TV Ratings: Measuring a Step-Forward

            Recently, it was announced that Nielsen, one the top ratings measuring systems, will begin adding mobile devices as an additional measuring device to determine ratings.  More and more everyday, television viewing is emerging in this intensifying era of digital media. No matter what an individual may state, television viewing is one of the most interactive technologies an individual uses for a daily source of entertainment, especially in America. Every month, week and day, television viewers are presented with advertisements and promotions for new and upcoming television shows, and as these new shows premier, this results for other shows to come to an end. Now, the question is posed, how are these shows being determined to be canceled or renewed? The answer appears to be through an audience measurement system known as TV ratings.
Nielsen Media Research, a marketing research group, which measures the popularity of American television programs through consumer viewing behavior and demographic information.

Through this development, ratings are not qualitative evaluations of how popular a program is, but instead, how many people watched, which determines the viewership of America’s TV ratings. Through this strategic use of viewership measurement, Television ratings seem to unravel a controversial method that has led to criticism in the entertainment media industry due to digital forms, viewership and demographics, which possibly proves inaccuracy with our audience measurement system, TV ratings.

Moreover, within the advancement of digital technology, television ratings have possibly showed much inaccuracy based on viewership through other digital forms. As stated before, television viewing is increasing more and more everyday, which conveys the point that there must certainly be a high quantity of viewers, but if ratings appear so low then where are these viewers watching TV? The answer is simple, on other digital forms. Research demonstrates digital forms such as online streaming, DVR’s (Digital video recorder), Smart-phones, IPAD’s and more mobile advanced technologies all affect TV ratings, which can prove a strong inaccuracy if viewership measurement are solely based on television systems (Stelter, 2012). Many viewers, whom possibly do not own a TV set, watch their favorite programming on online-streaming systems such as Hulu, YouTube and Netflix. Therefore, many individuals that are loyal fans to their favorite TV shows will not be counted in the sample pool of measurement because they are not watching their favorite programs on an actual Television set. According to journalist, Bill Carter, the growth in online-streaming is speeding up, making it harder than ever to assess the total popularity of a show (Carter, 2012).  
In conclusion, this brings up the point that I believe Nielsen has made a smart decision by now allowing mobile devices to be accounted for as a measuring tool for television ratings, which is definitely a step-forward in the measurement of television ratings.

The Numb3rs Gam3

              Over the past few months, I have come to realize how important numbers are in the entertainment industry. The entertainment business is a game played with numbers, and those numbers determine a whole lot of factors, especially in the marketing aspect of the industry. If an individual wants to become successful in this business, well I think they ought to know how to play the numbers game, and its best they know how to play it very well.

            Now, a lot of people are probably reading my blog and speculating on what the numbers game consists of. Here’s the deal, the numbers game is about strategy towards success. In this industry, the numbers are the ratings on television shows, the amount of viewers on social media sites, the amount of tickets sold at the box office, the amount of sales from a product sold, the amount of people tweeting about you and your company, the amount of times people search for you online, which ultimately determines your number of influence over people.

            Please realize that the numbers game can be very risky and dangerous if you are not a good player. For example, no matter how well-written a television show is, or how many prestigious celebrities act in it, or even if its Emmy worthy of a nomination, if that program does not get enough ratings for the network, that show can be canceled in an instant second, game over. Many television shows over the last few decades have had to face the reality of playing this risky numbers game due to low ratings. Every year networks must decide which shows will return for a new season and which shows must come to an end, which is all determined by numbers.

             To be honest, there is really not an easy way to avoid the danger of the numbers game, but one can be well prepared when playing the game. One of the most important factors about the numbers game is the having a smart strategy in marketing yourself and product; one must know how to manage their product during this numbers game. Marketing is a major beneficial factor in helping one gaining the awareness and popularity status of a product or person. The numbers game relies on a status of popularity, which can be managed through marketing techniques, especially through social media platforms. Additionally, I recently learned about a new site called ‘Klout’ which is a web-site application that measures a person’s influence through all types of social media platforms, compiling a rank number which determines an individual’s Klout score, which is basically a popularity number.

            The bottom line is that the numbers game is a game that is continually playing, while some are loosing and others are winning; but one thing for sure, is that if you plan to enter into any form of business as a career, especially the entertainment industry, you better become accustomed to playing the numbers game.

The Future of Television

             Over the past couple of years, society has seen an emerging shift in television viewing, from network television to online streaming.  In Today’s modern society, people are becoming accustomed to watching their favorite programs online, whether it be on a computer screen, smartphone device or a tablet such as an IPAD. The point is, the trend of watching television is quickly shifting into an online community.  Some people would ask why would I come up with such a claim, well let me explain in detail for you all.

