Media & Entertainment

George Bernard Shaw once said, “Every profession is a conspiracy against the laity.” The media business is guilty as charged. I did not coin the phrase, “over the top,” but I did use it (with a brief explanation) in my column a couple of weeks ago. Apparently you do not have enough acronyms, portmanteaus and Continue Reading →

If you attended the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) expecting to see the new, new thing — you probably came away disappointed. For the untrained eye, the show looked like it was filled with iPod accessories, very nice flat screen TVs, very cool GPS and automotive audio/video stuff and a few more iPod accessories. Continue Reading →

As 2006 draws to a close, I thought it would be fun to list some of the key insights, take-aways and questions inspired by the “year of online video” and highlight some things to watch in 2007. Self Expression: The big news is that “you” are Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” In a stunning Continue Reading →

On its Web site, ESPN Mobile says that it has “decided to change the direction of Mobile ESPN.” This is, of course, a euphemism for “sorry we tanked, your new phone may now be used as a paperweight or a very stylish tree ornament.” All kidding aside, the massive failure of ESPN Mobile provides a Continue Reading →

“On the money, direct, to the point, Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair Disney Media Networks, President Disney-ABC Television Group flawlessly delivered a “let’s do it together” speech at Broadcasting & Cable’s ‘New Distribution Pipelines: Turning TV Content into Revenue’ keynote. What will we do together? Absolutely everything to do with alternative distribution of network content. How? Don’t Continue Reading →

There aren’t many of us who could call bulls__t on Preston Padden–at least not in front of a room full of press and politicos. However, Mark Cuban, CEO of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, did it twice in 10 minutes at the Consumer Electronics Association’s 2006 Entertainment Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. Preston Continue Reading →

The most interesting thing about CES 2006 (The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas) was my cab ride home from Kennedy Airport.  I struck up a conversation with my cab driver, and here’s what I learned. Amir Ramin, originally from Persia (the country we know as Iran) has been in the U.S. for over 22 Continue Reading →

Cable and Congress are at it again. During a hearing that was supposed to be about indecency, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin brought up a study which “concludes that purchasing cable programming in a more a la carte manner in fact could be economically feasible and in consumers’ best interest.” The idea of a Continue Reading →

Last week we lived in a 1,000-channel universe. Since the mid-1980s we have been channel surfing to our hearts’ content, searching for just the right program at just the right time.  We’ve heard critics (old and new) say stuff like: “I’ve got 500 channels, but nothing to watch.”  Hell, even Andy Warhol weighed in on Continue Reading →

LET’S PLAY PRETEND FOR A minute. On the count of three, you will know everything there is to know about the viewing habits of your most coveted television audience: what they watch, when they watch, who’s in the room, how long … everything. In fact, since we are pretending, in this fantasy we’re even going Continue Reading →