Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 2760

Spoilers for "The Walking Dead" TV series in this story.

TV Notes
‘Walking Dead’: Glen Mazzara promises ‘hard-hitting’ action
By Gina McIntyre, Los Angeles Times' 'Hero Complex' Blog - Oct. 10, 2012

If fans of “The Walking Dead” had one complaint last season, it was pacing. Rick Grimes and his band of post-apocalyptic survivors camped at Hershel’s farm for a long stretch of episodes as they desperately searched for young Sophia (a quest that, of course, came to a heartbreaking conclusion once Shane insisted on breaking into that barn). But on the Georgia set of AMC’s hit zombie series earlier this year, show runner Glen Mazzara defended the creative decisions that kept the action steadily, if deliberately, moving forward, even as he promised an action-packed return to form when the show’s third season kicks off Sunday (9 p.m.).

“It was a matter of pacing, like any show, it takes a while to find it — I think we did,” Mazzara said between takes. “Moving on, we know what the show is. We know what’s exciting about the show, we know that it needs to be suspenseful. It needs to be character-driven. It needs to be frightening. It’s a tall order to do every week, but I think we’ve cracked it. I would say our season opener just hits the ground running and it doesn’t let up. Any issues that people had at the beginning of last year? Long gone.”

The world of “The Walking Dead” promises to become more expansive this year, with Rick and the others setting their sights on a prison fortress as a new home base, while Andrea (Laurie Holden) and her traveling companion Michonne (Danai Gurira) stumble upon the seemingly idyllic town of Woodbury. Mazzara said he and the show’s writing team were excited to finally arrive at this juncture in the narrative of Robert Kirkman’s comic book, though he did point out that they plan to do things a little differently. At this point in the life of the show, absolute fealty to Kirkman’s text isn’t necessarily the top priority. (For a detailed look at the first episode of Season 3, check out the photo gallery above.)

“It’s incredibly exciting to get to the heart of Robert Kirkman’s comic book,” Mazzara said. “I think when fans talk about what they love about ‘The Walking Dead,’ they talk about the Governor, Michonne, the prison. We finally have that story line, we’re excited to explore it, to do our take on it, to let it play out. I think it opens up the show, it opens up the world.”

The Governor, in particular, is written to be a more complicated and complex character than the evil-with-a-capital-E villain from the comic book, Mazzara said, praising English actor David Morrissey for his interpretation of Woodbury’s fearsome ruler.

“The Governor in the show is different from the Governor in the comic book,” Mazzara said. “He’s more layered. He’s more textured, there’s a duality to the character. He’s not as arch a villain as he is in the comic book, although he’s still clearly a villain. He’s still an interesting, dynamic character. He’s fun to watch and David’s just been crushing it. He’s been doing a great job. We couldn’t be more excited that he’s doing it, he’s nailed it from Day 1. We’re lucky to have him.”

As for which members of “The Walking Dead” cast might not survive their encounters with the Governor, Mazzara declined to say. But he was quick to once again emphasize the fast-paced nature of the upcoming episodes, which pick up some time after the conclusion of Season 2 and see the core ensemble effectively dispatching walkers even as they prepare to encounter a real, and potentially more lethal, human threat.

“The first two episodes are really about finding our group out on the road,” Mazzara said. “They’ve evolved, they’ve become a hard-hitting strike team that is able to take out walkers very efficiently. They’ve learned how to live in this world, how to live on the road. They come across the prison and very quickly they take that prison, they move into that prison, they fight hard to take the prison. Rick and his crew spill a lot of blood to take that prison, that prison is worth protecting, worth fighting for. The prison is safe, it’s relatively hidden, it’s the place that Rick has been looking for.

“At the end of the [Season 2] finale, Rick says, there must be a place where we can be safe, where we can fortify, where we can get past just existing and start having a life,” Mazzara added. “As soon as they find that and they spill blood to take it and keep it and try to rebuild their own little civilization, they’re under threat, not so much from the zombies, from other humans.”

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/10/10/walking-dead-glen-mazzara/#/0

Technology/Business Notes
Netflix rivalry with Amazon heats up
By Scott Martin, USA Today - Oct. 12, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO -- Neftlix CEO Reed Hastings has a lot going on lately in an effort to rev up the video service. That's what seeing Jeff Bezos' Amazon.com bearing down on you in your rear-view mirror will do.

Amazon.com is steadily boosting the menu of streaming movies and TV shows it offers its Prime subscribers for $79 a year. The online retail giant last month bumped up the number of titles in its video library that can be streamed to more than 25,000, sending shares of Netflix tumbling 6% the day it was announced.

Amazon shows no signs of slowing. "It would be fair to assume that we're going to continue to add to Prime Instant Video," says Anthony Bay, vice president of video at Amazon. "The more great things to watch, the more people will tune in."

