Latest articles by Daniel Frankel
Hisense's VIDAA Is Now the No. 2 Smart TV OS Globally Behind Samsung Tizen, Trade Group Says (Chart of the Day)
The Connected TV Marketing Association says Tizen controls 13% of the 120 million smart TVs that will be sold globally this year vs. 7.8% for VIDAA
NBA-Bereft Warner Bros. Discovery Pays $650 Million for 10 Years of French Open U.S. TV Rights
Annual late-spring pro-tennis tournament will shift from NBCUniversal to WBD linear channels and Max starting in 2025
MVP-Less NBA Finals See TV Ratings Crater at a Conspicuous $76 Billion Moment
Also in this week’s ‘Next Text,’ we watch the Clippers on TV for the first time ever in June, we try again to figure out how Shane Gillis has an audience … and that’s before Netflix’s ‘Hit Man’ sends us down a Richard Linklater rabbit hole
NBA Finals Opener Endures Worst Non-Pandemic Ratings Performance Since 2007
Averaging 10.99 million viewers, the audience delivery was down 5% from last season's Game 1 and was also the sixth worst for a Finals opener in the Nielsen era
Pat Sajak Signs Off of 'Wheel of Fortune' After 41 Iconic Seasons and 8,000 Episodes
His last taping as host of the mega-popular syndicated game show airs Friday
Leichtman Research Group Ends Distribution of Public Reports
Telecom biz research guru (and Kenny Loggins fan) Bruce Leichtman will continue to offer his well regarded quarterly data to clients
Cable Controlled 75% of U.S. Mobile Growth in Q1, Is Exploiting Convergence Advantage Over Wireless, Analyst Says
While cable companies can offer a converged bundle to all their customers, wireless competitors don't come even close, notes Craig Moffett
Amazon Partners With the NHL for 'Hard Knocks'-ish New Behind-the-Scenes Docuseries
After securing rights to 'Prime Monday Night Hockey' in Canada, Amazon partners with the league and 'Drive to Survive' producer Box To Box Films for new show
Cogeco Combines Canadian and U.S. Cable Operations, Breezeline President Frank van der Post Departs
Touting what it believes will be a ‘simpler North American’ cable company, Montreal-based Cogeco combines commercial, operational and technical functions of its telecommunications businesses
NBA Closing In on $76 Billion in TV Money Over 11 Years … With No TNT
WSJ says NBCU will get close to 100 games for $2.5 billion a season, with half of them streaming exclusively on Peacock
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sad Puppeteer-Based Drama Series ‘Eric’ Loses Its Strings — Netflix Weekly Rankings for May 27-June 2
But J-Lo action film ‘Atlas’ stayed strong in week 2
Netflix to End App Support for Groundbreaking Gen 2 and 3 Apple TV Gadgets
Starting July 31, you will no longer be able to 'Netflix and chill' on Apple TV devices introduced before 2013
Diamond Sports Must Come Up With a 'Very Clear Business Plan No Later Than July,' Judge Rules, as NBA and NHL Express More Concerns
Latest bankruptcy court delay comes amid disclosure that Diamond's Bally Sports empire will lose another $50 million over the next few months ... and there's no end to the Comcast 'impasse' in sight
Roku Makes First Major Hires Under New Ad Chief Jay Askinasi
Former Microsoft and Xandr exec Sarah Harms, and Sal Candela, formerly with Spotify, will assume VP-level roles at Roku
Less for More: Warner Raises the Bill for America's Priciest SVOD, Max
Ad-free version is upped by a dollar to $17 a month
Asia-Pacific Will Control More Than Half of Subscription Streaming Subscribers By 2031, Research Company Says
MiDiA also predicts that global SVOD revenues will expand by an average of 13.3% annually over the next eight years
Chicago's Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox Bolt Comcast-Owned RSN, Launch New Multiplatform Channel With Standard Media Group
Chicago Sports Network will reach ‘expanded Midwest footprint’ with ‘traditional cable providers, streaming services and be available via free, over-the-air broadcast’
Fox News ‘Weaponizes’ Post-Verdict (and Caitlin Clark) Outrage
Also in this week’s ‘Next Text,’ we look for good things that have come out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and we stridently urge 57-year-old Mike Tyson to just retire already
CommScope Beats Out Vecima for Casa’s Cable Tech Business With $45.1 Million Bid
Canada's Vecima Networks had rendered a $20 million ‘stalking horse’ bid back in early April after Casa declared bankruptcy
Zaslav: Warner Is Still a ‘Leader in Sports Around the World’ Without the NBA
Touting European assets like the Olympic Games, the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO sounds like a man moving on from failed NBA TV rights negotiations
Philo Raises Monthly Price for First Time Since 2021
Sports-free virtual pay TV service is now streaming 70 channels for $28 a month, but it is tacking on AMC+ for free
Nearly 60% of Sports Fans Age 18-49 Say They'll 'Likely' Subscribe to Venu Sports
Are legions of youthful consumers ready to sign up for the sports streaming joint venture, regardless of what its price ends up being? We guess it's ... possible ...
Max and Apple TV Plus Have Streaming's Least 'Committed' Customer Bases, Benefit Most From Bundling, Research Company Says
Only 28% of Max's customers have been subscribed to the service for at least six months, Antenna's latest report claims
