AllThingsD » AMC

Netflix to Stream "Mad Men"

Lauren A.E. Schuker and Jessica E. Vascellaro — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:00:52 +0000

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., which produces the hit television series “Mad Men,” struck a deal with Netflix Inc. to stream all seven seasons of the critically acclaimed show about a 1960s advertising agency.

The deal is worth between $75 million and $100 million, people close to the situation said. That means Netflix is paying close to $1 million per episode of the series, which “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner said last week would run seven seasons. Each season has 13 episodes, which Lions Gate licenses to cable network AMC.

The new agreement marks the latest deal that Netflix has struck with a film and television studio. The company has recently inked a slew of deals to add new content to its streaming site, including one with Miramax, which includes “Pulp Fiction” and other iconic independent movies.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Telltale Signs That Videogames Will Be Downloaded, Not Sold at Retail

Tricia Duryee — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:00:24 +0000

The business of selling plastic-wrapped videogames for $60 apiece is becoming an ancient practice, as digital downloads take over–often at lower prices.

But a small San Rafael, Calif.-based videogame company thinks it has the winning formula as the business moves to digital.

Today, Telltale Games is announcing an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to develop videogames for the comic-book series Fables, and an exclusive worldwide agreement to develop and publish a series of videogames based on the AMC cable network’s zombie hit “The Walking Dead.” It’s also working with Universal Pictures on “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” games.

The past eight years for the company haven’t always been so rich.

Starting a new videogame company focused on digital downloads in 2003 was a little early (to say the least), so much of the last few years were spent experimenting, developing its own original games and staying afloat by doing work-for-hire projects.

Now, it’s ready for those days to be a thing of the past.

Steve Allison, SVP of marketing for Telltale Games, said that finally the market has caught up with its ambitions.

In 2010, the company’s revenues totaled $10 million, increasing nearly 90 percent over the previous year. This year, revenues are expected to grow at the same pace, and the studio is expected to jump to 140 employees from 90. So far, it’s raised $6 million, and more is expected to close any day.

Allison said the magic is all in Telltale’s formula for building games in bits and pieces–a mission that fits squarely with today’s trends.

Last year, unit sales of PC games via download outstripped sales of boxed games in stores for the first time, according to research firm NPD Group. Based on Telltale’s own back-of-the napkin estimates, it believes that’s a market that could hit $3 billion by 2012.

Telltale’s games are written as a narrative or a cinematic adventure and are divided into five separate episodes. Players download a new one every four weeks for a six-month period. A season pass for a game, including all episodes, costs roughly $35.

Telltale then repeats the process and sells the games across a combination of consoles, mobile devices, tablets, PCs and Macs.

As an example, the company recently released the first episode of “Back to the Future.” The plot picks up six months after the end of the third film, and Marty McFly must help save Doc Brown.

Allison said they can hit profitability on games like these after 100,000 units are sold. Today, the company averages 200,000 units sold across all its titles.

With these new blockbuster titles coming soon, Allison said the goal is to produce a title that hits one million digital downloads, and thinks “The Walking Dead” could become a $20 million to 30 million franchise if all goes well.

However, licensing content from movie studios or other publishers has not always been a recipe for success. Steep fees and up-front guarantees have buried companies in the game industry in the not-too-distant past. ”‘See the movie, play the game’ doesn’t work anymore,” Allison acknowledges, “but the way we make content, it does.”

He says his team works closely with the original filmmakers and screenwriters. “We do want mass-market brands that have a lot of fans, but we want to pay homage to them. We aren’t re-creating ‘Back to the Future,’ we are continuing the adventures of Marty and Doc.”

Additionally, he said, the publishers are more realistic now. “They don’t break the business model, but they do put a little weight on it.”

The new games will trickle out over the next year and will be available on the company’s Web site, and also through downloading services, like Valve-owned Steam.

Want to Watch TV on Your iPad? Pay Up.

Peter Kafka — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:51:40 +0000

In the run-up to the iPad launch, I noted that the TV networks were pretty much sitting this one out: If you want to watch one of their shows for free, you’ll need to do it on something other than Apple’s new gadget.

But just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, I asked the folks at Clicker, the online video guide, to tally up what kinds of video options the iPad offers for now. And I got the same answer: Plenty of full shows if you pay, very little if you don’t.

Paid:
Netflix app (requires subscription plan starting at $8.99 per month):
10,000 TV episodes
6,000 movies

iTunes (sold via individual downloads):
25,000 TV episodes
3,000 movies
3,000 music videos

Free:
ABC:
Approximately 200 full TV episodes via app. None via Safari browser.

CBS:
One full TV episode and clips

NBC:
No full TV episodes. Some broken up into low-quality clips on mobile site.

Fox:
No full TV episodes.

Cable networks (FX, AMC, USA, etc.):
No full TV episodes

Clicker would also like us to note to that it has access to another 175,000 clips that will work on the iPad, from sources ranging from ESPN to CNN to Next New Networks. Noted! But if you’re waiting to watch complete episodes of programs like “30 Rock” or “The Daily Show” for free on your iPad, you’re going to be disappointed for quite some time.