The universe of streamed video on the Internet has vastly expanded, with a horde of new contenders entering the fray since the dawn of Netflix's business in 1997. What has become an exciting chapter for home video fans will likely be a pivotal period for Netflix, which does not disclose the number of videos it streams.

"The stakes now are very high, and there are some very big competitors in this ecosystem that will be very hard to fight," Gartner analyst Mike McGuire says of some Netflix rivals.

Netflix is betting on popular TV series titles such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men for loyal viewership. The company also is breaking out of its mold of featuring older movie titles, and has invested in fresh exclusives for Netflix such as House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey, set to air in February, in a bid to attract more subscribers.

For better or worse, Netflix is also increasingly in competition with Showtime and HBO for the hottest video content. That makes Netflix a viable pay-TV window, but at the same time, those rival cable companies are now loath to license to it. Netflix reportedly outbid HBO and plunked down $100 million for the House of Cards series in its thirst for original content.

These steps are necessary -- ponying up for key programs and originals -- to keep customers coming back. That's especially true since Netflix lost access to thousand of video titles from Starz -- plus most Sony movies -- when their contract expired earlier this year. Netflix also likely faces higher future licensing costs for marquee content.

"People have started to understand these things are valuable, and there are a number of players looking at these rights. That's a seller's market. Basically, the prices are going up," says IHS iSuppli analyst Dan Cryan.

Amazon last month measured up to Netflix in a deal with Epix that gives Prime members access to movies that were formerly only available on Netflix.

Bezos and Hastings have been frenemies for years, closely studying each other's businesses. They've met and tried to figure out ways to work together, "but Jeff Bezos is famous for how he cuts very favorable deals for Amazon, and there isn't much left over for partners," says Gina Keating, author of Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs, which was released this week.

Bezos offered to purchase Netflix for as much as $12 million in 1999 but was turned down by an unimpressed Hastings, says Keating. Instead Hastings kept Bezos out of the DVD rental business by making his service so cheap that Amazon wouldn't bother, she says. The real casualty was the unintended consequence of a Netflix price war with Blockbuster. That drove Blockbuster into bankruptcy and an eventual acquisition by Dish Network.

Netflix and analysts say the streaming service has heaps of customer data that help it offer the right programming and a better user experience. Amazon says it's been in the business of recommending to customers forever.

"We think that we are beating (Amazon.com's Prime) handily at streaming hours," says Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. "This is the reconfiguration of television, and there will be competitors."

But Amazon isn't just any competitor. Amazon slowly enters new businesses, undercuts rivals and suffers razor-thin margins to overtake markets, even amid groans from Wall Street for profits. From music to electronics to books, Amazon's online expansion has squeezed the profits of companies such as Borders Group (now out of business), Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

"Amazon.com, that's the biggest competitive risk for all the companies," Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney says.

What started as Amazon's Prime service — a $79-per-year, unlimited two-day shipping program — has morphed into a video-streaming rival to Netflix's $7.99-a-month streaming service. While Netflix boasts 27 million streaming video customers, Amazon is estimated to have roughly 5 million Prime subscribers. Amazon does not disclose Prime numbers.

Netflix is moving fast with international expansion, securing new licensing terms and zeroing in on regional interests. The gambit — costly in terms of marketing to acquire new subscribers — could cement Netflix's brand in worldwide distribution.

"When they were up against Blockbuster, they planned to be break-even," says Keating. "This is not without precedent. He (Hastings) is just returning to that playbook."

Netflix woes

Amazon's video advances are coming at a critical time for Netflix. The video service is recovering from last year's pricing missteps. Netflix attempted in July 2011 to separate its DVD rental business from its streaming business on top of a price increase that drew customer outrage. The move forced the company to warn Wall Street that it lost about 1 million subscribers in that quarter.

Eventually, Hastings reversed course on splitting the business. But by then, Saturday Night Live had lampooned the company's short-sighted maneuver. Shares of Netflix touched $301.50 the day before its very public fiasco, but since have cratered and closed at $65.98 on Thursday.

The crushed share price has renewed speculation that Netflix could be an acquisition target for a pay TV or Internet company, says Macquarie analyst Tim Nollen. "We believe the company could add value to both Facebook or Google," he wrote in a note to clients.

Netflix also faces a fresh round of indirect competition for viewing hours. Last week, Toys R Us jumped into the streaming video fray. The toy retailer launched a rental service that offers more than 4,000 movie and TV titles and plans to expand the service for tablets. Toys R Us also has its own Tabeo tablet in the works.

Mindful of the market for kids consuming media on iPads, Netflix this month unleashed movies and TV programs that target children 12 and under viewing video on the popular tablet.

That comes after Barnes & Noble last month announced plans for its Nook Video service. While not a subscription service, Nook Video will offer movies and TV programs to buy and watch on Nook devices, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs.

