Technology360

Weekly readings for #pubmedia, Feb. 19, 2018

Got 5 inches of snow overnight Sat./Sun., but the temperature could reach 70° on Wednesday.  We live in hope.  Here is a compilation of recent selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

Broadband/Wireless

Why broadband competition at faster speeds is virtually nonexistent.  Vice Motherboard

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

must read  Smartphone video, connected TV increase penetration and usage.  nScreenMedia

Management/Strategy

What makes public radio ‘very personal’ magnifies its #metoo cases.  New York Times

Trolling as a business model is making trollery the dominant form of American discussion.  Umair Haque in Medium

Trump’s budget again proposes elimination of Public TV [and radio] … funding.  Variety

A profit model for 21st century journalism.  Michael Rosenblum in Medium

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

Public radio’s public reckoning.  Village Voice

Repack

Bill to address repack shortcomings advances.  TVTechnology

FCC will open April window for auction-displaced LPTVs.  Broadcasting & Cable

Social Media

Confessions of a publishing consultant on Facebook’s news feed changes.  Digiday

Twitter begins broadcasting local TV news during breaking news events.  FierceCable

must read  TV nets missing opportunity with Instagram.  nScreenMedia

Television

Why have TV viewers stopped channel surfing?  MediaPost

Netflix has taken $3B-$6B of TV ad revenue off the table.  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Feb. 9, 2018

Here is the latest compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• ATSC 3.0 rollout can begin in March.  TVTechnology

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• 5% of U.S. broadband users subscribe to a vMVPD.  FierceCable
• must read  Shift in ad spending from TV to OTT expected over next two years.  Video Nuze
• must read  How Die Welt gets people to watch video on its own site.  Digiday
• must read  Facebook deëmphasizes news feed video; users’ time spent drops.  Video Nuze  …and…  The local-national news divide on Google and Facebook.  Axios
• SVODs to boost original content annual spend to $10B by 2022.  TVTechnology
• U.S. viewers have a love/hate relationship with live streaming.  Rapid TV News
• Most use smart TVs to stream, won’t displace Roku anytime soon.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• YouTube announces it will start flagging videos published by organizations that receive government funding.   The Hill
• Martha Raddatz: Media ‘watching each other a little more’ after missteps reporting on Trump.  Politico
• must read  Why news publishers should consider the “smart curation” market.  Frederic Filloux in Monday Note

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read (TV too)  Local radio’s digital future.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Paid listens on...  RadioPublic
• must read  Podcast listeners really are the holy grail advertisers hoped they’d be.  Wired

Repack

• FCC to to randomly inspect TV stations repacked by the incentive auction.  Broadcast Law Blog
• Walden: We need to find $3B for auction repack.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Business/Management

• What will drive media station values in 2018?  TVNewsCheck
• Ad executive: Advertising will decline 30% in next five years.  MediaPost
• After leaving PBS, KCET struggles with its independence.  Columbia Journalism Review

Television

• TV, video ad growth pinned to advanced TV efforts.  MediaPost
• 4K TVs build market presence as global LCD TV shipments fall to three-year low.  Rapid TV News
• Inside Jeffrey Katzenberg’s billion-dollar bet to crack the code on mobile video.  Digiday

This week’s readings for #pubmedia, Dec. 11, 2017

Here is another collection of readings from my @haarsager Twitter account.  The digital video and radio sectors were well-represented last week.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• TV of tomorrow offers exciting, dystopian future.  MediaPost
• Dish’s Charlie Ergen and Sinclair’s David Smith: Thing 1 and Ting 2.  Harry Jessell in TVNewsCheck
• Dish’s Ergen steps down as CEO to focus on building wireless business.  FierceWireless

Broadband/Wireless

• You’re buying a 4K TV.  How much internet bandwidth do you need?  KING-TV
• Dish’s Charlie Ergan and Sinclair’s David Smith: Thing 1 and Ting 2.  Harry Jessell in TVNewsCheck

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• Hulu Live passes 440 stations, leads vMVPD local arms race.  FierceCable
• Parks Assoc.: Over one-half of OTT households subscribe to multiple streaming services.  FierceCable
• One-third of U.S. web users stream video as primary viewing choice.  Rapid TV News
• Pivot to nowhere: The once-vibrant market for digital video series has deteriorated.  Digiday

