Business is about the numbers, right? Sentiment has no place in business, right? Wrong. Business floats, or sinks, on a whole sea of sentiment. A very slight change in numbers at one or two companies can change the weather in that sea. That means a whole sector can get caught up in a storm whether […]
Everyone admires many things about the BBC, some go so far as to love everything about it, and some of those people don’t even work for it. Often, it seems, those that love it most are foreigners who compare its output with the fare provided by their national broadcasters. But even they are puzzled when, […]
Some people think that doing nothing, saying nothing, in the face of hard problems or trenchant criticism isn’t much of a choice. But, of course, it is. Keeping quiet, making no move, is as much a proactive choice as the alternatives. Rupert Murdoch has understood this well. Not an introvert, nor afraid of sharing his […]
If you are of a certain age, you know that a tiny number of TV dramas get remembered long after the vast majority have faded away like the disappearing dot on a switched-off antique TV. The Forsyth Saga and The Avengers were certainly ‘appointment to view’ and would, doubtless, have been big binge blockbusters had […]
Larry Gerbrandt offers expert advice to anyone planning an OTT channel launch. Is there anyone who isn’t starting an online video channel for the OTT market? Having just wrapped up a consulting gig assisting a client to develop an economic and programming model for a start-up Over-The-Top online channel, some of the lessons (and battle […]
In the March-April issue of Euromedia (available first day of NAB, April 11), we examine Big Data and its role in making television better and, thereby, more profitable. What do we mean by better? In this context it seems we mean more targeted, better curated, totally focussed on a viewer’s needs, interests, desires… Of course, […]
According to Larry Gerbrandt, the habits of ‘millennial’ viewers in the US are causing broadcasters to re-evaluate business models. The viewing data has been piling up for months, but has turned into a potentially apocalyptic trend line: according to Nielsen viewing data, traditional TV viewing has dropped 10.6% between September and January among the 18-34 […]
Journalism about regulatory and commercial disputes often looks to conflict related analogies. It is, more often than not, an over-reach given the real armed conflicts that inhabit the world just now. But, given the vehemence of the protagonists, and the potential consequences of different outcomes, you can certainly see why it happens. Vehemence is the […]
The FCC’s fork in the road, or should that be Information Super-highway, on Net Neutrality is fast approaching and the stakes are getting high and tempers frayed. In typical Washington fashion, the sides are drawn up like gunslingers proclaiming the only good outcome is total victory for them – and, by definition, the demise of […]
One of the most gifted but controversial characters in the English Premier League is the Italian Mario Balotelli. One minute he scores a breathtaking goal for his country, the next he sets his house ablaze by letting off fireworks in his bathroom. You get the picture. Once he revealed a T-shirt in a goal celebration […]