By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc.As Zoom became a videoconferencing thing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sight of talking squares, all lined in rows, got people to thinking about older television shows. These talking heads were akin to “The Brady Bunch” opening, some comedians opined. Others were reminded of “Hollywood […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc.A recent report from the analysts at eMarketer predicts a dire future for the pay-TV industry in the U.S., which was suffering before COVID-19 ever arrived and continues to gasp for numbers of subscribers during this pandemic. The report, “US Cord-Cutter Households, 2019-2024,” says 6.6 million people will cancel […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. Is the traditional ritual of “dinner and a movie” on a night out becoming, instead, pizza delivery and the latest hit show from your preferred streaming service at home? That seems to be the trend right now as movie theaters, which finally re-opened their doors in mid-August, experienced […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. A mere nine months ago in this space, we were among those looking forward to what was shaping up to be a stellar year for the media and advertising worlds — what with the 2020 Summer Olympics slated to be sandwiched by the Democratic and Republican national conventions […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. A full rollout of 5G technology continues to drag along, and it’s the economic hardships that many Americans face because of the global pandemic that’s keeping it that way, marketing analysts said in a “Behind the Numbers” podcast last week. Something that might spur the rollout along, they […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. Granted, watching late-night talk-show hosts on TV during the pandemic hasn’t been quite the same as when they beamed their shows live from their East or West Coast studios, with a roaring band and audience in tow. But the two Jimmys, as in Fallon and Kimmel, and Stephen, […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. “And the winner is … yet another streaming service!” Those may just be the words a presenter utters when the 72nd Emmy Awards unfold in September, with Netflix this week breaking the record for most Emmy nominations ever, while one of several streaming newcomers, Disney+, secured a best-drama […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. Back-to-school life for parents seemed so simple just a few short years ago. They would get a supplies list from their local school system and check off such items as Big Chief tablets and Number 2 pencils as they purchased them. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, back-to-school […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. The generation perhaps most resistant to technological and digital change at the start of this millennium is now embracing it in our pandemic environment — at least when it comes to shopping. In a recent study by the National Retail Federation (NRF), nearly half of the baby boom […]
By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc. Travel remains one of the most battered industries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with experts predicting that a full recovery for the industry won’t happen until 2022 — if there’s a viable vaccine for the coronavirus later this year or early next. But Americans tired of […]