Barn, which may strain Dutch's working relationship with her.

It's interesting for Dutch because he never really had a lot of respect for [former Barn captain David] Aceveda. Dutch didn't consider him a real cop, Karnes said. She is a real cop and he respects her. But it'll be interesting to see what happens when she wants him to do something he doesn't want to do.

This season, Dutch's partner is a lazy, often inept detective named Steve Billings (David Marciano). Dutch's frustrations with Billings are often the source of the show's rare but welcome comic relief.

In seasons four and five, Dutch thinks that Billings is a clown and in a lot of ways, he is. Much to Dutch's surprise, [this season] you begin to see other levels to Billings. In Season 6, Dutch develops a low, fetus-sized respect for Billings. Whether it will grow, Karnes says with a laugh, I don't know.

In the current season, Dutch is trying to mentor a younger cop named Tina Hanson (Paula Garces), purely from an altruistic desire to assist a new police officer or so Dutch tells himself.

I think he thinks on some level that he would do this for any cop, that it's his job to mentor younger cops. The fact that he picks the hottest cop in the precinct that's a coincidence, Karnes said. But on another level, he is aware of what he's doing and he kind of knows it's not the noblest thing in the world.

But the fact is, Dutch is a good guy, all things considered - he just doesn't really know how else to meet, let alone impress, the opposite sex.

Anyone who wants to impress someone they're interested in is going to want to show them what they're good at - and Dutch is good at solving crimes, Karnes noted. So it's natural for him to want to show someone he's attracted to what he's good at. I'm not sure that really justifies it.

Though trying to date an impressionable, younger co-worker might skirt the line of ethics, it's nowhere near Dutch's darkest hour, which took place in Season 3. In the midst of a frustrating investigation into a local serial killer, Dutch was being kept up at night by a loud stray cat. Partly out of desire to understand the mind of a murderer and partly out of darker urges that were never fully articulated, the normally affable Dutch eventually strangled the stray cat.

Shawn Ryan called me and said, The good news is David Mamet is directing a Dutch-heavy episode,' Karnes recalled. The bad news is, you're going to strangle a cat in your underwear.'

He said his sarcastic response was, Great, count me in!

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Thanks again for the tip, Iteki -- that is something I probably would have forgotten about forever.

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Returning Heroes hits new series low
NBC hit drama pulls a 5.3 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer April 24, 2007

NBC's Heroes didn't fly quite as high as usual last night upon its return from a long hiatus. The first-year hit drama fell to a series-low 5.3 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, airing opposite ABC's potent Dancing with the Stars for the first time.

The show still won its timeslot, but it finished behind Stars during the two shows' shared half hour at 9 p.m. Stars averaged a 5.5 to Heroes' 5.2.

It marked Heroes' lowest performance since a 5.5 for its second episode back in October. The show went on hiatus for much of March and April, and it was down 20 percent from its most recent original episode, which averaged a 6.6 on March 5.

Certainly Heroes was not helped by the continuing softening of lead-in Deal or No Deal opposite Stars. Deal averaged a 3.3 last night at 8 p.m., down 39 percent from the 5.4 it averaged leading into Heroes on March 5.

And "Heroes," the season's No. 1 new show in 18-49s, is still a hit by any measure. It was last night's No. 1 show in 18-49s as well.

Heroes may simply need a week or two for viewers to become aware that the show is back. Long hiatuses have been difficult for broadcast shows this year, with ABC's Lost and CBS's Jericho, two similarly mysterious, action-packed shows, both showing deep declines after leaving the air for several months. Though Heroes wasn't gone for as long, and its declines aren't as serious, the network may nonetheless want to reconsider future long momentum-sapping absences.

Meanwhile, ABC finished first among 18-49s last night with a 4.1 average rating and an 11 share, with NBC second at 3.9/10, CBS third at 3.8/10, Fox fourth at 2.8/8, Univision fifth at 1.9/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.

At 8 p.m. ABC led with a 4.5 for the first hour of Stars, followed by NBC with a 3.3 for Deal. CBS was third that hour with a 2.3 average for a repeat of How I Met Your Mother and an original New Adventures of Old Christine (2.4), with Fox and Univision tied for fourth at 1.8, Fox for Drive and Univision for La Fea Mas Bella. That left CW sixth with a 1.2 average for Everybody Hates Chris (1.3) and All of Us (1.1).

NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 5.3 for Heroes, while ABC fell to second with a 4.5 average for the last 30 minutes of Stars (5.5) and the first half hour of The Bachelor (3.5). CBS was third with a 4.0 average for Two and a Half Men (3.9) and The King of Queens (4.1), Fox fourth with a 3.9 for 24, Univision fifth with a 2.0 for Destilando Amor and CW sixth with a 1.1 average for Girlfriends(1.2) and The Game (1.1).

CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.1 for CSI: Miami, with ABC second with a 3.4 for the end of The Bachelor. NBC was third with a 3.1 for the premiere of The Real Wedding Crashers and Univision fourth with a 1.8 for Cristina.

ABC finished first for the night among households with a 9.6 average rating and a 15 share. CBS was second at 7.7/12, NBC third at 6.3/10, Fox fourth at 4.6/7, Univision fifth at 2.4/4 and CW sixth at 1.7/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...icle_11644.asp

Monday's fast national over night prime-time ratings - and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman's view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

You are right, humdinger, and as I recall I cautioned that Jay has never been in the forefront of HD reporting.

Well, as I often seem to be, I was wrong.

