Category Archives: Television

What is Premium (Video) Content?

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Chris Dorr

Video content continues to proliferate online. None of us can keep up with all of it, let alone most of it. In this environment, we hear the phrase, “content is king” uttered by countless defenders of the Hollywood industrial complex, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Distribution, Hollywood, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Movie Theaters, Old Media, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Advice For a Potential Client (creating new IP in the age of social mobile video)

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Chris Dorr

Last week I had an extensive discussion with a large cable network who wants to launch a new franchise online. Ideally this new franchise would work in many markets across the world, playable in multiple languages. We had a long … Continue reading →

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Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Pay TV Bundle Erodes

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Chris Dorr

“How did you go bankrupt?” Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” —-Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises The Internet does one thing very well (among others). It destroys business models, particularly those long held by legacy media companies. Two years I … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Cable, Distribution, Innovation, Internet, Old Media, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Achilles Heel of the Cable Networks

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Chris Dorr

In Betting Against the Cable Bundle, Emily Steel captures some of the fault lines that exist in today’s mass media ecosystem. A cable TV provider, Suddenlink Communications, is in a dispute with Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns several cable … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Cable, Distribution, Internet, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Media and a Strong Culture of Experimentation

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Chris Dorr

Sometimes you read something that says it all. A group of sentences that you wish you had come up with (but sadly did not).   Yesterday I came across one of those gems while reading an interview with Amy O’Leary, recently … Continue reading →

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When (and Why) Did I Start Paying for CBS?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Chris Dorr

The broadcast TV business model has always been very simple.  Convince a large number of people to view your show at the same time and advertisers will pay a lot for the right to get their attention. This is how … Continue reading →

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Is ESPN worth what we are forced to pay?

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Chris Dorr

Recently The New York Times revealed how much the typical cable operator (TWC or Comcast) pays per month for ESPN.  For each subscriber the operator pays $5.54 for ESPN and .70 for ESPN 2-a grand total of $6.24 per month.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Cable, Distribution, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Memo Deep Inside HBO

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Chris Dorr

Deep inside HBO’s New York offices is a memo that was originally created 5 years ago.  Each year it gets updated with new numbers and projections.  This document is controlled by its corporate strategy group and it lays out the … Continue reading →

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At the Olympics, NBC Brings Us Survivor: We Really Want the Super Bowl

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Chris Dorr

The Super Bowl shows us every year that no matter how “new” media advances in our lives, there is nothing like a live sporting event to get us to gather around the old fashioned TV and have a great time. … Continue reading →

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