TV Shows

Discovering Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel and Discovery Communications have been on a tear lately. First there’s the company’s original programming, including the continued success of shows like MythBusters and Dirty Jobs (with Mike Rowe, target of many a man-crush). Then there’s the fact that Discovery is the poster child for HDTV, particularly with shows like the miniseries … Read more

How Will The Writers Strike Impact Your TV Viewing?

Last-ditch efforts to avert the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike took place Sunday according to TV with MeeVee. However, those talks didn’t pan out and the picketing began today as predicted. If the strike lingers, there will be very real consequences to the television shows you and I watch… The effects of which could … Read more

DVR Alert: Amazing Race 12 Premieres Sunday

One new show this weekend that reality show fans will be excited about: The Amazing Race is returning Sunday on CBS. It’s replacing the unloved Viva Laughlin – canceled after only two episodes. If you’re an Amazing Race follower, you’ll be happy to see season 12 arrive much earlier than previously planned (originally scheduled for … Read more

Beyond Nielsen TV Ratings

Nielsen, TiVo and Snapstream Media. One of those three is well known for tracking television viewership, but the other two: TiVo and Snapstream Media (makers of the Beyond TV PC DVR software) are not as well known in this realm, but offer a more transparent and relatively useful snapshot of what Television Viewers like you and I are watching. Would you agree that Heroes and The Office are hit shows – at least better than Dancing with the Stars or 60 Minutes? Well you’d likely agree more with TiVo and Beyond TV users.

Since the early 1940’s the television and advertising industries have relied on Nielsen Media Research to measure the popularity and success of television programming. Nielsen continues to be the leading provider of this information and their list of the top TV shows by demographic are consistently highlighted in the media and watched closely by Advertisers and the Television Networks. While I’m still interested in what Nielsen is reporting as the top shows, I’m left wanting more.

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Netflix Anti-Theft Measures Impair DVD Playback

What the heck are you thinking, Netflix? I understand and support your goal to minimize disc theft, but you really need to do some more testing in the labs before unleashing this half-baked sticker scheme on your customers. Whatever human or machine applied the anti-theft measure didn’t properly center it on the bottom of the … Read more

Where’s the HD?

Chris, of Amazon Daily, and I were recently lamenting that we don’t receive many HD channels via Comcast (he’s in Seattle, I’m outside DC). Maybe it wouldn’t be so painful if we weren’t aware of other Comcast regions, such as New England, receiving at least a half dozen more HD channels – many of which … Read more

Star Wars, the Television Series

George Lucas confirmed he is working on a live-action television series spinoff of the Star Wars Movie Franchise. It won’t include any of the major characters from the movies – no Luke Skywalker and no Darth Vader. From the interview with Lucas: “The Skywalkers aren’t in it, and it’s about minor characters,” Lucas said in … Read more

First Two Season Passes Dropped

Prior to recording even the first episode, I dropped Bionic Woman. And after watching the debut last night of Discovery’s Last One Standing… I dropped it too. LOS is a reality show in which 6 athletes are shipped around the world to participate in “tribal games.” The problem is about half the locales/games involve combat … Read more