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Lambert At Center Of Public Storm
4 December 2009 11:37 AM, PST
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) late Thursday was forced to hurriedly backtrack on a statement it had issued earlier in the day in which it appeared to support ABC's decision to cancel Adam Lambert's appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The statement quoted GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios as saying, "It would appear that the kiss between Adam Lambert and his keyboardist did not factor into ABC's decision. ... ABC has a history of positive gay and transgender inclusion that includes featuring kisses between gay and lesbian couples on-air." After the quotes were widely reported, the organization issued a follow-up statement claiming that its earlier one had been "taken ... out of context." The new one pointed out that while ABC had insisted that Lambert's sexual orientation and his same-sex kiss on the American Music Awards telecast did not figure in its decision, »
Will NBC Go All-cable?
4 December 2009 11:35 AM, PST
The credit ratings agency Fitch predicted Thursday that at least one broadcast network -- NBC and ABC would be "the most likely candidates," it said -- will likely attempt to regain ground by becoming a cable network within the next two years. With the recent Ge-Comcast deal involving NBC, it noted, "the odds of that happening just increased significantly." Cable networks have an advantage over broadcast networks because they are able to garner revenue not only from advertisers but also from subscription fees. Should one of the networks abandon the airwaves, Fitch observed, its affiliates would be "negatively affected." On the other hand, the remaining broadcast networks and their affiliates "would naturally benefit." Fitch concluded: "The lines between cable and broadcast are sure to converge at some point, given the former's continued audience and advertising growth and the attendant declines of the latter."
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Foes Of Ge-comcast Deal Line Up
4 December 2009 11:33 AM, PST
Suggesting that it won't be smooth sailing while Ge and Comcast navigate regulatory waters following their agreement to form a joint venture to oversee Universal and the NBC/Comcast broadcast and cable networks, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps issued a statement Thursday expressing reservations about the deal. "The lodestar for this review must be the public interest," he said. "It will come as no news to [Ge and Comcast] that they face a very steep climb with me." Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said that the deal "will create waves throughout the media and entertainment marketplace and we don't know where the ripples will end." New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey did not hedge his remarks. "This acquisition must be stopped," he said. Meanwhile, several analysts suggested that it is by no means clear which government agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the »
“Most Important Merger Since Lucy Met Desi”
3 December 2009 12:34 PM, PST
Comcast and General Electric formally announced today (Thursday) that they had signed an agreement that will bring together Ge’s NBC and Universal properties and Comcast’s cable networks to form a joint venture that will be controlled and managed by Comcast. Comcast will own 51 percent of the media company and Ge will get 49 percent. Under the deal, Nbcu’s properties are valued at $30 billion; Comcast’s at $7.25 billion. In a joint statement, Comcast Chairman/CEO Brian Roberts said, “This deal is a perfect fit for Comcast and will allow us to become a leader in the development and distribution of multiplatform ‘anytime, anywhere’ media that American consumers are demanding.” In the same statement, Ge Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Immelt said that the partnership “will give consumers and advertisers more choice and our cable and digital assets will be second to none.” Jeff Zucker, the current president and CEO of Nbcu, »
Susan Boyle Trounces Adam Lambert In CD Debut
3 December 2009 12:25 PM, PST
Move over, Adam Lambert. The TV talent show runner-up who dominated the record charts last week was Susan Boyle, who placed second in the U.K.'s Britain's Got Talent contest earlier this year. Boyle's album, I Dreamed a Dream, sold 701,000 copies in the U.S., despite the fact that the talent show doesn't even air in this country. (A sticker on the CD says "As seen on YouTube.") It was, in fact, the biggest recording debut for any performer in 16 years and the biggest debut for a woman since SoundScan began tracking record sales in 1991. By contrast, Lambert's debut CD, For Your Entertainment, sold 198,000 copies, placing third on the record charts behind Boyle and Andrea Bocelli, whose My Christmas album sold 218,000 copies. In a related matter, Lambert's scheduled appearance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live and another on the network's New Year's Eve show was canceled Wednesday, Lambert said on his Twitter account. »
Obama’S Total Audience: 40.8 Million
3 December 2009 12:24 PM, PST
President Obama's address on Afghanistan this week attracted 40.8 million viewers -- or about 14 percent of the U.S. population, according to final Nielsen figures, which included viewership on both cable and broadcast TV. It was the biggest audience for a presidential TV appearance since Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last February, which drew 52.4 million across the TV spectrum. While CBS drew most of the broadcast audience with 10.6 million viewers, Fox was the clear winner on cable. Its 4.6 million total beat the combined audience of CNN (2.3 million) and MSNBC (1.6 million).
