DALLAS (AP) — When Johnny Carson retired from “The Tonight Show” after 30 years, one man was determined to make the iconic set part of his burgeoning collection of television […]
Netflix on Monday renewed the Keri Russell-led political drama for a second season, presumably to launch in 2024. The Diplomat‘s inaugural eight-episode season bowed just 10 days ago — on April 20 — and immediately shot to No. 1 on Netflix’s consumer-facing Top 10 list, with 57.48 million hours viewed in its first weekend.
‘The Blacklist’ Audience Grows, ‘The Company You Keep’ Ticks Up
ABC’s American Idol dominated Sunday in the demo (5.1 million/0.6), while CBS’s 60 Minutes easily clocked in with the night’s biggest audience (6.8M/0.4). NBC’s The Blacklist posted its fourth-best audience of the season so far (1.9M) and its ninth 0.2 rating in 10 episodes.
Trying to forecast when ESPN will go entirely online is one of the great guessing games of the media industry.
The regional sports network model failed for Sinclair Broadcast Group, with a nearly $10 billion investment by the company evaporating in less than four years. But in proof of the adage Wall Street is always looking forward, not backward, the company’s shares are surging, driven in part by enthusiasm over strides the company has made in distribution of its Tennis Channel and sister network T2. With a 30% gain last month, Sinclair stock led all components of the Sportico Sports Stock Index. Overall, the index, which tracks 40 U.S.-traded stocks to gauge the state of the sports business, barely moved in April, closing down one point to finish at 1,165. While that lags the 1.5% gain of the S&P 500 Index last month, sports stocks are still up 11% in 2023, besting the 9% gain of the broader market index.
In the 16 years since the entertainment industry’s last strike, sweeping technological change has upended the television and movie business.
Exclusives
The drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon will debut its third season in the fall.
LOUIS (AP) — Mike Shannon, a two-time World Series winner and longtime St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster, has died. He was 83. The Cardinals said he died Saturday night in St. […]
Walmart+, the retail giant’s paid subscription membership service, is now offering access to Paramount’s Pluto TV. Interestingly, select Pluto TV programming will be available ad-free. Starting this week, Walmart+ subscribers can use the member portal to create a free Pluto account, which will allow them to watch a lineup of curated content. According to Walmart+, members can watch up to six TV shows (one season each) ad-free.
James Corden was joined by 1.43 million people for the farewell to CBS’s The Late Late Show on Thursday night. The audience for the final episode of The Late Late Show was up 77% over the show’s season-to-date average live+same-day viewership (which was about 806,000). It was also the show’s largest audience on any day of the week since January 2021 following the AFC Championship Game.
Diamond Sports Group, which runs the Bally Sports regional sports networks, said that the agreement the NBA’s Phoenix Suns announced today to have games broadcast on TV stations owned by Gray Television breaches its contract with the team and violates bankruptcy law.
‘Law & Order,’ ‘Organized Crime’ Eye Lows As NFL Draft Dominates
ABC’s NFL Draft coverage dominated Thursday in the demo (4 million/0.9) while CBS’ Young Sheldon easily drew the night’s biggest audience (7M/0.5).
Studios have moved up deadlines for TV writers, and latenight shows are preparing to go dark. But for other segments of the industry, it’s business as usual.
The “transformative rights deal” will bring every game free, over-the-air with statewide distribution.
James Corden used part of his farewell speech on Thursday’s final episode of CBS’s The Late Late Show to address the deep rift in America over hot button issues including politics and ideology. “We started this show with Obama, then Trump and a global pandemic. I’ve watched America change a lot. I’ve watched divisions grow and I’ve felt a sense of negativity boil over,” said the host. He implored his audience to “remember what America signifies to the rest of the world.”
See full videos from all the sessions at TVNewsCheck’s inaugural Programming Everywhere event at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, including panels on syndication’s changing business model, fresh approaches to news content, the future of sports on broadcast TV and where FAST channels are directing the evolution of broadcasting. This content, which previously was limited to TVN premium members, is now available to all.