Cable/Pay-TV/MVPD

• Hulu Live passes 440 stations, leads vMVPD local arms race.  FierceCable

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Radio’s big opportunity with evergreen content.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Podcast ads remain stubbornly old-fashioned.  Digiday
• Podcasting: Glass half empty or half full?  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Smart speakers for smart listeners.  James Cridland in  All Access Music Group
• Is it time for radio to tune out of TuneIn?  James Cridland in All Access Music Group

Strategy/Management/Legal

• Why are so many TV anchors and radio hosts being suspended? Bad management.  Micheline Maynard in Medium
• WTTW plans to  buy rival public TV station WYCC’s broadcast license.  Chicago Tribune

Television

• TV of tomorrow offers exciting, dystopian future.  MediaPost
• Video viewing strong, but traditional TV losing ground.  MediaPost  …but…  CBS research guru David Poltrack sees “bright future ahead” for broadcast TV.  Deadline.com

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Nov. 26, 2017

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving!  Here is my latest collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Does Next-Gen TV spell doom for over-the-air DVR?  TechHive

Broadband/Internet/Wireless

• must read  Tim Wu: Why the courts will have to save net neutrality.  New York Times
• Former FCC chairman Wheeler says Pai’s net neutrality proposal is hypocritical.  FierceTelecom
• All signs point to December vote to kill net neutrality rules.  Ars Technica

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Will internet TV streaming replace legacy pay-TV in 2018?  Nasdaq
• Lessons from the OTT revolution.  TVTechnology
• Skinny TV not yet picking up the slack for pay-TV subs drain.  Rapid TV News

Digital Video/OTT

• Will internet TV streaming replace legacy pay-TV in 2018?  Nasdaq
• Fans expect poor quality for sports live streaming.  Rapid TV News
• HD mobile video goes mainstream.  Rapid TV News  (in the video, move the screen around with your mouse)

Journalism

• Boise TV station develops 360 video strategy for YouTube.  NewsLab

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read  Understanding public media’s most engaged podcast users.  Knight Foundation in Medium
• At Third Coast, holding on to public radio ideals as podcasting booms.  The New Yorker

Spectrum/Repack

• FCC provides pointers on getting repack bucks.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  Steve Brill: Newspaper bosses ‘paralyzed’ by change, clueless about paid content.  Poynter
• must read  There’s a digital media crash. But no one will say it.  Talking Points Memo

Television

• What you need to get HD channels over the air.  hdreport
• U.S. consumers spend more time watching films and TV.  Rapid TV News
• HDR mindshare: As awareness grows, so does confusion.  FierceCable

Weekend reading for #pubmedia, Nov. 17, 2017

A two-week gap has elapsed since the last compendium of links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  The FCC approval of ATSC 3.0 is the big news this time.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV

• FCC approves ATSC/Next-Gen TV for OTA broadcasting.  TVTechnology  …and…  TVNewsCheck  …and…  Variety
• must read  Harry Jessell: It’s now up to the market to make 3.0 work.  TVNewsCheck
• Sinclair announces nationwide ATSC 3.0 deployment after FCC OK.  FierceCable
• Top 4 ‘outrageous myths’ about ATSC 3.0.  TVNewsCheck
• Rep. Dingell has privacy concerns over ATSC 3.0.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  TVNewsCheck
• NAB and CTA team on ATSC 3.0 ‘test lab’ in Cleveland.  TVTechnology

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Kagan: Pay-TV lost 1.2M users in Q3.  FierceCable

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• must read  Devices streaming to TVs go mainstream in the U.S.  Rapid TV News  …and…  Streaming tech reaches one-third of universe, eroding ‘traditional TV’ viewing.  MediaPost
• must read  Research: 52% of viewers now watch their favorite show from an online source.  Video Nuze
• One size does not fit all in OTT world.  Rapid TV News
• Connected TV advertising is surging.  Video Nuze
• U.S. OTT market heats up.  Rapid TV News
• The man who gave us the DVR says Roku is the future of TV.  MarketWatch

Journalism

• must read  8 strategies for saving local newsrooms.  Columbia Journalism Review

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• With mobile, NPR is not checking off the boxes: How NPR builds great apps.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• BBC debuts interactive audio drama for Amazon Alexa.  Radio & Internet News
• The Main Studio Rule: U.S. radio’s biggest opportunity in years.  RadioInfo

