The American PBS system completed its annual general meeting last week in Nashville, Tennessee. The theme was “Our Country: Our Stories.” The state of the PBS viewing audience was a key focus. I’m particularly interested in two stories: Is the PBS audience holding up in the age of Netflix? And, particularly, how are the Science …
Discovery’s CEO David M Zazlav earned $128 million in 2018 That’s according to an executive compensation analysis published in today’s New York Times. Mr Zazlav’s 2018 payday was ranked #2 among all U.S. public companies. It was exceeded only by Elon Musk’s TESLA package ($2.8 billion). Context Discovery’s producers typically earn 10% of the …
The 2019 Sweet Spots Study is out now! The Study is an invaluable guide to cost benchmarks for network commissions. What do 31 U.S. channels pay for original programs? For documentaries and specials? And for reality series? Does my pitch fall in the budget “Sweet Spot” for my target network? My interviews with executives and …
In my previous post, Byron Media’s Dr John Morse captured the year-to-year subscriber losses for a selection of U.S. Cable / Satellite channels. Nat Geo Wild and Smithsonian gained subscribers, though from smaller footprints than the major networks. Read the full report here. Lost Revenues: What is the revenue impact of these subscriber losses? Basic …
U.S. Basic Cable / Satellite channels are experiencing powerful headwinds from three sources: Households Using Television (HUTS) are in decline as viewers seek their entertainment from online platforms. The Distribution footprints of channels are shrinking as viewers cut the cord or switch to skinny bundles. And Ratings for the channels are falling as the audience shifts to …
NATIVE AMERICA is a premium PBS series that explores the world created by America’s first peoples. It describes their foundational belief systems that synthesize science and spirituality. The 4-part series captures the incredible diversity of the expressions of these beliefs across North, Central and South America. Providence Pictures’ President and Executive Producer/Director, Gary Glassman was preparing …
A senior Netflix executive recently presented his company’s strategy of continuous innovation. It reveals how BIG DATA drives the personalization of programming decisions. It’s a very useful read for anyone who is pitching to a SVOD service. (Don’t miss my in depth coverage of Netflix and the SVOD market.) Enjoy my selection of slides from …
Discovery must be in play after AT&T’s recent takeover of Time Warner with its Warner Bros, HBO and Turner programming assets. The newly combined Discovery Scripps venture is valued at more than $34 Bn. That is a stratospheric achievement for a company that forged its initial connection with viewers via off-the-shelf acquisitions like Australian lizard-specialist Harry …