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NIELSEN RATINGS REVAMPED

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Nielsen has been a TV god. From the dawn of the TV industry, the Nielsen Ratings were its gold standard of performance measures. They served electronic media whose programming and personnel decisions had previously been combinations of guesswork and voodoo. For an industry rife with superstition, the Nielsen system was the closest thing to science.

Like the Word of God from Mt. Sinai, the system’s judgements were absolute- and beyond appeal. Actors, talk show hosts, programming directors, and ad buyers lived or died by them. The ratings conferred wealth and fame for some; career death, financial ruin, and highly dreaded obscurity on others. Nobody in TV or advertising could afford to ignore the ratings.

The system is a dramatic improvement on all that came before. It’s far from perfect, though. Survey samples are skewed. In part, this is because participation is voluntary, and participants know they’re being surveyed. And the samples have always been small. In the beginning, the sample was only a few thousand households. Though Nielsen enlarges it once in a while, as late as November 2015 it was only 25, 000. It is now about 100,000.

The system worked well enough when only four networks (including PBS) competed for viewers. It became less reliable with cable channels multiplying, and the need for precision was greater than ever.

Other developments undermined the rating system. Viewers often ‘time-shifted’ their viewing with DVRs. With ever more viewers watching on tablets and smart phones, many were beyond the reach of the Nielsen system. TV also has to compete with internet browsers. The browsers track user interests and buying habits- and adapt targeted ads for them. Legacy TV systems couldn’t keep up.

The Nielsen Rating System was in danger of becoming obsolete. To survive, it needed to be revamped– dramatically and quickly.

Last month, AT&T stepped into the matter. The telecom forged a multi-year agreement with Nielsen to provide anonymous viewer data from DirecTV and U-Verse receivers and streaming apps. The new system will provide instantaneous data from more than 25 million subscribers, so it will be many times more accurate than the previous one.

A few months ago, Dish Network signed a similar contract with Nielsen.

For the first time, all concerned will truly understand what viewers want to watch. The difference will be especially dramatic for data from rural and less populous suburban areas, for which data from the original Nielsen system was especially erratic. It will be easier to track the performance of regional or specialty channels that currently attract limited audiences. And the new system will more easily detect when a specialty channel has potential to break into the mainstream.

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VUDU FREE-TO-VIEWER AD-SUPPORTED TV

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As if cable and satellite TV systems weren’t under extreme competitive pressure already, now Wal-Mart is breathing down their necks. The nation’s largest retailer owns VUDU, a streaming video platform that is rolling out an ad-supported free-to-the-viewer movie service.

VUDU currently charges $3.99 for a 1080p movie download. Through its new “Movies On Us” feature, the downloads will be free to the viewer, provided he’s willing to sit through commercials

The first of the ad-supported movie downloads include True Grit (the 2010 remake starring Jeff Bridges), and School of Rock, starring Jack Black. VUDU is promoting both titles heavily.

For any movie title, VUDU will offer the choice of renting it, buying it, or streaming the “Free with Ads” version. Some of the rental and purchase options are available in 4K or Ultra HD.

Jeremy Verba, VUDU’s general manager, said, “This new service provides value for customers who want movies and TV for free, when and how they wish to watch, without sacrificing quality.”

The streaming video market is getting ever more crowded. Last year, Dish Network launched Sling TV, a multichannel streaming VOD service. AT&T has signed carriage contracts for more then 100 channels for its DirecTV Now platform, to be launched by the year’s end. Turner Networks has been working on its own streaming VOD (video on demand) platform, FilmStruck. It’s unveiling has been delayed until November, though, because of a series of technical glitches. Comcast has conducted consumer tests of its TV everywhere VOD service. PlayStation Vue, originally a gaming platform, has has moved into streaming TV.

(For advice about any TV or internet service, talk to us. We can compare all providers and plans available in your neighborhood. Then order any service with just one phone call)

 

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Sling TV’s Multiple-Stream TV Service

Dish Network launched Sling TV, its dedicated streaming video platform, early last year. It was a revolutionary idea for the often-complacent pay TV industry. A satellite system operator was offering a semi-independent internet video streaming service. The customer would not need the customary contract, would not have to sign a long-term commitment, and would not have to schedule an installation. The customer would not need a satellite dish or a dedicated TV set-top box.

Sling TV could be streamed to a wide variety of devices. These include Mac and PC computers, iOS and Android tablets and phones, almost every dedicated video streamer, and several gaming consoles. There are very electronic devices Sling TV will not support.

