Technology360

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 8 Apr. 2017

Looking forward to temperatures in the 70s in the week ahead, so perhaps we’ve turned the corner to Spring here in Maine.  Here is this week’s compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

Cable/MVPD/Cord-Cutting

• Comcast Xfinity Mobile is a no-frills MVNO service primarily designed to prevent churn.  FierceWireless
• must read  TV programmers must be in skinny bundles.  nScreenMedia

Digital Video/VoD/OTT

• Five tips for creating engaging branded video.  theMediaBriefing
• must read  Never mind Apple bundling premium TV networks, Amazon is really the one to watch.  Video Nuze  …and…  Amazon’s NFL deal is further evidence of how Prime is upending the video industry.  Video Nuze
• Can national identity withstand the global SVOD assault?  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• Six strategic lessons for publishers moving “beyond the article.”  theMediaBriefing

Radio/Digital Audio/Podcasting

• must read  Battle heats up for morning daily podcasts as NPR enters the fray.  Columbia Journalism Review

Spectrum/ATSC 3.0/Repack

• NAB Show focuses:  Repack. TVNewsCheck  …and…  ATSC 3.o.  TVNewsCheck

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  Greatest IP advantages in video production environments.  Rapid TV News

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 2 Apr 2017 #ILovePBS #ILoveNPR

Here is this week’s collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Opera TV and BBC to demonstrate latest HbbTV 2.0.1 features.  Multichannel News

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• One in eight U.S. homes now has broadband but no cable.  FierceCable
• Three reasons Comcast could win the Virtual MVPD wars.  nScreenMedia
• North American pay-TV penetration set for slide over next five years.  RapidTVNews

Consumer Electronics

• Device advancements drive mobile entertainment market.  Rapid TV News

Digital Video/OTT

• must read  OTT: Local TV’s latest growth opportunity.  TVNewsCheck

Journalism

• must read  This is what a news organization built on reader trust looks like.  Jay Rosen in NiemanLab
• must read  Quality for news is mostly about solving the reputation issue.  Frederic Filloux in Monday Note

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• Comcast, T-Mobile predicted as surprise winners in FCC’s 600 MHz incentive auction.  FierceCable
• As incentive auction ends, carriers push for quick access to 600 MHz spectrum.  FierceWireless
• Spectrum auction (finally) ends; total take is $19.8B.  Multichannel News
• FCC spells out auction payment procedures.  TVNewsCheck

Strategy/Management/Legal

• Noncommercial Educational station fundraising for third-party non-profits.  FCC pdf
• A dying habit: why the average BBC1 viewer is 61.  The Guardian

Television

• must read  Prime-time is still king, however you watch.  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Jan.22, 2017

This was a big week for the FCC’s television spectrum auction, meeting its “final stage rule” at Stage 4.  A bit of cleanup bidding remains, but for broadcasters it’s over.  So here’s another compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• The timing of ATSC 3.0 could not be better.  TVTechnology
• HbbTV requests video streaming proposals.  Digital TV Europe

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Putting a firm number on how many are cord-cutting.  Media Life Magazine

Consumer Electronics

• Shambling corpse of 3D TV finally falls down dead.  Cnet

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

• must read  Can stations live with Facebook Live?  NetNewsCheck
• Nearly one-third of U.S. consumers watch pirated video.  Video Nuze
• Service providers switching focus from linear TV to OTT.  Rapid TV News
• Older millennial connected TV device owners use device 1 hour per day.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• must read  Can Marketplace reach an audience beyond those who already care about explainer journalism?  Nieman Lab
• A new collaboration: NPR stations nationwide are working together to spot trends in state governments.  Nieman Lab

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• MusicWatch time spent listening data see Pandora in the lead for 2016.  Radio and Internet News
• must read  Can Marketplace reach an audience beyond those who already care about explainer journalism?  Nieman Lab
• A new collaboration: NPR stations nationwide are working together to spot trends in state governments.  Nieman Lab
• Norway begins to switch off FM broadcasting, but why don’t they just use streaming instead of DAB+?  Radioinfo

