The Media Equation: Cable TV’s Shift to Darker Dramas Proves Lucrative

Built on lush portraits of human pathology, subscription- and ad-supported cable channels gradually became hotbeds of quality and profits, as detailed in “Difficult Men” by Brett Martin.

    

‘Game of Thrones,’ Not ‘Mad Men,’ Had the Bigger Sunday Night

Though in only a third as many homes, the HBO fantasy series had almost a million more viewers than the premiere of the highly regarded AMC series.

    

Media Decoder Blog: The Breakfast Meeting: Awkwardness at NBC, and Barbara Walters’ Retirement

NBC has yet to learn how to handle successions gracefully, Barbara Walters will retire in 2014, and Christopher Cuomo and Kate Bolduan will host a new CNN morning show.

Dennis Rodman in North Korea, With Vice Media as Ringleader

Vice Media, known for stunt journalism, approached HBO with the idea of arranging a North Korea trip centering on basketball, a sport the nation’s leader loves.