Nielsen: Americans'
TV habit is growing
Other shorts: Letterman defendant: Please toss this case
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 11, 2009
Nielsen: Americans' TV habit is growing
The TV landscape is as fragmented as ever, leading to lower viewership for most broadcast networks but more TV watching overall as viewers sample more and more alternatives. During the 2008-’09 season Americans watched TV for an average of four hours and 49 minutes each day, an all-time high and up four minutes from the previous year, according to Nielsen. Households watched an average of eight hours and 21 minutes per day, also an all-time high and up three minutes from last year. The numbers include live viewing plus DVR playback within seven days. Nielsen attributes the increases to a number of factors, including more TV sets in the home, more channels and content to choose from, and increased DVR use. As for primetime viewing, the average person watched one hour and 12 minutes per day, flat to last year. Household primetime viewing was actually down a tick from last year, from just over one hour and 53 minutes to around one hour and 52 minutes.
Letterman defendant: Please toss this case
The alleged blackmail scheme targeting David Letterman wasn't an extortion attempt but rather a big misunderstanding, according to the defendant's lawyer. Robert J. "Joe" Halderman appeared in a New York court yesterday, asking the judge to dismiss an attempted first-degree larceny charge based on the claim that Halderman's request for $2 million was a commercial transaction, not a blackmail scheme. Halderman's attorney said the "48 Hours" producer was aggressively selling Letterman a screenplay based on the late-night talk show host's dalliances with his staff over the years, which Letterman confessed to during a monologue on his show last month. Halderman deposited a phony check from Letterman as part of a prosecutorial sting after allegedly leaving a package in the talk show host's car outlining his proposed screenplay and including evidence of the Letterman affairs. Letterman's lawyer said yesterday that Halderman was not engaging in a commercial transaction but rather attempting to extort the No. 1 late-night host.
Poll: Walling off sites will hurt newspapers
It's hardly scientific, but it's certainly interesting. A poll conducted by the varied blogs at Mediabistro.com finds that the vast majority think it would be a mistake for newspapers to start ducking behind pay walls. The poll asked, "Do you think paywalls will save newspapers?" The majority of respondents, 65 percent, answered, "No, in fact it'll be the beginning of the end as readers flee to other free sources." Twenty percent chose, "No, it'll generate some revenue but won't make a meaningful difference," and 12 percent chose, "Yes, making readers pay will generate the revenue newspapers need to stay afloat." The paywall quandary has been making news over recent months, as News Corp. prepares to wall off its papers and the New York Times ponders its options. Media News and Newsday have already begun charging for their sites. More than 1,600 readers voted in the poll; no word on whether one of them was paywall advocate Rupert Murdoch.
Programming notes: Food finds country's worst cook
Next year Food Network won’t just focus on the world’s best chefs. It will also highlight some of its worst. On Jan. 3 the network will launch “Worst Cooks in America,” in which 12 of the worst in the country will be split into two teams to compete in challenges. One will be eliminated each week, with a winner selected on the Feb. 1 finale. The last cook sautéing will win $25,000 and lose any hope of hosting future dinner parties. Meanwhile, in other programming, Tennis Channel on Nov. 15 will premiere the second season of “Tennis Channel Academy,” with returning host Tracy Austin. The season will focus on seven new coaches who’ll give viewers tips on how to improve their games. On Dec. 1 Science Channel will launch “Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible,” a look at sci-fi theories such as time travel and force fields. The series is based on the book “Physics of the Impossible” by Dr. Michio Kaku. Planet Green on Dec. 6 will air the first half of “Burn Up,” a two-part global warming drama starring Bradley Whitford, Neve Campbell and Rupert Penry-Jones. The second part of the thriller will air the following night. And truTV on Feb. 8 will roll out “NFL Full Contact,” which will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at an NFL season from draft day to the Super Bowl. The series will be produced by NFL Films.
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