Al Jazeera America and Fox Sports Were the Best Among Nine New Networks in 2013

Throw in digital video recorders in more than half the viewing households of this nation the rebound of videoondemand as a TV essential to the tune of more than 10 billion views this year and the rollout of ultra highdefinition or close sets and you39ve got yourself one memorable yearAmid all this it39s easy to forget we had the most TV network launches and relaunches in a great while during the second half of 2013 It was almost a throwback to the early 1980s when a cable service premiered every month or felt like it How is this new generation of networks doing Here39s a capsule summary along with a grade of Jacks based on their performance so far Keep in mind these grades are on performance to date not judgments on how these channels will make out next year As with our upfront presentation scores the Jacks range from 15 with 5 being the best5 Jacks Excellent4 Jacks Very Good3 Jacks Good2 Jacks Fair1 Jack Poor0 Jacks Worse than badONE AMERICA NEWS NETWORKLaunch JulyOwner Herring BroadcastingWashington TimesGenre AllNewsStatus So Far Hard to tell because the channel so far is doing little publicity on its own behalf It has picked up cable system and overbuilder clearances among mostly smallmidsize markets2014 Objectives Get attention for its news coverage especially if it gets an exclusive development Be more public about its format viewer and advertiser appeal Line up affiliates in major citiesGrade 2 12 JacksPIVOTLaunch AugustOwner Participant MediaGenre General entertainmentinformation targeting millennialsStatus So Far Strong circulation with more than 45 million households thanks to affiliate assets of former indie nets Halogen and Documentary Channel Kicked off with scripted dramedy Please Like Me running all six episodes opening night the bestkept secret of this launch bunch Please is landing on many top 10 best seriesbest new series critic lists Nonfiction series Jersey Strong also won raves More under the radar nightly TakePark Live series at midnight2014 Objectives Show millennials are watching the network while carrying out promise to connect affiliates with grassroots public service campaigns that motivate viewership Increase the variety of original content Early shows to watch HitRecord On TV the nextgen variety series from actorWeb sensation Joseph GordonLevitt and Will a scripted drama about the young William Shakespeare from screenwriter Craig Pearce Moulin RougeThe Great GatsbyGrade 4 JacksFOX SPORTS 1 and 2Launch AugustOwner Fox Networks21stCenturyFoxGenre SportsStatus So Far Takeover of Speed gave potential competitor to ESPN etc big affiliate base off the bat Adopted theme night approach as in college basketball Tuesdays UFCbrand combat sport Wednesdays and so forth capped by nightly Fox Sports Live Solid coverage quality throughout Some programs including the Regis Philbinhosted Crowd Goes Wild are still in a period of working out their style or content kinks Early ratings and advertiser support promising several events getting upwards of 500000 viewers2014 Objectives Build up the event lineup viewership and advertiser support Major League Baseball coverage begins next spring Make that as distinctive as possible Have more nonevent series that generate buzzGrade 45 JacksAL JAZEERA AMERICALaunch AugustOwner Al JazeeraGenre AllNewsStatus So Far Ending year with more than 50 millionplus households thanks to Current TV takeover and Time Warner Cable carriage in New York Los Angeles and other key cities earlier this month News coverage and presentation way beyond initial expectations thanks to great diverse journalistic talent assembled under former ABC News executive Kate O39Brien America Tonight gaining attention as solid nightly newsmagazine up there with its peers National advertising slim despite appeal of fewer ad breaks per hour than the majority of other TV networks2014 Objectives Convince viewers and advertisers that AJA is due respect on its own not denied because of ongoing impression among the media world that parent Al Jazeera is antiAmerican Increase time and resources for more US coverage plus excel in news exclusivesGrade 45 JacksFXXLaunch SeptemberOwner FX Networks21stCenturyFoxGenre EntertainmentStatus So Far Has widespread circulation thanks to conversion of Fox Soccer Channel and other services Move of FX39s comedy series to the network It39s Always Sunny In Philadelphia The League etc has resulted in lower ratings to this point Acclaimed latenight series Totally Biased With W Kamau Bell canned two months after expanding to nightly from weekly on FX Planned original animated comedy Chozen will leap and premiere on FX early 20142014 Objectives Determine focus of original content