Consumers have more options than ever for streaming video over the Internet. Wal-Mart's Vudu, Apple's iTunes, Microsoft's Xbox and Google's Play services are all competing for attention with Netflix — offering rentals and sales. In addition to these entrants, services from Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, Comcast's Streampix and Dish's Blockbuster@Home all compete for customers of streaming video on demand.

Speculation has persisted for years that Apple is attempting to negotiate with cable providers and Hollywood to offer new forms of streaming video packages. "Microsoft, Google and Apple all have a boatload of cash. These other guys have other businesses and revenue streams," notes Gartner's McGuire. Netflix doesn't. "That is one of Netflix's existential challenges."

All this comes as the Netflix DVD rental business has lost roughly 800,000 members in recent quarters as consumers move toward Internet-based streaming and cloud-based storage of media.

Amazon's moves

Amazon has another way to attract video customers: The online retail giant is the leading seller of tablets not made by Apple. Those low-priced Kindle Fires provide customers a free month of Prime when the device is activated. Amazon also offers more than 145,000 titles for rental or purchase.

Sarandos counters that Netflix's app is on every platform, including the Kindle. "Netflix has become the killer app for all those tablets," he says. But, "it's the living room experience that really matters to consumers."

Like Netflix, Amazon is moving into original programming with the launch of Amazon Studios. The Amazon group is focused on comedy and children's programs for the moment. Amazon Studios operates under an unusual crowd-sourced business model: Users can submit and review scripts. Those accepted get Amazon's financial backing and production efforts.

The studio has 21 movies in development, says Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. Price says people can just go to the website and upload a script. Amazon has received more than 2,000 TV pilots and has optioned nine.

"We haven't done original TV in the past, so we can be open-minded," Price says of the types of projects it reviews.

He says the development model is nimble, because they can quickly test ideas and get customer feedback. "It will be an interesting way to organically develop stories with customers."

Also, speculation continues that Amazon could separate the subscription video service from its Prime shipping service. Analysts say that could be a more potent rival to Netflix.

"If and when Amazon launches its streaming video-on-demand as a stand-alone service, it's possible that Amazon will undercut Netflix's already low $7.99 price point," says Nollen. At the same time, Netflix's ability to go to the mat in a price war is limited, given the lack of other revenue-generating businesses at its Internet video service.

Some customers already seem smitten with Amazon Prime. "Still blown away by the value of @Amazon Prime. The shipping alone is worth it ... but the instant video selection is HUGE," wrote Joe Scannell, a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, on Twitter.

Gartner's McGuire says, "Consumers are in complete control of the content experiences they have."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2012/10/11/amazon-netflix/1621579/

No political comments, please.

TV Notes
Republicans Like Golf, Democrats Prefer Cartoons, TV Research Suggests
By Bill Carter, The New York Times - Oct. 11, 2012

It sounds like a cliché, but if the results of a TiVo-based research study are to be believed, registered Republicans are very interested in golf.

As for registered Democrats, they seem to be partial to cartoons. And Republicans tend to watch N.C.A.A. basketball, while Democrats prefer the National Basketball Association.

The results come from an analysis assembled by TRA Inc. (which stands for TiVo Research and Analytics), and are based on a model that matches viewing data from cable set-top boxes with voter-registration information from 186,000 households. Measured during the first two quarters of 2012 (which is why there is no football, but plenty of basketball), TRA listed programs by how they performed with registered voters of either party (as well as independents) compared to a base of all registered voters.

In general, the conclusions pointed to television viewing that is every bit as polarized as the political culture. The research listed the top 20 shows for Democratic and Republican viewers and not one network show appeared on both lists.

The study did not rank shows by overall popularity. Instead, they were ranked by how severely they were skewed by party preference. So a little-viewed show on the CW network like “Supernatural” turned out to have a substantial skew toward Democratic voters; 13 percent above the base. (The base, or index, is given a value of 100; thus “Supernatural” indexed at 113 among registered Democrats measured by TRA.) Meanwhile, two of the top indexing shows for Republicans were P.G.A. golf tournaments.

Over all, the Democratic list contained a lot of animated comedies — “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” “American Dad” — as well as lightly viewed but critically acclaimed sitcoms like “30 Rock” and “Community.”

The Republican list, beyond sports (Nascar was also big), was populated with a host of reality shows — “The Biggest Loser,” “Survivor,” “American Idol” and “The Amazing Race.’

That was the network list. On cable, the difference in preferences remained: no show in the top 20 of either list crossed over to the other party’s list of shows.

Democrats loved coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (with an index of 126 it was hugely skewed to viewers with that party preference), while also predictably supporting Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in late night. Each had an index of 117 in the Democratic list.

On the Republican side, golf and Nascar were again all over the cable list, but a drama on ABC Family, “Pretty Little Liars,” a teenage-mystery series, had the top index, a 118. The favorite late-night show for Republicans was Jay Leno’s “Tonight” show. That had an index of 105; the only other late-night comic to index above 100 among Republicans in this survey was Jimmy Fallon — barely, at 101. (He had exactly the base index of 100 with Democrats and independents.)

