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Soap operas may be borrowing from one of their favorite plot lines—patient is in a coma, on life support, hanging on by a thread—but they aren’t dead yet, and networks and studios are working to find ways to keep the genre viable. Most recently, the cancellation of “Guiding Light” on CBS renewed fears...
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Sat, May 30 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, CBS, NBC, Print Edition, Guiding Light, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, ABC Daytime, Days of Our Lives, As the World Turns, Soaps, One Life to Live
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Fox and CBS did it again. For the 2008-09 TV season, Fox has officially claimed its fifth consecutive ratings win among adults 18-49, while CBS wrapped up the season as the most-watched broadcast network for the sixth time in the last seven years. It was a season in which comparisons were made difficult...
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With the television industry slogging through the worst economy in decades, the broadcast networks put their best foot forward at the upfront, then braced for long negotiations with media buyers and advertisers. “I’m surprised by how normal everything felt,” said one veteran buyer, noting the presentations...
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Fri, May 22 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, Advertising, CBS, NBC, The CW, Print Edition, Upfront, Ad Buys
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With the majority of the networks’ upfront presentations still a few weeks away, it’s difficult to predict when advertisers will start spending on television and online buys. But digital executives at most of the broadcast networks are optimistic that online sales will be a bright spot this year. If...
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For the first two weeks of the May sweeps, CBS is the only broadcast television network posting year-over-year gains among total viewers. The network is also the only one to avoid any losses among adults 18-49, the demographic still led by Fox. Among total viewers, CBS averaged 10.8 million viewers,...
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CBS CEO Les Moonves said that NBC’s decision to put Jay Leno on in prime time will help his company’s bottom line. “We were the No. 1 network at 10 o’clock last year,” Mr. Moonves told analysts and investors during CBS’ quarterly earnings conference call Thursday. He estimated that CBS took in 38% of...
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Thu, May 7 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Digital, Advertising, CBS, NBC, Syndication, Jay Leno, Earnings, Les Moonves
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Fox has decided not to air President Obama's first-100-days press conference this Wednesday—the only Big Four network to turn down the White House's request for time. ABC, CBS and NBC have all announced plans to carry the president's appearance. But Fox today said: No go. “The Fox Broadcasting...
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After the strike-induced tumult and turmoil of last season, broadcasters were praying things would somehow take a turn for the better during the 2008-09 campaign. It didn’t happen. With less than a month left to go before this season ends, four of the five major networks find themselves attracting fewer...
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It may be the age of TiVo and Hulu, but the next few weeks will once again underline an important tenet of the broadcast TV economy: Schedules still matter. Even as networks increasingly adapt to the notion that their programming is being absorbed long after its original broadcast, the day and time a...
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The summer television schedules revealed last week reflect the tension between the broadcast networks’ dual goals: attracting advertisers with quality fare and keeping costs low. In keeping with the trend of recent years, summer will not be light on original programming, with several networks using their...
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Sun, Apr 12 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Wipeout, The CW, Print Edition, Merlin, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent, The Philanthropist, Dating in the Dark, The Listener, Don't Forget the Lyrics, Mental, Hitched or Ditched, The Bachelorette, The Superstars, Blonde Charity Mafia, Here Come the Newlyweeds, Are You Smarter Than a Grader?, Hell’s Kitchen, More to Love, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
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President Obama’s decision to hold another primetime news conference is playing havoc with the networks’ sweeps schedules—and causing some in the industry to grumble about the financial impact. The president has slated a news conference for Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT, his second since taking office two months...
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The 2009 TV Critics Association summer press tour is a firm go, though a couple of broadcast networks are cutting back their time commitment to the event. TCA President Dave Walker Tuesday told members that the summer powwow will run July 28 though Aug. 8, with cable kicking off the 12-day media event...
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“Friday Night Lights” remains, by most accounts, one of the finest shows on TV. So maybe it’s time for it to die. Before you Panther fans start pelting me with manure-covered footballs, hear me out. Like any card-carrying member of the Television Critics Association, I’ve been a supporter of underdog...
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Fri, Mar 13 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, CBS, NBC, Scrubs, Chuck, Print Edition, Kings, Friday Night Lights, Dick Wolf, Law & Order: SVU, CSI: NY, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI
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Time Warner Cable launched Primetime On Demand today. The new channel features shows from the primetime lineups of broadcast and cable networks, including NBC, CBS, USA and FX. Among the shows available on the on-demand channel are “Heroes,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Knight Rider,” “CSI: Miami,” “Survivor...
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Mon, Mar 9 2009
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Filed under: Cable, FX, CBS, NBC, primetime, Heroes, Knight Rider, Big Brother, Time Warner Cable, Survivor, The Biggest Loser, USA, Monk, On Demand, Burn Notice, Psych, Primetime On Demand, CSI: Miami
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More than 52 million viewers tuned in for President Barack Obama’s address to Congress Tuesday night, Nielsen Media Research said. Drawing 52.37 million, the speech pulled in more viewers than last year’s by nearly 15 million people. Although technically it was President Obama’s first State of the Union...
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Wed, Feb 25 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, Barack Obama, Univision, CNN, Fox News Channel, Telemundo, CNBC, TV Ratings, State of the Union