This Business of Television

Howard J. Blumenthal | Oliver R. Goodenough

1 On the whole, I was disappointed.
I was looking for an introductory book on the business of television. This book assumes that you know a few things already. It explains beginners concepts but it doesn't go out of its way to clearly explain them. I didn't understand the relationship between affiliates and networks. This book claims to explain it clearly, but it doesn't. Right now I don't even know where the affiliates get their money from. I was a bit disappointed because the other reviews showed promise, and the title too.

The best words to describe it are, as used above, a 'resource', a 'comprehensive' and 'practical' guide. The book really doesn't go out of its way to explain concepts to you. If you are looking for an introduction to the business of television, this is probably not the best place to start.

2 Stolen 3 times... This book is hot!!!
This book is so hot that it's been stolen from my office library 3 times. I'm on my 4th purchase of this book. I felt like I could have an intellegent conversation about any aspect of the television business after using this book. It is my main resource for getting quick answers that are easy to understand. This is required reading for those getting started and a great resource for those that have been in the industry a while. It also includes a computer disk containing forms such as U.S. Copyright registration and others found in the book that you can import to your word processor.

Ron Hebert
Producer
2002 Emmy Awards - Pacific Southwest Chapter

3 Imagine the Future, Study the Past
This Business of Television is a landmark volume in our practice (micro-economic forecasting for the entertainment industry). Here are the top three reasons why.

Reason # 3: it is incredible that guys of this stature would take the time to compile such an essential and complete perspective of the television business. Goodenough, a seasoned entertainment lawyer, law professor, and a scholar pioneering the study of law and evolutionary biology, brings the structure and rigor, while Blumenthal, a prolific TV, multimedia, and online entertainment producer and businessman brings the been-there-done-that street savvy.

Reason # 2: it is, after all, the business that pays for the content (the subscriber, pay-per-view, advertising, syndication, and the latest, e-commerce revenue models) and the content that drives the migration to new technology (streaming media webcasting and video-on-demand, interactive TV, and wireless). The clear understanding of the financial systems supporting television and video entertainment offered by Oliver and Howard in this book facilitates the modeling of future monetary transactions.

Reason # 1: video programming spread from broadcast to cable and then to satellite in one generation. The last decade found it spreading to the PC via CD-ROM, DVD, and broadband Internet. In the future it will be found on our cell phones, wristwatches, car seat backs, and refrigerators. There will be innovations in business arrangements along the way, but those who cannot converse in the language of economics will be doomed.

The second edition proudly bears a jacket quote by Morty Morton, former producer of the Late Show with David Letterman, who remarked, "This Business of Television has gotten me through years of moderate success in the TV business. I'm now ready to burn the damn thing and open a restaurant."

4 Imagine the Future, Study the Past
This Business of Television is a landmark volume in our practice (entertainment industry economic forecasting) for three reasons.

This segues into a jacket quote by Morty Morton, former producer of the Late Show with David Letterman, who remarked, "This Business of Television has gotten me through years of moderate success in the TV business. I'm now ready to burn the damn thing and open a restaurant."

5 Imagine the Future, Study the Past
This Business of Television is a landmark volume in our practice (entertainment industry economic forecasting) for three reasons.

6 This book is gold!
Our start-up entertainment company has used the first edition as our essential reference book. We have not found anything else like it. We are excited about ordering the second edition.

7 Solid and comprehensive.
The first edition was handy, detailed, and filled with suggestions on where to find further information. I'm glad the revised edition includes a disk. Highly recommended for anyone in the television, video, or CD-ROM production business. And not a bad price, considering the cost of other texts.

8 suprisingly disappointing!
This book is not as informative as you think. It rambles on about every person in America should know. Any person with common sense could figure these stats, facts, etc. found in this book. It was a waste of my time and money.

All You Need to Know About the Movie and TV Business : Fifth Edition