NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a total of 25.4 million total viewers and a 6.4 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic on Thursday across the live broadcast and encore immediately after, according to Nielson fast national data from NBC. Those numbers were mostly on par with last year’s coverage of the event. which was virtual because of the pandemic.
Dame Helen, as the Oscar, Emmy and Tony-winning actor is properly addressed, makes her debut as a quiz host with Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses. The weekly, four-part series begins 8 p.m. ET Sunday on TBS and Cartoon Network.
The seven original main cast members of This Is Us have received $2 million cash bonuses ahead of the NBC drama’s sixth and final season. They are Milo Ventimiglia (Jack Pearson), Mandy Moore (Rebecca Pearson), Sterling K. Brown (Randall Pearson), Chrissy Metz (Kate Pearson), Justin Hartley (Kevin Pearson), Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth Pearson) and Chris Sullivan (Toby Damon), pictured above.
On NBC, The Voice (6 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating, dipped week-to-week but led Tuesday in both measures. ABC’s The Bachelorette drew 2.6M/0.6, ticking down on both counts to tie season lows. Leading out of that, Queens (1.07M/0.2) slipped to series lows.
5 Million Saw Carlson’s Rittenhouse Chat
Tucker Carlson reached 5.05 million viewers for his Kyle Rittenhouse interview on Monday, the Fox News Channel opinion host’s largest audience since the night of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable news channel in primetime last week, averaging 2.89 million viewers. And Fox broadcasting was the top-rated network in primetime last week, averaging 5.4 million viewers. NBC had 4.8 million, CBS had 4.5 million, ABC had 4.1 million, Univision had 1.5 million, Telemundo had 1 million and Ion Television had 880,000.
Exclusives
Netflix’s Tiger King 2 opened with a roar, though viewership was nowhere near the Season 1 phenomenon. The second season launched to 30 million hours streamed over the docuseries’ first five days, according to Netflix. The show charted at No. 2 on Netflix’s Top 10. All that, with two days to spare.
Longtime General Hospital cast member Steve Burton is leaving the ABC show due to his refusal to comply with the production’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Burton announced his departure on Instagram today.
NBCUniversal has rebranded its international production business to better align with Universal Studio Group and sister studios UCP, Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio. The change is cosmetic and little else is changing structurally on the international side. The shift solely impacts the production operations, and distribution group NBCUniversal International Global Distribution will remain titled as such.
Top Talkers Are Syndication’s Bright Spot
Dr. Phil, Live with Kelly and Ryan and Ellen DeGeneres all set rating records in the week ending Nov. 14.
ABC’s Dancing With the Stars drew 5.4 million total viewers and a Monday-leading 0.8 demo rating, ticking up week-to-week but down from last year’s championship dance-off (6.4M/1.0) to mark new finale lows. Over on NBC, The Voice (6.1M/0.7) dipped week-to-week yet still delivered Monday’s largest audience.
Mills spent four years as president of BET before being elevated to CEO. He has held a variety of executive roles since joining BET in 1997.
When the Miss America Pageant (now formally known as the Miss America Competition) returns this year for its 100th anniversary after being scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, it won’t air on a traditional television network — the latest indication how TV culture is radically changing in the face of broadband technology that gives entertainment seekers whatever they want at the push of a button. The finale, set to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock on Dec. 16 from the Mohegan Sun Arena, with feature a pre-show at 7 p.m. ET followed by a live competition show at 8. For the first time in the pageant’s history, viewers will be able to watch the program live no matter the time zone in which they live.
Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal is considering removing much of its content from Hulu and making it exclusive to its Peacock platform, according to people familiar with the matter, as the media giant determines how to best play its hand in the streaming wars. NBCUniversal, which owns one-third of Hulu, with Disney controlling the rest, has to make a decision soon. Under the terms of an agreement with Disney, NBCUniversal has a one-time window to exit from the content-licensing agreement between the two early next year. If it doesn’t exercise the option, the content would remain there until at least 2024.
TV Measurement Standard Remains Firmly In Flux
NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia, Nielsen and more are seeking the best way to provide accurate, usable information to buyers and sellers.
Just days after analyst Michael Nathanson downgraded Roku shares, Roku has announced a significant ramp-up of its so-far-limited original content strategy. Roku, which doesn’t charge users to stream content over its Roku Channel, plans to develop 50 “ad-friendly” new shows for 18-49 year-olds between now and 2024, and is now taking pitches for scripted and unscripted shows.
An arbitrator rules that the actor’s pattern of sexual harassment caused damage to MRC and flouted…An arbitrator rules that the actor’s pattern of sexual harassment caused damage to MRC and flouted contractual obligations.
ABC’s broadcast of the American Music Awards on Sunday night averaged 3.8 million total viewers and a 1.0 rating, steady in audience and up a tick in the demo vs. last year’s early numbers — though still a far cry from what the kudoscast last did pre-pandemic (6.7M/1.8). Over on NBC, meanwhile, Sunday Night Football (11.9M/3.0) was down about 15% from last week’s preliminary numbers.
The holidays are (almost) here — and so is the ever more competitive war for Christmas movie viewers. And then there’s the curious case of GAC Family, a new cable network that has the backing of an investor group with ties to former president Donald Trump, and that appears to be positioning itself as a destination for viewers who think Hallmark holiday movies are too edgy.
The local sports saga is playing out in markets across the U.S. as cable and satellite TV companies abandon regional sports networks. Rather than accept large monthly subscription fees, pay TV providers like Comcast, DirecTV and Dish, and digital providers such as YouTube TV and Hulu, are increasingly walking away to keep costs down. They’ve decided the amount they have to pay to keep RSNs in the bundle no longer makes economic sense, given how few people watch them and how much they charge.
Market data paints a grim picture for the future of pro sports. In league offices around the country, the campaign to secure it is well underway.
Urooj Sharif, who had a previous run at Showtime early in her industry career, is returning to the premium cabler as vice president, scripted programming. In her new role, Sharif will be responsible for the development and production oversight of premium scripted series, including drama, comedy and limited series. She will creatively oversee all steps of development and production, as well as serving as the network liaison for projects through delivery and release.
CBS’s Young Sheldon this week drew 6.7 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating, holding steady in the demo to lead Thursday’s non-NFL fare in that measure. Fox’s Thursday Night Football coverage (8.1M/2.1) matched last week’s early numbers.
The main stage lineup for the Jan. 18-20 gathering includes Bob Greenblatt, Byron Allen, Chris Abrego, Dan Cohen, Jeff Sagansky, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Kathleen Finch, Laura Molen and Soledad O’Brien.
