Wednesday’s Social TV Must-Reads
Social TV is much more than just the second screen – it’s about the changes that the television industry is going through as the audience becomes part of the experience beyond the TV set through mobile devices and services. Every day of the work week, we comb through hundreds of links to produce this roundup of links we think are important to the Social TV pro. Take a look and share and give us feedback on @socialtvdaily on Twitter. Thank you!
Curry could add CNN spice
Incoming president of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker has plans to bring ousted “Today” show co-host Ann Curry to his new network as a high-profile anchor, sources tell Page Six
Read the article, via NY Post http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/curry_could_add_cnn_spice_BbRmSpSShCBrgfZeKKhwqJ
Wednesday TV Highlights
12.12.12 — The Concert for Sandy Relief
The music event is on various channels starting at 7:30 PM and is also available for streaming online. (7:30 p.m. AMC; ION; Encore; HBO; IFC; Sundance; WE
Read the article, via Television Without Pity http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/goingthroughchannels/2012/12/wednesday-december-12-2012-arrow.php
‘The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012′
‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane is one of the interviewees in “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012″ at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.
Read the article, via LA Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-wednesday-tv-highlights-the-10-most-fascinating-people-of-2012-20121211,0,3855285.story
Ratings
- CBS Shows, Gossip Girl Grow
A double helping of 2 Broke Girls led CBS to a Monday victory.
Read the article, TV Guide via Seattle PI http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/tvguide/article/Ratings-CBS-Shows-Gossip-Girl-Grow-4108979.php
- Ratings Rat Race: CBS Poised To Win First Monday Of The Season, ‘Take It All’ Just OK
Things went back to the way they were on Monday before the hot NBC upstart came along — with CBS on top in adults 18-49
Read the article, via Deadline.com http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/ratings-rat-race-cbs-poised-to-win-first-monday-of-the-season-take-it-all-just-ok/
Programming
- SAG Awards: Snubs and surprises in the TV nominations
The nominees for the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced Wednesday morning, and, as always, there were some surprises and perceived snubs. After snubbing them last year, SAG voters nominated Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, the Emmy-winning leads of “Homeland,” along with the rest of the show’s ensemble.
Read the article, via LA Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sag-awards-tv-snubs-surprises-20121212,0,7663766.story
- Touchdown live TV as sport dominates American screens
According to the latest Nielsen Wire report, the Super Bowl XLVI “set new viewership heights” with 111.3 million viewers, 300,000 more than watched last year’s denouement to the American football season. Indeed, America’s favourite sport took the first eight places in Nielsen’s top ten TV programmes of 2012 based on a single telecast, with Danny Boyle’s masterpiece of an Olympics Opening Ceremony creeping into ninth place, closely followed by the GRAMMY Awards which took around 40 million viewers each.
Read the article, via Rapid TV News http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/25403/touchdown-live-tv-as-sports-dominates-american-screens.html
- TV’s Unfunny Fall: Why Are All the Comedies Flopping?
At this time last year, breakout hits 2 Broke Girls and New Girl had the TV industry declaring a comedy comeback. Months later, 16 of the 36 scripted series ordered for the 2012-13 season were comedies.
But as the season hits its halfway mark, the Big Four networks’ big bet on comedy is no laughing matter.
Read the article, via Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fall-tv-why-are-comedies-401156
Sets (hardware)
- Major TV brands shine but many off-brands lag in our tests
Consumer Reports tests on picture quality. Sadly, this post doesn’t delve into smart features.
Read the article, via Consumer Reports http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2012/12/major-tv-brands-shine-but-many-off-brands-lag-in-our-tests.html
- Sony’s reincarnation: Too little, too late?
There was a time not so long ago when the Sony brand was synonymous with “cool” its products coveted as much as the latest iPhone. Today, its balance sheets bathed in red, Tokyo-based Sony is fighting for its survival against the likes of Korea’s Samsung Electronics, and the battle with Apple was lost before it ever began.
