Showbiz Sandbox 332: How Cable Companies Will Profit From Cord-Cutting After All
August 22, 2016
We keep hearing that cord-cutting is going to destroy the U.S. cable industry. But SNL Kagan analyst Ian Olgeirson says the economic outlook for the business over the next decade is actually quite solid. Olgeirson joins us to explain how cable companies are turning cord-cutters into more profitable cord-swappers and what that means for their long-term health.
Meanwhile, for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio you didn’t need to have a cable subscription since so much of the action was streamed live online. In fact, while television viewership may not have reached the levels some networks around the world had hoped, a record number of hours were streamed over the Internet from this year’s games.
We also launch a new segment that tells you the one new book worth reading out of the thousands that are published each week, as listed on BookFilter, a book lover’s best friend.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including the dispute over Tom Cruise’s salary for “Mission: Impossible 6”, the power struggle at Viacom nears a resolution and Barbara Streisand tells Apple’s Siri how to pronounce her name properly.
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Ian Olgeirson’s Twitter Account
https://twitter.com/ianolgeirson
comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of August 21, 2016
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-august-21-2016-300316177.html
NBC’s $12 Billion Olympics Bet Stumbles, Thanks to Millennials
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-19/nbc-s-12-billion-olympics-bet-stumbles-thanks-to-millennials
TV Ratings: Rio Games Take Silver with 27.5 Million Average for Competition Coverage
https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/tv-ratings-olympics-rio-27-5-million-average-viewership-1201841815/
TV Ratings: Rio Olympics Hit Low in Final Stretch
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-rio-olympics-hit-921334
France Télévisions’ Olympics Digital Coverage Hits New High
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016082044033/france-televisions-olympics-digital-coverage-hits-new-high.html
Surrender New York on BookFilter
http://bookfilter.com/2016/02/08/surrender-new-york/
Kickstarter Hits a Publishing Milestone
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/71246-kickstarter-hits-a-publishing-milestone.html
J.K. Rowling Announces E-Book Series, ‘Pottermore Presents’
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/business/jk-rowling-announces-e-book-series-pottermore-presents.html
Viacom, Sumner Redstone Close to Deal Ousting CEO Philippe Dauman
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-sumner-redstone-close-deal-920806
Redstone Family Prevails in Fight for Viacom, Philippe Dauman to Exit
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/redstone-family-prevails-fight-viacom-920964
Sumner Redstone’s Granddaughter Challenges Philippe Dauman Settlement
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/sumner-redstone-granddaughter-philippe-dauman-settlement-1201841959/
Frank Ocean Ends His Long Silence With a Variety of Works
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/arts/music/frank-ocean-blonde-endless-review.html
Univision to Buy Gawker Media for $135M
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/univision-buy-gawker-media-135m-920016
Gawker.com to Shut Down Next Week
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/business/media/gawkercom-to-shut-down-next-week.html
BAFTA Relaxes Rules on Video-On-Demand Movies for Film Awards
https://variety.com/2016/film/global/bafta-relaxes-rules-on-video-on-demand-movies-for-film-awards-1201840749/
Barnes & Noble Ousts CEO, Ron Boire
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/71200-barnes-noble-ousts-ceo-ron-boire.html
1999 Rape Case Swirls Around Nate Parker and His Film ‘The Birth of a Nation’
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/movies/nate-parker-rape-case-birth-of-a-nation-film.html
What the Amy Schumer Saga Says About Feminism and Compromises
https://variety.com/2016/tv/opinion/amy-schumer-kurt-metzger-comedy-central-inside-amy-schumer-1201840316/
Barbra Streisand Brings Siri Kvetch Directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook
http://www.thewrap.com/barbra-streisand-siri-apple-tim-cook/
Tom Cruise ‘Mission: Impossible 6’ Pay Dispute Halts Preproduction
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tom-cruise-mission-impossible-6-921148
CAA Book’s Lack of Index Frustrates Hollywood Readers
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/caa-books-lack-index-frustrates-920056
Next 10 Years Look Upbeat for the U.S. Cable Industry
https://www.spcapitaliq.com/our-thinking/newsroom/next-10-years-look-upbeat-for-the-u-s-cable-industry
Promising Next Ten Years for US Cable Industry but Video Fears Persist
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016081243958/promising-next-ten-years-for-us-cable-industry-but-video-fears-persist.html
Leading US MVPDs Lose 705,000 Subscribers Over Past Four Quarters
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016081443965/leading-us-mvpds-lose-705-000-subscribers-over-past-four-quarters.html
Apparently Showbiz Sandbox is the only media outlet that can do math. While everyone else laments that the Rio Olympics ratings were down from London, we pointed out the obvious: London was the highest rated overseas Olympics in history. So it was very likely that Rio would be “down” — that is, the second highest overseas Olympics in history. Plus we talk cord cutting with a top analyst. You may lower your pay TV bill but guess what? They’re raising your broadband fee.