To better combat online trolls who have recently been waging campaigns to affect audience ratings for certain movies, Fandango-owned Rotten Tomatoes is making a significant change to its review submission model. Since the influential website relies upon credible ratings, “review bombing” that adversely impacts audience ratings is seen as a major issue. In order to minimize such a potential flood of negative reviews, users will no longer be permitted to post any audience reviews until the film in question appears in theaters. Continue reading Rotten Tomatoes Adjusts Its Review Model to Combat Trolls

In the wake of pay TV subscriber losses and a falloff in content stocks, industry news has recently focused on the impact of the Internet, mobile apps and streaming services on traditional television. Disney chief operating officer Tom Staggs, who most analysts believe will be the successor to CEO Bob Iger, defended the future of ESPN and the programming bundle at an industry conference in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Staggs also suggested that Wall Street had overreacted to recent changes in the business and should not be so quick to dismiss the current model. Continue reading Disney COO Defends the Programming Bundle as TV Evolves

Oculus Story Studio premiered “Henry,” its second virtual reality movie, at an event in Beverly Hills yesterday. The San Francisco-based company is attempting to define the parameters of VR content by making short movies. The studio’s first movie, “Lost,” which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, focused on immersing the viewer in an environment. “Henry,” however, focuses on creating a character — a hedgehog with a problem — and figuring out how to use that character’s presence in virtual reality. Continue reading VR Storytelling: Oculus Story Studio Debuts Animated Short

Prompted by TV and advertising clients, Nielsen plans to launch its mobile ratings this fall. However, the company says that factoring mobile phones and tablets into TV measurement will roll out slowly based on relatively low adoption and the common practice of time-shifting. According to Nielsen, live TV viewing has remained constant over the last three years, while time-shifting has increased 30 percent — something to consider since most mobile viewing takes place outside of the same-day ratings window. Continue reading Nielsen to Roll Out Mobile Ratings This Fall, Slowly at First

Recalling the golden age of radio and the early years of television, advertisers are once again embracing cast commercials — or advertisements featuring actors in-character promoting products and companies. NBCUniversal is lending its actors to promote the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Likewise, ABC has done the same in the past year for Target commercials. The “editorial-styled” approach is thought to be a softer, more enjoyable sell for viewers. Continue reading The Return of Cast Commercials: TV Stars Pitching Products

Spotify and Bravo have announced a collaboration that will make the cable network Spotify’s first U.S. television partner to develop custom playlists for shows. The first playlists will be available on the day of the premieres of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” “Vanderpump Rules” and “Thicker Than Water.” Playlists will then be updated during the season with songs that reflect the characters and each show’s developments. Continue reading Spotify Joins Facebook and Twitter in Social TV Conversation

Addressing the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills yesterday, CBS chief exec Les Moonves announced that the network is experimenting with new business models for some of its serialized dramas. The network is hoping that streaming deals with video services such as Netflix and Amazon will help make the shows profitable. The streaming sites have been actively pursuing rights to serialized dramas in particular, since they currently attract large numbers of viewers. Continue reading CBS Experiments with New Business Model, Streaming Deals