Category: Television

Colin Cowherd Says Lincoln Riley Hire at USC ‘Good for networks’

On By johnwilson21In News Media, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

Colin Cowherd is one of the biggest personalities in sports media. He works in Los Angeles, California, which is where the University of Southern California is located. With the recent hiring of USC Football Head Coach, Lincoln Riley, he is obviously very excited. He claims that the hiring is good for networks, in which I agree. He pointed out that networks want USC to be good because many people in Los Angeles are college football fans, but they have not been watching lately because of the lack of success from the program, but now that they have hired one of the best coaches in college football, people will begin watching again. While other programs on the west coast have had short term success, like Oregon or Stanford, they do not compare to the draw that USC will bring to televisions on the west coast, as well as throughout the country.

            I agree with Cowherd’s take because as a big college football fan, I have not watched many USC games lately because they have not been good. Although, when I was a child, I watched them frequently, as they were one of the best teams in the country. USC not having a good football team does not feel right, as they are historically a great program who produces high quality talent. Networks will also be excited to once again show USC games and they will receive much higher ratings than they have in the past few years. Overall, the move was great and will be great for networks.

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SEC Network to Devote 72 Hours of Coverage Towards Championship Game

On By johnwilson21In Cable, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment
Dale Zanine/CBS Sports

College Football is a huge deal in the Southeastern region of the United States. The SEC conference, arguably the best conference in college football, has its championship game coming up on Saturday, December 4th. In preparation for this big matchup between Alabama and Georgia, the SEC Network is devoting 72 hours of coverage for the big game. This is a bold move by the network, as obviously it is a big matchup in the conference, but that is a great deal of coverage. Game coverage begins on the network on Thursday, December 2nd, at 1:30 P.M, which will include press conferences, interviews.

            This is a bold move by the network, but I believe it will pay off. This is their biggest game to this point in the season, with the two best teams matching up, with the winner being crowned the SEC Champion, and likely the #1 seed heading into the college football playoff. The article interested me because I will likely be tuning in to watch some of the pre and post-game coverage, and it let me know when each program will be aired and where I can watch it. This game is a huge deal in the southern part of the United States, and will interests people outside of that region, and the pregame content will likely receive tons of viewers.

ESPN Losing Cable Viewers

On By johnwilson21In Cable, Sports, Streaming, TelevisionLeave a comment
Mike Windle/Getty Images

ESPN is known as “the worldwide leader in sports.” Some bad news for them is that they were in 8 million fewer homes in 2020, although there is some context to it that explains this statistic and lessens the blow. ESPN’s cable subscriptions dropped a substantial amount in 2020, but subscriptions to their exclusive access program, ESPN+, increased by almost 7 million subscribers. The ESPN+ subscription increase likely alludes to people getting rid of their cable packages and heading towards strictly streaming services. While ESPN is maintaining much of its audience, Disney, who owns ESPN, is not satisfied with the drop in cable subscribers, as there have been rumors that they may try and divert from ESPN.            

This interests me because I am a huge sports fan, but over the last few years, I have favored other sports networks, such as Fox Sports or NBC Sports, rather than ESPN. ESPN’s quality of content and authenticity seems to be getting worse and many of the channel’s shows have become less entertaining than they used to be. The drop in cable subscriptions makes sense to me, as people are moving towards streaming services, or they are also observing the same things as I have. I will continue to watch ESPN when they show a product that interests me, but at this time, I do not envision myself purchasing a cable package with the network being part of it.

NFL Games Remain Popular on American Televisions

On By johnwilson21In Nielsen, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment
AP

Thanksgiving Day is well-known for two things in America, and they are eating and football. The NFL hosts three games each year on Thanksgiving, with the Dallas Cowboys being one of the teams who plays each year on the holiday. This year they hosted the Las Vegas Raiders, which turned out to be the most-watched regular season game since 1990. It was estimated that there were 38.5 million viewers tuned in for the big game, which is mightily impressive. Some factors that likely went into this large number are that the Cowboys are historically the league’s most watched team, as well as the Raiders also being a popular team, historically. Also, the game was highly competitive, as it was a narrow matchup and also went into overtime.

