Cable News Prime Time Predictions 2015

CHECK OUT MY 2015 MEDIA PREDICTIONS!!!!

Last year, I made predictions about how the cable news prime time lineup would change in 2014. Here are the results:

• Fox News: CORRECT. I predicted their lineup would stay the same in 2014 and it did.

• MSNBC: WRONG. I predicted Lawrence O'Donnell would be out at 10 p.m. but no programming changes were made.

• CNN: CORRECT. I predicted CNN's 2014 schedule would head for pandemonium and I was correct. The 9 p.m. show changed throughout the year to feature personalities such as Lisa Ling and Mike Rowe.

• HLN: CORRECT. I also predicted that HLN's schedule would be headed for pandemonium and I was correct once again. JVM at 7 p.m. was cancelled while reality television and "Forensic Files" took a hold of the 10 p.m. timeslot.

• CNBC: CORRECT. CNBC Prime was cancelled just as I said. It was replaced with "Shark Tank" and documentaries which the network has produced in the past.

• FBN: CORRECT. There were rumors that "The Independents" would be cancelled but the show stayed in it's place and it's star even made it onto Fox News via a new panel show known as "Outnumbered."

• Bloomberg: CORRECT. The network did not change ownership or it's primetime schedule.

• AJA: INCORRECT. Ratings declined even more for the network, putting it's future in jeopardy.

• Fusion: CORRECT. Jorge Ramos' interview with President Obama about immigration reform made headlines and the network gained carriage via DirecTV. Alicia Menendez's show was not moved to 9 p.m.

• Vice: INCORRECT. Vice didn't take viewers away from anyone but they did gain major credibility during their live stream coverage of Ferguson and reached millions of viewers live and on-demand. Despite Murdoch's investment in the company, Fox News did not collaborate with Vice on any news coverage (But Fox and Vice did recently launch a film company together).

• CBSN: INCORRECT. CBS used journalists from their news organization, rather than political operatives who appear often on cable news, to supply the online network with hosts.

• Politico: INCORRECT. While increasing their video production online, the company did not delve into television.

Here are my predictions on how the networks will shape their prime time lineups in 2015 as well as how the network's overall programming will be formatted.

Everything will stay the same. If a change were to occur for some reason, I think Sean Hannity would be the person to go. I don't know why but it's a gut feeling. With that being said, I don't think it'll happen (I know, I'm double-speaking). Fox News will also remain number 1 in the ratings.

10 p.m. show will be replaced with documentaries. MSNBC will keep it's progressive slant but will also see an increase in entertainment programming such as concerts, comedy shows and live stunts. We'll also see MSNBC copy CNN's strategy of airing documentaries and unscripted shows but they will all come from a political perspective and will utilize celebrities. Peacock Productions will play a big role in MSNBC's revitalization and Phil Griffin will be given one more chance to pull the network out of it's slump. Luke Russert's show on Shift may get a promotion to MSNBC's weekend lineup and Meet the Press may launch shows around it's contributors which air on the weekend or on Shift as well. We may even see some TEDTalks air on the network.

Everything will stay the same. The network has finally found a short-term formula that works. Until they find something new or until election buzz picks up, expect CNN's programming schedule to stay the same. I expect other filmmakers like Andrew Jenks, Oliver Stone and Michael Moore to be added onto the 9 p.m. rotation. I also wouldn't be surprised if they (or MSNBC) pulled off a stunner and tried to bring Jon Stewart to the stable (his Comedy Central contract is expiring soon). Hambycast will also get a trial run on the network.

We already know their lineup will not be the same since they announced changes in January. So my prediction is that the changes won't work. I recently got the chance to watch a preview of one of their new "social" shows and I was personally entertained but I don't think the genre as a whole has enough of an audience to sustain growth for the network. The social media rebranding will end around this time next year and will be replaced by reality television shows from TruTV and CNN's stables. HLN will go up for sale and will be sold to a company looking for more carriage. CNN will use it's HLN's Atlanta studios to produce news aimed for digital audiences under the "Daily Share" brand which will be CNN's competitor to Newsy and NowThisNews.

"Shark Tank" reruns will be doubled. The show is CNBC's biggest primetime hit ever. I expect the network to increase the number of runs it gets and to utilize the show's stars even more during their daytime programming for analysis on business headlines. The show's success on CNBC could indirectly cause one of  the show's start to demand a salary increase and threaten to leave.

Everything will stay the same. Fox Business will break a major business or political story which will increase their credibility in the industry.

Everything will stay the same. I don't see their prime time lineup changing much. But I do think the network's new political duo of Heilmann and Halperin will break major political stories including whether or not Hillary Clinton is running for President.

More documentaries and films. This will be a make or break year for Al Jazeera America. They'll increase their documentary output and partner with online organizations and big filmmakers to bring the productions more clout. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the documentaries come from a point of view supportive of Qatar's reigning government. If ratings continue to flounder, AJA might be shut down and replaced with a simulcast of Al Jazeera English with programming inserts from their new online platform known as AJ+.

