Bridging the so-called digital divide — the gulf between people who have ready access to the Internet, and those like Escobar who do not — has long been a priority of President Obama. And addressing the issue has become a key component in the government’s review of Charter Communications’ proposed $67-billion plan to acquire two other cable companies — Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks — a merger that could transform the pay TV landscape.
Cable Networks Revamping Ad Load
Something to keep an eye on this upfront season is how some cable networks are experimenting with reduced ad loads and commercials that more closely resemble actual programming — TV’s version of native advertising.
Could CBS, which owns pay cable network Showtime, add another premium cable player, Starz, to its portfolio? Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva hears that CBS has been kicking the tires on acquiring Starz, one of several content companies CBS had expressed interest in. Details are scarce, but Andreeva reports what has been discussed is a possible stock deal close to the current Starz stock price (it closed Monday at $28.25 per share). It is unclear how far the conversations have progressed.
Exclusives
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The lawyer representing “Pawn Stars” reality TV star “Chumlee” says he’ll fight felony weapon and drug charges — and sex assault allegations if they’re filed. Defense […]
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The man known to millions of cable TV viewers as Chumlee on the reality show “Pawn Stars” was being held late Wednesday in a Las […]
Game Show Network Outlines Winning Strategy
The finals will air on cable for the first time, two years after the Final Four migrated. Buyers worry about ratings declines. Pricing is flat to last season.
TBS, Syfy and WGN America are giving some of their new shows a boost with commercial-free episodes. “We’re obviously an ad-supported network and our advertising partners are really important to us, but for me, nothing is more important than the shows launching successfully,” says WGN America’s Matt Cherniss,
Sinclair Broadcast Group said today that it closed on its previously announced acquisition of the stock of Tennis Channel for $350 million. The acquisition was funded through cash on hand and a draw on the company’s revolving line of credit.
Audience fragmentation across hundreds of cable networks, the steady growth of video on demand and subscription growth with new virtual service providers like Netflix and Hulu have complicated this year’s upfront. In fact, each year cable networks are struggling to meet their upfront commitments, and available scatter ad inventory is becoming more and more scarce. Programmatic TV could be a solution that creates new upfront opportunities.
Several digital media companies have expressed interest in TV, but they’re all far behind Vice Media so far.
A&E Networks Abandons Glitzy Upfront
A&E Networks won’t be parading duck hunters, little women or Vikings out to ad buyers this spring, becoming the latest TV group to forego the typical glitzy upfront presentation. Instead, the cable programmer, whose networks include its namesake channel, History, Lifetime and FYI, will meet with marketers and agencies individually over the next few months to discuss ways the company can create customized media opportunities for clients.
The first step in Canada’s government-mandated plan is partial. At first, pay TV providers only have to offer slimmed-down basic package for $25, with theme packs like sports or entertainment channels as add-ons. Some U.S. cable and satellite companies are already starting to offer slimmer packages, such as Sling TV from Dish for $20 a month. Full channel choice, or a la carte, is due in Canada by the end of the year.
Nine years after Viacom gave him the money to create an online TV network, Vice Media CEO Shane Smith is trying to turn it into the next MTV. Today, Smith will flip the switch on Viceland, a cable network formerly known as H2 that is co-owned and programmed by the New York-based media company. The network will air programs with names like Weediquette and Gaycation that burnish Vice’s reputation for brash, blunt cultural commentary.
The Wall Street Journal reports the FCC is probing whether big cable firms use special contract provisions to discourage media companies — from Walt Disney to smaller firms — from running programming on the Internet. Journal subscribers can read the full story here.
Never mind cord cutting. The move to skinny bundles, which include fewer cable channels, could be the industry’s real undoing. Subscriptions have been falling steadily since 2014.
NEW YORK (AP) — The new Viceland cable channel takes to the air Monday with the ultimate in user-generated programming. The network set up a phone number a few […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul filed a lawsuit Wednesday against ESPN and reporter Adam Schefter for posting his medical records last summer. The lawsuit, filed […]
