[opendtv] Re: News: NBC, Touchstone Chiefs: Some Broadcast Nets Won't Survive
- From: Mitchell Cardwell <mitchell.cardwell@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 14:15:49 -0700
Well you'd think it'd be UPN, but UPN is owned by Viacom and many of
the UPN O&O's are co-located with CBS O&O's. Viacom has to put
something on their owned stations and UPN is basically now run from
within CBS so I would think they're are savings there that the WB just
can't touch.
So my guess is that it isn't going to be CBS or UPN. Funny though to
hear this coming from NBC and Disney/ABC people. One network was in the
ratings basement a year ago and now the other is. Perhaps speculating
about the death of a network is a way of hedging, so that 5 years from
now they can say, "Wow! We're still here! See how great I was running
the company?"
Mitch
On Jun 10, 2005, at 11:07 AM, John Willkie wrote:
> why is this news? It's been an open secret for more than half a
> decade.
> The question is: which one(s)? Will news be the touchstone?
>
> John Willkie
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Craig Birkmaier" <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: "OpenDTV Mail List" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 6:01 AM
> Subject: [opendtv] News: NBC, Touchstone Chiefs: Some Broadcast Nets
> Won't
> Survive
>
>
>> Breaking News
>>
>> NBC, Touchstone Chiefs: Some Broadcast Nets Won't Survive
>>
>> By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/8/2005 10:51:00 AM
>>
>> NBC Universal Entertainment President Kevin Reilly and Touchstone
>> Television President and ABC Entertainment EVP Mark Pedowitz predict
>> that there will be fewer than the current six broadcast networks on
>> the air five years from now.
>>
>> Those comments came during a joint Hollywood Radio & Television
>> Society and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences panel discussion in
>> L.A. about the state of the television industry, an event which
>> moderator, film and TV producer Gavin Polone half-jokingly renamed
>> "The Coming Television Apocalypse."
>>
>> On an equally ominous note, five of the six panelists predicted that
>> the total dollar figure for next year's network upfronts will be flat
>> or down from this year - with only NBC U's Reilly abstaining from the
>> question. Most of the responses were in the down 1-2% range, while
>> The Firm Chairman and former Disney Television President Rich
>> Frank ventured it could drop 10%.
>>
>> A high-ranking SBC Communications executive on the panel,
>> acknowledged having numerous discussions about "more strategic
>> relationships" with content providers, though he declined to say
>> whether the telco would consider acquiring a television network.
>>
>> Dan York, executive VP of programming for SBC, said when asked the
>> question, "I'm not going to answer that straight out." Citing the
>> "competitive landscape," he said, "It obviously makes sense to be a
>> little more vertical and not just be a downstream provider."
>>
>> Polone took the position that increasing penetration of DVRs is going
>> to lead to a "painful" restructuring of the TV business. Even so, the
>> panelists predictably were ready to refute the end of the model as we
>> know it.
>>
>> "Frankly, network television is here to stay," said Magna Global
>> Worldwide Chairman and CEO Bill Cella. "But the reality is that more
>> and more of our clients' dollars are being spread out and that's not
>> a good thing for the networks."
>>
>> While the viability of the 30-second spot was a constant topic of
>> conversation, Rich Frank said that DVRs will lead to new innovations
>> in advertising.
>>
>> Reilly said networks, including his own, are not doing enough in the
>> product integration realm. "I think we all should be doing a little
>> more experimentation in that area," he said. "It becomes creatively
>> a little challenging in the scripted arena. Somehow we have crafted
>> the unscripted side to communicate the product a little better.
>> Producers are able to do the dance better, but we're not doing enough
>> of it."
>>
>> Polone also questioned whether Touchstone producing shows for a
>> competing network devalues ABC. ABC's Pedowitz: "It's a good thing
>> to have content that flows through many distribution channelsSI don't
>> know if it devalues ABC, it may notSIt allows us as a studio to
>> attract better talent, which may help ABC at a later point."
>>
>> After the event, NBC U's Reilly told B&C that while the event was
>> entertaining, "It's not just a black-and-white issue and we just
>> scratched the surface. But Gavin did a good job getting all of us to
>> react to some very real and topical issues."
>>
>>
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