More documentaries and films. News programming hasn't worked out too well for Fusion. I think repackaged ABC News and Univision news reports together with ESPN 30 for 30 re-runs will take over the network's primetime lineup. Jorge Ramos and Alicia Menendez will continue to make noise and a presidential candidate will announce their candidacy in an interview which will air on Fusion, Univision and ABC.

A new 24/7 network on TV! History International will be transformed into a TV network for Vice which will debut in the fall and feature shows from Vice's vast library of shows. Vice News will have a major block of programming on the new network. I also wouldn't be surprised if Vice News eventually got a network of their own as time passes by.

OTHER NEWS TV PREDICTIONS

• The networks above alongside newspapers, apps and digital website will all delve into creating more personalized newscasts on mobile devices.
• Facebook and ABC News will strengthen their relationship and increase the reach of ABC's videos.
• ABC News' GoStream and Nightline video venture will help the network grow it's user base online.
• NBC News will launch a streaming network similar to CBSN which is based around the "Today" and "Meet the Press" franchises.
• HuffPostLive will find it's way on television in 2015
• BuzzFeed will enter into a partnership with ABC News that benefits Fusion. They will also increase their live streaming videos.
• Katie Couric's Yahoo broadcasts will also find their way onto television

Online Sports Video Competed Aggressively With Sports Television in 2014

120 Sports - courtesy of applenapps.com

When analyzing the state of television in 2014, many question how the decades old medium will be able to compete against new digital frontier which is attracting younger audiences with shorter attention spans. Even though live sports is dominating television ratings, the same question can be asked about about a genre which saw exponential growth in the way it is covered via online video.

As we enter a new horizon in the media landscape, figureheads in the sports industry from team owners to athletes to television rights holders and other media outlets are trying to figure out ways to adjust and prepare for the disruption which the internet and technology is causing in our lives.

The biggest story involving online sports video's emergence in popularity was the rise in league-owned over the top networks as covered by Sports Business Journal in August. Major League Baseball, NHL and the PGA Tour teamed up together with Sports Illustrated to launch 120 Sports, the NFL launched NFL Now and the NBA announced their intentions to start it's own over the top network in conjunction with ESPN.

Courtesy - Folio Magazine

120 Sports, based in Chicago's Harpo Studios, serves as a long-form sports talk show on video built specifically for mobile devices. Each discussion on the network is designed to last between 1:20-2 minutes in order to give viewers as much information and debate as possible while they're on the go or surfing the web on their phone.

The network has received major ad placement during White Sox games (Sox owner is also a co-owner of 120 Sports) and is featured on Sports Illustrated and MSN's homepages. It uses social media to determine discussion topics and has an array of young hosts who can connect with the target millennial audience. The online network even has rights to show MLB, NHL, PGA and NBA highlights but unfortunately has no rights for any live games.

Courtesy: AppTrigger

NFL Now is more or less the same as 120 Sports. The digital network geared towards football, which I've covered on this site, produces snack-bite segments about the latest on-goings in the NFL and also posts clips from segments seen on NFL Network, Inside the NFL & CBS/NFLN's coverage of Thursday Night Football. Recently, the network also added original live programming based around NFL Network personalities including a coaches shows with Brian Billick and a daily talk show produced by DirecTV for Rich Eisen.

The NBA's new over the top network with ESPN is one of the most intriguing ventures to watch over the next year or two because unlike 120 Sports and NFL Now, the OTT network will broadcast live games. It was formed as part of ESPN's contract extension with the league and will feature 20-30 NBA games per season beginning in 2016. Details about what the network will be called and what will air on the network are expected to be announced in 2015.

Speculation is that ESPN will include other games from other sports leagues it owns rights to such as Major League Soccer although nothing has been confirmed. It'll be interesting to see if the NBA plays as much of an active role in this network as the NFL does with NFL Now or if it takes a backseat like MLB and the NHL with 120 Sports.

Leagues and organizations who don't have as much clout as the one's mentioned above also set their grounds for live streaming. WTA, the women's tennis league, and PBR (Professional Bull Riders) signed their own respective deals (PERFORM Sports Group and CarbonTV) to launch video streaming portals, 92 international sports unions signed with Euronews to create their own edition of SportsCenter which would be distributed on television and on YouTube, the IOC announced their own over the top network while the WWE and UFC launched OTT nets in the beginning of the year. MLS even got into some action serving as a launch partner for Conde Nast's The Scene video player (MLS Digital recently visited NASCAR's HQ = something brewing in 2015?).

Eversport.TV also emerged as an aggregator for various sports competitions such as Asian soccer, NCAA College Hockey regular season matches and New Zealand rugby. Eversport.TV even reached an agreement with video curator Pluto.TV to distribute the Central American Games on two specific dedicated channels.

YouTube played a bigger role in the sports world in 2014 through a multichannel network known as The Whistle Sports. The biggest sports MCN on the biggest video platform in the world signed tricksters and athletes with mass followings such as Dude Perfect, the Harlem Globetrotters, Brodie Smith, TeamFlightBrothers and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin in order to grow their fan base. They are now experiencing immense growth and popularity among millennials and recently received an investment from media conglomerate Sky.

