Neil Turitz

Even small victories for cable networks come amidst turmoil, frustration, and shedding of viewership. Today let’s take a deep dive into FX and FXX, Time Warner’s TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim and TruTV, and AMC Networks’ AMC, IFC, BBC-America, WeTV and SundanceTV.

That emotional connection is what tends to separate a mediocre film from a good one, or a good one from a great one, and that’s never more evident than during this season right here. It’s why I keep thinking about a movie like Moonlight, and dismiss one like Lion.

Netflix decided to allow users to download some of its programming for offline viewing. This is good for those on the go, stuck without wifi, or just plain bored, but how will it affect how we consume media and interact with others?

Only one of NBCUniversal’s 15 cable properties gained viewership from 2014-2015. The networks saw a boost in ratings from NBCUniversal’s monopolistic coverage of the Rio Olympics, but now that the games are gone the question remains: will people stay to watch?

Studios stand to make more money off of their small budget, high concept films but a fallacy exists that tent poles are the future in terms of profitability.

It’s tough to target just how Viacom can turn things around, but even if there was a concrete method to do so, it’s not going to be easy, simply because of the nature of the cable business. It has to hope that Shari Redstone and her new board of directors can make changes that will help matters, and that both MTV and Nickelodeon can once again draw the viewership numbers it used to.

Does late night television matter anymore? There is now the fact that nothing on late night is “must-see.” If something is must-see, it can be caught online the next day. There’s nothing that sets it apart from anything else we can find and in that regard, it is almost always lost in the morass of all the other stuff being pushed at us.

With the amount of money that studios make from superhero franchises, remakes, sequels, and films based off of toys and video games the crossover capabilities of these existing properties create an interesting and ludicrously profitable possiblity if said studios chose to work together.

As we discussed last week, it’s tough for anyone to compete with Netflix at the moment, but it becomes even tougher when the operation interested in doing so, Hulu, can’t really decide what it wants to be or how it wants to become it. However, Hulu’s upcoming fare sounds like it’s all smarter, more upscale forms of entertainment, which could be a good thing.

Hollywood has always responded to the large-scale events that have rocked the United States since Hollywood first came to be. But after last week’s election results, and the side of the divide Hollywood finds itself on, how will this industry respond in its creations?

It feels remarkably like no one at Fox is actually piloting the rather large ship of X-Men, and when that happens, it often ends up running aground. For that reason, perhaps the best move here is to make no move at all, let the characters rest for a spell, then revisit things around the time there’s another presidential election.

So far, Netflix remains the dominating streaming service for original content in the television sphere, but Amazon isn’t far behind them. With Amazon’s endless well of resources and how many projects they’re developing, they could soon be a much bigger player.

Oscar season is upon us and Neil Turitz is here to offer some suggestions on how he believe that the award show can improve itself this year, including who the host should be, a musical medley, and creating a brand new ceremony to air before the big night.

After another director walks away from a Warner Brothers Pictures film because of “creative differences” we are left to ask ourselves: What on earth is going on over at Warner Bros?

With hundreds and hundreds of hours of original content produced each year, Netlix has grown into a giant of the television industry and it isn’t even on television. Is the bubble going to burst on Netflix or will their unprecedented growth continue?

Will weak box office performances cause distributors to be more cautious when taking chances funding indie movies or is the world of independent film still financially viable?

Turn out the lights and call the cops. Uwe Boll is retiring. The man who literally fought his critics and was behind several of what have been called the worst films ever made is stepping away from the camera, not out of shame, but because he says the market is no longer viable.

Starz is now the second most subscribed pay cable network but still has yet to find it’s buzzy award winning show. With interesting new projects, current sleeper hits, and a partnership with Lionsgate can the network make the jump into the pantheon of prestige television?

A look at Nintendo’s new Switch console and what its creation means for the future of gaming, technology at large, and society.

While Ben Affleck’s comeback has been fascinating to watch, and his success is well deserved, it’s important to remember that the best work he does in front of the camera — and by far the most appealing he is as a leading man — is when he is actually the one calling the shots behind it.

The 40 year old Showtime is one of the oldest pay cable network there is, but a lack of buzz worthy shows has caused the formerly second most popular network to decline in viewership. Can an interesting array of new projects help bolster viewership and bring Showtime back into the upper echelon of cable television?

With 19 major films entering theaters in nine days this holiday season, this year’s race for box office green and Oscar gold is bound to make for an even more chaotic Christmas than usual.

There’s been a lot of talk over the last week about a certain video that came out, on which we heard and saw some pretty vile stuff. The aftermath hasn’t really shaken out the way I initially thought it would, although it has led to major career issues for one of the participants. I’m talking, of course, about Billy Bush.

You all know the slogan, as it’s one of the best known of any in the world of television. “It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Home Box Office started out as a second-run movie network, and slowly became the most respected broadcaster of original content on television. While it has some challenges, it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t continue to hold that spot.

One of the things that has caught my attention of late, and that of others’, obviously, is the growing power of the foreign box office to the overall success of not just a given movie, but also the studios and distributors that put them in theaters. That is especially true of the fastest growing audience in the world, the one in China.

The father of Millie Bobby Brown, star of this summer’s Netflix sensation Stranger Things, has been looking for representation for his progeny since she left Paradigm’s kids division earlier this year – and he wants a signing bonus. I mean, actually asking people for money to work for you? That’s… genius, is what it is.

The main job a television network has is to draw viewers and achieve good ratings. It has always been this way, as long as there has been television and the networks that appear on it. Except, of course, when it’s not. Take, for instance, The CW.

The way media is consumed these days is forcing advertisers to adapt and change how they market products to ever evolving audiences.

It’s tough to get too excited about a TV show, much less a season, after just a couple weeks, but this one feels different. This one feels like there are some real and genuine keepers in our midst.

There’s no real easy way to climb the ladder, other than to keep trying to innovate. Yes, there is plenty of the familiar on the horizon, but one of the things that Fox has always been willing to do more than its competitors is take the big swing.