GET FITTED FOR A FINAL BIO-HAZARD SUIT AMC released the premiere date for the final season of its thrilling meth-drama BREAKING BAD for July 15th. The peculiar–and maddening–aspect of this final season is that the network will split the season: eight episodes this summer followed by the final eight NEXT summer. I know the network is trying to max out the series, but if feels like they are doing a disservice to the fans and the creativity of the show. If anything, start Part 2 alongside the premiere of THE WALKING DEAD in the fall for super Sunday doubleheader.
SPEAKING OF THE WALKING DEAD The second season in totality was mehh with the story stuck in the muddy trenches of a farm and the characters bickering way too much with little results… until the final two episodes. The series injected some much needed energy and one way it acheived it was by debuting–although for roughly three seconds–the mysterious draped character with a couple of zombie pets. This is Michone and we get a better sneak peak here.
NBC TO TELEVISE THE OLYMPICS! We knew this already, but the network announced that it will be celebrating the amateur sporting athletes by televising an unprecedented 5,535 hours across all KableTown/ Universal/ Comcast properties (NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo and at NBCOlympics.com) during the two week event. NBC may have finally heard the complaints from viewers that we now live during the Internet Age and that packaged and tape-delayed events are useless when anyone with an Internet connection can get live results. The mothership alone will televise 272 hours on broadcast (also a record for the Olympic coverage).
“TIME WARNER CABLE HEAD SIDES WITH TV NETWORKS OVER AD-ERASING TECHNOLOGY” From the NYT, regarding Dish Networks new option, Auto Hop, that can erase ads while DVRing:
“I don’t think we want to destroy one of those revenue streams,” Mr. Britt said at a cable industry conference here.
Translation: don’t expect Time Warner Cable to make something like Auto Hop available to its customers anytime soon.
TO THE FAN CAVE! In its second season, MLB’s The Fan Cave, a space carved out in Manhattan with nine “dwellers” who are charged to watch EVERY MLB game throughout the season, has become more than just a marketing gimmick: it’s a content and social media generating hub. What I like about this is the fact that the league was able to get the program “fully integrated with MLB’s broadcast partners, with FOX, ESPN, TBS and MLB Network regularly featuring content from the Fan Cave and using it as a conduit for reaching fans via social media.” A great interview with an MLB exec, too.
