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Latest Episodes:

Coronavirus and TV industry: uncharted waters, plus streaming recommendations Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

Over the past week, the TV industry moved quickly to first get rid of live audiences at late night tapings and game shows. Now those productions have been shut down altogether. The upfront presentations in New York have been moved to an entirely digital format, and Emmy campaigning looks uncertain. Meanwhile, we offer suggestions on what to watch when you’re stuck at home.

Coronavirus and TV industry: fewer live audiences, Upfronts, Emmy events Mar 10, 2020

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Following the cancelation of the music festival South by Southwest, other industry events are taking precautions. The TV Academy has banned audience interaction with panel members at Emmy campaigning events, and some cable networks have withdrawn from the upfront presentations to advertisers in New York.

Without Bob Iger, will Disney+ hit road bumps? Mar 03, 2020

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A month ago, Bob Iger announced that the launch of Disney+ had been a smashing success with almost 30 million subscribers. Now with Iger out as CEO, what does the future hold for the streaming service?

Gearing up for Quibi Feb 18, 2020

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The Quibi ad blitz has begun. Will the tone of these dark commercials make young viewers curious enough to pay for the kind of short form content they're already getting for free on YouTube?

Disney+ lifts the veil on subscriber numbers Feb 11, 2020

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Disney+ has released some subscriber stats, and with nearly 30 million sign-ups, the streamer is off to a strong start. Now the question is, how do they maintain it?

Linear networks get bold about promoting streamers Feb 04, 2020

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Almost 100 million people watched the Superbowl last weekend. If you were one of them, you may have noticed ads for broadcast and cable shows that also include logos of streaming services. As the landscape continues to shift, networks are no longer too prideful to promote streaming partners, or in some cases, rivals.

Streamers release a lot of numbers, but what do they actually mean? Jan 28, 2020

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Shows could be hailed as a "breakthrough" or "most popular" based on selective numbers released by a streamer, just don't confuse a puffed-up press release with actual total audience size.

Is it time to update FCC rules for broadcast TV? Jan 21, 2020

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If you watched the Golden Globes this year, you may have noticed a lot of speeches got bleeped. In an age where people can see all kinds of unfiltered content online, is it time to relax FCC rules, especially for live events?

"Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time" offers a glimpse of the future of broadcast TV Jan 14, 2020

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The "Jeopardy!" GOAT tournament is doing huge ratings for ABC. In a TV world where streaming dominates, the hope for the broadcast networks is that they can still draw big numbers with specialized events.

TV predictions for the year ahead Jan 07, 2020

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What does the television industry hold for 2020? Mike and Joe share their predictions.