''The Futon Critic'' is a website that provides articles and information regarding prime time programming on

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

and cable networks in the United States. The site publishes

review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...

s of prime time programming and interviews of people in the television industry, as well as republishing

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

data reports and press releases provided by television networks. ''The Futon Critic'' was founded by

Brian Ford Sullivan Brian Ford Sullivan is an American television writer. He is known for his work on The CW superhero series ''Arrow''. Life and career He grew up, for the most part, in Chicago, Illinois. Sullivan founded the U.S. TV listing website ''The Futon ...

in 1997.

History

Brian Ford Sullivan, CEO of Futon Media, registered ''The Futon Critic'' on January 14, 1997. From its founding, the site has published

s on prime time programming, as well as interviews its staff conducted with members of the television industry. The site also contains sections of articles dedicated to republishing

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

s, network schedules and

data, which have been cited by articles on websites such as ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' and

TV by the Numbers TV by the Numbers was a website devoted to collecting and analyzing television ratings data in the United States that operated from 2007 to 2020. It was a part of Nexstar Media Group's Zap2it television news/listings site. History An Internet ...

. Its publications of Nielsen ratings data have also been used as a resource by institutions such as the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

. In 2009, Sullivan appeared on WGN's ''

The Nick Digilio Show Nick Digilio (born July 6, 1965) is a movie critic and radio personality. He was the host of an award-winning radio program on WGN (AM), WGN Radio in Chicago. In 2017, he was inducted into the WGN Radio Walk Of Fame. Life Digilio grew up about fi ...

'' to discuss television and the Emmy nominations of the year on behalf of the site. In 2010, Sullivan announced a new section of their site dedicated to tracking the availability of programming on

digital distribution Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content (media), content such as Sound recording and reproductio ...

platforms, to be launched in August of the same year. He also announced the production of a television pilot to be released onto the section sometime after its launch; entitled ''.comEDY'', it was pitched as a comedic look at the effects of the dot-com bubble burst around

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

. The site ceased publishing original reviews and interviews in early 2013. (last interview dated February 15, 2013) , the site no longer posts significant original content, but continues to be updated regularly with press releases from various media outlets, development updates, and seasonal program listings.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Futon Critic, The 1997 establishments in the United States American entertainment news websites Internet properties established in 1997 Television websites