MediaFile

Talking heads block Al-Jazeera TV in U.S.-Zucker

Millions of Americans have turned to Al-Jazeera for coverage of the crisis in Egypt, but for the vast majority, that has meant turning to the Internet rather than their televisions.

Why? Former NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker has a theory — U.S. cable operators are afraid of the talk show backlash that would result if they carried the channel, viewed by some as having an anti-American bias.

“Some people would attack some of the distributors like Comcast and others who would carry it for being un-American for carrying Al-Jazeera,” said Zucker, who stepped down as CEO of NBC at the end of January when General Electric Co closed on its sale of a majority stake in the media operation to Comcast Corp. “That’s part of what the problem is, which is incredibly unfortunate.”

Al-Jazeera says some 3.5 million U.S. viewers have turned to its live Web feed since Egyptians took to the streets to call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled that country for three decades.

During an hour-long talk on the state of the media at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zucker discussed the rivalry between NBC’s cable news channel MSNBC, which has carved out a left-leaning niche, and its main rival News Corp’s Fox News Channel, on the right.

But Zucker wouldn’t go so far as point the finger of blame at the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox operation.

“One of the unfortunate things is that some of these channels we’ve been talking about would go after some of those distributors if they were to put Al-Jazeera on,” Zucker said. “That’s part of what’s behind this.”

Former NBC chief Jeff Zucker has a theory why U.S. cable operators don't carry Al-Jazeera -- that they're afraid of being called un-American. Join Discussion

NBC Universal creates new sports marketing agency

It’s no secret that sports has been the brightest star of broadcast television lately. It pulls big audiences, and those viewers watch live — a combination that advertisers drool over.  So NBC Universal figured it was high time to make the most of its sports assets — soon to be coupled with those of Comcast – and today announced the creation of “NBC Sports Agency.”

The purpose of the group is to market NBC Sports, whether it’s their coverage of hockey, football, horse racing or the Olympics, and produce campaigns for advertisers or league partners like the NFL or the NHL. John Miller, credited for coming up with the “Must See TV” campaign for NBC’s primetime, will head up the effort. Many industry watchers had predicted that Comcast’s take over of NBC would see a push for more competition for sports rights with Disney’s ESPN powerhouse. Let the battle commence.

Here’s a video of Miller on his new role.

 

It's no secret that sports has been the brightest star of broadcast television lately. It pulls big audiences, and those viewers watch live -- a combination that advertisers drool over. So NBC Universal figured it was high time to make the most of its sports assets -- soon to be coupled with those of Comcast -- and today announced the creation of "NBC Sports Agency." Join Discussion

Relief in Philadelpia? NBCU profit up 13 percent

NBC Universal’s quarterly results — still wrapped into the General Electric numbers — should have some of the folks down in Philadelphia smiling this weekend. The numbers didn’t set the world on fire, but both profit and revenue showed improvement thanks to (what else) the cable division.

Overall, NBCU’s quarterly profit rose 13 percent to $607 million. Revenue climbed 5 percent to $3.75 billion.

Keith Sherin, GE’s finance chief, credited Jeff Zucker with delivering what he called “a strong performance” and said the regulatory review of the sale to Comcast “is progressing as expected.”

A closer look at NBCU’s numbers showed cable revenue rose 7 percent, fueled by USA, Bravo, Oxygen and CNBC, compared to broadcast revenue that was only up by 1 percent (hardly a surprise to Comcast, one would imagine).

“You know, the ratings are down in the summer for all the networks, but we were off to a pretty good start,” Sherin said on a conference call with analysts. “We’ve got the number-one show with ‘America’s Got Talent.’ The development that we have invested in was well received and probably one of the biggest highlights in the quarter was the upfront.”

Oh, and as for Jay Leno — the leading man in a drama that both GE and Comcast would rather forget — Sherin noted his late-night show is once more leading the pack, “so that feels pretty good.”