Thanks for the original post and for this reminder -- with the switchover to the "new" Hot Off The Press it totally slipped my mind.

(I've also changed the first post in the CBS NFL thread to give the credit to Jay, who broke the story three days before Swann picked it up.)

Highest Rated Prime-time Shows By Network
Week of April 6-22, 2007
These are the nighest-rated programs, for viewers 2+, by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

A B C
4 GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM 21.13
5 DANCING W/THE STARS-MON 18.87
6 DANCING W/STARS RESULT-TU 16.54
7 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 15.91
14 LOST 12.08

C B S
8 CSI: MIAMI 15.36
9 SURVIVOR: FIJI 13.33
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN 13.03
11 SHARK 12.54
12 CSI 12.45

Fox
1 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY 28.93
2 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY 26.55
3 HOUSE 22.41
16 24 11.32
22 SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER 10.10

N B C
17 DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON 11.19
26 E.R. 9.31
27 DEAL OR NO DEAL-SUN 9.25
31 LAW AND ORDER:SVU 8.36
34 APPRENTICE 6 7.98

CW
72 AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-2 5.20
88 SMALLVILLE 3.98
91 GILMORE GIRLS 3.79
92 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 3.79
99 SUPERNATURAL 3.25

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Lowest Rated Shows By Network
Week of April 16-22, 2007

These are the lowest-rated programs, for viewers 2+, generally excluding repeats, by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

A B C
57 ACCORDING TO JIM-8PM 6.35
59 NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY 6.26
78 WIFE SWAP-FRI 4.81
85 ABC SAT MOVIE OF THE WEEK 4.22
87 GREY'S ANATOMY-FRI 8PM 4.06
90 LOST SP-4/18(S) 3.84

C B S
43 OLD CHRISTINE 6.99
49 GHOST WHISPERER 6.67
51 CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM 6.55
52 48 HOURS TUE-SP(S) 6.49
56 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER 6.41

Fox
64 DRIVE 5.66
66 HOUSE-FRI 8P 5.58
70 FOX NASCAR NEXTEL (S) 5.22
76 BONES-FRI 9P 4.98
84 TRADING SPOUSES 4.26
97 KING OF THE HILL 3.34
106 WAR AT HOME 2.85

N B C
67 LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT 5.55
68 DATELINE SUN-7PM 5.48
73 30 ROCK 5.16
75 DATELINE NBC-TUE 5.05
77 IDENTITY 4.91
107 HEROES 4/21 10P(S) 2.83
112 HEROES 4/21 9P(S) 2.20
114 HEROES 4/21 8P(S) 2.01

CW
108 7TH HEAVEN 2.79
113 GAME, THE 2.05
116 GIRLFRIENDS 1.93
117 EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS 1.89
118 ALL OF US 1.70
119 AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-2-ENC 1.56
120 7TH HEAVEN-ENC 1.34

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

TV Notebook
TV Guide Exclusive:
NCIS Feud Erupts! Harmon to Walk?
By Michael Ausiello TV Guide April 24, 2007

Multiple sources confirm that Mark Harmon is embroiled in a tense standoff with NCIS executive producer Don Bellisario, with Harmon apparently threatening to walk. CBS declined comment, but an insider says Harmon has been unhappy for some time over Bellisario's "chaotic management style," and simply became fed up.

"Mark's been working every single day, 16 hours a day," whispers one source. "[Don] tries to micro-manage everything. Script pages get faxed to the set at the last minute, and Mark is tired of dealing with the huge impact that makes on his life. He doesn't have time for his family or anything when he's working hours like that."

It's unclear what impact the feud is having on the show's production schedule technically speaking, Harmon has yet to miss a day of work but my spy describes it as a "big standoff."

"Mark is one of the best-behaved actors in this industry," adds my mole. "He's a willing, hard worker and he doesn't complain easily. For him to [threaten a walk-out] means that the situation is very bad."

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-en...Feud/800013496

Nielsen Notebook
NBC wins news race
Cho's video helps network top ABC
By Michael Learmonth Variety April 24, 2007

Campus killer Cho Seung-hui's "multimedia manifesto," which NBC's aired exclusively on Wednesday night, helped "Nightly News" narrowly top ABC's "World News" in the ratings for the week.

NBC's Brian Williams edged out ABC's Charles Gibson in the ratings last week by 90,000 viewers due to a strong perf on Wednesday when "Nightly News" aired parts of Cho's recorded diatribe, which arrived by mail at NBC headquarters that morning.

Though Williams is still ahead for the season, the two anchors have been in a see-saw battle for ratings supremacy over the past few months. Recently, Gibson has had the upper hand, winning seven of the last 10 weeks in total viewers.

Overall, NBC's "Nightly News" averaged 8.57 million viewers for the week, compared to ABC's 8.28 million and CBS's 6.57 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.

On Wednesday night, when Williams led the newscast with exclusive video of Cho, "Nightly News" had 9.6 million viewers, compared to ABC's 9.45 million and CBS's 6.61 million.

Without the Wednesday-night perf, ABC's "World News" would have again won the week in total viewers and in the 25-54 demographic. NBC's win broke Gibson's two-week hold on first-place.

CBS hasn't been competitive in the ratings on the Virginia Tech story even though Couric immediately flew to the scene and the network extended its "Evening News" to an hour on both Monday and Tuesday nights.

On Tuesday, all three broadcast news nets produced hour-long newscasts to accommodate interviews with President Bush who had visited the Virginia Tech campus.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?lay...&categoryid=14

Agreed. It is a most enjoyable show which flies way under the radar.