            This story interests me because as a football fan, this was definitely an interesting matchup that I was excited for, but I was not aware of the amount of people that also thought it was an interesting matchup. There have been bigger games with interesting matchups in the past 31 years, but they were not able to draw in the same number of viewers. The face that it was Thanksgiving could have played a role because even people who are not interested in football may watch the games on Thanksgiving as part of the holiday tradition. While many people often ridicule the league for many of the things they do and even threaten to stop watching games, the league remains powerful and dominant across televisions in America.

DC/Warner Brother’s Announcements at Fandome 2021

On By Noah Furcht-HeafitzIn Brand, Gaming, TelevisionLeave a comment
When Is DC FanDome 2021? - Push Square

https://www.pushsquare.com/features/live-watch-the-dc-fandome-2021-livestream-right-here, Sammy Barker

Warner Brothers and DC Comics held their second annual “Fandome” event this past Saturday at which they revealed a number of trailers and sneak peeks of upcoming tv shows, movies, and games. The movie trailers shown include: The Batman, Black Adam and, The Flash. The movie sneak peeks included Aquaman 2 and Shazam 2. New tv shows that were announced include Peacemaker, Batman: Caped Crusader, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, and a yet to be named CW show about a girl who doesn’t know she has superpowers that stars Kaci Walfall. Shows that have been announced to have a new season coming include: Batwoman, The Flash, Superman & Lois, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl, Harley Quinn, Young Justice, Titans, and Doom Patrol. The games displayed at this event includes Suicide Squad: kill the Justice League and Gotham Knights.

The Batman trailer that was displayed is the second that has been put out for the upcoming film. This trailer notably showed off the inclusion of the characters Catwoman and The Riddler as well as Robert Pattinson’s take on the Caped Crusader. The Batman has been slated for a March 4th 2022 release. Dwayne Johnson was quoted as saying he was “born to play Black Adam,” before introducing that movie’s trailer. Said trailer also marks the on-screen debut of superhero group The Justice Society of America. Black Adam is set to hit theaters on July 29th 2022. The Flash movie trailer features a number of different versions of The Flash played by different actors as well as both Ben Affleck’s and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman. The Flash is set to premiere on November 4th 2022. Only behind the scenes looks at Aquaman 2 and Shazam 2 were shown as the films aren’t far enough into production to warrant having trailers. John Cena’s Peacemaker character who debuted in last Summer’s Suicide Squad film’s HBO Max series was announced to be debuting on January 13th 2022. lastly, in video game news, Both Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Gotham Nights are AAA titles in the vein of the preexisting Batman series of video games. 

This article interests me for four key reasons. One, because I am a fan of a lot of the intellectual properties that are being represented in upcoming films and shows. Two, due in large part to the delays necessitated by the pandemic a part of me had long since accepted that DC up and stopped trying to compete with Marvel before seeing these announcements. Three, I’m particularly fond of Batman The Animated Series and this article notes that the upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader series is very reminiscent of it. And four, there seems to be a wide variety of different types of films and tv shows being produced. This is notable because my main issue with the DC films and tv shows of a few years ago is that most of them were sold on being “gritty” and “realistic” takes on the characters they were representing.

Barker, Sammy. “Live: Watch the DC Fandome 2021 Livestream Right Here.” Push Square, Push Square, 16 Oct. 2021, https://www.pushsquare.com/features/live-watch-the-dc-fandome-2021-livestream-right-here.

Lyons, Kim, and Chaim Gartenberg. “The Biggest Announcements from DC FanDome.” The Verge, The Verge, 16 Oct. 2021, https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/16/22729057/biggest-announcements-dc-fandome-batman-black-adam-hbo-warner.

Hollywood’s Behind-The-Scenes Staff reach Tentative Deal with Studios, adverting strike scheduled for Monday

On By alanapotIn Cable, Media Covergence, Movie, Netflix, Regulation, TelevisionLeave a comment
IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb, Image via AdWeek/IASTE

IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, recently came to a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), adverting a scheduled strike for this upcoming October 18th. IATSE is a union representing about 60,000 crew members including hairstylists, costumers, gaffers, propmakers, cameraworkers and other behind-the-scenes jobs on set. The union had been negotiating pay, work schedules and more with AMPTP, an organization that represents companies such as Netflix, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, since May.

