[opendtv] Re: TV Ratings Have Hurt Creative Side of Television, Says Netflix Content Boss Sarandos | Variety

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 07:18:44 -0500

Thanks Mark!

Nice to have your input in this discussion.

As you say, nothing new here in terms of the idea that audience measurement has 
an impact on the creative side of our business. The following quote from the 
FCC Chairman in the early years of TV broadcasting comes to mind:

"When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or 
newspapers — nothing is better.
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down 
in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay 
there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, 
without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your 
eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what 
you will observe is a vast wasteland.

Newton Minow
May 9th 1961
At the National Association of Broadcasters Convention

Guess we should update it to reflect today's reality: 

"without a Kindle, without a magazine or newspaper app, without a spread sheet, 
without e-mail, without an iPad, or without Facebook to distract you.

Ratings books no longer matter, because Big Brother stores everything we do on 
a server the size of a State,  but can't find the e-mail from a government 
official.

Regards
Craig


Regards
Craig

> On Dec 9, 2014, at 9:13 PM, Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
>> On 12/9/2014 9:06 PM, Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>> TV Ratings Have Hurt Creative Side of Television, Says Netflix Content Boss 
>> Sarandos
> 
> Not exactly a new idea.  Paul Klein (then vp of audience measurement at NBC) 
> discussed in in the 1960s:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_objectionable_program
> 
> TTFN,
> Mark
>

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