Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CBS, NBC, NCAA, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, Nielsen, Nielsen Ratings, Organizations, United States
CBS benefited from Nielsen‘s new out-of-home measurement tracking service during the first rounds of the NCAA tournament, according to Ad Age, showing ratings 23% higher than the overnight figures in one instance. This should help make up for downward trend in the tourney’s conventional household ratings. (Cynopsis 4/3)
NBC announced its upfront slate yesterday with a theme to each hour of primetime – 8p is the family hour; 9p is the blockbuster hour; and 10p are adult dramas. Also the amount of reality shows is fairly limited from the fall thru into spring 2009, though we have yet to see what next summer will bring. (Cynopsis 4/3, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i958f1f23dbbf0f0119b1978233f40b59 4/2)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama will make an appearance on HBO’s “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” and talk about the influence basketball has had on his life. The episode will run April 15 at 10 p.m. on the pay-cable channel. (Multichannel News 4/2)
Sundance Channel also had their upfront press briefing yesterday and introduced a lengthy slate of new, returning, in development and acquired series. The mix tho remains the same with 70% of the schedule feature films and documentaries, 25% series and 5% talk and shorts. And despite chatter about a potential sale, the Channel is continuing with business as usual having been thru this process a couple of times before. (Cynopsis 4/3)
Tribune boss Sam Zell will have to sell assets besides the Chicago Cubs baseball team and its Newsday newspaper to pay off its $1.85 billion debt, according to bond research firm Gimme Credit. Tribune will need to look at selling other assets, such as its 31% stake in the Food Network. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aAxHuFRP2A0U 4/3)
Rhode Island‘s top cable TV regulator has ruled that the state’s three multichannel-TV providers — Cox, Full Channel TV and Verizon – do not have to release subscriber information because it would give competitors an unfair advantage. Additionally, Cox has asked that other financial information, such as balance sheets and income statements, not be made public. (The Providence Journal (R.I.) 4/3)
Time Warner Cable will announce today that it is increasing the availability of enhanced VOD services in the New York metro region, including parts of New Jersey. The move means that more area residents will gain access to the company’s Start Over service, in which viewers can rewind to the beginning of a show in progress without a DVR. (New York Post 4/3)
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