I’m gonna preface this one by reaffirming that many of the current executives and staffers at The Nielsen Company are longtime professional and personal friends, whose talents and humanity are unparalleled. None of what I’m about to write should be taken as judgement on those of you I already know. The company and those in … Read more
MEMO TO: FRANCES BERWICK, CHAIRMAN, ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS, NBCUNIVERSAL TELEVISION AND STREAMING FR: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA CONSULTANT RE: THE COURTSHIP — S1 E2 Dear Frances, These are the types of internal memos that are difficult for me to write, since I attempt to be creator friendly. Months of research, development, casting and post-production goes into the … Read more
March Madness is back, with no crowd restrictions in multiple venues across the country and, for the first time, a women’s bracket fully endorsed by the NCAA with similar bloating (68 teams) and branding to the men’s field. So if you’re a hardcore gambler , a casual fan or even a non0fN just someone trying … Read more
Caught The Batman this weekend (thanks for the treat, roomie) in an actual movie theatre, a momentary escape from the hellish week of still more rejection and impatience I endured. Roomie’s first-take observation was “good, but very woke”. Mine’s a bit more detailed and complex. Unlike most of the superhero franchises currently in vogue, the … Read more
…that the landscape of cable television, and arguably the world of streaming TV, changed forever. For a change, I had a direct role in it. THE SHIELD, a one-hour drama centering around a morally ambiguous Los Angeles police detective, Vic Mackey, and his colleagues at the fictional Farmington precinct, premiered on FX on March 12, … Read more
I’m watching the war of words and accusations between Nielsen and the Video Advertising Bureau from an uncomfortable distance, and I’m increasingly concerned that there seems to be more attention being paid to the argument than what is being argued about. To catch you up, the VAB, which is an organization representing the interests of … Read more
I hesitated in observing this particular anniversary as I have some many others in this space, but a friend that I was actually making in-person lunch plans with yesterday made the fatal mistake of pointing out the milestone to me. Plus, it was a relatively slow media news day, and I simply don’t have the … Read more
In the opening scene of the HBO series WINNING TIME that premiered last night, John C. Reilly, literally reincarnating Dr. Jerry Buss with his performance, exclaims “God damn! Basketball! It’s like great sex!”. As the camera pans out, it’s revealed that he’s likely naked, in the Playboy mansion with a model curled up next to … Read more
ABOUT LAST NIGHT recently premiered on HBO Max, yet another deliciously addictive reality half-hour where an entire season can be binged in one evening. Hosted by Ayesha Curry and her NBA superstar hubby Steph, the show features three celebrity couples attempting to match answers to intimate questions about their relationships and, in the end game, … Read more
MEMO TO: CHRIS LICHT, INCOMING CHAIRMAN AND CEO, CNN GLOBAL FR: STEVE LEBLANG. MEDIA CONSULTANT RE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW Dear Chris, First of all, may I be the millionth or so person in the last 72 hours to congratulate you on your appointment to this prestigious position. Based on your accomplishments of the past … Read more