I wouldn't be surprised if this network was acquired by Disney, Time Inc., Hearst, Time Warner, Fox or another media company looking to reach young males that are into sports. The network has connections with the big leagues including the NFL and has steady viewership which is attractive to advertisers.




Athletes themselves also continued to contribute to the digital video ecosystem. Charlie Villanueva started his own vlog following his life as an NBA free agent for his first person blog on SportsBlog.com, Vice Sports followed various athletes around to witness the experiences they go through and Bleacher Report recently launched a new initiative known as Uninterrupted in which athletes record a vlog using a mobile device to reflect on their season and what's happening on the field.

So far, LeBron James and Johnny Manziel are the only two participants and it is not known whether the vlogs are part of a deal between B/R and Nike or B/R and LeBron's LRMR or if Manziel and James were specifically asked by B/R to participate with no affiliation from a third party. No matter what the case is, there's no doubt we'll be seeing more athlete participation in digital video in 2015 especially as more ventures like The Player's Tribune come onto the scene. As I said in my 2015 predictions, I wouldn't be surprised to see a multi-player owned-and-operated video project launched soon. We might also see a company like Gatorade or Nike launch a more aggressive behind the scenes all-access video campaign featuring their signed athletes as well.

Non-sports sites such as Torrential.TV, a mobile advertising company and AOL also used sports to bring attention to their platforms. Torrential launched a show specifically targeted for mobile users which gave NFL athletes a minute to document what they do during their off days while AOL sought to find America's next great sportscaster.

Vine continued it's rise as a home for sports highlights as they happen on Twitter and for the first time, we saw television rights holders become agitated at the app's popularity among fans. ESPN and Univision asked Vine as well as rivals who used World Cup footage in creating GIFs to delete anything which they didn't ask permission to use.

This will spark up an ongoing debate into 2015 as to whether those Vines and GIFs are protected under fair use as well as whether they drive up viewership or hurt the investment rights holders like ESPN and Univision make. Another question to be asked is if rights holders are not happy with Vines and GIFs being created by rivals and fans at home, why not create them yourself and fit the demands of young consumers?

I can't end this look back at 2014 in online sports without recognizing TMZ Sports. Their video of Ray Rice violently hitting his then-fiance garnered millions of views and dominated the nation's watercooler talk for months. There's no greater example of how much online sports video played a role in competing against sports television than that video.

All sources linked: WSJ, Fast Company, Sporting News, Sports Business Daily/Journal, LA Times, Twitter, VideoInk

2014 Media Predictions - What's Right and What's Wrong?

About one year ago, I made a list of predictions about how we would see the media transform in 2014. Here is an overview of what I got right and what I got wrong. Unfortunately, my track record wasn't the best but hopefully I have more luck in 2015!

1. BuzzFeed will be acquired. NOPE

2. New media will invest into the New York Times. YES! Vimeo partnered up with the New York Times to produce video together.

3. Bloomberg will consider selling it's TV network to go exclusively digital. NOPE!

4. CBS News will partner with Microsoft to launch digital network. NOPE! But CBS did launch a digital news network known as CBSN.

5. CBS will consolidate with another media company. NOPE!

6. Time Warner Cable will be sold to Comcast. YES! But it hasn't been approved yet.

7. Deadspin will be sold. NOPE!

8. Ann Curry will leave NBC. NOPE!

9. Democrats aim to start their own Fox News-type outlet with Bill Clinton as the star. NOPE!

10. ESPN uses Olbermann more. YES! He re-signed with the network and his segments air on SportsCenter.

11. Turner Sports will launch an 11pm sportscast on CNN. NOPE!

12. Piers Morgan changes timeslots, Bill Weir moves into primetime. YES/NO - Piers Morgan was cancelled but Weir will be airing a show in primetime in 2015

13. George Stephanopoulos talks to CNN about replacing Wolf Blitzer as it's new face. NOPE!

14. Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer, Robin Roberts will all re-sign with GMA. 2/3rds of the way correct. Elliott left ABC to join NBC.

15. "Today" will take over again as the top morning show. NOPE!

16. Natalie Morales will leave "Today". Tamron Hall will replace her while Robin Meade will also join NBC News. NOPE! But rumors circulated about this happening all year and a new boss considered these moves until he was fired (Jamie Horowitz).

17. Fox will look at changing strategy of MyNetTV. NOPE! Fox acquired the off-network rights to "The Walking Dead" for MNT.

18. Another sports TV network will launch. YES! Back9Network launched on DirecTV and Fantasy Sports Network launched on Cablevision in New York.

19. Chris Fowler named as replacement to Brent Musburger, renews as host of College Gameday. YES!

20. Dan Patrick moves to NBC Sports Radio, Yahoo Sports ends partnership with Gow Broadcasting. NOPE!

21. NBA rights - ESPN and TNT split NBA Finals, keep their respective nights. FS1 acquires 20-30 game slate from RSNs. ABC keeps XMas games, occasional Sunday game/playoff game. Some online broadcasts on Bleacher Report/YouTube. YES/NO. ESPN/TNT are not splitting Finals (ABC has them), ESPN/TNT did keep respective nights, FS1 did not acquire 20-30 games, ABC did keep XMas games/Sundays/playoffs, Bleacher Report did get extended rights but ESPN got extra exclusive online games for a new OTT network.

