Search results matching tag 'ABC'

Disney plans new soundstage and production facility in Santa Clarita Valley

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:30:00 GMT

The Walt Disney Co. today filed plans to build a sprawling soundstage and production complex on the northwest corner of its Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley. The proposed Disney/ABC Studios at the Ranch would occupy 56 acres...

'Hank' is not hammering for ABC

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:57:21 GMT

Although it's been on for only two weeks, it might be time for ABC to rethink its Wednesday night leadoff hitter, "Hank." In its second airing, "Hank," which stars Kelsey Grammer as an out-of-work big shot who moves to a...

ABC cutting back on commercials for series premiere episodes

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:54:40 GMT

With eight new shows premiering this fall and seven in the next few weeks, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC is taking a big risk. No other network is premiering more than four new shows, but ABC had lots of holes to...

Diane Sawyer should keep her day job

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:07:40 GMT

Diane Sawyer -- keep your day job. The veteran journalist and cornerstone of ABC's "Good Morning America" is no doubt feeling pretty good today. After 20 years at the network, she has finally ascended to anchor of the network's evening...

Walt Disney's Anne Sweeney moving up in Forbes' world

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00:00 GMT

In the realm of power list injustices, this one was a real stinker. When Forbes magazine released its annual "100 Most Powerful Women" list Wednesday, one of the more curious showings was that of Walt Disney Co.’s Anne Sweeney. A...

Local production: Back to the future with 'FlashForward'

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:31:29 GMT

Pasadena residents might glimpse the future this Friday. That's when the new ABC TV series "FlashForward" begins filming in the area, according to a sampling of upcoming shoots from FilmL.A, which coordinates film permits for the Los Angeles region. The...

Former ABC TV President Mark Mandala dies

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:27:43 GMT

Mark Mandala, a former president of ABC Television Network, died Saturday. Mandala, 72, spent more than three decades at ABC, culminating with his appointment as president of the network in 1986. He held that position for seven years. He also...

ABC to Air New 'Ted' Episodes in June

Anonymous — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:37:20 GMT

"Better Off Ted" is getting some summer exposure. ABC today said that it will begin airing new episodes of the first-year comedy Tuesday, June 23 at 9 p.m. The show has been on hiatus since May 5. Six episodes from the first season of "Ted" remain in the can. ABC is positioning the summer run of the show behind its new reality series, "The Superstars," which will air from 8-9 p.m. ABC has renewed "Ted" for a second season of 13 episodes. That batch of episodes is set to air sometime midseason. "Better Off Ted” stars Jay Harrington and Portia de Rossi. The show, from 20th Century Fox TV, is executive produced by Victor Fresco.

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

Anonymous — 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 was a season in which comparisons were made difficult by the preceding year’s Writers Guild of America strike, but the leading networks’ best shows again proved their appeal.

With “American Idol” to bolster the second half of the season, Fox finished with a 3.6/8 among adults 18-49. The network edged out No. 2 CBS (3.1/8) even though Fox posted a 16% decline year-over-year. While CBS ranked second among the networks, it was the only one of the Big Four networks to post increases in the 18-49 demographic (+3%).

Both ABC (2.9/8) and NBC (2.8/7) trailed close behind, with the former down 3% and the latter flat with last year.

Among total viewers, CBS finished first with 11.76 million for the season, up 11% over last season. Again, CBS was the only network to post yearly gains. Fox finished second with 9.8 million viewers, down 13% from last year, while ABC (8.95 million) and NBC (7.84) rounded out the pack, both posting 3% decreases from last year.

Versions of Fox’s “Idol” finished the season as the top two shows. Wednesday night editions ranked at the top in both the demo and total viewers (9.8/24, 26.69 million), while Tuesday episodes tied for first in the demo and placed second in total viewers (9.8/25, 26.12 million).