In other respects, Sling TV would resemble a conventional cable or satellite TV service. It would carry multiple channels in its core package, including major commercial broadcast stations. The basic channel package would be much smaller than the typical pay TV package, though, and would cost much less.

If there was any major drawback with Sling TV, it’s that it was limited to one stream per household. On Wednesday, April 13, Dish addressed the matter with a new ‘multi-stream’ service (now in beta tests).  The customer will be able to stream it to up to three devices at a time. At its launch, the multi-stream selection in the basic package was limited to a few FOX networks: Fox Sports, FX, and National Geographic. Optional premium channels available in multiple streams include A&E, AMC, EPIX, HBO, Scripps, Turner, and Univision.

The channel selection available for multiple streams is likely to expand over time. Dish Network is negotiating with content providers, and expects to offer a far more channel options within a few months.

The basic twenty-three channel Sling TV package sells for just $20.00 per month. Several optional ‘Extra’ programming packages are available for $5.00 per month each.

One average, TV bills for Sling TV customers are about half the size of cable bills.

(For any internet video streaming service, you need a good broadband connection. Talk to us. We can help.)

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PAY TV’S WEB REVOLUTION

The Federal Government wants to require cable and satellite TV service providers to ‘unlock’ their set-top boxes.  Under an ‘open-source’ standard, if you want to drop one provider’s service, you can use the box you already have for a new provider’s service. You don’t have to buy or lease a new box.

Some pay TV system operators are saying that the box will soon be obsolete, anyway. They say that changing the technical standards for set-top boxes will be futile. It is an unnecessary expense, they say, and may even be counterproductive, since almost all TV content will soon be streamed over the internet.

Last year, Dish Network demonstrated the market power of  a dedicated multichannel web streaming platform with Sling TV. The new service has been popular, and now has more than 600, 000 subscribers. Sling TV carried just seventeen channels at its launch, but now carries more than sixty, including premium movie channels. Its basic twenty-three channel package sells for just $20.00 per month.

Other pay TV providers, observing Sling TV’s success, have entered the internet video streaming market. Verizon Wireless has pursued the mobile market aggressively with its Go90 platform. Comcast has tested its XFinity Stream IP TV service in selected markets, for the purpose of bringing broadband users who aren’t pay TV customers into its TV System. Time Warner Cable has tested TWC TV, an internet-only TV bundle, in New York City. For now, only TWC’s broadband customers can get TWC TV, but the company wants to offer it to others soon. Sony’s PlayStation, once strictly a gaming console, now handles streaming video with the Vue upgrade.

More vendors will follow. Within two or three years, the set-top box is likely to become a relic of the past, as almost all multichannel video service providers will be streaming their content over the internet.

(For streaming video, you need the right internet connection. Talk to us. We can help.)

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TV EVERYWHERE

With your HughesNet service, you’ll have expanded options for TV viewing. With the ability to stream video via the internet, you are not limited to the programming choices or bundles offered by cable and satellite TV systems.

TV Everywhere is an industry term for streaming video services that don’t require conventional cable boxes or satellite dishes. It’s also known as authenticated streaming or authenticated video-on-demand. For most such services, you won’t need to have any equipment installed, and for some, you won’t have to sign any long term contracts. Access to programming is through an authentication code you enter on your device.

The pay TV industry developed TV Everywhere to answer the competitive challenge posed by streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

TV Everywhere offers flexibility in viewing platforms. Most TVE applications are compatible with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Mac and PC computers, Roku, PlayStation, XBox One, Apple TV, and Chromecast devices.

Most TVE services are additions to conventional cable or satellite TV subscriptions. Last February, though, Dish Network launched Sling TV, an independent web-streaming-only platform. Sling TV customers don’t have to sign any long term contracts, can pay on a month-to-month basis, and don’t need Dish Network dishes or receivers. Most programming packages are light on the wallet. The core Sling TV package of 23 channels costs just $20.00 per month.

Since then, some cable system operators are considering offering similar products. Comcast and Verizon have tested separate streaming apps in some markets. Use of these apps does not require the standard cable TV subscription, though Comcast’s streaming service is available only to its broadband subscribers.

As a rule, streaming video services cost much less than cable or satellite TV subscriptions. This is mainly because their channel bundles are usually much smaller. You will need to research TVE providers, though, to be sure you save money- and that you’re getting the channels you want.

(For access to TV Everywhere or other internet services, talk to us.)