22. NFL Thursday night games - NBCSN or Turner. NOPE!

23. Big Ten rights - ESPN and Fox. NOPE! Rights haven't been sold yet

24. MLS rights - NBC and ESPN. NOPE! ESPN/Fox/Univision 

25. Howard Stern will consider launching his own TV network NOPE!

26. IHeartRadio will partner with AXS.TV to broadcast concerts live. NOPE!

27. Viacom will try to convince Nick Cannon to launch a modern day UPN to replace "VH1 Soul", known possibly as "NCredible Network". It'll serve as BET for a younger demographic. YES/NO. Cannon signed a contract with NBCUniversal to produce and host shows for them but he will continue contributing to Viacom through TeenNick and MTV2's "Wild N'Out." Cannon will be launching his own network via his own app on his own tablet brand in 2015 which will be known as "NCredible Network."

28. Fox will not renew "The X-Factor". It will become an online-focused competition on YouTube with a televised finale. NOPE! Cowell did launch an online competition show but it wasn't associated with X-Factor

29. This year will mark the last season of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" NOPE!

30. CBS will buy AMC Networks. NOPE!

31. Discovery and Scripps will merge. NOPE!

32. Netflix and Hulu will be available on set-top cable boxes. YES!

33. Starz will be sold. NOPE!

34. DirecTV and Dish Network will merge. NOPE!

35. Aereo will win in the Supreme Court, broadcast networks will bluff on moving to cable-exclusivity.

NOPE! Broadcast networks won

36. Katie Couric will replace Barbara Walters on "The View", while her daytime show will finally get cancelled. YES/NO! Couric's show was cancelled but she signed with Yahoo. 

37. Tim Tebow will become the face of the SEC Network and the SEC Network will have one of the best rated launches in cable history. YES/NO We don't know SEC Network's ratings because it is unrated.

38. Jay Leno will take a break and then choose between a CNN weekly talk show or a daily show on Fox in the Fall of 2014. NOPE!

39. Changes will happen at "New Day". NOPE!

40. Michelle Beadle will move on from NBC Sports while continuing at Access Hollywood. YES/NO. Beadle left NBC to re-join ESPN

41. Ryan Seacrest will accept another full-time job, will depart "American Idol" YES! He hosted a fashion show for CBS

42. NBC Sports will consider buying Sports Illustrated OR will further develop their partnership while also keeping their deal with Yahoo Sports. NOPE!

43. Sinclair will be approved as the new owner of WJLA-TV and NC8 but will be forced to sell other stations. YES!

44. More scripted shows are coming. YES!

45. ESPN is slowly going to take over ABC. YES! Tony Reali joined "GMA," ESPN personalities such as Jay Williams contributed and hosted ABC News' online shows, Hannah Storm served as a correspondent on 20/20, ABC and ESPN are teaming up for a new Father's Day promotion, ESPN personalities contributed to Fusion's World Cup coverage

46. Robin Meade to CNN. NOPE!

2015 Media Predictions

2014 was an amazing, trans-formative year in the world of media. My prediction? 2015 will be even crazier! I'm excited to see all of the new things which take over our lives in sports media, news media and entertainment media. Before you read this, let me warn you that alot of the things predicted here will be totally random, out of the blue and all over the place. Click here to see what I got right and wrong in 2014.

1. Univision will spin off into an IPO - I don't think there's any company which Univision fits into. The companies that Univision does fit into don't have enough room in their portfolio for them.

2. CBS Radio will sell all of their radio stations or spin them off - CBS needs money if they want to acquire another company or merge, the best way to get that money would be to remove their radio stations.

3. Disney will not spin off ABC - BUT, they will enter into a joint venture with another company to operate O&Os.

4. “Kelly and Michael” repeats will be aired on a cable network

5. ESPN and Univision will move some sports properties to Fusion - The ABC/Univision joint venture needs programming which can draw young viewers.

6. Tribune will acquire a stake in the CW Network - Peter Ligouri has stated in the past that he's not happy with The CW's performance. What better way to fix that than to be directly involved?

7. Starz will be acquired by a large conglomerate 

8. Sinclair will launch NewsChannel8 nationally via cable or multicast 

9. Syndicated television shows will make a move to smaller cable networks in need of original programming - Access Hollywood and TMZ have already moved two of their shows to ReelzChannel, we’ll see other syndicators make the decision

10. Station groups will continue to produce original syndicated programming that serve as a local-national hybrid 

11. NBC will debut a new graphics package for the Winter Classic and Super Bowl - NBCSN has already used new graphics for their college hockey and basketball coverage

12. Universal Sports will shut down after NBC decides to leave the venture. - IOC’s new OTT network will partner with NBC to broadcast Olympic sports on NBCSN and the OTT network. NBC will help IOC market the network just as they do with the NHL Network but will not take an ownership stake. The OTT network will live on NBCOlympics.com in the USA and NBC News or Peacock Productions will help IOC produce documentaries for the network.

13. Pivot Network will shut down their linear network and become an OTT network, partner with a conglomerate to market itself better. 

