So ABC and CBS–er, Disney Media Networks and Paramount Global–actually did in-person upfront presentations this week just like old times. ABC, now under the expert leadership of Hulu czar Craig Erwich,announced only two new series for the Fall 2022 schedule, both brand extensions. A weekly primetime CELEBRITY JEOPARDY and THE ROOKIE: FEDS will debut, and … Read more
You probably hadn’t heard of Dr. Helen Papagiannis before this; I know I didn’t. As we head into the home stretch leading up to next Monday’s Media Insights and Engagement Conference in Nashville, I noticed Helen’s name was added as a keynote speaker for the conference’s key middle day. So I clicked on her agency … Read more
If you’ve yet to discover the joys of the tweets and reflections of The Masked Scheduler, you should. Long since unmasked as the brilliant Preston Beckman, the former head of scheduling for both NBC and FOX and a fellow graduate of the same Queens high school that gave diplomas to me, a couple of other … Read more
I suppose I was destined to become a fan of NBC news programming because Channel 4 had a better signal than did Channel 2 (a local news we actually preferred but had trouble seeing clearly), and because they had several five-minute updates dropped into their all-day game show lineup which was the soundtrack of my … Read more
Back at year’s end time when I was feeling particularly isolated and snarky, I actually went out on a limb for a change and offered up a series of predictions for the media landscape for 2022. One of my somewhat ballsier prognostications was this: The CW will take a significant step toward ceasing to exist … Read more
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