Strategy/Management/Legal

• Inside the Guardian’s consumer-revenue operation.  Digiday

Television

• must read  Why have TV viewers stopped channel surfing?  MediaPost
• must read  ‘Content Connoisseurs’ dominate TV landscape.  Rapid TV News
• Rapidly abundant 4K/Ultra HD content failing to reach platforms.  Rapid TV News
• Nielsen to incorporate Comcast set-top data in local TV ratings.  MediaPost
• HDR TV shipments to soar 300% by 2021.  Rapid TV News
• CBS no longer tied to traditional TV?  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Nov. 4, 2017

A bit thin this week, but here is another collection of selected readings of interest from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  Have a good weekend.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV/HbbTV

• Retrans a key part of FCC’s ATSC 3.0 plan.  TVNewsCheck
• ATSC 3.0 decision draws some critics.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  Pay-TV, consumer groups slam ATSC 3.0 proposal.  TVTechnology

Cable/Satellite/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• must read/hear  As cord-cutting accelerates, vMVPDs pick up the slack.  nScreenMedia  …and…  Video Nuze/nScreenMedia podcast: Are vMVPDs replacing pay TV?  nScreenMedia and VideoNuze

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

• Moonves: Cord cutting means increased revenue for CBS.  Broadcasting & Cable

Strategy/Management/Legal

• How the Guardian found 800,000 paying readers.  The Drum
• Injunction sought to stop sale of KCSM-TV.  Palo Alto Daily Post

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• WWJ’s automotive reporter: Five things I’ve learned about cars…and radio.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• The joy of finding truly local commercial radio.  Radio Survivor

Wireless/Broadband

• 5G might be your next home broadband service.  PCWorld

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Oct. 27, 2017

I’ve been in Scotland, taking a three-week break from aggregating these links, but not a break from posting them to my @haarsager Twitter account.  Here is a longer-than-usual catch-up.  The most recent articles are generally near the top of each category.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Sinclair, NAB cheer FCC’s ATSC draft order.  FierceCable
• Retrans a key part of FCC’s ATSC 3.0 plan.  TVNewsCheck
• FCC to vote on ATSC 3.0 on Nov. 16.  TVNewsCheck
• CTA warns of ATSC 3.0 ‘chaos’ without modulation standard.  Broadcasting & Cable
• must read  Disparate views of the future of ATSC 3.0.  TVNewsCheck
• Internet of Everything: The IoT market is projected to expand 12x from 2017-2023.  Hackernoon

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Cord cutting hits 632k for Q3 with bulk of top platforms reporting.  FierceCable
• More than half of U.S. broadband households subscribe to pay-TV, OTT service.  Rapid TV News
• vMVPDs alone no threat to pay-TV.  nScreenMedia

Digital Video/VoD/OTT

• More than half of U.S. broadband households subscribe to pay-TV, OTT service.  Rapid TV News
• Can home Wi-Fi deliver TV reliably?  nScreenMedia
• Netflix rumbles on, but it’s still hard to discern original content’s role.  Video Nuze
• must read  Mobile surges as VOD viewing set to catch up to linear TV by 2020.  Rapid TV News
• Shift toward on-demand viewing accelerates.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• must read  Young subscribers flock to old media.  Politico
• Scoring stories to make better recommendation engines for news.  Monday Note

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• must read  Radio can’t just check off the boxes.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• Generation X is now driving NPR’s audience growth.  Washingtonian
• Setting the record straight on FM radio in iPhones.  Sam Matheny at NAB  …and…  Everything you need to know about FM radio on your phone.  CNET
• Radio’s digital dashboard display dilemma.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• The good NEW days of radio.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• must read  Classical music’s biggest problem is that no one cares.  On An Overgrown Path
  
• Will radio get off the dime with podcasting?  Jacobs Media Strategies

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• Internet of Everything: The IoT market is projected to expand 12x from 2017-2023.  Hackernoon
• FCC chair’s advisor: FCC can’t hold another big spectrum auction.  Multichannel News
• Broadcasters emerging as winner in FCC reauthorization process so far.  Morning Consult
• T-Mobile, Fox TV stations partner on repack.  TVTechnology  …and…  Pocket Now
• Tower deaths put repack sked in spotlight.  TVNewsCheck

Strategy/Management/Legal

• FCC to lift station modification freeze.  Broadcasting & Cable
• must read  Viewer preferences straddle generations.  TVTechnology
• Pubmedia’s commitment to local audiences must transcend lip service.  Gary Knell in Current
• must read  How to crowdfund a TV series.  Cablefax

