We were too busy trying to keep up with all the renewals and cancellations at various Upfronts this week to cover everything. We’re only human.
Speaking of networks, the Vulture published a piece this week about all the trends we’re likely to get really sick of very soon on primetime television. Fox’s success with Empire has everyone re-thinking about the possibilities of linear, weeknight appointment viewing. But CBS is the most interesting, according to another piece in Atlantic:
More than any other network, what happens to CBS will probably signify the future of terrestrial television broadcasting, which is taking cautious but deliberate steps into the world of online streaming. It’s already offering a monthly package to watch its shows online without a cable account. Its series orders for 2015-2016 include two reboots of popular films (Rush Hour andLimitless), the return of Supergirl, and a Criminal Minds spinoff starring Gary Sinise, all of which reeks of the kind of desperation that’s unusual for the network.
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CBS is trying the hardest to offer a good cord cutting package, but the content its offering reeks not just of desperation, but of really old people.
In case you were living under a rock earlier this week, Verizon bought AOL, and now everyone else knows what OTT means, too. If you need some cocktail chatter this weekend, MediaPost has a round up of what major industry players have to say about it.
nScreenmedia reported on a Reuters survey that found that 77% of consumers are into bundling their own cable packages, but they don’t want to pay more than they do for a Netflix account for them:
When it comes to how much US consumers will pay for these channels, the results may not make content owners quite so happy. 40% of survey participants said they’d be willing to pay up to $10 a month for ESPN on its own. Surprisingly, 46% said they’d be willing to pay up to $10 a month for news channels like CNN and Fox News. This despite the widespread availability of free video news sites online. Interest at higher price points seems to wane quickly. For example, just 4% were interested in paying $30 a month for ESPN.
That hurts.