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Editorial: Evolution Pressures Content Providers

Feb 3, 2008  •  Post A Comment

The major point of NBC Universal President-CEO Jeff Zucker’s keynote address at last week’s annual convention of the National Association of Television Program Executives in Las Vegas was that we’re going through tumultuous change in the TV business. It’s a message that rings true.
Mr. Zucker’s metaphor comparing the writers strike to a forest fire, with both its devastating effects and its aftermath of renewal, may have been unfortunate, and we don’t necessarily agree with him that the impasse between the writers and studios has been—or will be—the major catalyst for the changes.
But it is true that the business is indeed evolving, and that will continue apace.
The digital revolution, and all that it implies, has probably been the major catalyst. The continuing evolution of the Internet and various devices, from iPods and iPhones to DVRs, has led the way in putting the consumer in an ever more powerful position in terms of receiving media on his or her terms.
As the measurement of commercial ratings, which kicked off this season, becomes more refined, we will see how much viewers really are in control, and how commercials must better engage them.
Mr. Zucker probably was correct when he said the strike will act as a catalyst to cut the number of pilot scripts that actually get taped or filmed. And it looks as though the strike will cause some upfront plans to be changed. But while Mr. Zucker said these changes most likely should be made permanent, we’ll see whether that happens.
Wisely, Mr. Zucker realizes that whatever changes are wrought, those in Hollywood must make sure they keep their eyes on the prize. “Ultimately,” Mr. Zucker intoned, the industry needs to “make sure that our new developments in the media world are not just improved means to an unimproved end. Because the end—the end that matters most—is telling the stories that are going to move, educate and entertain people all over the world.”
As true as that sentiment is, Mr. Zucker’s hardcore business side delivered the line that every manager needs to print out and post on his or her wall: The No. 1 challenge for everyone in the industry, he said, is “to effectively monetize [the new digital ventures] so that we do not end up trading analog dollars for digital pennies.”

2 Comments

  1. Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it’s been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing

  2. Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it’s been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing

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