Programming

Following a seven-month search for an executive to head U.S. originals, Netflix global TV VP Bela Bajaria has opted to promote from within the company for the role. Longtime Netflix exec Peter Friedlander (l) has been promoted for the second time under Bajaria and will serve as head of U.S. and Canada scripted series. With Friedlander taking on added responsibilities, Brian Wright (r) has opted to exit the streamer.

The Jeopardy announcer worked with late host Alex Trebek for 37 years and was reluctant to continue after losing his admired colleague. But others with the show urged him to consider his role as a comforting touchstone for viewers who also were in mourning.

News and sports programming are a significant factor in keeping consumers tethered to cable and satellite subscriptions in an era rife with cord-cutting, said Andy Forssell, general manager of HBO Max, while speaking Thursday at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. But the way those formats are presented will likely have to change for streaming viewers, he said.

Fox Sports says that it will be the broadcast partner for a reboot of the league set for spring 2022. Fox is also an equity investor in the USFL’s parent company, The Spring League. The football league, which was originally active from 1983 to 1985, counted future NFL stars Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker among its players.

In his expanded role, Magnus will oversee all programming and content for ESPN’s linear channels as well as the ESPN+ streaming service, including ESPN Films and the 30 for 30 franchise.

Fox’s MasterChef opened Season 11/”Legends” with 2.4 million total viewers and a 0.6 rating, topping Wednesday in the demo. ABC’s $100,000 Pyramid (3.5M/0.5) ticked up in the demo and delivered the night’s largest audience.

The pandemic made the ceremony, honoring Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Midori and Dick Van Dyke and airing on CBS on Sunday, like no other.

Jeffrey Katzenberg is stepping down as chairman of the board of governors at the Motion Picture & Television Fund, where he and his wife Marilyn have been among its biggest boosters and fundraisers for three decades. His departure comes as the charitable organization celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Content is king in the direct-to-consumer streaming wars with The Walt Disney Co. in the lead and Steve Cahall, analyst at Wells Fargo, sees more deals like the proposed WarnerMedia-Discovery merger on the horizon as media companies seek enough ammunition to compete.

CBS averaged 6.28 million primetime viewers in Nielsen’s measurement of live-plus-seven viewing, which includes everyone who watched a particular program live and within the next week. CBS has won 18 of the last 19 years, the one-time exception being Fox when American Idol dominated TV.

The data will be incorporated into NBCUniversal’s overall metrics for the Summer Games audience.

The final episode of Mare of Easttown limited series drew four million viewers over the holiday weekend across HBO and HBO Max, with nearly three million viewers Sunday night (all platforms), marking a series high for both linear and digital, according to HBO. The finale also set the record as the most watched episode of an original series on HBO Max during its first 24 hours of availability, besting the finales of recent hits The Undoing and The Flight Attendant over the same period of time.

NBC’s America’s Got Talent opened Season 16 with 7.1 million total viewers and a 0.85 demo rating, down a tick from its previous averages (7.3M/1.0) but still dominating Tuesday in both measures.

In the generally sluggish week in syndication ending May 23, the game show fell 2% although it was first on the overall chart with a 5.5, getting past daytime ratings queen Judge Judy, which was syndication’s second highest program.

Pride Month kicked off Tuesday, and all month long, television studios and networks — from NBCUniversal to Here TV — will celebrate and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and stories. Here’s some of what’s on tap.