Extra! ONE LIFE TO LIVE & ALL MY CHILDREN Cut to 2 Eps Weekly

Already? Is this an “Uh-oh…” or a “Good thing?” Check out the press release:

all_my_children_castby Team TVWriter™

For close to two years we have been working passionately to bring first run premium content to an online platform with the creation of brand-new versions of the two iconic series, All My Children and One Life To Live. There was no precedent for this effort- we had no history-no barometer for how our fans would respond. We always knew there would quickly be new insights into how audiences would respond to our shows and this new platform, and that our ability to adapt quickly to audience needs would ultimately determine the long-term success of the shows and our mission. This is a new medium, a new time and we have always planned to make changes quickly by listening to you, our fans and customers.

Today it is clear these shows have resonated, as many millions of views have been logged since our April 29th debut, a mere two and a half weeks ago. We’ve consistently been in the top ten shows viewed on Hulu and viewers and critics alike have told us how impressed they are with the quality of both programs. The past two weeks have been invaluable in terms of learning about how you watch and when you watch our shows on this new platform. We have gained enormous insight through our actual viewing data and our research. And our research has revealed the following: read article

Extra! CRIMINAL MINDS Stars Accept Big Raises & Agree to Go Back to Work

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From CBS:

CBS announced today that CRIMINAL MINDS has been renewed for the 2013-2014 broadcast season, becoming CBS’s 20th series to be renewed for next year.  Currently in its eighth season, CRIMINAL MINDS ranks as Wednesday’s number one drama in viewers (12.24m), adults 18-49 (3.3/09) and adults 25-54 (4.3/10). read article

17th Annual Webby Award Winners Announced

For those not in the In Crowd, the Webby Awards are, in a nutshell, the interwebs’ version of the BAFTA Awards – which are, of course, the British version of the Oscars. In other words, the Best of the Best that you can find online.

Now that we’re all up to speed, time for the press release:

2013 Webbys Capture read article

Netflix Rockin’ Out with 2 Mil New Members

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings For Those Who Wonder What the Power Players Look Like
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings For Those Who Wonder What the Power Players Look Like

by Team TVWriter™ Press Service

…Because of the success of its new series.

No, they don’t say it quite that way, but if all the cop shows we’ve watched over the past decades have taught us anything it’s that “there are no coincidences.”  And considering that the big gains come hand in hand with the addition of original dramas like  HOUSE OF CARDS, the handwriting’s on the wall.

Here’s how Cliff edwards put it over at Bloomberg: read article

Huge Jump in Viewing of Free, On-Demand TV Shows in 2012

Rentrak.Com, which calls itself “the only census-like currency measuring video content across all platforms,” and accordingly “know[s], more than anyone else, how viewers are being entertained by movies and TV,” yesterday announced a 4-year video-on-demand analysis thatfree-tv-streaming “shows that the total time spent viewing free-on-demand television content [in 2012] increased by over 40 percent compared to the previous year. Rapidly increasing numbers also show that the total number of free-on-demand TV programs watched went up 29 percent from the prior year.”

According to Rentrak President Cathy Hetzel, “There is no doubt that this kind of growth is reshaping budgets of cable operators, content providers and advertisers. Our reporting gives perspective on how many ad dollars could be left behind if on-demand content is not considered by the planners of TV.”

In other words, what we have here is yet another sign that the Old Media Viewing Paradigm is moribund. Or, in the words of just about every great historical drama we’ve ever seen: read article