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• Forward auction cleanup bidding to resume Monday as incentive auction nears end.  FierceWireless
• FCC’s incentive auction in home stretch after satisfying final stage rule.  Wireless Week  …and… FCC’s incentive auction to end after Stage 4.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  Final stage auction rule met at $18.2B.  TVTechnology
• Analyst: Lackluster FCC auction casts doubt on the value of spectrum.  FierceWireless
• Wheeler’s auction: promises undelivered.  Harry Jessell commentary in TVNewsCheck  …and…  FCC’s Wheeler: Successful spectrum auction assured.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  The auction debacle.  TVTechnology
• Don’t be disappointed by the FCC’s incentive auction.  Technology Policy Institute
• MoffettNathanson: It’s time to give up the myth of spectrum as commodity.  WirelessWeek

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  Trump’s team said to be planning to privatize public broadcasting.  Fortune  …and…  Trump team prepares dramatic cuts.  The Hill
• must read  Can stations live with Facebook Live?  NetNewsCheck

Television 

• Rise in broadband-only homes using TV antennas.  MediaPost  …and…  U.S. pay-TV satisfaction dips as antenna-only TV services rise to 15% of broadband households.  Rapid TV News  …and… Pay-TV loses ground to antenna-only households.  Cnet

Weekend reading for #pubmedia, Dec. 17, 2016

Here is this week’s collection of select links to articles of interest from my @haarsager Twitter feed. 

I’ll be traveling out to Spokane next weekend, so most likely will need to skip next weekend.  You should be spending time with your family instead of reading this stuff then anyway.   Happy holidays!  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• Could self-driving cars receive software updates via ATSC 3.0?  TVTechnology

Broadband

• A new type of cord-cutting: snipping broadband.  Media Life Magazine

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV

• Cord-cutting wanes, as those planning to carry pay-TV increases.  Rapid TV News  …and…  Study finds cord-cutting slowing.  TVTechnology

Consumer Electronics

• The cord-cutter’s guide to the best indoor antennas.  c|net
• Global STB shipments rise slowly over 2016.  Rapid TV News

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

• Only 13% of SVOD subscribers take more than two services.  Video Nuze
• must read  YouTube remains king of mobile video streaming.  nScreenMedia
• Can OTT video match TV’s reliability, QoS?  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• Collaborations with public media, non-profit news outlets can boost impact, but come with challenges.  Current

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• Why spectrum sharing is here to stay.  FCW
• TV spectrum auction underwhelms.  TVTechnology
• FCC speeding up the spectrum auction Dec. 19.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  FCC speeds reverse auction for Stage 4.  Broadcasting & Cable
• FCC begins Stage 4 of 600-MHz auction under leadership uncertainty.  RCR Wireless

Radio/Podcasting

• Five lessons radio can learn from C-SPAN.  Jacobs Media Strategies
• must read  How NPR One data point to new ways of thinking about local content.  Current

Social Media

• Twitter enables live broadcasting.  Rapid TV News

Strategy/Management

• must read  10 digital trends to watch in 2017.  The Media Briefing
• must read  Benedict Evans: Mobile is eating the world.  ben-evans.com
• must read  Four new trends impacting digital TV content distribution.  FierceCable

Wireless

• Verizon is wise to move deliberately into media.  FierceWireless

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Dec. 3, 2016

Here’s that weekly compilation of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  Please note that this includes an update on the FCC spectrum auction from my Technology360.com blog.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0

• First review of ATSC 3.0 over cable systems set for December.  Multichannel News

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord Cutting

• Pay TV homes dip 1.6%, rise in cord shaving.  Media Post

Digital Media

• Over half of installed media apps used less than 10 times.  nScreenMedia

Digital Video/OTT

• DirecTV Now has been plagued by technical problems.  Business Insider
• Netflix belatedly offers downloading.  Video Nuze
• Connected device streaming drives 1 hour increase in weekly viewing.  nScreenMedia

