The NY Times awakens to cable's golden age, Versus is no dope, digital subchannels are a tough business and other news.
News Briefing for Monday, June 9, 2008
It’s expected to reach 97 degrees outside the Cable 360 newsroom today. While it’s one thing to weekend in oppressive heat, it’s quite another to work in it. Good day.
Well, hallelujah, The NY Times has woken up to the realization that broadcasters are filling the airwaves with shows like CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights (borrowed from cable, by the way), while the cable networks are offeringquality fare like The Closer, Mad Men and Saving Grace. In addition cable’s ratings are rising for series like these, as broadcast numbers remain flat. Only thing we object to in this otherwise uplifting piece for cable, is the notion that
cable’s been hatching a “sneaky plan to produce quality programming to get quality audiences.” [NYT]
Oh, and speaking of cable and broadcast, USA Today notes the migration of cable series to broadcast, including the aforementioned EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, The Bill Engvall Show—which gets an airing on CBS tonight before its second season begins on TBS Thursday—and Nashville Star, which goes from CMT to NBC, among others. [UST]
What a surprise. Comcast leaked to The Wall Street Journal. Today’s news is that Comcast’s Versus will announce a deal today for English-language rights to the Tour de France, according to “a person familiar with the details.” The 5-year, $27.5-million deal was signed with Amaury Sport Organisation, which organizes the doping scandal-ridden event. [WSJ]
The NY Times reports on the flip side of all-digital television, the slew of new digital subchannels offered via multicast by local broadcasters. You know, the ones that Kevin Martin says cable must carry. The Times’ headline—More Channels Are Coming. Will Anyone Be Watching?—says it all. The business of offering subchannels generally has been a bust, the paper says, but things could change for networks like RTN and LATV, it adds. [NYT]
The FCC launched a proceeding on the question of allowing video distributors to remotely block consumers from recording newly released movies on their DVRs, Ars Technica reports. The Motion Picture Association of America supports such blocking by Selectable Output Control. [AT]
Briefly Noted The NY Times reports that the second-best-selling tee-shirt at cnn.com reads: “Anderson Cooper, ‘you’re not my boo.’” [NYT]
#2 actors union AFTRA approved an agreement with studios late Friday that gives actors more residuals from Internet-distributed work, the AP reported Saturday. #1 union SAG remains in talks with studios. [WSJ]
Today is the final day to nominate your company (or someone else's) for CableFAX: The Magazine's Top 10 Places to Work in Cable. Complete our online nomination form to let us know why your or someone else's employer is the best.
Visit Cable360 to respond to the poll question: Which political party are cable operators, satellite distributors and telcos more likely to contribute to in the general election for the presidency?
Got a tip? Contact sgoldstein@accessintel.com and sarenstein@accessintel.com
Help CableFAX: The Magazine decide by nominating the executives you think should be included in our annual list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. We will rank the top 50 most powerful women, and run a list of the second 50, in the November issue of CableFAX: The Magazine. Nominations are open to all cable operators, programmers, vendors and trade associations. Click here for nomination form. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
• • •
CABLEFAX: THE MAGAZINE
THE 100 POWER LIST It's time to get in your nominations for the CableFAX 100, version 2008. Nominate here. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
Cable's stars turned out for the first annual CableFAX 100 luncheon at New York's Grand Hyatt last December. Catch Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Cash Cab's Ben Bailey as well as Sundance Channel's Larry Aidem and Cable Pioneer Bill Bresnan and others in our video from the wintertime event.
MER and BER Fundamentals Free 2-part Series Thurs, Sept. 4 &
Thurs, Sept. 11
1:00-2:30pm est
[Register Now]
Cable and the Hospitality Market Thurs, August 21
1:00-2:00pm est
[Now On Demand]
Who are cable's most powerful women executives?
Help CableFAX: The Magazine decide by nominating the executives you think should be included in our annual list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. We will rank the top 50 most powerful women, and run a list of the second 50, in the November issue of CableFAX: The Magazine. Nominations are open to all cable operators, programmers, vendors and trade associations. Click here for nomination form. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
CableFAX announces the launch of CableFAX Content Business, an online premium service featuring proprietary coverage of cable content, ratings, programming and advertising trends, new technologies and distribution channels.
Get a trial subscription to Content Business here. Read the press release.
CABLEFAX DAILY
