Tim Baysinger
Journalist
My Work
The New Boys of Summer
Broadcasting & Cable, June 2014
We hear it every four years: American sports fans don’t care about soccer. As much of the globe eagerly anticipates the kickoff to 2014’s World Cup on June 12, the U.S. appetite for the world’s most popular sport—or lack thereof—is back in the spotlight. That story line, however, appears to be shifting.
With Netflix, Marvel Bets On ‘Daredevil’
Broadcasting & Cable, April 2015
Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel Studios, the comic book-based hit-maker has unleashed a string of hot releases that gave grossed $7 billion at the box office worldwide… However, despite all its box-office might, Marvel has found a foe that even Ultron, James Spader’s villainous robot that will tussle with the Avengers in Age of Ultron, would be jealous of: the small screen.
A Nickname is Is Getting Under People's 'Skins
Broadcasting & Cable, Aug. 2014
With controversy over the Washington team’s moniker continuing to boil as the NFL preps for its 2014 campaign, the league’s TV partners face a quandary over a big political choice: When it comes to ‘Redskins,’ do they pass or do they go for it?
How Russell Westbrook, NBA Renaissance Man, Is Redefining the Role of Spokesman
Adweek, June 2016
Most professional athletes define their legacy exclusively by what they accomplish in the game. That doesn't work for Russell Westbrook. Though he's become a legitimate superstar in the National Basketball Association in his eight years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook refuses to be pigeonholed as just an NBA star—or any singular role, for that matter.
As the Streaming Wars Heat Up, Don’t Forget About CBS All Access
TheWrap, Oct. 2018
CBS All Access was launched a little over four years ago — Oct. 16, 2014 — and Marc DeBevoise remembers exactly what happened. The subscription streaming product, initially a way for non-TV subscribers to watch the CBS broadcast network, as well as the network’s catalog of shows like “The Brady Bunch” and “I Love Lucy,” debuted the day after HBO made its own announcement that it would too jump into the streaming space with HBO Now.
How ‘Man in the High Castle’ Grapples With Its Frightening Real-World Relevance
TheWrap, Oct. 2018
Eric Overmyer swears the third season of Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle” isn’t a response to Donald Trump... But the real-world parallels of a show that not only imagines Nazi Germany’s victory in World War II — subjugating much of America in the process — but the spread of its fascist worldview, are hard to ignore.
How the Ad Council and R/GA Created the Powerful ‘Love Has No Labels’ PSA
Adweek, August 2015
Chris Northam didn't know what to expect when he set up a giant, ersatz X-ray installation at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., this past Valentine's Day. But what he ended up with turned into one of the most beloved public service ads in recent memory—the iconic and award-winning anti-bias message "Love Has No Labels" made by R/GA for client The Ad Council.
‘Iron Fist': How Marvel Fixed Its Weakest Link on Netflix In Season 2
TheWrap, Sept. 2018
Netflix’s corner of Marvel’s cinematic universe had received widespread acclaim for its first three series in “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage.” But “Iron Fist” became the first Marvel property set inside the MCU to receive nearly universal derision. But something funny happened when the show returned for its second season: The widely-mocked series got good.
How the Media Rating Council Became Digital Media’s Seal of Approval
Digiday, June 2017
Innovid gets its metrics approved every year by the Media Rating Council. But when the video advertising platform that powers digital ads from major brands like Unilever and Samsung passed its yearly audit in February, it was actually asked about it by clients. Tal Chalozin, Innovid’s co-founder and CTO, said the question of MRC approval has been asked more than ever by the brands and agencies that they work with.
Can Social Media Help Major League Baseball Get Younger?
Adweek, March 2016
Major League Baseball has an age problem. The 147-year-old league is financially healthy, sure, but younger fans are increasingly hard to find. MLB has the oldest median TV audience at 56 years, compared to 49 for NFL viewers and 41 for NBA fans, according to Nielsen. But with a cadre of young stars eager to leave their mark on the game, baseball hopes to bring millennials back to the diamond. As Rob Manfred begins his second season as commissioner, he's looking to increase the league's social footprint while appealing to those who don't watch sports on traditional TV.
Reign of ‘Empire’ Rebooting Broadcast
Broadcasting & Cable, March 2015
With unprecedented competition from cable networks and streaming services, plus viewers who don’t watch their shows live—or even on a traditional TV set—broadcast networks face epic challenges to creating small hits, let alone the massive kind they used to be known for. Audience fragmentation and time-shifting have driven their ratings down to historic lows. Ratings that a couple years would kill a show are now considered marks of success. For the moment, though, Fox’s Empire shows broadcast still has some of its old mojo left.
Viacom Looks to Rival Major U.S. Cable Channels With Paramount Network
Reuters, March 2017
When Viacom Inc’s Spike TV rebrands as the Paramount Network in early 2018, the struggling media company hopes to position itself as a challenger to top-rated U.S. cable networks like Comcast Corp’s USA and Time Warner Inc’s TNT with shows that have the caliber of HBO… Since launching in 2003 as the first network exclusively for men, Spike had been a hard sell for Viacom because the network failed to meaningfully catch on with that demographic.