Programming

ViacomCBS has raised the curtains on its long-anticipated global streamer, with plans set for an early 2021 launch in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics. Having teased the prospect of a “broad pay streaming product” back in May, ViacomCBS Networks International has unveiled plans for a premium SVOD service for all audiences, underpinned by major output deals with Showtime and CBS All Access and a “super-sized” selection of content from ViacomCBS brands including CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and some first-run Paramount films.

The long-running reality show comes in behind last season’s debut but tops the broadcast networks on Wednesday.

Paul Telegdy has parted ways with NBC Entertainment, following allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior, as parent company NBCUniversal engineers a sprawling corporate overhaul meant to streamline its network and direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently head of NBCUniversal’s lifestyle networks, Frances Berwick will now lead its television entertainment business, overseeing daily operations across all networks and dayparts, commissioning and acquiring programming that will work across platforms, and implement “creative windowing and scheduling strategies” across both broadcast network NBC and NBCU’s cable networks.

Ratings since June show Fox News has been the most-watched channel in primetime total viewers, even edging out the return of professional sports.

While a handful of scripted shows have remotely filmed single episodes set during Covid-19, HBO is upping the ante, scheduling the first scripted series shot and set entirely during the pandemic. Coastal Elites, initially planned as a theater project, will debut Sept. 12. HBO has lined up an all-star cast for the series, most of whom shot their scenes from their own homes. Among them are (l-r) Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Kaitlyn Dever and Sarah Paulson.

The hour-long John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero, which was co-hosted by the stellar lineup of Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Gayle King and Brad Pitt, scored a 0.3 rating among adults 18-49 and drew almost exactly 3 million total viewers.

Ever since allegations about mistreatment of staffers by her producers surfaced last month, questions have swirled about the future of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a staple of daytime syndication since 2003. Which heads will roll? Will she quit? Is the show even returning this fall? And if she leaves, who might replace her?

Fox News, like the broadcast and other cable news networks, aired Lewis’ funeral last Thursday, when former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama spoke. Once the funeral started, half of Fox’s viewers slipped away while the audience increased for its rivals, Nielsen said. During primetime last week, CBS led broadcasters with an average of 3.2 million viewers. NBC had 2.8 million viewers, ABC had 2.3 million, Fox had 1.6 million, Univision had 1.5 million, Ion Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 910,000.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert music producer Giovanni Cianci has been fired from the CBS latenight show after being accused of sexual harassment. Cianci’s exit comes after L.A.-based musician Paige Stark posted a screenshot on Instagram in which she detailed a 2010 incident with Cianci.

Less than six months after CBS and Rebel Entertainment Partners settled their long running legal battle over big bucks in missed contractually obliged payments from the two decade and more running show, a new lawsuit is in the docket. Rebel is now suing the former Manhattan family court judge Judy Sheindlin and the ViacomCBS division for more than $5 million over a seemingly sleight of hand $95 million sale of the show’s rich library.

Judge Judy increased its audience by 214,000 to more than 8 million daily viewers, and jumped to its second-biggest rating since May with a 2% advance to a 5.7 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating. That was followed by Judy’s progeny Hot Bench, which bagged a nine-week high 2.1, forging ahead 5% for the week and 11% from last year despite numerous preemptions for pandemic coverage.

NBC’s athletic competition series scored a 0.7 rating among adults 19-49 and around 3.7 million total viewers. That’s pretty much exactly even on last week’s episode. NBC followed it up with a replay of American Ninja Warrior (USA vs. the World), which delivered a 0.5 rating and 2.7 million pairs of eyeballs.

Last week, a pair of BuzzFeed articles alleged a toxic work environment on her daily talk show, as well as allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by producers. Warner Bros. launched an internal investigation. If you’re curious about how things got to this point, here’s a guide to how DeGeneres’s public persona went from the “new Queen of Nice” to even fellow celebrities calling her out for treating people “horribly.”

The daytime drama The Young and the Restless follows The Bold and the Beautiful back on to the schedule after resuming production in July. New episodes will resume on Aug. 10.