Prior to the tentative agreement, IATSE President Matthew Loeb said in a statement posted on Twitter: “We will continue bargaining with the producers this week in the hopes of reaching an agreement that addresses core issues, such as reasonable rest periods, meal breaks and a living wage for those on the bottom of the wage scale” 

If the strike had occurred it would’ve been the first time Hollywood’s Behind-The-Scenes workers had held a strike since World War II and would represent the largest cease Hollywood’s workforce since a 14-week writers’ strike in 2007.

According to IATSE, the 3-Year contractual agreement with AMPTP includes living wages for the lowest paid workers, higher wages, daily 10 hour rest periods and weekend 54 hour long rest periods along with other basic benefits. Prior to this, streaming TV and film productions featured lower pay scales for workers which reflected budgets at the beginning of the medium and platforms. However, streaming is now a very large chunk of the market and worker’s felt their wages should reflect that. The increased production and volume of streaming entertainment had also made for grueling, “around-the-clock” and “around-the-calendar” (Sutton, 2021) working conditions.

Overall, this situation between IATSE and AMPTP reflect the truth behind what is going on behind the scenes of the public’s favorite shows and streaming platforms. It also reflects streaming as medium that is here to stay and in need of regulation for it’s workers.

Del Barco, Mandalit. “Hollywood crew members reach a tentative deal with major studios, averting a strike” NPR, 16, October, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/10/16/1045711954/hollywood-crew-members-iatse-reach-deal-no-strike

Sutton, Kelsey. “TV, Film Workers Set Oct. 18 Strike Date as Negotiations With Studios Stall” AdWeek, 14, October, 2021. https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/tv-film-workers-set-oct-18-strike-date-as-negotiations-with-studios-stall/

Late Night Shows Impacted by the Pandemic

On By David SonIn Cable, coronavirus, coverage, Media Covergence, National coverage, News Media, Social Issue(s), TelevisionLeave a comment

As late night shows are directly impacted, hosts and broadcasting stations have found ways to keep viewers entertained. The biggest late night television stars are keeping the show going by filming from inside their homes. With this in home production comes many pros and cons.

Aside from all the production, the hosts have seemed to lack the energy driven by a live audience. With late night show hosts missing that energy, comes a lot of authenticity as well. Show host’s like Stephen Colbert adds that his dog has created a more intimate and relaxed environment to his job. In the privacy of their own homes, hosts have been able to feel less tense also in part of the less promotional stunts they would usually have to perform.

Jimmy Fallon adds that you can’t really fake anything. It is really you on National T.V. and that is all. Other late night show hosts have changed their normal ways. John Oliver has embraced the minimalist approach to Late Night shows while Bill Maher has added audience laughter to his monologue to add a more familiar setting.

Music has become a big source of entertainment during these shows as well. “One World: Together at Home” concert was on April 18, which played on multiple networks to fund raise for those fighting Covid-19

Other broadcasting stations are practicing alternatives towards their content. Saturday Night Live added the “at home” experiment which began a solo act for comedians to perform. Another innovative idea came from ESPN, while they created a “HORSE” competition in which known sports figures can compete in a game of “HORSE” for entertainment.

Although these companies are trying new ways to entertain the public, it has not come with the most exciting response. This sort of content can bore a viewer very quickly. Needless to say, their efforts are appreciated during these times of uncertainty. Any sort of entertainment to keep our minds off the pandemic is appreciated.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/17/entertainment/social-distancing-tv/index.html

Coronavirus Sees Ratings Gain For Tv Networks

On By Jared RohlfingIn News Media, TelevisionLeave a comment

The pandemic currently sweeping the globe has ironically had some positive effects on television networks struggling to retain relevancy.  Adam Epstein in his article for Quartz covered the massive ratings gain seen by all four major television networks including NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox.  It was reported that around thirty-two million Americans watched the evening news in the last week; the largest ratings numbers seen in decades.  The surge is so impressive that ratings for networks are up forty-two percent compared to the same period last year.  The global pandemic is also benefiting shows like American Idol and Ellen’s new show called Game of Games which both saw massive increases in viewership over the last few weeks.  Interestingly, viewership among the 18-49 age demographic is also up five percent compared to last year which shows that older viewers are not the only ones partially responsible for the ratings boost.  However, it should be noted that these numbers are almost certainly temporary as millions of Americans remain home due to social distancing mandates; and numbers for streaming services likely dwarf those seen by networks. 

