Picture This
Tom Umstead focuses on TV programming in his column.
The Loss Of A Cultural Icon
In 2003 when Michael Jackson visited the National Show in Chicago to help promote the then upstart MBC Network, literally thousands of cable executives – many of whom grew up on Jackson’s music – lined the show’s exhibit floor nearly three rows deep to get a glimpse of the King Of Pop. Very few celebrities attending any cable show over the years have ever drawn su ...... Read More
Comments (2)HBO Touts `Alzheimer's Project' As Must-See-TV/Web
Home Box Office is universally known for its award-wining original movies and documentaries, which for the most part are only seen on the pay-channel or through DVDs. But the network is breaking ranks with its latest documentary project and is offering it on multiple distribution platforms for both HBO and non-HBO subscribers to experience. The network feels the information contained in its four-p ...... Read More
Comments (1)The Changing Face of Late Night Television
Latenight television will look a little more diverse during the 2009-10 television season as comedians of color Wanda Sykes, Mo’nique and George Lopez will host their own post-primetime shows on Fox, BET and TBS respectively. Nearly 15 years after the departure of The Arsenio Hall Show, both cable and broadcast television seem willing to broaden its latenight fare beyond white, male h ...... Read More
Comments (1)Pacquiao-Mayweather: A PPV Boxing Dream Come True?
Last month during the Cable Show an MSO executive asked me if there were any boxing matchups among the sport’s champions and top contenders that could draw one million pay-per-view buys. At the time I said only if Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes out of retirement and fights Manny Pacquiao. Well, that dream scenario is closer to becoming a reality as Mayweather Saturday announced his return ...... Read More
Comments (2)Hustlin’ & Flowin’ On The Web
Most successful movie producers would cringe at the thought of streaming their pet projects on the web. But producer Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) didn’t hesitate to premiere his latest work, $5 Cover, on MTV.com simultaneously with the 15-episode series’ debut on MTV. Here are excerpts from a recent conversation I had with Brewer about his vision for $5 Cover – which focus ...... Read More
Comments (0)Making Pay-Per-View's Day in May
Another Cinco De Mayo weekend is fast approaching, which means HBO is gearing up for a big pay-per-view fight. This May is no different: The network will pit boxing’s latest rising star, Manny Pacquiao, against tough Ricky Hatton in a May 2 fight — HBO PPV’s first major boxing match of 2009. The fight is sure to draw a significant number of hard-core boxing fans starving for a ...... Read More
Comments (6)Big Fight Night For Cable, Web
Showtime is hoping a new, premium interactive online service will give its April 11 mixed martial arts fight a revenue and awareness kick. The pay service Saturday will stream its live Frank Shamrock-Nick Diaz MMA event in cyberspace via its Strikeforce: All Access site. Showtime wants to expose its new Strikeforce franchise to MMA fans who are non-Showtime subscribers through the ...... Read More
Comments (0)Game's On For Cable
MSOs are already looking over one shoulder at the Web as a formidable competitor for customers’ attention, time and revenue. Now, they may have to look over the other shoulder at the video-game industry. According to The Video Game Handbook, a study by Nielsen PreView, Americans used their Wiis, Xboxes and PlayStations for a total of 64 billion minutes in December. Dubbing the video-game in ...... Read More
Comments (0)Heavyweights Getting The Bum Rush
How the mighty have fallen. The heavyweight boxing championship – once the most prized title in all of individual professional sports – has been relegated to a Saturday afternoon timeslot on ESPN. The 24-hour sports network, which lightheartedly supports the sport through its weekly ESPN2 Friday Night Fights series, will telecast live the March 21 World Boxing Council heavyweight cha ...... Read More
Comments (0)Oprah Spreads Her Wings On Cable
Oprah Winfrey is busting out all over cable. First, Discovery hands her the programming keys to her OWN digital cable channel that will launch next year. Then, earlier this week, Home Box Office gives her creative control over several scripted movies, series and limited series as part of a three-year development deal through Winfrey’s Harpo Films division. ...... Read More
Comments (3)Boxing Need$ A Star
Lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao provided more than a beat down to boxing’s cash cow Oscar De La Hoya this past Saturday: the “Filipino whirlwind” landed a much more devastating body blow to the PPV boxing category. Pacquiao’s one-sided tarnishing of the Golden Boy all but ended De La Hoya’s nearly decade-long run as boxing’s undisputed PPV boxing ...... Read More
Comments (0)USA's Monk Paved Road For Cable's Scripted Series
USA Network’s pickup Friday of the eighth and final season of its popular series Monk was not unexpected but nevertheless bittersweet for fans of the long-running series. Much like FX’s trend-setting drama The Shield – which itself will bid goodbye in two weeks — Monk ushered in a new era of cable original scripted series, providing a fresh approach to series telev ...... Read More
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