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Monday Night Football On Espn Beats The Nets
3 December 2009 12:23 PM, PST
Once again Espn's Monday Night Football outdrew everything on broadcast television Monday night as 21.4 million tuned in to the game between the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints. In New Orleans, where the game was televised on both Espn and local station Wdsu, the game drew a combined 66.7 rating, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune. Meanwhile, the most-watched television show on Wednesday night was the umpteenth rerun of the animated Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer, which drew 10.74 million viewers. The least-watched was the now-canceled Eastwick on ABC, which drew 4.01 million viewers -- fewer than the 5.29 million who watched the Jay Leno Show on NBC in the same time period.
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CBS, Fox Gobble Up Thanksgiving Week Ratings
2 December 2009 5:24 PM, PST
CBS and Fox shared ratings honors during Thanksgiving week, with CBS once again averaging the largest number of total viewers and Fox coming out ahead among adults 18-49. CBS averaged 10.45 million viewers for the week, 3.3 million between the ages of 18 and 49. Fox averaged 7.09 million viewers for the week, but 3.47 million of them were in the demo that advertisers prefer. (The two networks shared similar honors for the November sweeps, with Fox recording its best November numbers ever.) ABC could also claim boasting rights as its two Dancing With the Stars final episodes placed first and third among overall viewers. And NBC, while remaining at the back of the pack, nevertheless could claim that it was the only network to gain viewers compared with the same week a year ago. It was also a particularly good week for CBS's The Big Bang Theory, which continued to gain viewers and placed second »
31 Million Watch Obama Speech
2 December 2009 5:22 PM, PST
Some 31 million viewers tuned in to President Obama's speech on Afghanistan on the broadcast networks Tuesday night. CBS roped in 10.16 million of them, according to preliminary figures released early today (Wednesday) by Nielsen Research. Another 8.65 million watched the president on NBC; 7.46 million on ABC; and 4.57 million on Fox. Cable ratings for the speech were not immediately available. Later in the evening, a repeat of CBS's NCIS was able to prevail over mostly all-new programming on the other networks. But NBC took over the lead at 10:00 p.m. with The Biggest Loser, which continues to be its biggest winner among entertainment programs.
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Nielsen To Measure Viewers Who Watch TV Online
2 December 2009 5:21 PM, PST
Viewers who watch television shows online will soon be included in Nielsen ratings, the ratings service has reportedly told clients. According to Advertising Age, Nielsen plans to install meters in 7,500 homes later this month and begin collecting data from them by the end of August. In reporting the move, AdAge observed that the fact that Nielsen had not already done so "had been a significant source of grumbling" among the networks that have boosted online programming (in particular, presumably, the three networks that are partnered in Hulu, NBC, Fox and ABC).
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Gibson Out December 18; Sawyer In December 21
2 December 2009 5:19 PM, PST
Although there once was a time when TV newscasters held on to their jobs for generations, such is no longer the case. ABC announced Tuesday that Charles Gibson, who began anchoring ABC World News in May 2006, will leave the nightly newscast on Friday, December 18. He succeeded Elizabeth Vargas, who took her seat at the anchor's desk in January of that year (along with Bob Woodruff, who was soon seriously injured while on assignment in Iraq). Gibson will be succeeded on Monday, December 21 by his former co-host on Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer. No permanent replacement for Sawyer on Gma has yet been announced, but following the death of Peter Jennings in 2005, Sawyer and Gibson took turns performing double duty on both the morning talk show and evening news show.
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Ugly Betty To Get A More Appealing Time Slot
2 December 2009 5:17 PM, PST
After audiences found the Friday-night time slot for Ugly Betty unattractive, the network has reportedly decided to move it to Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m., taking over the slot being vacated by the failed Eastwick (which is about the only show that Jay Leno beats each week). It has long been speculated that ABC intends to turn Wednesdays into an all-comedy night, and the decision to put Ugly Betty into the hour -- usually reserved for dramas -- appears to strengthen the rumors. Reports about the move appeared in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter but have not been confirmed by ABC. In its Friday-night period last week, Ugly Betty drew the worst ratings in its history -- drawing just 3.39 million viewers.
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CNBC Says Dobbs Isn’T Joining Its Lineup
2 December 2009 5:13 PM, PST
Only hours after the New York Times reported in its Tuesday edition that former CNN commentator Lou Dobbs had held talks with the NBC Universal-owned business channel CNBC, the newspaper posted a report on its website that the talks had come to an end. "We are not in talks or negotiating with Lou Dobbs," the channel told the Times. "He is not going to work for CNBC."
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13 articles