Journalism

• NPR should be more…national.  National Review

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• Radio’s user experience challenge.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• my blog post  FCC UHF TV auction update after Stage 3 reverse auction.  Technology360
• FCC sets $40.3B clearing cost as incentive auction enters forward auction for Stage 3.  FierceWireless  …and…  Broadcasters seek $40.3B for 108 MHz.  TVTechnology
• Forward auction bidding starts Dec. 5.  Multichannel News  …and…  FCC targeting Monday start for Stage 3 forward auction.  Wireless Week
• must read  RF vendors prepare for TV spectrum repack.  TVNewsCheck
• must read  Sprint CFO: 600 MHz is spectrum of the past.  FierceWireless
• Activists think FCC’s broadcast spectrum auction could save local journalism. Motherboard  …and…  Free Press: Noncom auction funds can boost local journalism.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  A chance to invest millions in the news and information people need.  Free Press

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  Revolution at the Washington Post. Columbia Journalism Review

Television

• Traditional production methods failing to meat increasing demand for video content.  Rapid TV News
• Manufacturers are the real winners for Ultra HD/4K.  Rapid TV News
• PBS ops VP to discuss network’s HDR trials.  TVTechnology

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 11/19/2019

Here is another collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  Happy Thanksgiving and don’t eat anything I wouldn’t. 

--Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

Sinclair’s CEO: ATSC 3.0, the only avenue to growth.  TVNewsCheck 

http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/nabs-smith-local-news-crucial-to-democracy/279857

must read  NAB CEO:  3.0 is crucial to local broadcast.  TVTechnology

ATSC 3.0 could pay off but retrans will be part of the gamble.  FierceCable

An open letter to FCC Commish Ajit Pai.  TVNewsCheck

must read  ATSC 3.0 and educational media.  TVTechnology

How ATSC 3.0 changes broadcasting for the better (it’s not just 4K).  Studio Daily

must read  ATSC 3.0 promises to level the playing field between broadcasters and OTT services.  The Drum

Broadband

Say goodbye to net neutrality.  InfoWorld

Chickens and eggs: The problem of the 5G use case.  FierceWireless

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

Pay TV subscribers churn, while cord-cutting rises.  MediaPost  …and…  Video cord cutting data: Telco TV losses contribute to record declines for pay-TV.  Telecompetitor  …and…  Cord cutting hits an all-time high.  Media Life Magazine

Digital Media/Mobile

Online measurement is a mess.  Wall Street Journal

must read  Social drives video to dominate mobile data traffic by 2022.  nScreenMedia  …and…  Mobile video to spur mobile data to grow 50% by 2022.  Rapid TV News

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

must read  For WNYC, radio’s future is all about experimentation.  Fast Company

The Apple CarPlay conundrum.  Jacobs Media Strategies

must read  Listen deeply: The public radio mandate.  Laura Walker in Medium

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

Noncoms ask FCC to expand repack reimbursement catalog.  Broadcasting & Cable

must read  NAB: FCC needs to extend repack deadline.  TVNewsCheck

Television

A world without commercials? Contemplating the future of TV.  MediaPost

Will smart TV’s stay smart?  nScreenMedia

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, Nov. 12, 2016

Here is this week’s collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  Lots of ATSC 3.0 information this week thanks to the NAB Show in New York.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

• must read  3.0 viewership data could remake ad biz.  TVNewsCheck  …and…  Expanded ad sales among 3.0’s potential.  TVNewsCheck
• Sinclair ATSC 3.0 receiver spec Q&A with Mark Aitken.  TVTechnology
• must read  ATSC 3.0: A cooler look at the next-gen standard.  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  Sinclair CEO: Broadcasting isn’t a growth business, but ATSC 3.0 can change that.  FierceCable  …and…  Fox not yet ready to embrace 3.0.  TVNewsCheck
• must read  RF engineers eye the future of TV spectrum.  TVNewsCheck
• Panel: 3.0 the greatest thing since color.  TVNewsCheck
• must read  Stations must evolve with TV’s ecosystem.  TVNewsCheck
• NAB’s top tech sees 3.0 OK coming soon.  TVNewsCheck