Republican tastes in cable also ran to reality shows involving pawnbrokers (“Pawn Stars” on History Channel), polygamists (“Sister Wives Tell All” on TLC), pools (“Cool Pools” on HGTV), and pets (“Posh Pets” on HGTV). Democrats were more represented by dark AMC dramas like “The Killing” and “Mad Men” and anything having to do with the N.B.A., which accounted for no fewer than five of the top 20 cable shows on the Democratic list.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/republicans-like-golf-democrats-prefer-cartoons-tv-research-suggests/?ref=media

I dug for sources on the number/letter thing and it is a zero, in both cases. Many people say Oh for a zero. When saying the hours from 0100 thru 0900, many say Oh-100, Oh-200, etc. I heard both ways while in the service.

Have you seen the T-mobile commercial with the model on the motorcycle rhyming her way across the country, touting their 35,000+ tower network? Sign me up for Mad Men because I have the perfect tag line!

"T-mobile, ruining America's landscape one tower at a time."

One thing I've noticed at Amazon vs Netflix, Amazon has hardly any close captioning. Most things on Netflix have the ability to turn on captioning, whereas I find little if any available on the amazon videos. What's up with that?

Amazing Race Host Phil Keoghan: A Famous Actor Hit On My 16-Year-Old Daughter At The Emmys

Access Hollywood – 14 hours ago

The "Amazing Race" host, whose show nabbed the Emmy for Best Reality Competition, brought teenage daughter Elle to the ceremony and she was a big hit with the crowd -- perhaps too big a hit for her father's taste!

"She's 16 years old, in high heels she's six feet, she was getting hit on by every man," Phil told Kit Hoover and Billy Bush on Thursday's Access Hollywood Live. "I mean, so many people [were hitting on her], and somebody famous too, by the way."

While Phil refused to divulge the name of the actor who tried to chat up his daughter, he did admit the man in question is on a "scripted" TV show.

"Did you get mad?" Kit asked.

"No, it was just weird," Phil answered. "She's my 16-year-old daughter. But, she's a woman now."

And the flirting wasn't Elle's only incident at the Emmys - she also fainted from the blistering September heat.

"She passed out at the end of an interview! Someone asked her what it was like being there and she turned to me and she's like, 'Dad, I feel faint' and she literally like, fainted in my arms," he said.

Another reality show host stepped in to help Phil tend to his daughter.

"Chris Harrison was actually there and he was really cool and the crew, they were really cool and they got a fan and some ice water and they got some towels and everything trying to cool her down," he said. "And then there was another actor whose daughter, [also] 16, literally like, on cue she fainted.

Adding, "So, now there [was] the two of them sitting on the stairs."

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/amazing-race-host-phil-keoghan-famous-actor-hit-213556866.html

Netflix didn't start off that way, either and they haven't been doing it very long, either.

I would suspect that with Amazon, it was about getting the launch going first, then adding features. Amazon tends to try to get a working product with fewer features out first, then adds on in later versions.

I'm sure they're working on it.

Indeed, Netflix took a long time to introduce CC and it was an oft and heavily requested feature. Even now they don't have full support (see their recent press release) and a lot of devices do not support Netflix CC. My Samsung Blu-ray player doesn't and that was a top-of-the-line model two years ago.

I think the biggest issue is that it's a lot harder to due CC via streaming thn via normal TV where you can hide the data in a line of time code.

More to the point, just having CC isn't hard via streaming: it's being able to toggle it on and off that is tricky.

It took Netflix years to get it working and even Youtube is now just offering it on some videos, despite having the resources of Google behind them.

I believe we've gotten to the point where we have so much technology out there that we get a lot of big expectations about things that often aren't as easy as it seems.

As someone who grew up when computers really didn't do much at all (my first system didn't have a keyboard or even a screen), the rapid increase in tech has done nothing to decrease impatience or realize the expense that goes into things.

Cheap and fast is why we get so many glitchy products.

Gee, I love watching golf, March Madness, The Amazing Race, etc., and I NEVER watch “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” “American Dad”, etc.

So, I must be a...GAG...Republican. But I'm a Democrat. Go figure.

Well, I won't mention my party of choice, but I don't agree with the survey as it applies to my viewing habits.

THURSDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media Insight's Blog

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
‘Big Bang Theory’ is tops on debate night
CBS sitcom averages a 4.2 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Oct. 12, 2012

On a night where broadcast schedules were disrupted by the vice presidential debate, CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” was easily the top-rated show, driving the network to No. 1.

The CW’s “Beauty and the Beast” also had a decent debut against the political competition.

“Bang” averaged a 4.2 in adults 18-49 at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, well ahead of the night’s No. 2 show, “The X Factor,” which drew a 2.9.