Television

• AI is changing how you watch TV.  Venture Beat

Wireless/Broadband/IoT

• nerd alert  5G: Can we do better than OFDM? Cohere Technologies believes we can with OTFS.  FierceWireless
• FCC chair’s advisor: FCC can’t hold another big spectrum auction.  Multichannel News

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Oct. 7, 2017

The following links of interest were posted to my @haarsager Twitter feed in the past week.  Slim pickings this time.  I’ll be in Scotland until near the end of the month.  While I’ll keep posting to Twitter, internet is pretty basic there so I’ll probably not be able to post this summary again until I return.  You can visit http://www.twitter.com/haarsager to keep up.  --Dennis

Digital Video/OTT/VOD

Despite hiccups, live streaming moving to the next level.  nScreenMedia

OTT TV and film revenues to reach $83B over the next five years.  Rapid TV News

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

Study sees potential for radio success among Amazon Echo owners.  Radio & Internet News

Strategy/Management/Legal

Two more paperwork burdens proposed for relaxation by FCC.  Broadcast Law Blog

Television

KCETLink outsources its broadcast origination to a new organization called The Switch.  KCET news release

The repack death toll begins

The FCC’s crazy-ambitious 39-month timetable for repacking the TV bands post-auction may have contributed to the deaths of three workers from Tower King II, a Texas tower contractor.  The gin pole, a standard temporary device that is installed at the top of a tower to enable the lifting into place of permanent tower sections or an antenna, failed.  The tower is shared by two Miami stations, WSVN (Fox) and WPLG (ABC).  WSVN is moving from channel 7 to channel 9 in the repack, requiring a new antenna.  The tower is eight years old and is just over 1,000 feet high, about half the maximum height that many stations use.

There is no evidence to my knowledge that the pushed nature of the repack schedule contributed to the deaths of these three men, but with the paucity of qualified high tower crews and a forced schedule that is ambitious even if everything (weather, supply, crew availability, etc.) turns out optimal, safety issues are unavoidable. 

I strongly suspect this won’t be the last of these tragic accidents.  --Dennis

Link:  ABC News

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Sep. 24, 2017

The following selected links were posted to my @haarsager Twitter feed in the past week.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Addressability is about to take a huge step forward.  AdExchanger
• AWARN Alliance blasts T-Mobile assertion that ATSC 3.0 emergency warning capabilities are inferior.  TVTechnology  …and…  AWARN strikes back at T-Mobile at FCC.  TVNewsCheck

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Skinny TV could be the key to cord-cutting.  Rapid TV News
• Analyst: Pay-TV losses could soon accelerate to 5M a year.  FierceCable
• Why you should buy a TV antenna. Yes, really.  Yahoo! Finance
• Will cable’s digital efforts hit a wall?  MediaPost
• Can an entertainment-centric skinny bundle succeed?  Video Nuze
• must read  Big generational divide over pay-TV subscriptions.  Video Nuze

Digital Video/VoD/OTT

• PBS flexes its digital muscles with the Ken Burns documentary series, The Vietnam War.  Decider
• IBC 2017 reports:  No one path to OTT video business success.  nScreenMedia  …and…  Innovation is key as TV broadcasters move online.  nScreenMedia  …and…  Three ways OTT will reshape the TV market by 2027.  nScreenMedia
• Video Advertising Bureau: OTT complements, not replaces, pay-TV.  Rapid TV News

Journalism

• must read  The media have a probability problem.  FiveThirtyEight

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Podcasts democratized radio. Now PRX wants to democratize podcasts.  Fast Company
• Radio’s streaming effort may be screwed.  Mark Ramsey Media part 1 and part 2
• Six lessons radio can learn from cable TV’s woes.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Repack/Incentive Auction/Spectrum

• Extreme weather brings uncertainty to broadcast TV signal shuffle.  Bloomberg BNA
• Incentive auction second priority filing window opens: What to know.  CommLawBlog  …and…  FCC opens second post-auction TV filing window.  Broadcasting & Cable
• FCC: First auction repack reports due Oct. 10.  Broadcasting & Cable

Television

• Why you should buy a TV antenna. Yes, really.  Yahoo! Finance
• must read  Most TV companies unprepared for advanced TV advertising.  Rapid TV News