How TV Creators are Celebrating Women’s History Month
The start of March marks the beginning of Women's History Month, and television creators are proudly showcasing specials, shows, segments and content that not only spotlight women's achievements, but that also spur discussions on advancing gender equality. As the month unravels, we'll check back again to highlight unique projects that pay tribute to women, and to gather insights on gender diversity in the internet and television workforce. But first, check out the following initiatives that our member companies have launched to get the celebration started: Smithsonian Channel will premiere two
What Will Internet Video Usage be In 2020?
We've written quite a bit about how the internet will continue to expand immensely over the next several years. New and improved platforms for virtual reality, augmented reality, 4K TV and gaming are all in the works. So it's no surprise then that internet video will dominate digital spaces and become the primary medium that serves our entertainment, business, communication and personal needs. As we enter this new era, Cisco's Visual Networking Index 2015-2020 data gives us a closer look at a few of the key predictions that speak to how big of a role video will play in our internet usage. And
Hollywood Creative Forum: Inspiring and Promoting Diversity in Film and Television
The 8th annual Hollywood Creative Forum, hosted by the Walter Kaitz Foundation, kicked off yesterday in Beverly Hills as leading content creators of color in the film and television business congregated to hear about the latest on diversity and inclusion in the industry and to share expertise on how to get ahead in the programming world. The speakers, moderators and panelists throughout the two-day event, who spoke about topics ranging from storytelling techniques, the viewing patterns of African-American millennials, family and children’s entertainment, to the making of a television show
Hollywood Creative Forum Springboards Diverse Talent into the Business
The Hollywood Creative Forum (HCF) is just around the corner, and veterans of the film and television industry are getting ready to descend on Beverly Hills on February 21-22. Hosted by the Walter Kaitz Foundation, the two-day packed event full of luncheons, panels, meet-and-greets and one-on-ones is dedicated to fostering diversity and business intelligence within the industry, and has become a staple in the media and entertainment world for people of color since its start eight years ago. As we await this year’s HCF, we took some time to speak with past attendees about the influence the
The State of TV Everywhere in America in 2017
Over the last few weeks, we’ve done status checks on America’s internet connectivity and speeds and on premium television. This week, we’re doing an assessment of TV Everywhere and TV apps. The rise of connected-devices and improved broadband access over the past several years has paved the way for a whole new way of watching television. Pay TV providers are offering TV Everywhere services, programming apps, and exclusive online content making TV more than just a living room activity, but an anywhere, anytime experience. Innovators and creators have streamlined and simplified the TV Everywhere
Honoring Black History Month on Television
Black History Month launched earlier this week and with it comes a line-up of special programming on premium television that pays tribute to African-American history and culture. In the past couple of years especially, we have seen new channels and avenues pop up on pay TV that are dedicated to exploring the role that African-American culture plays in shaping our society and the course of current events. Black History Month is the perfect time for television and media to remind us how important it is to continue to encourage, support, and amplify the African-American voice in our communities
The State of Premium Television in America in 2017
Last week we did a status check on the state of America’s internet connectivity and speeds. What we found was that millions of consumers are benefiting from the increasingly fast and reliable internet connections that ISPs have been delivering for nearly two decades. This week, we took a look at the state of premium television, a term that describes all of the award-winning content that pay TV networks produce. And we found similar strides that have made premium TV programming the best in the world. From Emmy-award winning shows to the breakthrough programming of new independent networks to
Turner Takes on eSports in a Big Way
Packed stadiums. Thrilling matches. World-class players. Chanting spectators. No, this isn’t the World Cup or the Olympics. We are talking about eSports, or in other words, professional competitive video gaming, and it’s been catching CES attendees and the mainstream media by storm here in Las Vegas this week. But first, an introduction for the newbies. In eSports, professional video gamers play each other live at venues like Madison Square Garden, and fans shell out big bucks to watch. And now, just like traditional sports dominate television screens in every household, eSports has found a
How CES 2017 is Proving VR Won’t Go the Way of 3D TV
At the massive Las Vegas Convention Center, centered in one of the enormous cardinal halls, is collected most of the virtual reality and augmented reality technology at CES 2017. It makes sense that they share space because the technologies that run them and their primary consumer applications are so similar. But this section isn’t called Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality or VR & AR. It’s called Gaming & Virtual Reality. And this tells you everything you need to know about VR at CES and why the future of virtual reality is so completely different from that of 3D television. Home 3D
Number of Original Scripted TV Series Reaches All Time High
If you’re like me, the end of the year means eagerly reading every “best of” list you can get your hands on. This probably also results in your “must watch” list tripling in length. That list might get even longer than usual this year. According to new figures released by FX Networks Research, the number of scripted original series in 2016 reached a record high of 455. That’s up from 421 scripted original series in 2015 and 389 the year before that. This increase surely speaks to the transformation in how we watch and engage with television. Shows compete for a place in our queues, not just