The vice presidential debate and post-debate analysis aired on the Big Four from 9 to 11 p.m. (Univision and Telemundo aired a tape of the debate at midnight.)

The CW may have benefited from being the only Big Five network with counterprogramming. The debut of the new drama “Beast” managed a respectable 1.3, matching last year’s premiere of “The Secret Circle.”

“Beast” averaged 3.2 million total viewers, holding 91 percent of “The Vampire Diaries’” lead-in among total viewers (3.5 million).

Note, the CW did air football in 3.5 percent of the country last night, so that may have inflated its ratings a small bit.

Numbers from the debate will not be out until later today.

CBS led the night among 18-49s with a 2.7 average overnight rating and a 7 share. Fox was second at 2.4/6, NBC third at 1.9/5, ABC fourth at 1.7/4, CW and Univision tied for fifth at 1.4/4, and Telemundo seventh at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Forty-five percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. CBS was first with a 3.8 for "Bang" (4.2) and "Two and a Half Men" (3.4), followed by Fox with a 2.9 for "The X Factor." ABC and CW tied for third at 1.6, ABC for "Last Resort" and CW for "Vampire," with Univision fifth with a 1.4 for "Por Ella Soy Eva," NBC sixth with a 1.3 for "30 Rock" (1.4) and "Up All Night" (1.2) and Telemundo seventh with a 0.4 for "Rosa Diamante."

CBS and NBC tied for first at 9 p.m. with their coverage of the debate, each with a 2.2 rating, with ABC and Fox tied for third at 1.9 for their debate coverage. Univision was fifth with a 1.5 for "Abismo de Pasion," CW sixth with a 1.3 for "Beast" and Telemundo seventh with a 0.4 for "Corazon Valiente."

At 10 p.m. NBC was first at 2.1, CBS second at 2.0 and ABC third at 1.6, all for debate coverage. Univision was fourth with a 1.3 for "Amor Bravio" and Telemundo fifth with a 0.6 for "Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal" (0.8) and "El Rostro de la Venganza" (0.4).

CBS was also first for the night among households with a 6.0 average overnight rating and a 9 share. ABC was second at 4.4/7, Fox third at 4.1/6, NBC fourth at 3.7/6, CW fifth at 2.0/3, Univision sixth at 1.9/3 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/big-bang-theory-is-tops-on-debate-night/
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:44pm

TV Notes
Bret Michaels, Arsenio Hall, Omarosa Among 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice' Cast
By Tim Kenneally, TheWrap.com - Oct. 12, 2012

Donald Trump is saying "you're re-hired" to a whole bunch of "Celebrity Apprentice" alum.

The lineup for the inaugural installment of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" was released by NBC on Friday, revealing a litany of fan favorites who will return to compete against each other.

In addition, winners from the past five seasons of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- CNN personality Piers Morgan, comedienne Joan Rivers, country singer John Rich and late-night host Arsenio Hall -- will serve on the board of advisers for the all-star edition.

Of the returning competitors, the male portion consists of Stephen Baldwin, Trace Adkins, Gary Busy, Penn Gillette, Lil Jon, Bret Michaels (who won the third season of "Celebrity Apprentice"), Dennis Roman and Dee Snider.

The distaff half of the competition will be made up of Marilu Henner, La Toya Jackson, former "The Price Is Right"/"Deal or No Deal" model Claudia Jordan, "Apprentice" fan favorite Omarosa, actress Lisa Rinna, and former Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick.

"All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" will premiere March 2013.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/bret-michaels-arsenio-hall-omarosa-among-all-star-celebrity-apprentice-cast-60511
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:43pm

TV Notes
TNT cancels 'The Great Escape'
By Sandra Gonzalez, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Oct. 12, 2012

It turns out the The Great Escape wasn’t so great for TNT.

The adventure reality show, the first non-scripted program for the cable network, has received the ax, EW has confirmed.

TNT currently has two other non-scripted shows in the pipeline. One, an unscripted series from Donnie Wahlberg about the Boston Police Department, is set to debut Feb. 27. And the other, a competition series titled The Hero, received the green light back in September.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/12/tnt-cancels-the-great-escape/

* * * *

TV Notes
'Suits' renewed for third season
By Mandi Bierly, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Oct. 12, 2012

USA has ordered a 16-episode third season of its legal drama Suits, last summer’s top cable show among adults 18-49.