NBC Universal's quarterly results -- still wrapped into the General Electric numbers -- should have some of the folks down in Philadelphia smiling this weekend. Join Discussion

Sun Valley: Jane Goodall and the primary primates

It’s day three of the Sun Valley media conference and the event has started to feel like a Jane Goodall documentary, in which we’re Jane and the moguls are the apes who have become comfortable letting us observe and record their movements. Several media executives groggily making their way to the morning’s first session (scheduled to kick off at 7:30), stopped to chat with the throng of press waiting to greet them.

Liberty Media Chairman John Malone voiced concerns about the economy for nearly 10 minutes while NBC’s Jeff Zucker, who once warned of the risks to media companies of trading analog dollars for digital pennies and later upped the exchange rate to dimes, posited the idea that the media industry was now within reach of collecting digital quarters. It’s change we can believe in.

Later on Thursday, Google’s chief executive Eric Schmidt (who for reasons unknown has been toting a camera with a beefy zoom lens throughout the event, even after-hours at the bar on Wednesday evening) will hold his traditional Sun Valley press roundtable, possibly with co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who are here.

As for Steve Jobs, it appears that he is a no-show.

And while hoops superstar Lebron James mingled with the executives at Sun Valley last year, he will probably end up overshadowing the gathering of media bigwigs from afar this year when he announces his choice of a new home team on Thursday night.

(John Malone does his media thing at Sun Valley. Photo: Reuters)

It’s day three of the Sun Valley media conference and the event has started to feel like a Jane Goodall documentary, in which we're Jane and the moguls are the gorillas who have become comfortable letting us observe and record their movements. Join Discussion

That NBC: so green and so healthy

For those of you annoyed by NBC Universal’s “Green Week” — that stretch when the company’s peacock logo turns an irritating shade of green and its programs carry some sort of tortured green storyline — then you may want to stop reading right here. But for those of you who love the idea, here’s some news: NBC Universal is coming back with another Green Week in November and this time it will be running a TV special called “Harmony” featuring The Prince of Wales.

It’s also decided that not only do we viewers need to take better care of our planet, we need to take a little better care of ourselves. So it has also decided to launch “Healthy Week.”  Here’s how NBC Universal described the effort, which kicks off on June 21:

Similar to NBCU’s successful “Green Weeks,” numerous online and on-air NBCU brands will go “healthy” for the week, focusing on the topics of nutritional literacy and fitness, joining a major national cultural conversation on this topic around personal health, healthcare, diet, fitness, and childcare.

NBC Universal announced the initiatives during a luncheon at 30 Rock that included a panel discussion featuring four top marketing executives: Peggy Green of Zenith, Seth Greenberg of  Turbo Tax, Nancy Smith of American Express and Chris Vollmer of Booze & Co.

While the discussion was interesting, the highlight came with the introduction of the panel’s moderator, Donny Deutsch. Yeah, the same Donny Deutsch whose weeklong anchoring gig on MSNBC was hastily yanked last week.

“It’s great to be here,” Deutsch said as he was handed the microphone. “Uh, it’s great to be back in the building.”

For those of you annoyed by NBC Universal's "Green Week" -- that stretch when the company's peacock logo turns an irritating shade of green and its programs carry some sort of tortured green storyline -- then you may want to stop reading right here. Join Discussion

Hulu to charge? It’s getting closer…

Everybody loves free. But free has a price. And that price might just be $9.95 a month, according to The Los Angeles Times,  which writes that Hulu, the second most popular video site in the U.S, will soon start charging for a premium version of its site called Hulu Plus. We haven’t been able to confirm the details yet (Hulu’s staffers are sticking to the ol’ decline to comment). But rumors of premium version of Hulu have been doing the rounds for the last year. Back in October an NBC executive said the company was experimenting with various business models, including subscription content.

Let’s also not forget Hulu is soon to be a third owned by Comcast (through its ongoing acquisition of NBC) — which is not known for giving video programming away for free. Its other parents, News Corp and Disney, also aren’t known for their charity in the video programming business.

And it’s not just Hulu, YouTube has also started to experiment with pricing models and has indicated it would be open to subscription models if its content partners asked for it.