14. Fusion will become a more powerful online news source but lose more clout on its linear service - Fusion will shift away from news and will be filled with hours of ABC News, Univision and ESPN documentary repeats, YouTube shows moved to television.

15. Vice will launch a 24/7 news network in conjunction with A&E

16. HLN’s social media rebrand will not work and the network will dabble into reality television. They may also sub-license time to HuffPostLive - OR the network could be acquired by AOL while continuing a news-sharing agreement with CNN + re-transmission negotiations alongside Turner networks? 

17. CNN will venture into scripted programming about historical events - potentially acquire off-network rights to House of Cards.

18. MSNBC will invest in different types of programming including documentaries, concerts, lifestyle shows, advocacy shows, and entertainment. Ronan Farrow’s show will be cancelled with Farrow becoming an online reporter for MSNBC.com - This has sort of already happened after MSNBC's recent announcement of their own digital video network.

19. Fox News will stay the same, might add some Christian values programming 

20. Al Jazeera America will take more of a political stance, possibly add opinion hosts 

21. A major media company invests in an online video satire news network to compete with Comedy Central - Funny or Die has launched a news division, they could heighten their video production in this department in 2015 or someone else may decide to jump in

22. CNN enters the podcast game 

23. Alisyn Camerota to “New Day,” Kate Bouldan to “SOTU” 

24. Jon Stewart joins CNN - continues to make fun of CNN relentlessly

25. Jimmy Kimmel loses ground to Stephen Colbert in the fall 

26. Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show launch their own video portal -  posts videos from the show before YouTube, extras not available on YouTube, archive clips from Late Night and clips from Jimmy Fallon’s new show on Spike TV. If not their own video portal, NBC sells online rights of Tonight Show to an exterior website who gets access to video before YouTube. Fallon will also make a play for some type of ownership.

27. Tonight Show repeats air on Esquire Network, Jimmy Kimmel also sells repeats to a cable network 

28. GMA will continue to dominate Today Show - NBC News will make some on-air personality changes to the show

29. ABC launches an extra hour of “GMA.” - They could either move “Kelly and Michael” to 10am or ABC stations could choose to not renew Rachael Ray or they could re-brand “The View” at 11am or the extra hour of “GMA” could live on a cable network

30. The NFL will opt out of contract with CBS -  but will re-sign a longer deal with The Tiffany Network; the deal will include NFL games airing on CBS All Access app and an ownership stake in the app for the League.

31. The NFL will add two new wild card playoff games which will be sold separately between rightsholders. - CBS/NFL Network will take one game, ESPN will take the other.

32. NBC renews rights to Premier League soccer 

33. ESPN and Fox acquire Big Ten rights together - ESPN commits some marketing resources to BTN and BTN2Go

34. WatchESPN and Fox Sports Go create joint portal

35. Howard Stern leaves Sirius to launch an online startup - show changes to podcast format recorded in the afternoon

36. Bill Simmons stays with ESPN 

37. ESPN launches an ACC Network - Raycom remains ACC’s digital partner. ACC Network affiliates turn to Sinclair’s American Sports Network for programming

38. World Cup will not change locations, Fox will be forced to sublicense games to ESPN 

39. ABC Family will be re-branded 

40. Twitter will launch its own video player - blocking out all of the other Twitter video clients. Sports rightsholders will sign deals with Twitter to launch feeds specifically for video highlights, GIFS, Vines of games. Rightsholders will also create segments specifically for Twitter. (The NFL did this with Twitter before launching NFL Now) Rightsholders will also claim copyright whenever highlights are posted without permission on Vine

41. SportsCenter or Fox Sports Live will launch mini-editions of their shows for Snapchat 

42. Media companies will repurpose content and produce new content exclusive for Snapchat and Twitter 

43. Keith Olbermann will anchor an episode of SportsCenter 

44. HBO’s subscription service will malfunction when it starts, will contribute to a decline in Netflix subscribers 

45. AXS TV merges with another entertainment network - OR aligns itself with a conglomerate to gain more carriage

46. Ann Curry leaves NBC 

47. American Idol goes on hiatus 

48. Hillary Clinton will announce she is running for President on social media/YouTube - conduct her first interview with Univision/Fusion’s Jorge Ramos

49. Advertisers will begin to produce multiple television programs for cable networks - Under Armour is already helping to finance a high school sports online network and an exercise block on NBC Sports Network, we'll see more of these types of partnerships beyond sponsorship

50. Television advertising will continue to take a downturn as online advertising emerges 

51. Showtime and HBO partner up for Pacquiao/Mayweather PPV on May 2nd in Dallas, Texas - undercard simulcasted on CBS/TNT/TBS; major promotion during March Madness including a contentious interview between the two during Final Four pregame show

52. CBS talks to Viacom and Time Warner about merging, buys Lionsgate. Alibaba buys Sony. 

53. Yahoo finds a way to air Katie Couric’s news programs on television through CNN, Fusion or HLN 

54. CNN Center is used solely for CNN International and Turner Sports, all HLN and CNN programming move to New York - Studios are leased out to another media company, Turner Sports builds a bigger studio for NBA TV and NBA.com.