Read the article, via Australia’s Leading Company http://www.leadingcompany.com.au/strategy/sonys-reincarnation-too-little-too-late/201212113273?displaypage=start
Apps
- Publisher Bonnier, Flingo partner to make Smart TV Apps
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – Bonnier, the publisher of magazines like Savuer and Popular Science, and Flingo, the largest publisher of apps for Smart TVs, have partnered to create a series of apps extending Bonnier’s titles onto Internet-enabled TV sets and set-tops boxes like the Roku.
Read the article, via Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-us-media-bonnier-tvappsbre8bb01w-20121211,0,2631683.story
- Software at CES: Second screens take off, developers target TVs
With the app stores for Apple, Google, and Windows exploding with new offerings over the course of 2012, we think this year’s CES will have more new and updated software on hand than ever before.
Read the article, via Cnet http://www.cnet.com/8301-34448_1-57558366/software-at-ces-second-screens-take-off-developers-target-tvs/
- Microsoft’s new slate of Xbox Live apps heralds the coming of Xbox TV
On Tuesday morning, Microsoft announced the latest expansion into television through Xbox Live with 43 entertainment apps planned to release around the world between now and early 2013.
Read the article, via Digital Trends http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/microsofts-new-slate-of-xbox-live-apps-heralds-the-coming-of-xbox-tv/
- Time Warner Cable Looks to Attract New Customers with Updated iPad TV App
Version 3.0 of the TWC TV app provides cable subscribers with access to television shows and movies On Demand from iPad or iPhone.
Read the article, via Pad Gadget http://www.padgadget.com/2012/12/12/time-warner-cable-looks-to-attract-new-customers-with-updated-ipad-tv-app/
Our Favorite Tweets Highlight Our ‘Second Screen’ Culture, Twitter Survey Shows
Twitter released its annual look back at the year’s most popular tweets, biggest trends and most notable moments as seen through the lens of 140-character updates. There was a lot going on, from Hurricane Sandy to Whitney Houston, but the clear standout trend: We love to talk about things on TV.
Read the article, via Wired http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/12/2012-year-on-twitter-shows-second-screen-culture/
Facebook’s annual review
What TV shows people talked about on Facebook in 2012.
Read the article, via Facebook http://www.facebookstories.com/stories/3872/television
Video Content
Redbox Instant to take on Netflix, but won’t include TV shows
Redbox Instant by Verizon, as it’s officially called, will be “targeted squarely at movie lovers,” Shawn Strickland, the chief executive of the service, told the Associated Press. It’ll have about 5,500 streaming movies at launch, but no TV shows.
That’s a big difference compared to Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Videos, which both rely heavily on TV shows to fill out their catalogs.
Read the article, via PC World http://www.pcworld.com/article/2019749/redbox-instant-to-take-on-netflix-but-wont-include-tv-shows.html
Sports
- EU court adviser backs free-to-air TV cover of football finals
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Britain and Belgium should be allowed to ensure free-to-air TV coverage of the World Cup and Euro football finals as they consider them of major public importance, an adviser to Europe’s highest court said on Wednesday.
Read the article, via Euronews http://www.euronews.com/sport/1757060-eu-court-adviser-backs-free-to-air-tv-cover-of-soccer-finals/
- ESPN to end BracketBusters event after this season
The end of BracketBusters Weekend resulted from the Colonial Athletic Association no longer participating in the event, as it now has a TV deal with the NBC Sports Network. Other conference realignment scenarios also factored into the cancellation of BracketBusters Weekend.
For 11 seasons, ESPN has paired mid-major teams together to play a non-conference game that could improve or smash a program’s NCAA Tournament dreams.
Read the article, via SB Nation http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2012/12/11/3755656/espn-bracket-busters-ending-2013
Latin market
Cablevision adds Univision content to Optimum TV to GO
Cablevision Systems has added Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision’s programming to the Optimum TV to GO service.
Read the article, via Telecom Paper http://www.telecompaper.com/news/cablevision-adds-univision-content-to-optimum-tv-to-go–913621