Still, how will consumers feel about paying to watch their favorite shows online? And is there any chance a premium Hulu, when it becomes partly owned by a cable company, will undermine the TV Everywhere project? TV Everywhere offers ‘free’ online TV if you’re already a paying cable subscriber.

And, hey, $9.95 is a lot less than the average $60 most cable companies charge for a standard cable video package.

We knew the day was coming... The Los Angeles Times writes that Hulu, the second most popular video site in the U.S, will soon start charging for a premium version of its site called Hulu Plus. Join Discussion

UPDATE: Everybody loves Steve Burke, even Warren Buffett

When news of Comcast’s bid for NBC Universal broke on Sept 30 most of the spotlight focused on Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts.

But as the weeks dragged on, some of that spotlight began to shine on his number 2, Stephen Burke, chief operating officer and a former senior Disney executive.

As we now know since the deal was confirmed on Dec 3, NBC Universal’s top brass will report to Burke, making him (once you count the 24 million subscribers he also oversees) one of the most powerful men in TV.

Now, as if he won’t be busy enough taking drape measurements at 30 Rock, Burke has added another feather to his cap. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said this morning that he will join the board.

While it may be sign that Buffett is opening up his board to outsiders, it’s also a sign that Burke has become a force to be reckoned with in the corporate world. He already serves on the board of JP Morgan, which as you might recall had a lot to do with engineering the NBC deal — JPMorgan was the banker for NBC parent General Electric.

How powerful is Burke? Well even his minions-to-be can’t get enough of him. A CNBC reporter said this morning in response to the news of his Berkshire appointment, that Burke is “a very handsome man.”

UPDATE: Since we issued our original post, Comcast put out a regulatory filing stating Burke’s contract has been extended for another five years to Dec 2014. The new contract “acknowledges his substantially increased responsibilities.”

Comcast's Steve Burke is powerful, connected and, according to one of his many employees, pretty handsome. Join Discussion

Zucker praises Comcast; but will it be a good fit?

When it comes to the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, one of the big stories over the coming year will center on corporate culture. Maybe too much is made of this, maybe different cultures had nothing to do with the disaster that was Time Warner-AOL, for instance. But I doubt it.

Which brings us back to Comcast-NBC Universal. The New York Post got a jump on the culture clash story today, and UBS banker Aryeh Bourkoff followed up on it during an interview with NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker at the UBS Media and Communications Conference.

Asked about his relationship with Comcast’s Brian Roberts and Steve Burke, Zucker said up the following. (Perhaps he’s already figuring out the Comcast culture of bland, family friendly diplomacy).

“I’ve known Brian and Steve prior to this, not as well as I’ve gotten to know them over the last four months,” he said. “I think one of the things that will come out of the next year, which is getting to know everybody personally and professionally; we will get to know each other even better.”

That doesn’t tell us much — and maybe we shouldn’t expect anything else. After all, here’s a CEO who suddenly finds himself with two new, very powerful bosses. What would any of us say? So the best option here seems to be opening the matter up to comment. Will Zucker get along in the new Comcast-NBC Universal? Will he last — and, if so, how long?

When it comes to the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, one of the the big stories over the coming year will center on corporate culture. Maybe too much is made of this, maybe different cultures had nothing to do with the disaster that was Time Warner-AOL, for instance. But I doubt it. Join Discussion

Viacom: Don’t look to us for major dealmaking

After Comcast-NBC Universal, investment bankers are clearly drooling at the thought of some big money wheeling and dealing in the media business. Probably best not to count too heavily on Viacom being a player.

Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, was asked about his company’s interest in acquisitions. His response was less than inspiring if you’re thinking about blockbuster deals:  “I’ll tell you the kind of acquisition we like. We recent bought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for $60 million.”

While Dauman said Viacom would also consider looking at some independent cable networks in the U.S. or overseas, he made it know that “we are not interested in making the big splashy acquisition out there.”

Michael Eisner, who interviewed Dauman, also asked whether Viacom itself could be a takeover target in light of the Comcast-NBC Universal deal. (Recall, both these guys have danced with Comcast. It made a hostile bid for Disney when Eisner was still running the show, and is said to have recently looked at buying Viacom).