Cable/Pay-TV/Cord-Cutting

• Pay TV subscribers decline.  MediaPost
• Dish Network’s Ergen: OTT will ‘chop up’ the Pay-TV ecosystem.  FierceCable

Digital Media/OTT/Mobile

• Native apps are doomed.  Eric Elliott in Medium
• Dish Network’s Ergen: OTT will ‘chop up’ the Pay-TV ecosystem.  FierceCable
• North American mobile video traffic set for surge.  Rapid TV News
• must read  Signals of editorial quality.  Monday Note

Journalism

• must read  Signals of editorial quality.  Monday Note

Radio/Podcasting

• Retail radio.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack/Wireless

• must read  RF engineers eye the future of TV spectrum.  TVNewsCheck
• Auction and repack: doing the math.  Bill Hayes in TVTechnology
• The wireless industry is changing before our eyes.  FierceWireless

Strategy/Management/Business

• Two important lessons for TV broadcasters.  TVNewsCheck
• must read  Stations must evolve with TV’s ecosystem.  TVNewsCheck
• comScore, TVision aim to set audience measurement on course.  FierceCable
• Nielsen completes cable universe review, concludes November’s decline was accurate.  MediaPost

Television

• 2016, a banner year for 4K/Ultra HD.  Rapid TV News  …and…  4K adoption upp 104%.  Rapid TV News
• The truth about how much live TV we’re watching.  Media Life Magazine
• Healthy year for local TV, despite uncertainties.  Media Life Magazine
• Will millennials return to TV as they age?  nScreenMedia
• America has never had so much TV, and even Hollywood is overwhelmed.  Washington Post

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 10/22/2016

Here’s this week’s collection of selected links from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.o/HbbTV/Hybrid TV

• must read  Hybrid TV [ATSC 3.0 in the U.S. –DH] opens big-data window for free-to-air TV.  Rapid TV News
• HbbTV gains strength in Europe as smart TV penetration rises.  Rapid TV News

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV/Satellite TV/Cord-Cutting

• AT&T to launch DirecTV Now streaming video service before 2017.  CNET

Digital Video/VOD/OTT

• EchoStar/Sling’s AirTV delayed during FCC review.  Zatz Not Funny!  …and…  AirTV expected to blend OTA + OTT.  TVTechnology
• ‘Simultaneous viewing’ may be taking toll on TV ratings.  FierceCable
• Online video leaders’ programming spend exceeds traditional broadcsters.  Rapid TV News
• Public radio stations collaborate to create VuHaus, the non-profit Vevo.  billboard

Radio/Podcasting/Digital Audio

• With its broadened story lab, NPR is looking to build up its next generation of shows and podcasts.  NiemanLab
• Radio and connected cars.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repack

• my blog post  Cycles, daisy chains, and TV spectrum repack and clearing realities.  Technology360
• must read  Destination repack: Not enough time, money.  TVTechnology  …and…  Repack plan draws tepid industry reaction.  TVNewsCheck  …and…  FCC: Post-auction repack planning can’t wait.  Broadcasting & Cable
• Stage 2 of FCC’s incentive auction ends when forward auction component fails after one round.  WirelessWeek  …and… RCR Wireless News  …and…  Broadcasting & Cable  …and…  TVTechnology  …and…  TVNewsCheck  …and…  Quick end to auction’s Stage 2 may mean Comcast threw in the towel. Or it may mean nothing [Verizon and EchoStar have also been named as possible quitters –DH].  FierceWireless  …and…  Blink and you missed it:  Stage 2 of incentive auction ends.  JDSupra

