It’s been a brutal few years for broadcast and cable networks. Many are seeing annual double-digit ratings declines as audiences increasingly turn their back on live linear viewing and flock to streaming services. From more events to “urgent” shows, here’s how broadcast and cable channels have shifted linear strategies.
Hulu has promoted Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Campbell to president. This comes a few weeks after Disney announced that Randy Freer would be stepping down as CEO.
Nicholas Pinnock, the star of ABC’s new drama about a prison inmate unjustly incarcerated who becomes a lawyer, thinks the show “is going to change the shape and the way network television is viewed and how it can move forward and compete with the likes of streaming channels like Netflix and Amazon and Apple and really, really challenge the outlook of network television.”
‘The Voice,’ ‘The Bachelor’ Hit Viewer Highs
The Bachelor and The Voice topped Monday’s ratings, with the latter opening its spring cycle with its biggest Monday audience of the season. The Bachelor also hit a season high in viewers and tied its best adults 18-49 rating.
Exclusives
AMC Networks today announced a comprehensive, long-term distribution agreement with Dish Network and Sling TV that includes continued carriage of AMC Networks’ linear channels AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and BBC World News, as well as the launch in the coming months of AMC Networks’ targeted SVOD services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and Urban Movie Channel; AMC Networks’ ad-free offering AMC Premiere; and its IFC Films Unlimited streaming service.
Netflix Inc., which has been tight-lipped about the popularity of its shows and movies, is taking another step toward transparency. A new feature on the streaming service will show its top 10 most popular programs and movies, updated daily. Netflix has been testing the approach for about six months in Mexico and the U.K., the company said on Monday.
Veteran marketing executive Rebecca Daugherty is leaving her role as EVP of marketing for ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios. Daugherty tenure at ABC spans 33 years and includes campaigns for such signature series as Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and The Conners.
Dee Dee Myers will exit her post at Warner Bros as executive vp of worldwide corporate communications and public affairs. Myers joined Hollywood from the world of politics, previously serving as the White House press secretary to Bill Clinton. She has been with the studio for five years.
He was found guilty of criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013. The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence.
ABC’s The Rookie scored season highs in the same-day ratings Sunday with an assist from American Idol. The two shows helped ABC top the night in adults 18-49.
The glut of shows has created more opportunities, but short seasons and unpredictable schedules have made life tricky.
NFL owners and the NFL Players Association are likely nearing a collective bargaining agreement after owners approved the terms Thursday. Media companies and the NFL have been waiting for the CBA’s approval before negotiating new broadcast rights for NFL games, which are locked up until 2022. The results will have a major impact on traditional media as millions of Americans cut the cord on pay-TV each year.
Lizzo was named Entertainer of the Year at the 51st NAACP Image Awards on Saturday. The singer-rapper edged out Angela Bassett, Billy Porter, Regina King and Tyler Perry for the night’s top prize. On Friday night, in a pre-telecast ceremony, some of the other winners were announced. OWN’s Greenleaf nabbed the best drama series prize while ABC’s Black-ish won six awards, including outstanding comedy series.
TVN’s Executive Session | Debmar-Mercury: There’s Still Life In Syndies
Debmar-Mercury’s Co-Presidents Ira Bernstein (l) and Mort Marcus say the syndication world has become more complex with fewer entry points for new programming. But despite threats from streaming there’s still plenty of opportunity left.
NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top black models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Smith’s family announced on social media that she died Saturday […]
NBCUniversal is in talks to acquire Walmart’s Vudu video business, a source familiar with the discussions tells The Hollywood Reporter. A deal would give NBCU ownership of Vudu’s digital marketplace for movies and television shows. Vudu also offers a free, ad-supported video service.
It’s official. Months after the 25th anniversary of the launch of Friends, the cast will be reuniting exclusively for an untitled unscripted special for HBO Max. It will be directed by Ben Winston and produced by Fulwell 73 (The Late Late Show with James Corden) and Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television.
Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 drew their largest same-day viewership since their Jan. 23 return. CBS’s Young Sheldon also grew its total-viewer tally and is near a season high, and three of NBC’s four comedies posted viewer gains as well. Univision also scored solid numbers with its annual Premio Lo Nuestro awards show.
Repeats of the wildly popular laffer, which ran for 10 seasons on NBC, were anecdotally among the most-binged shows on Netflix before the series left the streaming service at the end of 2019. Soon, it will be one of the centerpieces of WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, when that streamer launches in May.
NBC has ordered an eighth season of The Blacklist, the second consecutive year the veteran drama has received an early renewal. This time, the pickup was tied to a celebration of The Blacklist‘s 150th episode with the cast and crew in New York this morning where the renewal announcement was just made by NBC executives. There are no current plans for Season 8 to be the show’s final season.
So You Think You Can Dance has been renewed for a 17th season at Fox. Bailey Munoz was named the winner of the most recent season of the dance competition series. Auditions for the new season will begin next month.
YouTube TV will carry HBO Max as part of an expanded distribution deal with WarnerMedia. This is the first deal that WarnerMedia has announced for the third-party distribution of HBO Max but more are expected in the lead up to the service’s May launch.