To paraphrase Dauman, who put it more diplomatically, Sumner Redstone is not about to sell Viacom to a cable company or anybody else.  It is, after all, the love of his life.

To wrap the whole thing up, somebody asked Eisner and Dauman what Redstone thought of the Comcast deal.

Eisner: You know, I haven’t asked him.

After Comcast-NBC Universal, investment bankers are clearly drooling at the thought of some big money wheeling and dealing in the media business. Probably best not to count too heavily on Viacom being a player. Join Discussion

Comcast, NBC Universal pledge support for local news

Comcast has finally unveiled its formal announcement that it plans to take control of NBC Universal from General Electric. Public interest groups and various U.S. government types have been tutting and clucking over whether this media mega-deal would be against the national interest, and few doubt that Congress and the administration will want to review this plan in loving detail.

To that extent, Comcast released a memo on Thursday outlining its public commitments. There are a bunch in here, but this old-school journalist wants to point out above all else that the company said it’s committed to preserving and enriching “the output of local news, local public affairs and other public interest programming on NBC O&O (“owned and operated”) stations.”

That’s a mighty strong commitment to make. Let’s hope that it doesn’t do what many radio and TV stations have done for years to satisfy their government-mandated public interest requirements and stick all that stuff on the air at 5 a.m. Sunday morning. Also, how much more money will they provide?

Here, meanwhile, are some of the commitments, straight from the memo. Print them out and tape them to your refrigerator so you can hold Comcast’s feet to the fire later if things don’t work out as planned. I marked parts in bold:

• NBC has a proud history in broadcasting with both NBC and Telemundo. Notwithstanding the turbulence in the current media marketplace and the ongoing threats to the business model of a national broadcast network, the combined company remains committed to continuing to provide free over-the-air television through its 0&0 stations and through local broadcast affiliates across the nation. As we negotiate and renew agreements with our broadcast affiliates, we will continue our cooperative dialogue with our affiliates toward a business model to sustain free over-the-air service that can be workable in the evolving economic and technological environment.
• The NBC owned-and-operated broadcast stations (“0&OS “) have a demonstrated record of quality local programming in major markets around the country. Comcast also has demonstrated its commitment to local programming, including sports and public affairs, and in providing support for public, educational, and government (PEG) access programming. We want to use the combined resources of NBC and Comcast to strengthen localism
• We intend to preserve and enrich the output of local news, local public affairs, and other public interest programming on NBC 0&0 stations.
• Since NBCU was acquired by GE in 1986, the owners have abided by a policy (summarized in a filing with the FCC) of ensuring that the content of NBC’s news and public affairs programming would not be influenced by the non-media interests of General Electric. The combined company will continue these policies with respect to the news programming organizations of all NBCU networks and stations, and will extend these policies to the potential influence of each of the owners. To ensure such independence, the combined companies will continue in effect the position and authority of the NBC News ombudsman to address any issues that may arise.
• Comcast and NBCU have strong track records in children’s programming and children’s issues. The combined company will make an expanded commitment to meeting the viewing needs of children, and the needs of parents to better control their family’s viewing.
• We reaffirm our commitment to provide clear and understandable on-screen TV Ratings information for all covered programming across all networks (broadcast and cable) of the combined company.
• We intend to expand the availability of over-the-air programming to the Hispanic community utilizing a portion of the digital broadcast spectrum of the Telemundo O&O’s (as well as offering it to Telemundo affiliates) to enhance the current programming of Tel em undo and Mun2.
• As a cable operator, Comcast is committed to dealing fairly with all non-affiliated video programmers with whom we do business, and to promoting program diversity. Nearly six out of every seven channels carried by Comcast Cable systems will still be networks unaffiliated with Comcast upon the completion of this transaction.
• We plan to honor all of NBCU’s collective bargaining agreements. We respect NBCU’s existing labor-management relationships and expect them to continue following the closing of this transaction.

Comcast is willing to make a ton of commitments to the public interest to make sure the U.S. government lets it take control of NBC Universal. Among them: preserving and enriching local news. Can they stick to the script? Join Discussion