Disney Plus has experienced a number of technical issues during the initial hours of launch. The streaming service went live at midnight PT with a menu of film and TV titles from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic and Disney’s own stable. However, many customers were finding they were “unable to connect” to the service and inevitably taking to social media to air their grievances.
Disney’s marketing force is reaching beyond its traditional family audience to send a message that its $7-a-month subscription service Disney+ offers something for all ages. The service debuted on Tuesday in the United States, Canada and The Netherlands.
Disney has spent more than $3 billion on technology and content in an ambitious bid to take on Netflix at its own game.
Rick Ludwin, the legendary NBC executive who wrote jokes for Bob Hope, was a Seinfeld champion from the start and ran specials and latenight programming at NBC for more than 30 years, died Sunday in Los Angeles after a brief illness. During his run at the network, Ludwin worked with every host of the Tonight show: Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Leno, O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon.
The Simpsons, ‘Cinderella and several movies from the Star Wars and Marvel universes will share a streaming home today as Disney Plus debuts. Subscribers will initially get more than 500 movies and 7,500 TV episodes for their $7 a month. That’s expected to grow to 620 movies and 10,000 episodes in five years, as existing deals with rival streaming services expire.
Exclusives
ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said Monday that ABC will no longer be sending out Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings figures for the network’s programming that isn’t live. The new policy begins Tuesday, Nov. 12. In an increasingly time-shifted viewership universe, the network is following the lead of fellow Big 4 broadcaster Fox, which made the same move under then 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Television Group co-chief Dana Walden a few years back.
Rookie dramas FBI: Most Wanted and Tommy and the final season of Criminal Minds are on tap for the winter.
Morgan Murphy said today that its ABC affiliates KAPP-KVEW Yakima, Wash. (DMA 118) are adding three more television services to its lineup, for a total of 5 broadcast streams each […]
‘Shark Tank’ Hits Season High
ABC also gets improvements from two other shows, and Sunday Night Football scores more big ratings for NBC.
With the arrival of Disney Plus on Tuesday, a growing medium rises to dominance.
In another step toward integrating CBS and Viacom’s assets following the merger of the two entertainment entities earlier this year, CBS chief creative officer David Nevins is adding oversight of Viacom-owned BET Networks, while MTV/VH1 chief Chris McCarthy will take over Comedy Central, Paramount Network and other channels as longtime Comedy Central chief Kent Alterman and Viacom media networks COO Sarah Levy exit the company.
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is recovering following emergency surgery, the show said via its Twitter account. “Our taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine,” the tweet read. Per the tweet, taping for the show resumed on Friday as scheduled with Vanna White hosting.
The CW has set midseason premiere dates for its new series Katy Keene, along with the returns of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Roswell, New Mexico. Midseason also sees a move to Monday nights for remainder of the 15th and final season of Supernatural.
NBC has firmed up its midseason scheduling plans. There are no major moves as the network once again is betting on stability. After NBC successfully introduced America’s Got Talent: The Champions and Ellen’s Game Of Games as midseason fill-ins for The Voice on Monday and Tuesday last season, the reality series will be back in the same slots, bridging the two cycles of The Voice.
The series will wrap production after 15 episodes, with a finale set for early 2020.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Producers Guild of America will honor Octavia Spencer for her work behind-the-camera at its 2020 awards show. Spencer, who was among the producers of last […]
‘Young Sheldon’ And ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Rise
The CBS comedy draws its biggest total audience of the season, and ABC’s long-running drama leads the 18-49 pack among non-sports shows.
Terry Bradshaw and the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show have gone around the world for their Veterans Day shows. But on Sunday the show will originate from one of the […]
The summer event series starred the original core Beverly Hills, 90210 cast as heightened versions of themselves as they attempted to get a 90210 revival off the ground.
Broadcast Commercial Ratings Are Roadkill
The compromised C3 metric and the slower-burning fuse of C7 have done next to nothing to offset the ravages of commercial avoidance, offering about as much protection from ratings erosion as an umbrella provides in the shadow of an earthbound boulder.
Guests clashed with hosts and hosts clashed with audience members at the ABC show on Thursday.