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (5.7/13, 15.66 million) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.6/13, 14.52 million) gave the network a strong boost, coming in as the top two scripted shows among adults 18-49 and placing fourth and fifth, respectively, among all programs.

CBS led the pack of scripted shows in total viewers, with “CSI” (5.2/12, 19.03 million), “NCIS” (3.8/10, 17.84 million) and freshman series “The Mentalist” (3.9/9, 17.45 million) placing fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. The network also had the top performing comedy, “Two and a Half Men” (5.1/12, 14.98 million), which placed eighth in the demo and 10th among total viewers.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage (6.2/15, 16.27 million) broke into the top 10 in both categories as well, ranking third in the demo and eighth among total viewers.

Among adults 18-49, changes in ratings year-over-year continue to reflect the fallout of the WGA strike and changing viewing habits.

NBC’s “Heroes” posted a 29% decrease in the demo year-over-year, going from a 6.2 rating to a 4.4. The series has become the poster child for the strike’s effect, since it suffered from a truncated season and went nine months between new episodes.

The lack of new scripted content last year gave reality programs a boost as well, and accounts for a decrease in ratings among unscripted shows this year. While Fox’s “Idol” remained the top show of the season, it did so while taking a 13% dip for Tuesday night telecasts and an 8% slip for Wednesdays. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” did well last year with a 4.6 average rating in the demo, but this year dropped 26% to average a 3.4.

Top comedies experienced a boost once scripted programming got back into a regular schedule. NBC’s top scripted show, “The Office,” climbed 14% year-over-year (4.2 to 4.8), though it benefited from some major post-Super Bowl exposure. CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” bumped up 6% for the season (4.8 to 5.1) and broke the top 10 with all the other shuffles among broadcast series.

The top 10 regular shows for the 2008-09 series played out as follows:

Top 10 Programs Based on Average A18-49 Rating (2008-09)
Rank	Program	Network	Rating	Share
1	American Idol (Wednesday)	Fox	9.8	24
1	American Idol (Tuesday)	Fox	9.8	25
3	NBC Sunday Night Football	NBC	6.2	15
4	Desperate Housewives	ABC	5.7	13
5	Grey’s Anatomy	ABC	5.6	13
6	House	Fox	5.4	14
7	CSI	CBS	5.2	12
8	Two and a Half Men	CBS	5.1	12
9	Lost	ABC	5.0	12
10	Dancing With the Stars	ABC	4.9	12

Top 10 Programs Based on Total Viewers P2+ (2008-09)
Rank	Program	Network	Total Viewers (millions)
1	American Idol (Wednesday)	Fox	26.69
2	American Idol (Tuesday)	Fox	26.12
3	Dancing With the Stars	ABC	20.32
4	CSI	CBS	19.03
5	NCIS	CBS	17.84
6	The Mentalist	CBS	17.45
7	Dancing With the Stars (Results)	ABC	16.76
8	NBC Sunday Night Football	NBC	16.27
9	Desperate Housewives	ABC	15.66
10	Two and a Half Men	CBS	14.98

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Broadcast Networks Holding Firm on Upfront Ad Pricing