allcomedy or mix of comedydramaminiseries and limited series Once set make that clear to viewers advertisers and the press alike Create at least one successful original seriesGrade 3 JacksESQUIRE NETWORKLaunch September reset from AprilOwner NBC Universal in partnership with Esquire magazineGenre Nonfiction targeting menStatus So Far Curveball close to premiere converting Style instead of G4 as initially planned That threw some potential viewers off course making it tough to find the service No word yet on how the first set of original series have done although The Getaway its celebrity travel series has picked up some press attention The initial lineup is eclectic incorporating early eve replays of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and offStarz fave Party Down2014 Objectives Come through with a number of buzzworthy originals perhaps with a move into scripted series Tie in with Fallon39s move to The Tonight Show or Seth Meyers checking into Late Night this coming February in some fashion Side questions for parent NBC Universal What39s the future of G4 What39s the future for Style39s notable originals Jerseylicious Big Rich Texas etc and the ambitious series they had in play Rihanna39s Style to Rock and the Lifestyles of the Rich ampamp Famous revivalGrade 3 JacksFUSIONLaunch OctoberOwner ABC NewsUnivisionGenre Newsinformation targeting millennialsStatus So Far Big buzz at and postlaunch thanks to flawless opening day simulcast of ABC39s Good Morning America and Univision39s Despierta America morning shows to highlight the network and its morning show team and the opening night President Obama interview Alicia Melendez winning fans for her daily program and Jorge Ramos39 primetime hour is getting more than a fair share of newsmaker interviews Solid early advertiser support but little news over how the more irreverent and experimental aspects of the channel are doing2014 Objectives Finetune the network39s overall mission build new series on that base and give the experimental series already on more time to gain an audience As with Pivot prove the millennials are watching Indeed Pivot and Univision have a multiepisode series on millennial Latinos scheduled for 2014 Do more joint projects with ABC and Univision39s family of networks to attract attentionGrade 4 JacksREVOLTLaunch OctoberOwner IndependentSean CombsGenre Music newsentertainmentStatus So Far Big majormarket coverage from Comcast and Time Warner Cable Two months in very little about the network39s programming has been covered extensively While top management led by chief executive Keith Clinkscales made the rounds of industry conferences the public relations at postlaunch came off miniscule Where was the publicity for Grammywinner Mary J Blige39s original Christmas concert special2014 Objectives Promote promote promote all over the place as more original programming starts up Break more new talent in Keep up the network39s experimental nature Aside May be a great natural home for scripted depictions of the music worldGrade 4 Jacks for the network 2 Jacks for the publicity effortamp160EL REY NETWORKLaunch December yet to be confirmed at presstimeOwner Robert RodriguezFactoryMade Ventures Univision has a minor equity investmentGenre General entertainmentnonfictionsportsStatus So Far Can39t tell yet because there39s been no confirmation of the launch happening December 15 as first publicized and no information on the programming schedule Comcast and Time Warner Cable on board with most of their systems and General Motors is the first major advertiser under a oneyear deal that factors in branded content and product placement The channel is drawing enormous buzz for Rodriguez39s short and longterm ambitions here Short put on a maleoriented service that highlights Latinos and the next wave of Latino creative talent Long Turn El Rey into a family of networks in the manner of ESPNNickelodeonHBO etc with separate channels catering to men women and family audiences2014 Objectives Meet audience expectations for a dynamic Latinomillennialdrawing service starting with the series adaptation of Rodriguez39s movie hit From Dusk 39Til Dawn Build a pipeline through which Latino filmmakersvideomakers can push original series on a recurring basis Stimulate more sponsorships in the GM mannerGrade IncompleteEnjoy the rest of your 2013 then partake in an evenmore memorable 2014Until the next time stay well and stay tunedThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Al Jazeera America and Fox Sports Were the Best Among Nine New Networks in 2013

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Al Jazeera America and Fox Sports Were the Best Among Nine New Networks in 2013

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