COMCAST EXEC FORECASTS REVIVAL OF NBC, UNIVERSAL

If it weren’t for its NFL telecasts, NBC would rank dead last among the major networks. Among the six major film studios, its corporate sibling Universal Pictures ranks fifth. But all that apparently hasn’t discouraged its controlling owner, Comcast Corp., whose CFO and vice chairman, Michael Angelakis, told a media conference Thursday that his company [...]

REPORT: NFL PUTTING THE SQUEEZE ON NBC

NBC and the NFL have begun talks aimed at renewing Sunday Night Football, with the NFL making it clear it wants a significant increase in payments, the New York Post reported today (Friday). The current deal calls for NBC to pay the NFL about $600 million yearly for rights to air the Sunday games. According [...]

NBC UNDER COMCAST: ITS WOES WORSEN

Despite cleaning out NBC’s old management, increasing the budget for fall shows, and introducing some costly new shows supported by equally costly marketing, Comcast, which now controls the network, not only hasn’t seen ratings for the network improve, it has seen them grow worse, the New York Times observed today (Tuesday). “While every other network [...]

PUSS LIFTS DREAMWORKS ANIMATION’S SHARES

What a difference a weekend makes! Shares of DreamWorks Animation shot up 12 percent on Monday on word that its latest feature, Puss in Boots, declined only 3 percent over the weekend — the smallest drop for a movie during a non-holiday period ever — as it wound up with $33.1 million. A week ago, [...]

HULU OWNERS DROP PLANS TO SELL THEIR VIDEO SITE

Unable to find a buyer willing to pay anything close to their asking price, the owners of the TV video site Hulu have announced their “decision to terminate the Hulu sale process.” The bickering owners — News Corp, which contributes mostly Fox TV shows to the website; Disney, which contributes mostly ABC shows; Comcast, which [...]

$60 TO RENT A MOVIE? IS THAT A TOWER HEIST?

How much will consumers be willing to shell out to watch a movie while it is still playing in theaters? Universal apparently believes that $60 sounds like a reasonable figure. It will soon find out. They’ll be making their Eddie Murphy-Ben Stiller comedy Tower Heist available via video-on-demand at that price beginning on November 23 [...]

USA NETWORK: BEST SUMMER RATINGS FOR CABLE EVER

The USA cable network clearly outshone NBC, its broadcast network sibling, over the summer as it not only drew more total viewers and households than any other cable network — but drew the most viewers on cable for any summer season ever. Among key demos, USA’s ratings were up 4 percent among 18-49-year-old viewers and [...]

EBERSOL RETURNS TO NBC SPORTS — AS A “SPECIAL ADVISER”

Just three months after resigning as head of NBC Sports and Olympics, Dick Ebersol is returning to the network as a special adviser, the New York Times reported today (Wednesday), citing several senior NBC executives. How his role will be different from what it was when he was officially running the unit was not spelled [...]

MEDIA CAUGHT IN MARKET WHIRLWIND

Like a TV reporter hanging on to a light pole during a hurricane, the media drew attention to itself Thursday as the Dow plunged 512 points. For some media companies, the nosedive was far greater than the overall setback. CBS Corp., which is the least diversified of all the major media companies and primarily depends [...]

NBC’S GREENBLATT: LET’S BRING BACK “MUST SEE TV”

NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said Monday that he hopes to make the network a “Must See” phenomenon again. Referring to the network’s onetime slogan for its Thursday night lineup of comedies plus the drama ER (“Must See TV”), Greenberg said that he wanted to present programs that would have the feel of events — [...]

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