Anonymous — 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 felt,” said one veteran buyer, noting the presentations were solid and that program development for the upcoming season appeared to be more active than average. For TVWeek's comprehensive coverage of the upfront presentations, visit the Upfront Navigator page. But no matter how slickly produced the new dramas appear or how funny the sitcoms are, the recession will be felt over the next few weeks—and possibly months—because, as the buyer put it, his clients expect the state of the economy to be reflected in the rates they pay for commercials. Sales executives at the broadcast networks said they aren’t in a mood to cave on price. The networks all stressed their ability to make cash resisters ring above and beyond what cable and other alternatives offer. With senior management at the broadcast networks seeing signs of recovery, they are willing to wait until better times before rushing into deals at lower prices. And in most years, scatter prices are significantly higher than upfront prices, which also offer rating guarantees and options to cancel purchases. “We won’t do deals if they don’t make sense,” said Jon Nesvig, president for sales at Fox. Asked when he expects the market to start moving this year, Rob Tuck, executive VP for ad sales at The CW said, “It depends on the market. They want a price. We want a price.” Mr. Tuck noted the scatter market, where ads are purchased closer to airtime, has been strong for The CW. He said he is willing to sell his inventory there rather than accept low prices in the upfront. Then again, “We only have 10 hours to sell,” he said of his network’s primetime schedule. In a report released at the start of upfront week, Credit Suisse said marketers are seeing 10% cuts in prices, while networks are aiming to keep them flat. Analyst Spencer Wang said he expects the networks to sell fewer ads in the upfront to maintain pricing. That will leave upfront spending down 15% to $7.9 billion from last year, he predicted. Credit Suisse expects CBS’ upfront take to fall just 8.6% to $2.285 billion, but forecast that the other networks will see double-digit declines. Those predictions call for ABC to be down 14.9% to $2.127 billion; Fox to fall 15.2% to $1.556 billion; NBC to decline $18.1% to $1.556 billion and The CW to drop 29.8% to $256 million. (The CW has returned Sunday night to its affiliates, which is a factor in its decline.) Mr. Wang forecasts that upfront spending for cable will fall 0.6% to $7.8 billion, with average prices down about 2.5%. With upfront week terminating just before Memorial Day weekend, there was little chance serious negotiations would take place before May 26. The CW, which held the final presentation on May 21 at midday, had to arrange for a tent to store the luggage of clients and buyers looking to make an early getaway from New York. For the last few years, Fox has held a party following its presentation on Thursday afternoon, marking the end of upfront week. This year, with NBC opting to present its programming earlier, Fox moved its presentation and party to Monday. NBC did offer buyers and clients a night of comedy on Tuesday night, but at most of the other presentations, the joke was on the peacock network, which is replacing expensive scripted dramas at 10 p.m. with a cheaper hour starring Jay Leno. “There’s a difference between the business model being broken and not being able to find any hit shows for years,” CBS CEO Les Moonves said during CBS’ presentation. The five-day-a-week CW seemed to enjoy pointing out that by adding three new dramas, it had as much scripted programming on its schedule as NBC does. Even cable’s Turner Broadcasting took time on Wednesday to contrast its star-studded programs with the reality shows such as “Momma’s Boys” that dot the NBC lineup. Of course, NBC will get the last laugh if advertisers embrace Mr. Leno’s new show (Jeff Immelt, CEO of NBC Universal parent company General Electric, told an investment conference that early signs indicate NBC will get good support from advertisers at 10 p.m.). The biggest laughs, however, came from Jimmy Kimmel, who in normal years makes fun of the schedule at his network, ABC, as well as television executives and the upfront overall. But in this tough year, his comments seem to have hit harder than normal. “Everything you’re going to hear this week is bullshit,” Mr. Kimmel said. “These new fall shows? We’re going to cancel about 90% of them.” Mr. Kimmel went on: “Every year we lie to you and every year you come back for more. You don’t need an upfront. You need therapy.” That said, buyers noted that this year’s crop of new series look strong, particularly after last year’s Writers Guild of America strike disrupted development. “The development is far better this year,” said Shari Anne Brill, senior VP/director of strategic audience analysis at media buyer Carat. “Last year the strike impacted 2007-08 programming but also wreaked havoc with 2008-09 development. I think the networks decided to instead channel all their efforts into 2009-10.” Ultimately, advertising sales at the upfront come down to supply and demand, and media buyers are waiting for some of their clients to complete their spending plans. “We aren’t seeing many ups in terms of budgets,” said Chris Neel, senior VP/director of broadcast for media buyer Initiative in Los Angeles. While some predict a long summer, Marc Goldstein, president and CEO of GroupM North America, reflected, “Every upfront is different. Eventually we’ll all get it done.”