55. Amazon moves Twitch into a subscription format 

56. Roc Nation gets into television and film production

57. Keith Olbermann finds a way to return to politics

58. Ryan Seacrest leaves NBCUniversal - launches his own digital network in conjuction with IHeartMedia, stops hosting on the red carpet but continues to produces shows for E!

59. Simon Cowell re-launches X-Factor OR launches another franchise online - The You Generation hasn't gotten much buzz so Cowell may have to team up with another MCN network or TV network to gain viewership

60. Robin Meade and Nancy Grace will leave HLN

61. Nikki Finke and TMZ expand their coverage to Washington, D.C. - TMZ breaks a major political story about the 2016 election

62. The National Enquirer/Radar Online owners increase video - This could include new YouTube channels or a TV pilot

63. Imus announces his retirement

64. Showtime will launch an OTT subscription service

65. Jim Rome will join The NFL Today - Bart Scott and Boomer Esaison will be removed. Scott will go back to CBSSN, Esaison will return to calling games.

66. If CBS renews TNF, they will re-do the studio team - James Brown will stick around but they may go with a rotating set of analysts.

67. Facebook will expand digital video

68. Vessel will provide some extreme competition for YouTube

69. The Young Turks will get increased investment or possibly acquired - They will also make a return to television

70. Major athletes partner together to start their own social network/app or media company - Derek Jeter and Sage Rosenfals have already launched their own websites, SportsBlog.com is based on athlete blogs but I think we'll see big marquee name stars from different sports teaming up to do something of their own. I wouldn't be shocked if LeBron James or Dwyane Wade were involved either. James, who is growing his website, and Johnny Manziel recently vlogged for Bleacher Report while Wade helped produce a documentary about the Miami Heat's championship which appeared on his own site. The closest we've gotten to this predicament is Grabyo, but the athletes involved only invested in the software and don't have any editorial or ownership roles with the company.

71. ESPN will produce programming from a non-affiliated network - It will be a network that isn't owned by Disney.

72. MSNBC will change their graphics package

73. Dan Patrick will be named as Alex Trebek's replacement on Jeopardy in 2017, Patrick leaves Sunday Night Football and is replaced by Josh Elliott - Patrick will contribute essays and will continue to host his radio show and host NBC's Olympics coverage

74. Sports Jeopardy will air on television via Game Show Network or a sports network

75. Mike Francesa will move to MSG TV

As I think of more predictions, they'll be posted here.

76. Stephen A. Smith will re-sign with ESPN

77. Jamie Horowitz will join Fox Sports 1 - He will re-do the network's afternoon lineup and replicate it after ESPN2.

78. Rex Ryan will be fired by the Jets, sign with ESPN as a Monday Night Football commentator

79. Yahoo will not merge or get acquired by AOL or anyone else, Marissa Mayer gets one last chance to prove herself

80. A live network centered around YouTube stars will launch - it will most likely be an online equivalent to HSN or QVC. OPEN.tv and QYouTV are two examples of these types of channels launching but they aren't full fledged yet.

81. The networks above alongside newspapers, apps and digital website will all delve into creating more personalized newscasts on mobile devices.

82. Facebook and ABC News will strengthen their relationship and increase the reach of ABC's videos, ABC News' GoStream and Nightline video venture will help the network grow it's user base online.

83. NBC News will launch a streaming network similar to CBSN which is based around the "Today" and "Meet the Press" franchises.

84. HuffPostLive will find it's way on television in 2015

85. BuzzFeed will enter into a partnership with ABC News that benefits Fusion. They will also increase their live streaming videos.

Bold Prediction: Keith Olbermann Back In Politics By 2016 Election

Keith Olbermann recently contributed "play-by-play" to Bill Maher's stand-up special on HBO. Olbermann didn't make any political references since he's banned from talking politics by his current employer, ESPN, but there's no doubt in my mind that he misses the game best played in Washington, D.C.

When asked about it by SI's Richard Deitsch, here's what he said:

The direct answer is – and I know I never give one – yes and no. I do miss that marinating process and no, I don’t need to do it again.

I'm sure he doesn't need politics in his life but I'm sure he would love it if it played some type of role in his life once in a while.

My prediction? Olbermann will find a way to get back into politics. I don't think it'll mean leaving ESPN or ending his show either.

ESPN and Olbermann will find a way for him to either contribute to 2016 election coverage on ABC News or another news outlet.

Maybe Olbermann contributes video content to CNN or Al Jazeera America (since his bridges with MSNBC/Fox are beyond broken) or an online website like Slate or Yahoo. Maybe he produces weekly special comments for FiveThirtyEight, Grantland or Fusion. Maybe he becomes a contributor to ABC's "This Week." Maybe he becomes a guest blogger for the Huffington Post or a left-wing publication.

Maybe ESPN and ABC News form a partnership/online hub with contributions from Olbermann, Nate Silver, some of ESPN's online writers like Jason Whitlock and members of his website together with ESPN/ABC News' political sports podcast.

I don't know how it happens but there's no way Keith Olbermann's voice remains silent during the hoopla surrounding the 2016 election. As ESPN and Olbermann develop more trust for one another, the freedoms he's allowed to have will expand.

