Hollywood Breakdown
Over the Top Dominates at 2015 TCA's
The semi-annual gathering of the Television Critics Association begins in Pasadena this week. Some of the more anticipated presentations are still yet to happen, but the focus of this winter's get-together seems to be the proliferation of over the top streaming services that especially appeal to a younger, more cord-cutting generation.
Twice a year the Television Critics Association gathers to hear presentations from network heads and showrunners of upcoming programs. This winter's gathering is just getting started, but so far the big topic is the continued unbundling of cable and the ever increasing options for over the top streaming services, which networks are hoping appeal to millennials who aren't interested in a cable subscription. HBO and CBS announced standalone streaming services last year, and this week, Dish Network announced a $20 a month streaming service called Sling TV. The big difference with Sling is that their over the top bundle will include ESPN, the sports network frequently cited as the reason for hanging on to cable.