The series, which hit a season high when 6.5 million viewers tuned in for August’s summer finale, resumes its sophomore season in January with six new episodes.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/12/suits-renewed-2/
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:43pm

Business Notes/Analysis
Are Big Media Companies Driving Off A Cliff?
By David Lieberman, Deadline.com - Oct. 12, 2012

That’s the critically important question that’s being debated across the industry and — finally! — head-on by two of the Street’s savviest analysts: Bernstein Research’s Todd Juenger and Craig Moffett. Juenger kicked things off in a note last week, and Moffett delivered his response today. The core issue is whether millions of consumers will cut the pay TV cord rather than accept ongoing price hikes driven by network owners including Time Warner, Viacom, News Corp, Disney, NBCUniversal, CBS, and Discovery. For competitive reasons, they want to pack more original shows and high-priced sports on to their schedules — and pass the rising costs along to cable and satellite providers. But the pay TV distributors say that they’d need to pass their higher costs on to consumers, and too many are so cash-strapped that they’ll simply cut the cord and watch shows from over-the-air broadcasts or low-priced Internet services such as Netflix. If things continue, the argument goes, then Big Media will have to abandon the lucrative and ubiquitous basic cable bundle that requires customers to pay for lots of channels that they never watch. If that happens, and channels are offered a la carte, no more than 10 would be profitable enough to survive, Needham & Co analyst Laura Martin estimates.

Here’s a synopsis of the arguments Junger makes in defense of programmers — and Moffett’s explanation why he thinks they’re headed off a cliff:

Juenger: Consumers are more willing than they let on to pay for pay TV. Basic cable rates have grown about 4% a year. While that’s higher than the inflation rate, it’s also lower than lots of other expenses that people accept including dog food. It certainly hasn’t resulted in widespread cord cutting; about 90% of all households continue to subscribe to pay TV. Viewing is up — and so is the quality of TV programming. What about a la carte? “If we woke up tomorrow and everything was available in pure a la carte, we think little would actually change.” Consumers would probably stick with the current pay TV bundle once they realize that the alternative is to shell out as much, or nearly as much, as they do now to receive fewer channels. Besides, the cable and satellite companies that are clambering for the opportunity to offer channels a la carte are being disingenuous. They could end up with less revenue if the programming bundles are busted and people really did order fewer channels. And if distributors they really feared that consumers would flee from rising prices, then they wouldn’t charge such aggressive prices for broadband — a business that they control. In the end, “We believe it would be foolish to bet against the stubborn relationship of Americans with their TV, and the intransigence of the incumbents who provide it.”

Moffett: This isn’t a debate about what the average consumer will do. It’s about the poorest 40% of the country. Pay TV companies need to grow, and they can only do that if they maintain high penetration rates among this huge swath of the population. But people are hurting: The average household in the bottom 40% earns just $18,652 a year after tax. Families have no money left for discretionary purchases after they pay for food, housing, transportation, and healthcare. And it’s a struggle to handle additional expenses. People find it harder to secure credit now than they did five years ago. What’s more, no matter who’s elected in November, there’ll be less public assistance as the government grapples with deficit reduction. So the only way the bottom 40% can afford to pay higher prices for pay TV is if they spend less on something else. Up to now they’ve been able to do that by cutting other media including wired phones, newspapers, magazines, CDs, and DVDs. But those savings may be gone especially as consumers shoulder rising expenses for wireless phones and Internet service. Forced to choose, people will spend on food and shelter before telecom and entertainment. “And the picture for the bottom two quintiles remains, well…terrifying.”

http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/big-media-pay-tv-afford-driving-off-cliff/
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:43pm

Nielsen Notes
Nielsen: 51.4 million watched VP debate
By Dylan Byers, Politico.com - Oct. 12, 2012

Roughly 51.4 million people watched last night's vice presidential debate across 12 networks, according to Nielsen.

The turnout was significantly smaller than the 69.9 million viewers who watched the 2008 vice presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, but otherwise the highest-viewed VP debate since the George H.W. Bush-Geraldine Ferraro debate in 1984, which had 56.7 million viewers.

Janet Brown, the executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, told POLITICO yesterday that viewership for the 2008 Biden-Palin debate was an abberation, likely due to the excitement surrounding the 2008 election and Palin in particular.

Nielsen's numbers are based on total viewership for ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, CNBC, CNN, Current TV, FOX News and MSNBC between 9:00 and 10:30 p.m. ET, and for Telemundo and Univision's delayed broadcasts. The number does not include online viewership.

67.2 million watched last week's first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney.

Note: The New York Times' Brian Stelter rightly notes that more than half of last night's viewers (26.7 million) were above the age of 55, which explains why Biden looked straight into the camera when addressing seniors.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/10/nielsen-million-watched-vp-debate-138354.html
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:43pm

The writer of this article does not seem to know the difference between the CW network and CW affiliates. The CW DID NOT have football. Some CW affiliates did. There is a BIG difference.

Washington Notes
Cable Operators Can Fight Theft by Encrypting Signals, FCC Rules
By Todd Shields, Bloomberg.com - Oct. 12, 2012

Cable companies led by Comcast Corp. won U.S. permission to encrypt their basic service to fight theft and reduce service calls.

The Federal Communications Commission voted 5-0 to allow encryption, the agency said in an order released today. Cable companies already encrypt offerings on more expensive channel packages that feature more programming.

