As a Disney (NYSE: DIS) shareholder, the High School Musical juggernaut is important to me. It means money for the company. It means a point of distinction for Disney that adds value to its content and differentiates it from other media businesses such as News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX). It means that tweens have something realistic to relate to that reflects their own days of breaking out in song while walking through school (okay, that was a joke).

But I was disappointed to hear that a reality show extension of the brand is having a tough time in the ratings. According to this blog post at The Hollywood Reporter, the show, called High School Musical: Get in the Picture, had the worst ratings on Monday night. It's some sort of competition show with a prize related to being in some sort of video in the Musical franchise.

I'm not sure of the specifics, but my main concern is that it couldn't offer any competition to CBS (NYSE: CBS) or General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC. Remember, Disney's big model is to take its content and spread it around to enhance the value of the company's other platforms. It's all about the synergy. Unfortunately, it didn't work this time. I honestly thought that ABC would have seen huge numbers from the kids on this one. It makes me wonder if Musical might be getting long in the tooth.

Continue reading Is Disney's 'High School Musical' fad fading?

Is Disney's 'High School Musical' fad fading? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is probably too busy plotting world domination to spend much time worrying about something trivial like baseball -- until now.

America's pastime is about to start post-season play, most of which will be televised on the company's Fox television network. Already, there was one huge surprise as the Philadelphia Phillies overtook the New York Mets to win the National League East. But this isn't the type of surprise that the media mogul probably likes because a team from a smaller media market beat one from a larger one.

Remember that last year's series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers had record-low television ratings. Advertisers pay a premium price for television spots on the World Series because of the huge audience it attracts. Fox probably has guaranteed that the commercials will be seen by a set amount of viewers and must refund money to advertisers if these targets aren't hit.

Continue reading Will the World Series be a home run for Rupert Murdoch?

Will the World Series be a home run for Rupert Murdoch? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

NBA Finals see lagging ratings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading World watches while Bonds chases record

World watches while Bonds chases record originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 May 2007 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The CW unveils Veronica-free fall schedule

The CW unveils Veronica-free fall schedule originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 May 2007 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Temptation, in the form of a package from a madman, landed on NBC's front door this week just as it was reeling from its worst viewership numbers in twenty years.

Last week, ratings for the General Electric's (NYSE:GE) network's prime time programming were their lowest since Nielsen Media Research began using people meter measurements in 1987, and perhaps the worst ever. In light of this, will NBC treat the tragedy with restraint, or give in to the temptation to Geraldo the story to boost ratings?

On average, a paltry 6.8 million viewers tuned in to a lineup full of has-beens (Scrubs), wish-they-weres (30 Rock), and never-will-bes (The Real Wedding Crashers). Only two of their shows, Deal or No Deal and ER, were among the top 30 network programs. Fox's American Idol juggernaut pulverized all competition on both Tuesday and Wednesday night, outdrawing NBC fourfold.

Start the blame game by focusing on Law and Order ABCDEFG... The only life left in these series is in Sam Watterson's wooly eyebrows. Rumor has it the final episode will investigate the death of a network executive, tossed off the roof after suggesting NBC could do just one more spinoff...

Given its woeful recent performance, I can't imagine anything that would challenge the network's sense of ethics more than receiving the Virginia Tech killer Choo Seung-Hui's confession package. I'll be watching with great interest to see just how far the network is willing to exploit the scoop to compensate for a lack of compelling prime time offerings.

Will NBC play the Virginia Tech card? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In my recent travels I was flipping through channels in my hotel room and came across James Cramer's Mad Money show. I could not believe my eyes; I think Cramer was lying down on the floor, hugging a Sponge Bob Square Pants doll. Did anybody else see that? Was I imagining?

This is a guy I used too look forward to hearing on the radio. He spoke with callers and discussed their portfolio's and how to diversify, offering solid advice to those interested in learning. I used to get in email discussions with Cramer years ago when he had the time to answer emails. This is a guy that had plenty of interesting ideas, and I know he still does... but I did not hear any that day. He went on to make some glib comments about a few stocks and took some calls but I found it entirely unwatchable after ten to fifteen minutes. I was amazed and bewildered. He backed up nothing that he said with the slightest depth of thought. Instead I witnessed him stab the doll with a knife and throw the mutilated doll across the room. Funny? Entertaining? Not to me ---- how sad I thought. This must be the end. He has gone wacko for ratings.

In Hollywood they have an expression they use when a television show has run out of ideas, They say "it has jumped the shark". This comes from a Happy Days episode, the long running TV show, where in one of the last shows Fonzie was surfing and jumps over a shark. You knew it was over when you saw that. Well that is the feeling I had when I saw Cramer curled up with Sponge Bob. He has jumped the shark! It's all over, and it is ironic that it came to pass that a creature of the sea was involved again.

Perhaps I'm wrong? Maybe I'm too serious? Has he gone too far? Is this necessary in a show about investing?

Check out my other posts for BloggingStocks here.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm.

Has Cramer hit bottom with Sponge Bob? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.