Strategy/Management/Business

• must read  The slow painful death of the media’s cash cow.  Bloomberg  …and…  What if the newspaper industry made a colossal mistake?  Politico
• Internet mysteries: Where does the disappearing ad dollar go?  Digiday
• must read  A broadcaster’s guide to Washington issues.  TVNewsCheck

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 9/24/2016

Here is another collection of selected links of interest from my @haarsager Twitter feed.  --Dennis

ATSC/HbbTV

NAB to FCC: ATSC 3.0 is next competition driver.  Broadcasting & Cable

Broadband

How much cellular and Wi-Fi data are smartphone users consuming…?  FierceWireless

Cable/MVPD/Pay-TV

How low can the DirecTV Now subscription go?  nScreenMedia

Premium TV services: consumers are changing more than channels.  FierceCable

Digital Video/OTT/Mobile/VOD

must read  Ooyala: Mobile now accounts for over half of video views, up 10x in 4 years.  Video Nuze  …and…  Online video tipping point reached as mobile accounts for more than half of viewing.  Rapid TV News

Millennial cord-nevers embrace SVOD.  Rapid TV News

Threats to Netflix emerge as SVOD market set to double in value to $34.6B.  Rapid TV News

Journalism

CPB awards grant to honor NPR journalists killed in Afghanistan.  CPB

The case against journalistic balance.  Politico

must read  Lessons learned from reported.ly’s social-first journalism model.  journalism.co.uk

Radio/Digital Audio/Podcasting

How Northwest Public Radio turned listeners into collaborators on content.  Current

must read  Great journalism alone won’t guarantee public radio’s survival.  Current

Radio’s problem after the iPhone 7.  Mark Ramsey Media

Can newspapers’ pain be radio’s gain?  Jacobs Media Strategies

Strategy/Management/Business

must read  How broadcasters can benefit from reverse mentoring.  Fred Jacobs in Jacobs Media Strategies

must read  The management myth.  The Atlantic

Television

Percent of TV channels viewed drops to single digits; Nielsen attributes digital choices.  MediaPost

Conditional access market to grow by CAGR of 9.1% over next five years.  Rapid TV News

must read  Video’s future is omni-channel content.  Broadcasting & Cable

4KTV forecast to see steady growth in next five years.  MediaPost

Weekend readings for #pubmedia, 7/30/2016

Here is another collection of links from my @haarsager Twitter feed, another slimmer than normal week.  --Dennis

ATSC 3.0/HbbTV

FCC consulting engineers: ATSC 3.0 won’t interfere with wireless.  TVTechnology

Interview with WRAL engineering chief on its ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.  TVTechnology

must read for engineers  Transmitter sites: Things to consider for ATSC 3.0.  TVTechnology

Cable/Pay-TV/MVPD

Cord-cutting shaping up to be even worse this Q2 than last year’s epic meltdown.  FierceCable  …and… For Comcast, another quarter of strong improvement in video.  Video Nuze

Consumer Electronics

Half of large TVs sold today are 4K ready.  Rapid TV News

Journalism

must read  In Cincinnati, local TV station sets out to be full-fledged digital newsroom.  Columbia Journalism Review

Radio/Digital Audio/Podcasting

Edison Research: Why people love radio.  Radio and Internet News

Measuring and monetizing listening on multiple platforms.  Jacobs Media Strategies

Webcast listening in May gains 17% year-over-year, led by AM/FM webcasts.  Radio and Internet News

Spectrum/Incentive Auction/Repacking

PBS president voices concern over auction.  Los Angeles Times

Strategy/Management/Business

Don’t let being a broadcaster limit your role.  Mary Collins in TVNewsCheck

Television

Consumers fed up with poor TV search options.  Rapid TV News

Diginets keep growing, despite auction cloud, Part 1 [note coverage ranks of Create and World].  TVNewsCheck  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Consumers willing to pay more for 4K content.  Rapid TV News