The FCC had prohibited encryption on basic service so customers wouldn’t need to rent a set-top box to view local stations. The prohibition didn’t hold for satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network Corp. or for cable competitors such as TV services offered by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association in 2004 estimated that about 5 percent of homes near cable lines accessed service without paying, resulting in almost $5 billion in lost revenue. That was more than 8 percent of industry revenues that year, according to a filing at the FCC by the Washington-based trade group. The organization’s members include the biggest U.S. cable operator, Comcast, No. 2 provider Time Warner Cable Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., a New York-area provider.

“By permitting cable operators to join their competitors in encrypting the basic service tier, the commission has adopted a sensible, pro-consumer approach that will reduce overall in- home service calls,” Michael Powell, president of the trade group, said in an e-mailed statement. “Encryption of the basic tier also enhances security of the network which reduces service theft that harms honest customers.”

Encrypting basic service would let Comcast start and stop service remotely, which customers prefer to scheduling an appointment with a technician, Philadelphia-based Comcast said in a filing at the FCC.

Cablevision found that, when it encrypted basic service under a waiver from the FCC, it almost eliminated the need to send crews in trucks to disconnect service, the Bethpage, New York-based company told the agency in a filing.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-12/cable-operators-can-fight-theft-by-encrypting-signals-fcc-rules.html
Edited by dad1153 - 10/12/12 at 9:42pm

Obituary
ESPN legend Beano Cook passes away
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Oct. 12, 2012

His predictions weren’t always right, but they were always bold and colorful.

College football analyst Beano Cook, a staple on ESPN for the past 26 years, passed away yesterday in his sleep. He was 81.

Last night his name was atop the list of internet searches on a number of sites as fans paid tribute to the somewhat eccentric commentator, whom ESPN executive chairman George Bodenheimer described as “one of a kind.”

Cook, whose real name was Caroll, was a Pittsburgh native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1954.

He was sports information director at his alma mater from 1956 to 1966.

Cook, who also worked for ABC and CBS Sports, was known for his deep knowledge of college football history.

As for that nickname, it was actually based on the only other place Cook lived besides Pittsburgh, his home for 74 years. His family was originally from Boston; upon their move to Pittsburgh, a neighbor noted that he was “from Boston, like the beans.” The moniker stuck.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/espn-legend-beano-cook-passes-away/

TV Notes
Jay Leno to appear on CBS' 'Late Late Show'
By Lynette Rice, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Oct. 12, 2012

Craig Ferguson, always the goodwill ambassador. CBS’ late night host — who once famously donned a Mickey Mouse glove on The Late Late Show and waved to Jimmy Fallon, who graciously waved back with one of his own on Late Night — will welcome Jay Leno for the first time later this month.

Ferguson invited Leno simply because he was deemed to be a good guest, says one insider. And it’s not like the two haven’t sat opposite each other in late night: Ferguson appeared on The Tonight Show last year to promote Disney’s Winnie The Pooh movie, Deadline says.

CBS’ late-night star should be in a particularly good mood these days, now that he’s occupying bigger and better digs on the network’s TV City lot in Los Angeles. He took over a different sound stage in August.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/12/jay-leno-to-appear-on-cbs-late-late-show/

TV Notes
Scott Baio returns in a familiar role as TV star in ‘See Dad Run’
By Gina Salamone, New York Daily News - Oct. 11, 2012

In the new sitcom, “See Dad Run,” Scott Baio plays a TV star turned stay-at-home dad.

In real life, it’s just the opposite — Baio is returning to prime-time TV after helping raise his 4-year-old daughter, Bailey.

“I think in the beginning it was a little awkward for my daughter,” Baio says, “because I was with her every day of her life since she was born, up until about six months ago.

“But she’s always on the set when she doesn’t go to school, so she’s very friendly with the cast, the young kids on the show,” says Baio. “She actually looks forward to coming down there, so it wasn’t that bad of a transition.”

Best known for playing Chachi on “Happy Days,” and a live-in nanny on “Charles in Charge” in the ’80s, Baio had a reality TV run on VH1 from 2007-08.

He both stars in and executive-produces “See Dad Run,” debuting Sunday at 8 p.m. on Nick at Nite.

Baio’s character, David Hobbs, finds himself in unfamiliar territory when his show ends and his wife (Alanna Ubach) goes back to work, leaving him home to care for their three kids.

David almost burns down the house, and even loses his younger daughter, Janie — or rather, forgets to get a name, number and address to pick her up from a play date.

“Guys are a little more confused about parenting than moms are,” says Baio, 52. “I’m just sort of guessing most of the time when I’m with my kid and hope I’m doing it right. I know my child, but this guy on ‘See Dad Run’ doesn’t really know his children.”

That’s not to say Baio hasn’t had difficult moments with his real daughter.

