Yesterday’s Oscars were notable for two different fights: ABC vs. Cablevision and Hurt Locker vs. Avatar. The first of these is a perfect illustration of what I call “fighting over the digital pie.” The reason things got so vicious between ABC and Cablevision and resolved only slightly past the last minute (as far as Oscar coverage goes) is simple: dollars from TV distribution (carriage fees) are shrinking and everyone wants a bigger piece while there is still something to be had. It is compl...

Yesterday’s Oscars were notable for two different fights: ABC vs. Cablevision and Hurt Locker vs. Avatar. The first of these is a perfect illustration of what I call “fighting over the digital pie.” The reason things got so vicious between ABC and Cablevision and resolved only slightly past the last minute (as far as Oscar coverage goes) is simple: dollars from TV distribution (carriage fees) are shrinking and everyone wants a bigger piece while there is still something to be had. It is compl...

We moved back to the city some 6 weeks ago. Since then we have done entirely without traditional television. So admittedly that’s less than two months, but the initial results are encouraging. The only show that I watch with any kind of consistency is Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, for which full episodes are available at the Daily Show site. Other than that we now have streaming accounts with Netflix, Vudu and Hulu Plus. Between those three there is no shortage of things to watch. Of course it he...

We moved back to the city some 6 weeks ago. Since then we have done entirely without traditional television. So admittedly that’s less than two months, but the initial results are encouraging. The only show that I watch with any kind of consistency is Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, for which full episodes are available at the Daily Show site. Other than that we now have streaming accounts with Netflix, Vudu and Hulu Plus. Between those three there is no shortage of things to watch. Of course it he...