[opendtv] Re: An Unsteady Future for Broadcast
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:53:54 -0600
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> I had to include the graphic with this story, as it illustrates the
> dire straits that the broadcast networks are in. There have been
> some recent posts about the networks still dominating ratings; the
> reality is that their share of the prime time audience is below 30%
> - and the share is significantly lower for broadcasters in other
> day parts. Even Oprah is moving to cable.
Seems to me that when PVRs were taken into account, both CBS and Fox did quite
well, in fact. And this is no mystery to anyone who watches the networks.
Like the article says,
"Perhaps the most steadfast defender of the broadcast model is Leslie Moonves,
the chief executive of CBS. He says he believes broadcasters can survive
without the additional subscription fee revenue that goes to cable networks. He
frequently points to the power of broadcasters both to reach mass audiences and
to create assets unmatched by anything on the cable side of the business."
And it shows. Fox has a good set of shows as well.
Conversely, NBC, which seems to have thrown in the towel, is doing badly. Is
this any surprise? Not to me it ain't Ask me how many times I set my PVR to
record NBC shows lately. They even handed "Medium" off to CBS, just to help
accelerate their rapid demise.
And ABC got in the habit of starting up interesting series, and then, as if
suffering from an acute form of attention deficit disorder, they drop the show
after a few episodes, almost begging people to go and find their entertainment
elsewhere (e.g. Defying Gravity, this year, and similar exploits in the past
years).
Then there's the profit issue. If any business makes 40 to 60 percent profits,
as the cable industry is reported to be doing in the article, there's something
seriously wrong with the market. That's a sign of complete lack of competition
or of price gouging, and the public is out there lapping it up.
Bert
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