And to be clear: This is a business development issue for the networks, not a technical one. They certainly know how to convert their videos from Adobe’s (ADBE) Flash standard to the HTML5 standard Apple (AAPL) is championing–they’re just not sure they want to. We’ll get to the internal debates some of the networks are having on this topic down the line.

Another iPhone Ad That Asks You to Shake It Up

Peter Kafka — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:21:07 +0000

Mobile advertising is growing fast, but it’s still a small business. Even if you use your smartphone a lot, you may not encounter a whole lot of ads. And even fewer interesting ones.

So here’s one that just started running: A campaign for AMC’s “Breaking Bad” series that’s running on iPhone apps for CNN and NPR.

The video below should give you some clue about how the ad, produced by mobile marketing start-up Medialets, works. But in case you can’t tell, the idea is that you click on a small banner ad, which turns into a mini-app that lets you “mix your own chemicals” and eventually lets you watch a trailer for the series (about a chemistry teacher turned meth dealer) or buy an episode via Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes.

If you follow mobile marketing, this might seem familiar. Last year, Medialets rolled out a campaign for Dockers that asked users to shake the ads. And earlier this year, the firm rolled out a campaign for Vampire Weekend’s new album that asked users to shake the ads. At some point, the novelty factor for this stuff will wear off.

Meantime, it’s still going to be new for most users. If you’re really into this stuff and you live in New York, stop by Apple’s Soho store Friday, where the show’s creator will be promoting the show and the app ads.

Yahoo's $100 Million TV Ad

Peter Kafka — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:58:31 +0000

Don’t say they didn’t warn you: Last week, Yahoo formally rolled out its new $100 million-plus marketing campaign. Today, the TV ads begin. Here’s what you’ll be getting if you watch AMC, ESPN, USA, Comedy Central, Bravo or any of the broadcast networks in the U.S. (Live in the U.K. or India? You’ll have to wait until Oct. 5.):

My armchair ad criticism: Why is Yahoo (YHOO), which already has enormous reach (as the company never fails to point out, it has a half-billion people hitting its homepage every day), marketing the fact that it has enormous reach? Why not, say, advertise some awesome new products?

That way, if I’m not a Yahoo user, I might have a reason to become one. And if I am a Yahoo user (which I am–I’m at Yahoo finance a dozen times a day or more), I’ll have more reason to stick around and explore.

I ran that one by Chief Marketing Officer Elisa Steele last week when she unveiled the campaign, and to her credit, she didn’t roll her eyes in disgust at my caveman ignorance. In fact, she said, Yahoo has every intention of rolling out awesome new products, and ads that highlight them–down the road.

So stay tuned. Then again, given the money Carol Bartz and crew are committing to this, it will be very difficult not to see this stuff.

(Disclosure: In case you didn’t notice, there is a giant honking Yahoo ad at the top of this site. As best I can tell, it appears to be part of a Yahoo buy made across The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. Just to spell it out: I’ve got nothing to do with ad sales at All Things Digital, though I am happy when people buy ads from my employer.)

Viral Video: Mad (Wo)Men

Kara Swisher — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:10:28 +0000

Suddenly, it seems the AMC original series, “Mad Men,” is having its “Sopranos” moment–with its stars all over the media, its fans more obsessive than ever and its ratings doubled in the third season.

And, just today, the potboiler television show about a 1960s advertising agency in New York was renewed for a fourth season by AMC, which is owned by Cablevision Systems (CVC).

So, of course, there are also spoofs galore online too, some pretty elaborate, such as this one with a gender switcheroo.

Fascinatingly, it still works.

Here’s the video:

"I'm Peggy Olson and I Want to Smoke Some Marijuana."

John Paczkowski — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:36:57 +0000

That line of dialogue from the upcoming episode of AMC drama “Mad Men” is destined to be repeated over and over again when the program officially airs on Aug. 30, though it has begun making the rounds already thanks to Apple’s iTunes. Seems a glitch with the service delivered the unaired third episode, called “My Old Kentucky Home,” to “Mad Men” Season Pass subscribers just before midnight on Tuesday. That’s a full 13 days before it was scheduled to air. And five days before the air date of the second episode intended to precede it.

Apple (AAPL) was quick to correct the error and an irked AMC issued the following statement about it:

“The third episode of ‘Mad Men’’s new season was made available prematurely to some iTunes Season Pass holders for a short time late last night. We urge those who received this episode in error to please refrain from spoiling plot lines out of respect to other ‘Mad Men’ fans who are looking forward to watching the story unfold.”

"I'm Peggy Olson and I Want to Smoke Some Marijuana."

John Paczkowski — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:36:57 +0000

Apple (AAPL) was quick to correct the error and an irked AMC issued the following statement about it:

HP Keeps the Ink Flowing

John Paczkowski — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:00:08 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Scripps, Rainbow Join the Authentication Bandwagon

Peter Kafka — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:17:09 +0000

I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of information out of Time Warner and Comcast at their joint press conference today, but the two still underdelivered. They formalized the old news that Time Warner (TWX) would offer up some shows from its TNT and TBS channels for Comcast’s (CMCSA) coming “OnDemand Online” trial and…well, that was it, really.

