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August, 2007
 
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HRTS State of the Industry 2007
HRTS Kids Day set for August 15th!
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PWC Outlook: Industry to $2 Trillion by 2011
Member Profile: Dick Askin, (part 2)
Member Profile: Vivi Zigler
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 Kids Day 2007
Coming August 15th! 

 
Hosted by Kyle Massey
Disney Channel's "Cory in the House" 
 

Interested in getting involved?
Sponsorship and vendor opportunities available.
Call (818)789-1182 or email
info@hrts.org
Order Tickets.



Wednesday August 15th, 2007
Kids Day 2007
Hollywood & Highland
Tickets on sale now!


Will the current labor negotiations be resolved without a strike?
Yes
No



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HRTS State of the Industry 2007
Generating revenue is a lock but who holds the key?

    
by Chris Davison, davison@intellcap.com
July 17, 2007.  Beverly Hills, CA.   Picture if you will a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind, a place where content meets revenue through a door which may be locked by writers and unlocked with the key of consumer imagination. There's a signpost up ahead, your next stop: the Beverly Wilshire.
 
Levin PicThe 2007 State of the Industry luncheon opened with former HRTS President Jordan Levin showing the legendary Apple “1984” ad and commenting that the stone being used by Apple’s metaphorical David to fell the Microsoft Goliath may in fact be the iPod. Pointing out that a writers strike would only accelerate the adoption of alternative entertainment choices, Levin introduced five panelists representing a cross-section of our industry: Marc Graboff of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, Gary Newman of 20th Century Fox Television, David Zaslav of Discovery Communications, Max Robins of Broadcasting & Cable, and Ross Levinsohn, formerly of Fox Interactive Media.  Luncheon co-chairs were HRTS board members Levin, Peter Jankowski, Andy Friendly and HRTS President Chris Silbermann.

Wolf PicModerating this panel of industry heavyweights was legendary producer Dick Wolf, who began by commenting on the possibility of a writers strike and generating a big laugh by asking Gary Newman if he could define the word profit. With all members of Zaslav, Graboff Picthe panel generally agreeing that a strike looks likely, Max Robins encouraged all sides to get in a room and come out with a deal that is good for everyone, especially since a strike during the current time of great change could be particularly devastating. Asked if a writers strike might be good for the Discovery Channel and other nonfiction-based cable channels, David Zaslav said that his networks are like all others in that they are about high-quality programming, and to continue to produce top-level content he needs professional writers Robins Picand producers. Ross Levinsohn said that a writers strike would only accelerate the growth and monetization of interactive, user-generated content, and while he thinks there will always be a need for American Idol and other hit TV shows, a strike would open the window farther to outside creators, the viewing audience eventually coming to realize that they don’t need hundreds of traditional TV shows. 
 
Wolf next asked about NewSite, the NBCU-News Corp joint venture, and specifically about its potentially destructive effects on the profitable back end; if a show can be viewed online 10 seconds after it airs then  what about syndication sales? Marc Graboff said that NewSite is not so much a back end play where it replaces blocks of repeats in syndication but rather it’s a place for viewers to go and watch just the current episode that they may have missed on TV, and that research has shown this availability to increase viewer loyalty and help the show overall. 
Newman PicDick asked Gary Newman how much his studio was encouraging its producers to do product integrations and whether or not he saw this as a real revenue stream. Newman responded by saying that while product integrations are a revenue stream, they aren’t a panacea to overcome problems of ad-skipping and related loss of revenues, and integrations have to be done in such a way as to ensure the integrity of the show. 
 
All present agreed that while the future is uncertain and the times may be turbulent, the industry will continue to generate revenues through an ever-evolving strategic mix of content, distribution and monetization.

Scene and seen around the luncheon: 
         Scene at the Luncheon
(Clockwise) 1.  David Zaslav, TV Guide Channel's Ryan O'Hara and HRTS President Chris Silbermann;  2.  Dick Wolf, Bonnie Hammer;  3.  ATAS' Dick Askin and Max Robins;  4.  Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski;  5.  Bob Levinson and Sandra Stern;  6.  (l-r) panelists Max Robins, Gary Newman and Ross Levinsohn. (photos: Steve Shugarman, Getty Images; Gene Herd)

 
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HRTS Since 1947 the HRTS has been the entertainment industry’s premiere information and networking forum. HRTS events are the only place where leading executives from across the industry gather under one roof, multiple times a year to discuss issues relevant to the ongoing success of our business. HRTS Members and our industry partners represent the best and the brightest in town. Is your company ready to join the ranks of HRTS? There are many ways for individuals and companies to get more involved. To find out how, call (818) 789-1182 or email info@hrts.org

 


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