By David Teich Seeso aims to disrupt the disruption with an OTT experience that gives choice back to the consumer. Evan Shapiro, EVP of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, oversees the ad-free streaming comedy channel, which made its Beta preview this month. Cynopsis: The NBC library has mountains of content spanning multiple genres. Why did you decide […]
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Fisher Stevens explains why Discovery is the perfect home for Racing Extinction, a call to save the planet.
TV event Racing Extinction, from activist filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens (The Cove), launches on Discovery Channel Wednesday, December 2 at 9p with a message: humans are killing off species across the planet, and it’s time to make it stop. Stevens, a passionate advocate for environmental causes, talks to Cynopsis about a documentary […]
Solving the Problem of Programmatic
Will big agencies be the ruination of programmatic? Derek Mattsson, President of Placemedia, thinks it doesn’t have to be that way. Programmatic TV advertising has yet to hit its stride, and already the industry is at risk. The promise of programmatic is unquestionable; it’s a simpler, faster way to buy and sell TV inventory. The […]
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Even with live events, you’ve gotta have a story
Guy Carrington, Executive Producer at US/UK’s Done + Dusted (http://doneanddusted.com), one of the world’s top live entertainment companies, explains that even with live events, narrative is key. Are programmers more open to live events than they used to be? Is it an easier sell? I wouldn’t say it’s an easier sell, you still need a […]
Bank on it: Telemundo is helping U.S. Hispanics play financial catch-up
U.S. Hispanics may mean $1.3 trillion in purchasing power, but language and cultural barriers have made this growing group far more likely to be unbanked or underbanked versus non-Hispanics. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises aims to remedy that with “Tu Dinero Es Tu Future” (Your Money Is Your Future), an initiative designed to promote financial literacy. Rocky […]
To OTT, or not to OTT? That’s not really the question.
With viewers migrating to devices in ever greater numbers, and advertisers in hot pursuit, it’s a matter of when, not if, programmers go over-the-top. The problem, of course, is monetization. David Fannon, EVP of Screen Media Ventures, oversaw the launch of Popcornflix.com, an ad-supported VOD service in 2011 and offers one strategy for OTT success. […]
The Africa Channel Goes to Great Lengths (Literally) to Get a New Morning Show Off the Ground
On September 28, The Africa Channel launched daily morning show Expresso, the first series ever to air live on the African continent and then on tape in the U.S. the next day. If you think that sounds like a major logistical challenge – you’re right. Narendra Reddy, SVP, Programming & Production for The Africa Channel, […]
Nat Geo Launches Breakthrough – and for Hollywood’s Elite, It’s Personal
National Geographic Channel has partnered with GE for Breakthrough, an anthology series premiering November 1 that focuses on leading scientists and their cutting-edge innovations, in episodes helmed by the likes of Ron Howard, Angela Bassett, Peter Berg and Brett Ratner. Nat Geo CEO Courteney Monroe talks about the unique collaboration, and what it’s like to […]
As TV festivals get more tuned in, unheard auteurs get a voice for the small screen
By Tino Carlo, founder and director of the Jolt TV Festival When you see the word “festival” written in trade paper headlines, you normally think of Cannes, Sundance, and recently Toronto. Festivals like those rival the Golden Globes or Oscars in terms of their celebrity sightings and taste-making influence. Those events carry some […]
Understanding the history, and the future of ‘audience’
By Randy Cooke, VP Programmatic TV, SpotX “Audience” is a term that has undergone radical transformation in recent years. It’s evolved from a general understanding of TV ratings and inferred demographics from sample-based measurement into a concept encompassing deep, data-driven insights, informed by a proliferation of first- and third-party datasets. The term has […]
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For New York Life, When the Whistle Blows, the Real Story Begins
New York Life’s new docuseries “The Assist” takes USMNT stars Tyler Adams, Tim Ream, and...Why Local Media Sellers Need Different Tools Than National Buyers
By Ribeye VP of Product & Engineering Martin Lasarga Local media sellers are working harder than...Time is Money. But Is It?
Ted Royer, Co-Founder and Creative Lead at Folk Devils, asks: What happens when technology weakens...
