Brian Stelter visited the National Ass'n of Television Program Executives (pronounced "GNAT-pee") conference in Las Vegas and writes:
... As broadcast growth flattens, local stations are increasingly looking to their Web sites for new sources of revenue. Some stations are creating original programming for the Web, but it is far easier for them to purchase the online rights to syndicated shows. This week, for instance, 200 television station Web sites introduced “Big Shot Live,” a national online talent competition promoted through “Entertainment Tonight.” Some stations, under an agreement with Warner Brothers, are now showing the syndicated sitcom “Two and a Half Men” on their Web sites. ¶ If ventures like these are successful, local affiliates may wind up playing the same role online that they do on television, in which they buy up what is essentially used programming from producers. As Oprah Winfrey and Alex Trebek can attest, syndication is a backbone of local broadcasting: affiliates purchase the local rights to specific shows and sell ads alongside the content. ...
Link: New York Times. --Dennis
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