One of the better panels this week, moderated by Eric Frankel, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. No easy answers, though, as networks look for income beyond ad-supported prime time.
The 8 million iTunes video downloads — 1.5 million for NBC alone — sound great in aggregate but break it down and you start to realize how far away we are from real money. As Frankel said, “We’re all looking at it and saying ‘wow’ but in terms at this point of it having a big impact … ” Jed Cohen, EVP/General Sales Manager, Buena Vista Television, describes the impact on the quantitative value of “Desperate Housewives” as “really small. It’s a pretty small segment of the population watching (on these platforms).” Meanwhile, his Disney colleague Tom Zappala, SVP-program acquisitions & scheduling for ABC Family, is promoting Disney on iTunes but not just for the download sales. “We try to guide people via the web to the iPod. … The goal is to get people back to the mother ship, the network.”
– Once again, locking down rights on the front end is increasingly important. Diane Robina, president of Comcast-Sony Networks, doesn’t just want linear rights as she acquires programming: “I want to have it all and if I can’t have it all, I’ll make it so I can have it all.” Formerly at Nickelodeon, Robina is revved about working in uncharted territory. “I love the fact that there are no rules, that we can take risks and be innovators because there are no rules. It’s going incredibly fast and I think we’re on the cusp of something completely different. …”
NATPE conference coverage is sponsored by Brightcove.
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