            First of all, we are living in a microwave society, people want things fast and on-demand.  Here’s the problem, when an individual watches a show on TV, they have to construct their life to the network’s schedule on TV, which is why many shows have seen a decline in viewership, because most people cannot afford to watch their favorite shows at the fixed network time. On the other hand,  online streaming television such as Hulu, YouTube and especially Netflix allow viewers to watch their favorite programming when they want to, at any given time, and place. For example, most shows on television can only be seen on that network, and if there is a replay, it will possibly take weeks, or even a syndication deal in order for that show to have any type of replay option. But with online streaming services, the viewer is allowed to watch their favorite programming on many optional devices, and not worry so much about commercials and fixed scheduling, unlike network television.

            Now, I am not saying that network television is becoming an extinct reality; I just feel people are becoming accustomed to our highly digital age of advanced technology, which displays a sense of demand in technology. Recently, YouTube and Netflix have started producing their own scripted series, which have become very popular, which could be due to the whole factor of people having the option of viewing their entertainment when they want, and not when a network schedules a time that may not work for them.  Online television has really seen an increase in viewership over the past few years, because people are realizing that these online networks provide the demand that viewers want, unlike television networks.

            Furthermore, our whole society trend ties into the factor of product management because an online streaming must have a sense of marketing and sales procedure in order to maintain their viewers, which has obviously helped through the source of social media.  An online service such as YouTube must know how to manage its online service well, because they must know how to maintain the same viewers on a daily basis, as well provide a sense of branding who they are. The same goes for Netflix. Netflix started as an online streaming service for movie distributions, but now it saw that its brand was becoming popular and well managed, to the point it decided to create its own programming, which is currently seeing a major success, as some television networks are becoming afraid of Netflix’s growing viewership, which is increasing.

            Once again, I am not stating that network television is dying, but online television is certainly becoming the place where television viewership is taking over.

The Art of Negotiation and Deal-making

             During the month of June, I have been studying vital techniques and factors for the art of negotiation and deal making. Therefore, I have recently reviewed three video sessions pertaining to the essence of negotiation. The three sessions I have reviewed were William Ury’s “Negotiating for SustainableAgreements”, Margaret Neale’s “Negotiation: Getting What You Want”, and Joel Peterson’s “Conducting Effective Negotiations”. Each and every one of these speakers were able to present key points about the importance of negotiating in real world experiences, especially in the form of conducting business. 

             The first video session I observed was presented by William Ury, who is the co-author of the best selling ‘Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In’. Mr. Ury shares the strategies he has developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project for creating sustainable agreements in diplomacy and business. In this video, he is presented by the Institute for Peace and Justice at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. Furthermore, Mr. Ury made really outstanding points of dialog when he spoke about global negotiations, and how an individual’s way of communicating with others will affect the way he or she can possibly negotiate with people in all walks of life.

               In the next video session, I was advised by Professor of Management, Margaret Neale on the structure of successful negotiation. Mrs. Neale reminded me that negotiation is all about problem solving. She states that the goal is not to get a deal; the goal is actually to get a good deal. We must be able to separate a good deal from a bad deal. One of the most important factors she demonstrates is the best alternative to a negotiated agreement. She firmly believes that the people with the better BATNA will always do better in the negotiation process. Over the duration of the video presentation, she recommends four steps to achieving a successful negotiation: Assess, Prepare, Ask and Package. There are three questions to prepare an individual when they enter into a negotiation: Why are you asking? How are you asking? For whom are you asking? Margaret Neale's research focuses primarily on negotiation and team performance. Her work has extended judgment and decision-making research from cognitive psychology to the field of negotiation. 

           Now, in the last video segment, I paid close attention to Mr. Joel Peterson as he talk about how to conduct an even more successful negotiation. Mr. Peterson’s approach was more towards business strategy, which I believed is an important form of negotiation in today’s society. He advises people to always set expectations that may reach the individual’s objective criteria. Overall, explains the difference of formal and informal negotiations and how both can benefit the deal-making process. In conclusion, all three of the video presentations have enhanced my knowledge of performing well-planned and structured negotiations for all type of life situations.

Low Budget Success

            Many believe that in order to produce a successful film, one must have a wealthy financial budget or at least a well-known studio company to invest in their film project. The film industry has always epitomized the importance of how success is obtained by producing the best content, but only the moneymakers on top can help achieve that status of success. Some individuals would agree that a person in this business must have money if they want the success, but over the pass decade, that theory has been challenged, and has proven to Hollywood that one does not need a big budget to produce a film for success.
           Over the years, I have recognized that a lot of successful films have been some of the industry’s most low budget films to date. These films are mostly considered independent films that are solely produced by a group of regular citizens who just simply want to become successful filmmakers; most of these films do not even have investors at all, and are financed by the production crew themselves. Again, regular people with average jobs who just want to become successful.
           In 2004, young and aspiring filmmakers, Jared and Jerusha Hess created a film about the king of awkward Napoleon Dynamite, based on Jared’s previous short film, Peluca. The $400,000-budgeted project could only afford its leading actor for a simple $1,000, which is extremely nonsense to Hollywood executives, most actors would never agree to sign on a film project with that kind of amount. The filmmakers shot the movie’s memorable title sequence in the cinematographer’s basement, edited on a MacBook computer, and completed production in only twenty-two days. The film would then premier at the Sundance film festival that gained a grand amount of success with critics applauding it and the audience loving it from start to finish, making it a hit in cinema. Fox Searchlight Pictures won the rights to distribute it, which made a gross amount of over $46 million. A new era of low-budget films would begin its road of success, proving Hollywood’s standard to be wrong about success only being achieved by moneymakers.
           Films like Napoleon Dynamite gave inspiration to other aspiring filmmakers to not be afraid of producing a film with a low budget. This whole idea has proven that bigger is not always better, and that an individual does not always need a moneymaker to obtain the success of a project, but it can surely help.