Time Warner did announce a set of principles for its “TV Everywhere” program, and if you’d like, you can read those at the bottom of this post. And Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did get into some philosophical/optical discussions with us reporters.

For instance, was the cable industry being “defensive” or “offensive” as it rolled out its authentication plan, which is supposed to give pay TV customers–but only pay TV customers–Web access to all the shows they get on TV? Offensive, declared Bewkes. He also decreed that authentication was a “free gift” to TV watchers.

But authentication is going to involve a whole lot of coordinated effort by a lot of different players, and that means details matter at least as much as philosophy.

For instance: Who else is joining Time Warner when Comcast rolls out its first authentication trial next month? Roberts wouldn’t talk about that–”today’s about Time Warner,” he said–but word is still leaking out. Scripps Networks, for instance, said today that it would play along. Here’s the statement from Lynne Costantini, who runs affiliates sales for the network.

“Scripps Networks’ media brands, such as Food Network and HGTV, enjoy a strong connection with a passionate base of consumers who likely would find value in this type of service. We are committed to providing viewers with content on the platforms on which they engage with our brands, in a manner that adds value to the viewing experience and enhances our current business relationships with distributors. Our participation in the Comcast authentication pilot will help us make some initial assessments regarding this innovative platform.

Also confirmed: Cablevision’s (CVC) Rainbow Media, which owns networks like AMC and Sundance. This one makes particular sense because Cablevision has been more vocal than other networks about not putting its programming on the Web without getting paid for it. I’m also told that A&E Television networks, co-owned by Hearst, Disney (DIS) and GE’s (GE) NBCU, is expected to participate, but haven’t heard back from those folks yet.

None of these buy-ins are huge moves by themselves, of course. They’re commitments for the trial only, and it’s unlikely that any of the companies are going to offer up their best shows at the start. For instance, I’d be (happily) surprised if AMC’s “Mad Men” makes the cut. And we’re likely to see a dribble of announcements over the rest of the year as more programmers dip their toes in and as competing/parallel authentication efforts that the likes of Time Warner Cable (TWC) and the telcos roll out.

In the meantime, in lieu of hard facts, here’s what Time Warner has to say about its intentions:

PRINCIPLES FOR TV EVERYWHERE MODEL
These principles were developed to ensure the TV Everywhere model is consumer-friendly; pro-competitive and non-exclusive.

•    Bring more TV content, more easily to more people across platforms.

•    Video subscribers can watch programming from their favorite TV networks online for no additional charge.

•    Video subscribers can access this content using any broadband connection.

•    Programmers should make their best and highest rated programming available online.

•    Both networks and video distributors should provide high quality, consumer-friendly sites for viewing broadband content with easy authentication.

•    A new process should be created to measure ratings for online viewing. The goal should be to extend the current viewer measurement system to include advertiser ratings for TV content viewed on all platforms.

•    TV Everywhere is open and non-exclusive; cable, satellite or telco video distributors can enter into similar agreements with other programmers.

Not Coming to Hulu: Last Week's "Saturday Night Live" Highlight*

Peter Kafka — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:36:00 +0000

I didn’t see “Saturday Night Live” last week, but NewTeeVee informs me that there was one highlight: Former “Doogie Howser, M.D.” star Neil Patrick Harris and a cast of of dozens performing the theme song to “Doogie Howser, M.D.”

So why didn’t I embed a clip of the sketch from NBC.com or Hulu, the joint venture between GE’s (GE) NBC and News Corp.’s (NWS) Fox? Because NBC didn’t have permission from whoever actually owns the rights to the theme song, NBC confirms. (News Corp is the owner of Dow Jones and this Web site.)

Bummer! Especially since the clip was one of the show’s “Digital Shorts,” which are designed to be viewed on the Web, à la “Lazy Sunday.”

You can still find versions of it on Google’s (GOOG) YouTube, though NBC’s lawyers are busy hunting them down–don’t be surprised if the following clip doesn’t work by the time you get to it:

If you can’t see it, don’t despair: These music clearance issues have tripped up “Saturday Night Live”/NBC before, and the clip in question–Andy Samberg and the dude from Maroon 5 doing “Iran So Far”–eventually made it back on the official Web.* (Another reason not to despair, at least in my humble opinion: The Doogie clip isn’t going to make you laugh outloud, anyway.)

The bigger point: Even when TV/Hollywood “get it,” they still can’t always serve up their best stuff to Web viewers because copyright laws and digital distribution still don’t synch up.

And much more often, the people who make TV shows and movies aren’t interested in serving that stuff up–legally, for free–anyway. Hulu was only able to show one full episode of “Mad Men,” AMC’s much discussed but little watched show about advertising. And it’s only going to be able to show “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” a cult sitcom from FX that owes some of its success to the video site, for a few more weeks.

So maybe that’s a cautionary tale for companies like Boxee that envision a future where you get all your TV shows and movies from the Web with the support of the TV networks and Hollywood. Or more likely, a cautionary tale for TV and Hollywood, which still aren’t ready to let their customers watch their stuff when and where they want to see it.

[UPDATE: As I'd hoped, NBC legal worked it out. See below]