Claire Atkinson

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Moffett Floats AT&T Run at DirecTV

Could AT&T be prepping a run at pay-TV distributor DirecTV? In a note out Monday, May 3, Bernstein Research telco analyst Craig Moffett floats the likelihood of that outcome, describing it as AT&T’s “only option.” In an investor note titled “The Process of Elimination,” Moffett says the telco industry is in a hole when it comes to finding growth... More

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A Nielsen IPO Would Be First Big Test of Media Economy Health

Nielsen’s private equity backers are auditioning bankers to help the company conduct a long-rumored initial public offering. An IPO would be the first major test of how investors are feeling about the media economy in some time. It’s also the biggest financial news since Comcast swooped in on NBC Universal late last year. The news was first reported by the Financial Times .... More

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Can CoCo and TBS Make the Economics Work?

Conan O’Brien’s arrival at Turner’s comedy channel, TBS, has the TV business trying to figure out how the economics are going to work out. The former Tonight Show host’s jump to basic cable will inevitably deliver a halo affect for the entire TBS schedule. But the Turner ad sales team will have their work cut out given that cable has a much lower CPM than... More

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Discovery’s Got Oprah, But Now TBS’ Got Conan

As the cable upfront presentations get ever more competitive by the day, Turner effectively one-upped Discovery today, April 12, announcing that Conan O’Brien is to join the TBS line-up. His arrival in November is welcome news for the Turner folks who have been out talking up their slate to agencies ahead of their official broadcast week presentation on May 19. Alright, so... More

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Madison Ave on iPad: Whatever

What do Madison Avenue bigs think of Apple’s iPad? We all know Wall Street, Medialand and Apple fans on Main Street love it, but does the subscription media play offer much excitement for advertisers? I got a resounding no from the panelists who joined me at the Broadcasting & Cable’s Upfront Summit,  April 6. When asked whether it’s a game changer, the top... More