TV101

2026-10-25

From Idea to Screen: How a TV Show Gets Made, Sold and Paid For

An explainer on the production side of U.S. television: who the creators, studios and buyers are, how a pitch travels from logline to series bible, the development deals that decide who owns an idea, why pilots went away and came back, and the four money models (licensing, co-production, wholly owned, cost-plus) that decide who takes the risk and who gets the upside.

2026-10-25

How Americans Watch TV, and Who Gets Paid Along the Way

An explainer on the distribution side of U.S. television: the six pipelines viewers use (broadcast, cable, vMVPDs, streaming, FAST, YouTube), who the players are, how carriage fees and advertising pay for it all, who regulates what, and why streaming is starting to look like old-fashioned TV.