Celebrities & Kick-starter

             Recently, I have noticed an interesting trend that has been developing in the entertainment industry. On March 13 of this year, actress Kirsten Bell launched a kick-starter project to raise $2 million, which instead exceeded her expectation by reaching the highest kick-starter fund in history with a nearly $6 million-dollar funding. Yes, a celebrity took the initiative to seek over a million dollars from her fans, and now her project has been picked up for a movie deal. Now, only if she knew that her kick-starter success would cause controversy, maybe she would have taken a different approach. Before I move further, Incase you are not familiar with Kick-starter, it is basically a fund-raising promotion that provides social media tools to raise funds for creative projects via crowd funding that seek financial help. So, here’s the question that has raised many eyebrows in the community, should celebrities use kick-starter to fund projects? Is it wrong?           
           Since the success of Kirsten Bell’sfund-raiser on kick-starter, other celebrities such as Zach Braff, Luke Barnett and Tanner Thomason have also joined the trend, and not too long ago I realized on my Facebook newsfeed, actress Andrea Lewis, raised a little over twenty-thousand for her new web-series project. So, what’s the issue? Well, if you ask me, I think it can become a bad habit for society. I am not going to argue that their projects are not important enough for funding, but let’s be real, do they really need the money, or is truly a selfish and manipulative way to earn a little extra cash in their pocket? The questions can go all day long. I feel that instead of raising money for film and video projects, these celebrities should be using that money to help others instead. Why not launch a project for hurricane victims, poverty, charities, or just simply launch a project that can benefit someone that really needs the funding.
            Being the realist I am, I would say that it would be a huge risk; To be honest, people would rather fund a project like a comedy film sequel before even thinking to fund a project for a celebrity that wants to raise money for cancer research, and that’s just the reality of the situation. Now, this does not mean celebrities still should think its right to use their status to raise money for projects that really do not need funding. Celebrities must realize that they are role models for this society, and if people continue to follow this kind of funding trend, like the saying goes, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.

The Back-Yard of The Industry

So many individuals complain over and over about getting a chance to become a professional in the industry of film and television because it seems like the opportunities are decreasing everyday, but what many people do not realize is that there are many resources right here in our own community back yard. As a society, we are so focus on entering the house of Hollywood, but we never realize that most of the primary resources that can help us, appear right here in our own back yard, only if we took the time to pay attention and focus.

A few years ago, I discovered FilMiami, Miami-Dade County Office of Film and Entertainment, which offers location and logistics assistance, government liaison, production information and referral sources to the film, television and photo production industry. Additionally, Filmiami is a cooperation between the two greater Miami Dade Film Offices: Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami Beach and several County municipalities to offer a one-stop permitting system of all services needed to produce a media project. 

As I am developing my production company J.A.C.E Films and Media, I have realized the depth of resources Filmiami has provided for me as a growing film professional in Miami Florida. Filmiami is well-known for its up-to-date resource system of providing all events and news for the Miami community, whether it is internship opportunities for aspiring filmmakers like myself, casting notices for actors, workshops and seminars from industry professionals, production job opportunities for freelance and production companies, and even recent news of what is happening in the film industry in Miami. Filmiami has helped influence me in many ways to enhance my social networking connections and project development of starting my own production company. Due to the resources provided, I was actually able to get hired for my first acting job in Michael Bay’s upcoming action film “Pain and Gain” featuring Dewayne Johnson, also known as The Rock and Academy nominated actor, Mark Wahlberg. Furthermore, I was able to get my first media internship opportunity with ArtMiami.TV, which is an online television broadcast of the global art society. The point is Filmiami has been a great way of giving many individuals a chance of exposure of the entertainment industry, which has become a great source of linking many aspiring professionals into the world of entertainment and media.

Associations like FilMiami give people the chance and opportunity to become exposed to the many resources available right here in our own back yard community. People must realize that the opportunities are really there, they may seem to be invisible, but we must take a closer look at the right places such as our own back yard community, which may possibly lead us to where we eventually want to be.