Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, August 5th, 2024
Those darn industry analysts
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, August 5th, 2024:
THOSE DARN INDUSTRY ANALYSTS
You have to be a paid subscriber to The Ankler to read the entire article (I wish they would let me "gift" the occasional story), but this Claire Atkinson piece comparing the hits and misses of some of the entertainment industry's top analysts is a fun and informative read. Among other things, the piece highlights the incestuous relationship between these analysts and the media companies and executives they cover on a regular basis:
Right or wrong, volume seems to matter most (with Greenfield typically the loudest), especially on camera. And CEOs listen. In fact, the exclusive gatherings that the top names and their firms host — such as Reif Ehrlich’s annual event in Long Island’s Montauk and MoffettNathanson’s Media & Communications Conference — have become essential stops for Hollywood execs to announce (or at least tease) their strategies.
ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro reportedly attended June’s Montauk gathering this year, which is off the record. MoffettNathanson’s May confab was livestreamed, the better for execs like Comcast CEO Brian Roberts to make news — unveiling his company’s planned StreamSaver bundle, even though he could have told investors directly on his own earnings call just a few weeks earlier.
I have conflicted feelings about all of this. The article does a nice job of laying out the conflicting ways analysts make money, including providing pricey research to companies they cover or running live events in order to directly connect industry executives with Wall Street types. It's a fine business model, but it feels increasingly out of touch. And to be honest, a distressing percentage of the analysis seems to not understand some basics of the new streaming business models.
The truth is that while these headline-grabbing analysts are getting all of the attention, there is a small group of smaller, independent media reporters and analysts who are both more accurate than the big guys, but also better at anticipating industry trends. I'd humbly suggest that if you've been reading this newsletter over the past two or three years, my analysis has been both contrary to a lot of the industry conventional wisdom, but also more accurate and more willing to take big swings.
The challenge I and other less-connected analysts have right now is access. We don't have PR people booking us into conferences or reaching out to reporters in hopes of providing a few quotes for upcoming reporting. So it can be difficult to break through the analyst clutter. And without that, it's not just hard to drive revenue, it makes it more challenging to convince executives that they need to talk to us as well.
SPEAKING OF COVERAGE IN THE PRESS
I always appreciate another outlet mentioning my work, because with the collapse of Twitter and recent Google weirdness, it's tough to get my work in front of new audiences.
BGR's Andy Meek mentioned the newsletter in a piece that posted on Thursday, and it definitely brought in some new subscribers:
“In the coming year, you’re going to see an increased emphasis on international growth as well as more telco partnerships,” an unnamed Apple TV+ source said in an interview for Rick Ellis’ fantastic “Too Much TV” email newsletter (which I highly encourage you to sign up for here).
“And while I don’t have any first-hand knowledge about a timeline, I won’t be surprised to see an ad-supported tier rollout. It helps maximize revenue from a smaller subscriber base and our demographics make the audience valuable.” But I think Amazon’s rate-cutting right now might push that timeline back a bit.”
So, thanks Andy, I appreciate the mention!
HOWEVER, NOT EVERY READER IS AS IMPRESSED
My piece in Friday's newsletter on the subscriber antics at Max garnered a lot of reader feedback. But so did my comments about Joe Rogan, which sparked these comments from another happy Too Much TV subscriber:
To be fair, he did wish me a good day.
TWEET OF THE DAY
HMMMM....
As regular readers know, I have been writing regularly about the state of things at the various Penske Media outlets, most notably this recent piece about a proposed shift at The Hollywood Reporter towards a more "Rolling Stone of Hollywood" editorial stance.
Journalist David Poland retweeting this message from today, from a now-former member of PMC-owned Variety:
I reached out to some people at Penske I've spoken with before to see if the layoff was a one-off or part of a larger new round of layoffs. I haven't been able to get any confirmation - at least not enough to publish yet - so if you have anything to share on background or off-the-record, reach out at rick@allyourscreens.com
ODDS AND SODS
* Jon Stewart will be off The Daily Show this week after contracting COVID, and Daily Show correspondent Michael Kosta will step in as host. Stewart is set to return to the show next Monday.
* Shrinking will premiere a twelve-episode second season Wednesday, October 16th on Apple TV+.
* Power Book II: Ghost season four part B premieres Friday, September 6th on Starz.
* In the category of "Wow, who could have predicted this?," MSNBC Films has acquired From Russia with Lev, the first project from MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow’s production company Surprise Inside. The documentary will screen at the MSNBC Live event on September 7th followed by a theatrical and broadcast debut.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, AUGUST 5TH:
* Gabby's Dollhouse Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Judy Justice Season Premiere (Freevee/Prime Video)
* POV: Fauna (PBS)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6TH:
* At Witt's End - The Hunt For A Killer (Hulu)
* Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Chicago Bears (HBO)
* PD True Series Premiere (Paramount+)
* Rising Impact (Netflix)
* The Eagle Season Two Premiere (MHz Choice)
* The Influencer Series Premiere (Netflix)
SEE YOU ON TUESDAY!