“I’ve never lost her,” he says, “but on airplanes, all of a sudden I became the person that everybody hates because I’m walking my kid up and down the aisle who’s screaming — things that you think will never happen to you.”

Baio says he’s not in touch with his former “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi” co-star, Erin Moran, who’s now reportedly homeless.

“I don’t know when the last time I spoke with her was. I think at a ‘Happy Days’ reunion, maybe. I really don’t know much” about Moran, he says.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/baio-back-a-tv-star-dad-run-article-1.1179529

Technology Notes
Rural options for speedy Internet still tough
By Rob Pegoraro, USA Today

Question: I live in a very rural area without cable, DSL or the other usual broadband options. How in the world can I improve my Internet connection beyond the weak Verizon 3G connection I use?

Answer: I get this question dismayingly often -- in the last few weeks, once from a reader quoted above, then from the guy I buy cheese from at my usual farmer's market. And there usually aren't good answers to it.

Hoping that your local telephone or cable-TV monopoly will extend service is unlikely to be rewarded, although Comcast did pledge to extend service to another 400,000 homes as part of its merger with NBC Universal. If a neighbor with broadband lives close enough, however, you can try rigging a souped-up Wi-Fi network to relay the connection; "white spaces" wireless (often, misleadingly, called "super WiFi") running on unused TV frequencies may help with that soon.

The usual option for people beyond the reach of wired broadband is satellite Internet access, which only requires a clear view of the southern sky. Historically, high costs for equipment and the service itself, stringent usage limits, slow connections and the lag induced by the 44,000-mile round trip data must take to and from geosynchronous orbit have made satellite the broadband of last resort.

More recently, satellite services have been offering faster plans with higher data quotas. But you still need to watch the fine print.

For instance, last Monday Dish Network began selling a new DishNet service with download speeds of 5 million bits per second (10 Mbps in some areas, courtesy of "spot beam" targeting of the signal) and uploads of 1 Mbps at an advertised rate of $39.99 a month. That easily beats older satellite services--but if you don't sign up for one of Dish's TV subscriptions, you pay $10 extra. And an "equipment lease fee" adds another $10 a month.

This plan comes with a data cap of 10 gigabytes, but the fine print explains that 5 GB of that limit can only be used between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. Plan on downloading those multi-hundred-megabyte updates from Apple or Microsoft overnight.

For what it's worth, a slightly faster, $49.99 service with a 7.5 GB data cap provided by ViaSat's WildBlue operation on a different satellite from Dish's has similar issues with non-obvious costs and data-usage limits. So does the discounted-to-$49.99 "Gen4" access Dish sells under its HughesNet brand. And neither company clearly says how much it will throttle back a connection if you exceed your data limit.

Wireless broadband from a cellular-data service can be another option, but that too often fades out in the countryside. The reader complained of a slow connection that "at times stalls or sometimes even drops."

But the Federal Communications Commission is banking on wireless to fill more of those gaps. In the National Broadband Plan it released in 2010, the FCC proposed to shift its longstanding "universal service" subsidy program from telephone service to broadband while freeing up more spectrum for wireless data by reclaiming unused and underused TV channels, among other sources.

All of these things--expanded cable or DSL deployment, upgraded white-spaces wireless or broader mobile broadband--will take a while to accomplish. In the meantime, you can only hope that satellite broadband becomes a last resort with fewer reservations.

Should you blame your Internet connection or a site's poor design for the time it takes to finish loading in your browser? A tool provided by Google for Web designers can give you some solid hints.

Plug a site's address into Page Speed Insights, and this site will grade its responsiveness on a score of 0 to 100 (and provide technical advice that a Web developer can consider, but which will make zero sense to many users).

USA TODAY's site, for instance, earned a score of 85, while NASA clocked in at only 67. Google's own home page, meanwhile, clearly needs some additional work with its 99 score.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2012/10/07/rural-broadband-options/1613461/

Glad the FCC is looking out for the big boys. I'm not even sure what their purpose is anymore, draw nice salaries and gouge the public.

I'm sure they are working on it, but they ain't doing much at the present.

Ah, the old "people watching free = lost revenue" fallacy.

If 100 people sat up on a hill and watched a baseball game for free, are they "lost revenue" just because they didn't buy a $10 ticket. Of course not. Leveling the hill will NOT result in $1000/per game of increased revenue. Cut off the cable cheaters, but don't claim "lost revenue." That's kwap, and they know it.

So, how will all of this affect ClearQAM local channels? Are QAM tuners in TV endangered?

I wonder how much more cord cutting will happen when people are fed up with having to spend more money for cable boxes.

I had a Time Warner Cable representative going door to door in my neighborhood trying to sell cable television services. He knew I only have internet services with them and tried to convince me to get their television and phone services. He seemd taken aback when I told him we don't have a land line phone and use an antenna for our tv. How desperate must TWC be to go door to door peddling their wares?
Edited by lokilarry - 10/13/12 at 4:54am