After spending much of the past decade trying to push the envelope creatively, network development executives are headed back to basics with their fall 2009 pilot rosters. Having been burned one too many times by shows that garnered critical acclaim but low Nielsen numbers—from “Arrested Development...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Fri, Feb 20 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW, Print Edition, Heroes, Gossip Girl, Lost, New York, Pilots, ER, David E. Kelley, NCIS, Melrose Place, No Heroics, Ed Zwick, Human Target, A Marriage, Flash Forward, Sons of Tucson, Save Us Then From the Whales, Eastwick, Happy Town, Day One, Absolutely Fabulous, Walorksy, Marshall Herskovitz, V
While paid ads will get most of the attention during NBC’s telecast of the Super Bowl on Sunday, network parent NBC Universal is hoping to steal its share of the big day’s big buzz with a well-orchestrated promotional blitz that will focus on virtually all units of the company. NBC’s network schedule...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Jan 25 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, NBC, The Office, Jay Leno, Chuck, Print Edition, Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show, Heroes, Kings, Super Bowl, Medium, 3-D, Southland, John Miller
The people who get paid to watch TV probably would prefer to pretend the last four months never happened. Always a surly lot, the nation’s TV critics—whose semiannual press tour kicks into high gear this week in Los Angeles—are disappointed, if not downright angry, over what many believe to be one of...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Jan 11 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Grey's Anatomy, The CW, 90210, Print Edition, Kath & Kim, Heroes, Knight Rider, Criminal Minds, Melrose Place, Critics Poll, Skins
Is it over yet? Queen Elizabeth famously described 1992 as her “annus horribilis.” For the rest of us, including much of the TV industry, 2008 no doubt will merit a similar epitaph. The year began with the Writers Guild of America still on strike, and lots of bad reality shows filling in for much better...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Fri, Dec 19 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Showtime, HBO, CBS, NBC, Pushing Daisies, How I Met Your Mother, Katie Couric, Print Edition, Heroes, Rachel Maddow, WGA, The Jay Leno Show, Stike, Reality TV
This year’s November sweeps ratings period, buffeted by economic upheaval and declining statistical relevance to networks, saw ABC and CBS on top in adults 18-49 and total viewers, respectively. Only smaller networks The CW and MyNetworkTV avoided audience erosion in their target demographics. At press...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Nov 30 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW, 30 Rock, Print Edition, Heroes, MyNetworkTV, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, TV Ratings, House, Smackdown, 24: Redemption
When it comes to stories about the strange and unusual, nothing beats science fiction. Whether it’s exploring the mystery of life on other planets, in other dimensions or in our own backyards, this is one genre where there are no boundaries except the imagination. Because of that, sci-fi is also a genre...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Nov 30 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, ABC, NBC, Print Edition, Sci Fi Channel, Heroes, Lost, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Diverse Voices
The Writers Guild of America’s strike released its grip on Hollywood more than eight months ago, but its effects still are trickling through television. Several sophomore series whose first seasons were cut short by the work stoppage late last year are feeling the aftershocks of the strike now. Among...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Oct 5 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, ABC, NBC, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Chuck, Print Edition, Life, Heroes, Lipstick Jungle, Do Not Disturb, TV Ratings, Private Practice
It could have been a lot worse. That’s the bottom line from the first few days of the 2008-09 television season, which got under way last week amidst a higher-than-normal level of angst among network suits. With so many shows taking nine-month hiatuses due to the writers strike, and fewer newcomers than...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Sep 28 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Fringe, Broadcast, Ratings, Grey's Anatomy, Dancing With the Stars, How I Met Your Mother, 90210, Print Edition, Heroes, Knight Rider, The Mentalist, Do Not Disturb, Worst Week, Boston Legal, Criminal Minds, Two and a Half Men
On the cusp of the official start of the 2008-09 season, Fox and The CW are enjoying a few perks for having been out of the gate ahead of the pack. Fox’s “Fringe” skyrocketed 59% week-to-week in its ratings, while The CW’s “Gossip Girl” has steadily improved its numbers from its record-setting premiere...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Sep 21 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Fringe, Broadcast, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Dancing With the Stars, primetime, The CW, Chuck, Print Edition, Heroes, Gossip Girl, Carat, Programming, Shari Anne Brill
Last week’s third-season premiere party for “Heroes” wasn’t just another Hollywood soiree—it was a made-for-TV event. Sure, guests downed drinks and noshed on appetizers. But there were NBC camera crews all over capturing the entire scene, filming every air kiss and following the show’s stars as they...