I found this article to be incredibly insightful in regard to how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting all aspects of life and business in this country and around the world.  While obviously this event is a largely negative one with thousands of people losing their lives, it does not go without its silver linings such as this story.  It will be interesting to see if after the stay at home orders go away network ratings immediately slip back to mediocrity where they previously were. 

https://qz.com/1824422/coronavirus-has-stopped-the-decline-of-broadcast-tv-ratings/

What is going to happen to Olympic Sports and other Sports Broadcasters?

On By David SonIn Cable, Comcast, Consumer behavior, coverage, Distribution, Media Covergence, National coverage, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

The Tokyo Summer Olympics will not be happening this year.  For obvious reasons, athletes and sporting federations have chosen to push back the Olympics to hopefully next year.  The Olympics have been postponed three times in history.  Once because of World War I and another because of World War II.  The Prime Minister of Japan has insisted the Olympics to not be cancelled but postponed to next year.  Although Japan has made great progress in dealing with this crisis, the rest of the World has not.  Not until 2 weeks ago, people were insisting that the Olympics go on, but it is becoming seen as impossible and seriously ill-advised to do so.

NBCUniversal has already signed contracts with local stations and distributors for them to use their production.  Now that the Olympics are pushed to next year and their contract extended, NBCUniversal could make them end up paying double. 

But given the long-term relationships with these companies, NBCUniversal will most likely come up with accommodations in order to not decimate these local stations.  On the other hand, NBCUniversal would probably end up facing serious lawsuits if they chose to make their partners pay double.  No decision has been made yet.

Media executives worry politicians may carry-out a plan to have all TV bills be paid back to their consumers.  A large domino effect that comes from no sports being paid.

There are campaigns for sports networks to refund some of the paid subscription back to the consumer for no sports.  This would result in hundreds of millions of dollars, but sports broadcasters are trying to come up with accommodations in order to not lose out on so much money.  Many broadcasting stations are figuring out ways to keep the consumer’s happy by rearranging release dates and payment plans.  The Michael Jordan documentary was supposed to be released in July but has been pushed up to keep consumers happy.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/01/coronavirus-sports-cancellations-set-up-media-fights-over-refunds.html

Sports Broadcasting Services and their Providers; What happens?

On By David SonIn Brand, Cable, Comcast, Consumer behavior, coronavirus, coverage, Distribution, Media Covergence, Partnerships & Copyright, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

One would think because of the Coronavirus pandemic, people would more likely be inside spending time watching T.V.  Although this seems logical, because many of these people are becoming unemployed, they are more likely to cut cable to save extra money.  The FCC has already issued warnings to distributors and local T.V. stations about renewed contracts. 

As this crisis ensues, cable operators and programmers have called a temporary truce to set aside questions regarding refunds on undelivered programming, such as the NBA, NHL, Olympics, and many other big television marketing programs.

Distributors agreed to pay programmers a certain amount of money based on the shows the are supposed to deliver.  Many sports media channels are the reason consumers pay big bucks too, so a resolution must be brought up.

“CBS is not going to pay for this season and have no financial recourse at all,” Pilson said. “The networks are not paying for games that aren’t delivered. They may have a formula where certain monies change hands and eventually they’ll get credit for that.”

AS the NCAA basketball tournament has been cancelled, the effect chain goes further than professional sports.  The colleges that had a contract with programmers that are now diminished as well with the fees. 

Professional sports on the other hand, may have a more difficult time with the contracts they had with distributors.  Professional sports like, NBA and MLB don’t have clear provisions on how to demand refunds in case of a unavoidable cause.  While there are mentions of natural causes such as tornados, hurricanes, or what have you, there is no specifications for pandemics. 

NFL is working on renewing TV rights with their partnerships, like ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, Disney and Fox.  While they are most likely to stick with these distributors until 2022, there are programmers who are on the fringe of stealing a partnership.  Companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon are likely competitors.    

These distributors payed a lot of money for these games to be broadcasted.  NFL and MLB hold a lot of weight, in being able to not refund the broadcasters fully for what they have paid.  Streaming service DAZN has informed leagues that it will not pay rights fees for any games that have been suspended.  CBS, ESPN, and NBC all have not demanded refunds or threatened to withhold payment for games yet. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/01/coronavirus-sports-cancellations-set-up-media-fights-over-refunds.html