On the eve of the broadcast upfronts, in the wake of 17 returning shows being cancelled and its cast and crew joining the unemployed this week, the timing of a Hollywood Reporter article that attempted to use Nielsen data to shine some light on the potential sea change that caused this struck me as, well, … Read more
Next week the 2022-23 broadcast networks, otherwise known as the downstream feeders of corporate multiplatform media companies, will release their new schedules, which means this week news of cancellations and renewals are breaking with the frequency and fervor of free agent signings in sports. This coming year will actually be historic, yet again not necessarily … Read more
When FX was venturing into the world of quality scripted television two decades ago, our management team set our sights on overtaking the leaders as quickly as possible. Qualitatively, the unquestioned leader at the time was HBO, with THE SOPRANOS at the height of its popularity and influence. But as a pay cable channel, HBO … Read more
The best thing about an in-person convention is the opportunity to actually have face-to-face conversations with people who the normal limitations of geography and life are limited to occasional phone calls, e-mails or social media posts. Yes, you can glean a lot about someone’s professional and personal lives this way, and there’s nothing inherently wrong … Read more
MEMO TO: REED HASTINGS, CHAIRMAN AND CO-CEO, NETFLIX CC: TED SARANDOS, CO-CEO, NETFLIX FR: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA CONSULTANT RE: OPERATION BANDWIDTH Dear Reed, Like many of your loyal subscribers, I was disappointed to see that you fell short of your subscriber projections in 1Q22, and anticipate even greater underages as the year goes on. According … Read more
A few weeks ago I took a flyer and invested a couple of bucks in an online boot camp that promised the magic of “actually being on TV!” to content creators looking to expand their fame. The first couple of days were lively, fun and energizing. We got separated into smaller groups where we discussed … Read more
Roomie had a birthday last night, so he was nice enough to invite me and Roomie-Son to opening night for DOCTOR STRANGE 2: THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. You know I love to see movies worth seeing in theatres, and this one definitely qualified as such. As the latest installment in the complex world of the … Read more
The first time I met Radha Subramanyam was when she was a fledgling researcher with Comedy Central decades ago at a conference much like the one upcoming in Nashville this month. It was at one of those decadent client dinners that a particularly generous vendor was throwing, and I honestly can’t remember when or where … Read more
In Mays not that many Mays ago, those of us fortunate enough to work in entertainment cleared our calendars for the first 15-20 days of the month in similar ways to how accountants do that for the first half of April. Pilot season was to media, and especially to research teams, what tax season was … Read more
I was all set to devote some space today to the rapidly dwindling concept of a traditional broadcast network pilot season. All but eliminated in 2020 by the pandemic, it has returned to some extent this year, albeit in a much smaller and frequently anticlimactic form due to the evolving nature of synergistic corporate alliances … Read more