Olbermann just has to continue behaving for the next year.

Questions Loom For ESPN's New OTT Network

Last week, the NBA announced an extension of their TV rights deals with ESPN and Turner. Both entities will keep their package of games (Wednesday/Friday: ESPN, Thursday: TNT, Sunday: ABC) and will receive some added perks as well.

Turner will now have expanded digital rights for the Bleacher Report which means they can launch shows and video segments using NBA highlights. B/R will also stream all of TNT's games to authenticated viewers. TNT adds 12 extra games to it's schedule after the All-Star Game which will be flexed in, as well as, an end of the season awards show.

ESPN will add 750 new hours of NBA programming to it's schedule year-round, extends it's deal with the WNBA, increases the games it broadcasts internationally and adds D-League games as part of it's deal.

But, the biggest perk to ESPN's new deal is a brand new over-the-top network. The NBA will own an equity stake in the new network and has granted ESPN permission to broadcast "out of market" games. According to Reuters:

ESPN offered the equity interest to the NBA as an incentive for the league to choose the streaming service - rather than a new programming partner such as Fox - for certain games, the sources said. The games being made available are those not already being shown on television ESPN and Turner as part of the rights renewal package, they said.

So basically, ESPN paid for three different packages of NBA games (ABC TV, ESPN TV and new OTT network). This portion of the deal also tells you how much the league trusts ESPN with their product.

The NBA chose to launch a brand new online television network with the Worldwide Leader rather than sell this package to a desperate bidder like Fox or NBC, who would've probably overpaid for the games and would've made the owners even MORE money.

ESPN and the NBA haven't released much information on this new network because they're also still working on it's framework. But here are some educated guesses/predictions about what this network will look like.

When and how many games will air on the OTT network?

The magic number might be 30 games since that was the guestimate of games which many speculated Fox would be receiving if they bought their own set of games. 30 games would be enough to convince a cord-cutter/young person/internet TV watcher to become a subscriber without encroaching on local TV rights or ESPN and Turner's games. I would also have to guess that these games would air on the OTT network on a night which ESPN/Turner aren't on the air like Saturday or Monday.

Will the NBA games be exclusive to the OTT network?

They'll most likely be exclusively nationally to the OTT network meaning they wouldn't be available on League Pass, NBA TV, TNT or ESPN but I'm sure the local RSNs of the teams playing would be able to air the games based on how ESPN's previous deals with the NBA have worked.

How much say will the NBA have in this new OTT network?

It sounds like this will be 100% operated by ESPN. The NBA will have a vested interest financially-speaking but I doubt they'll be involved with editorial control of the network. I wouldn't be surprised to see NBA Entertainment co-produce a documentary and/or a talk show with ESPN for the network but I don't think they'll have much say in it's daily operations.

What will be the network's format?

ESPN has no idea at this time and neither do we. We might see some on-demand content surrounding the games or we might just see the games.

What do you hope the format of this network is?

I hope we see a mix with a little bit of everything. I hope this network has a library of documentaries, ESPN's talk shows, classic ESPN shows like "Dream Job" and "Stump the Schwab," instant classic replays and old ESPN Classic programming combined with a live feed of unique comedic talk shows aimed at a younger audience which supplements the live games.

Basically, if you were to combine ESPN Classic, Netflix's sports section, live sports games and funny live talk shows together; that would be my dream OTT network. I wouldn't be surprised if Grantland moved their video podcasts from YouTube to this network or if Jason Whitlock's new website produced longform video for it as well.

I would also expect a lot of league-specific programming which might not fit on TV schedules to appear on this network. My other ideas include:

• Live after-shows to some of ESPN's popular programs like "First Take" 
• Video component to some of ESPN's most popular podcasts like "His and Hers"
• Reality sports shows which might not fit ESPN TV but could interest younger fans like a sports versions of "Pawn Stars," "Dancing with the Stars," "Parts Unknown," "Dirty Jobs," "Cribs," "Top Chef" etc. 
• Alternative camera viewpoints during ESPN's sporting events such as All-22 during college football games (I doubt NFL would grant ESPN those rights for MNF games) or a coaches/stats alternative broadcast
• NBA edition of RedZone 

What other sports do you expect to appear on this network?

The only things that pop up in my head are the ACC, Big Ten and MLS. ESPN could decide to move ESPN 3's free ACC games to this network in exchange for the ACC's own equity stake. The Worldwide Leader is also in negotiations with the Big Ten to renew their deal and a portion of games could be dedicated to this new network, although the chances of that are slim since the Big Ten has their own OTT network which they just launched in conjunction with their TV network.

I'm almost 100% sure that ESPN will include MLS games on this network since they bought all digital rights to the league in their latest deal. Here's more from Reuters:

ESPN is considering selling online access to live Major League Soccer games to consumers without pay TV subscriptions, an experiment that could help the sports network find ways to generate revenue outside the traditional pay television system.

Sounds a lot like ESPN's agreement with the NBA, right?

Will games be sold individually?

If ESPN did that, they would be diluting the OTT network's price.

Will the network have ESPN branding?

If I were them, I would pursue branding which differentiated the network from ESPN but still made it clear that ESPN was the kingmaker behind the network just like they do with Grantland/538.

