The Business of Television : NBC

Struggling Soaps Seek New Niche

News — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:34:00 GMT

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...(read more)

A Win-Win for ‘Biggest Loser’

News — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:25:00 GMT

With seven seasons under its belt, NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” is still growing—particularly in developing alternative revenue streams beyond advertising. “Loser’s” consumer-product lines, which include items such as CDs, weight-loss plans, DVDs, workout...(read more)

Leno Goes Out on Top

News — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:20:42 GMT

Jay Leno ended his latenight run by dominating his timeslot one last time. Friday night's final edition of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" averaged an 8.8 rating in Nielsen's overnight metered market averages, crushing a repeat of CBS's...(read more)

Conan's 'Late Night' Theme Being Adapted for 'Tonight'

News — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:19:56 GMT

The new theme song for "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" will have a familiar ring to it. That's because Mr. O'Brien and executive producer Jeff Ross have opted to use a reworked version of Mr. O'Brien's 16-year-old "Late...(read more)

Fox Wins 5th Straight Season in Key 18-49 Demo

News — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:40:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Broadcast Networks Holding Firm on Upfront Ad Pricing

News — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:36:24 GMT

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...(read more)

NBC Affiliates Get Reassurance About ‘Leno’

News — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:43:25 GMT

Affiliate jitters regarding “The Jay Leno Show” appeared to have subsided as NBC-affiliated station heads arrived in New York City yesterday for their annual meeting. Michael Fiorile, NBC affiliate board chairman and vice chairman of the dispatch group...(read more)

NBC Went to Oprah Before Leno for Prime Time

News — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:38:32 GMT

Before deciding to put Jay Leno in prime time, NBC offered its 8 p.m. timeslot to Oprah Winfrey. NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker said that the notion of Oprah having a nightly show in prime time wasn’t a new idea. NBC talked to Ms. Winfrey about two years...(read more)

NBC Upfront: Splitting Seasons, Lots of Leno

News — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:59:16 GMT

NBC is splitting its new series offerings between fall and winter, limiting its fourth-quarter debuts to two new dramas, one new sitcom—and a whole lot of Jay Leno. The network also has passed on scheduling "Medium" and "My Name Is...(read more)

Upfront Digital Ad Sales Primed to Rise

News — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:25:00 GMT

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...(read more)

CBS Gains in Sweeps Period; Fox Remains on Top

News — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:05:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Moonves: NBC’s Leno Move Helps CBS

News — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:30:45 GMT

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...(read more)

‘Biggest Loser’ Talks Turkey for Jennie-O

News — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

“The Biggest Loser” has proven to be a big winner for Jennie-O Turkey Store. The NBC series, which chronicles the efforts of overweight people trying to reduce their size and improve their health, might not seem the most appetizing place to advertise...(read more)

NBC Renews ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

News — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:23:21 GMT

NBC has picked up a third cycle of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” The renewal isn’t much of a surprise, given this season’s solid Sunday night performance for the show, which is produced by Mark Burnett and Donald Trump. There had been Internet chatter about...(read more)

ABC, CBS, NBC to Air Obama; Fox, No

News — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:01:30 GMT

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...(read more)