The Upfronts are over, which means the real Upfronts are about to begin–that is, the networks’ advance sale of advertising time (usually about 80% of the season’s total) for the Fall 2013 TV season.  Although last week’s Upfront presentations now serve a marketing and publicity purpose as well, their original–and still most important–goal is […]

>When all the Sked PLAYERS gather in New York, the pilots have been screened for the network’s own executives, but the only “real people” who’ve seen them are those participating in Research testing.  The results of those tests become the only “objective” data regarding the appeal of a given show, so they’re a critical part […]

  Mitch Metcalf and I, along with veteran network executive Ted Frank, have put together our own versions of the schedules (the real ones will be announced at the nework Upfronts in New York next week). We’ve posted our recommended schedules for NBC, FOX and CBS.  ABC will announce its schedule on Tuesday, but before […]

>Thoughts on CBS’s Schedule (and Our Predictions)CBS COMEDIESCBS DRAMAS ABC ANALYSIS     CBS ANALYSIS     NBC ANALYSIS     FOX ANALYSIS     CW ANALYSIS

> DISCLAIMER: These initial impressions are based on the clips (usually 3-5 minutes) released by the networks to use in their Upfront presentations and for promos.  They’re chosen to sell the show, not to accurately represent it.  So take the reactions below with a large satchel of salt–we may well feel differently about these shows […]

> Now that we have restored the site after a frustrating web host disruption, we can focus on the latest news from the world of television. ASHTON KUTCHER on TWO AND A HALF MEN:  Excellent move by CBS.  He’s a TV veteran with a huge following (on Twitter at the very least) and a great […]

Lots of moves from ABC, some–but not all–of which we anticipated.   Let’s take a look night-by-night: MONDAY:  The aging DANCING WITH THE STARS isn’t ideal, but as we anticipated, it’s the best ABC is likely to do on the night for now, paired with the returning CASTLE.  

  CBS subsided a bit. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis and comparisons follow the chart. […]