Even though ESPN pays a boatload of money to the NBA, you don't want to give off the impression that the league has major influence over ESPN's operations. By branding this NBA co-owned ESPN OTT network with ESPN's name, that's the perception which may emanate.

ESPN is also the king of cable and the reason cable bills are so high. By branding this network as a cheaper ESPN, the Worldwide Leader would make it's core business vulnerable to a subscription drop which would certainly make pay TV providers like Comcast and DirecTV extremely unhappy.

Which name would you use?

The Ocho.

Who is hurt most by this new network?

120 Sports and NFL Now. 120 Sports was planning to launch a subscription service in their 2nd year of operation (when ESPN/NBA's OTT network will likely launch) while NFL Now already has a subscription service available for $2.99.

Both networks have rights to sports highlights (120 Sports: NBA, NHL, PGA and MLB; NFL Now: NFL). But that's it. Why would I pay for either service when I can get sports highlights on ESPN.com, Twitter/Vine, YouTube or one of the league-owned websites?

If I were 120 Sports (co-owned by SI, NHL, MLB, PGA, Silver Chalice), I would try to negotiate for a couple of NHL and MLB games which aren't covered by television deals. It may involve both league's TV partners paying less for their rights or asking for extra perks but it would be worth it because the leagues would be building for the future.

I'm sure the leagues would like to start developing direct-to-consumer relationships before TV rights run out in ten years and by building 120 Sports into a must-have app for sports fans, you're doing just that.

Maybe 120 Sports and NFL Now should merge together or offer a joint subscription package? They both need each other. NFL Now won't be a destination for viewers once the off-season begins because there are so many other options available for fans to get their NFL off-season fix. 120 Sports, on the other hand, needs highlights to America's most beloved game in order to sustain itself for the future.

In my opinion, both entities should use the highlights rights they have to their advantage. There's a bunch of different shows which can be launched based around highlights with themes such as: wackiest plays, best plays, breakdowns of how teams won or lost, coaches' shows, players' shows, stats shows etc. You could start shows based on all those formats around each team in each league and maybe someone will see the value of understanding sports from an analytical standpoint and decide to willingly pay money for a subscription.

How much will ESPN charge for this OTT network?

It depends on whether it'll be advertiser-supported or not. If there's no commercials, I would expect it to be more expensive and vice versa. Hopefully it's around $10-$20 but it could also range between $40-80 depending on whether ESPN can sell this new network as a non-threat to cable/satellite providers.

Will the OTT network sublicense programming from other content providers?

I wouldn't be shocked to see this network sublicense games from other networks who have excessive rights to a sporting event (Fox recently sublicensed some Champions League games to ESPN).

I also wouldn't be shocked if documentaries/shows were also sublicensed from a TV network. ESPN and HBO have a history and HBO hasn't been afraid to sell online rights in the past (Amazon deal) so I wonder if HBO would consider selling Costas Now/Real Sports/24-7/Boxing and documentary archives to ESPN's new network.

Maybe Epix, which just signed a deal to produce documentaries for the NHL, signs a distribution deal with ESPN through this new OTT network?

Or maybe a Dan Patrick reunion with "Sports Jeopardy" (which has been streamed 1 million times) coming back to it's former home.

Will this OTT network use it's own talent or use ESPN talent?

It all depends on their programming strategy. If they're trying to make this distinct from ESPN, then you'll see mostly brand new talent. I predict it'll be a mix of new talent and ESPN's talent.

Why is ESPN doing this?

ESPN wants to kill all alternative outlets before they can launch. They want to own all anti-ESPNs. This is why they've invested heavily in ESPN2's programming schedule, Grantland, 30 for 30, 538 and now this new OTT network.

By investing in ESPN2, you provide a loudmouth Fox News-type alternative to ESPN; Grantland serves sports fans who dally into pop culture; 30 for 30 serves the sports fan who love documentaries; 538 serves sports fans who love statistics and this OTT network prevents the Google's/Apple's/Netflix's of the world from entering sports television.

ESPN has become the main source of consumption for sports fans and has taken over all of the niches which could've possibly been Fox or NBC's mantras for their own respective networks.

Peter Kafka says it best:

ESPN loves its position as king of the pay TV bundle, and it doesn’t want to do anything to weaken its status — or the long-term distribution deals it has locked up with the pay TV guys, which generally run for seven to ten years.

BUT as John Skipper told Kafka at a media conference.....

“We think about, are there sports events we could offer, where the consumer would pay us directly” 

Who knows if cable TV will exist 10 years from now? If it does, ESPN will continue to dominate the scene. If it doesn't, ESPN wants to be ready to broadcast sports on whatever new online technology takes precedent as the main way Americans watch television. Even if cable TV and online TV do co-exist 10 years from now, it's better for ESPN to dominate both mediums than to cede power on an emerging medium to a rival.

Where will this subscription channel be hosted?

Most likely on ESPN's website but I think it would be interesting to see whether Disney tries to build up their Maker.tv site and places the network there or if ESPN teams up with Verizon to launch a TV service which includes other non-sports cable channels as WSJ suggests.