NBC’s Carol Burnett Special Easily Draws Wednesday’s Largest Crowd
CBS’s Survivor dominated Wednesday in the demo, while NBC’s birthday party for Carol Burnett easily drew the night’s biggest audience. Survivor (with 5.1 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating) dipped week-to-week, while Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love averaged 7.3 million viewers, but just a 0.4 demo rating.
The longest-running live-action comedy series in television history will launch its 16th season on Wednesday, June 7, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FXX and streaming next day on Hulu. The upcoming season also will be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories.
Amazon is the latest company to trim its ranks with a round of staff reductions across Amazon Studios and Prime Video. About 100 of the divisions’ 7,000 employees are impacted. “Like many businesses, we have been closely monitoring economic conditions and our organizational needs, and have made the decision to adjust resources,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Jerry Springer, the onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional families willing to bare all on weekday afternoons including brawls, obscenities and blurred images of nudity, died Thursday. At its peak, The Jerry Springer Show was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with lurid drama. Known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments, the daytime talk show was a favorite American guilty pleasure over its 27-year run, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey’s show.
News Organizations Find ‘Pure Gold’ In Their Archives
Executives from The Weather Channel, Fox News and Capitol Broadcasting have rolled up their sleeves and dived into their organizations’ deep and messy archives. They told a panel at last week’s Programming Everywhere event that doing so has yielded untold — and very monetizable — treasures. Pictured (l-r): Nora Zimmett, The Weather Channel; Sam Peterson, Bitcentral; Jon Accarrino, Capitol Broadcasting; and Ben Ramos, Fox Archive. (Alyssa Wesley photo)
Executives and on-air talent from Allen Media Group showcased an expanding and increasingly multimedia programming lineup for brand marketers and media buyers during an upfront presentation in New York that highlighted the company’s investment in new shows and in expanded reach on linear TV and digital platforms. (Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Allen Media Group/The Weather Channel)
Of the 13-member series-regular cast of CBS’ comedy Bob ❤️ Abishola, only the two leads, Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku, will remain series regulars next season. The others can recur in as few as five episodes in Season 5. While reducing episodic guarantees is becoming more common amid industrywide belt-tightening, downgrading the entire cast besides the two leads to recurring is the most dramatic talent cost-reduction move yet and a possible indication of what’s to come as linear ratings continue to slide and the networks’ push to cut license fees continues to grow.
Mina Lefevre, who was head of development and programming at Meta, is leaving Facebook’s parent company. Lefevre, who was formerly EVP and head of scripted at MTV, is exiting as part of the latest round of layoffs at the Mark Zuckerberg-run company, which has seen more than 20,000 employees leave. None of the remaining FB Watch Originals, most notably Red Table Talk, are coming back for new seasons as the company is getting out of that business, shifting its focus on creating VR experiences in Meta Horizon Worlds that can also be deployed across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
Hulu has expanded the duties for Barrie Gruner, the EVP of marketing. She will assume oversight of brand marketing, while continuing to shepherd content marketing. Gruner first joined the streamer in 2013 as a VP, originals marketing and publicity. As part of the Hulu reorganization, Scott Donaton will leave his post as SVP marketing. Donaton joined the streamer in 2019 from ad agency Digitas, where he was chief content and creative officer.
Amazon is staying in the Team Palladino business, handing a two-season, 16-episode order to a new ballet-themed series from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel auteurs Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. Titled Étoile, the show — which features Maisel vets Luke Kirby and Gideon Glick as part of the full-time ensemble — will be set in New York City and Paris, and follow the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies, as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars.
On Wednesday, there was a four-way tie for the nightly demo win, while CBS’s FBI copped Tuesday’s biggest audience (6.6 million/0.4).
Nominations for the 50th Daytime Emmy Awards began trickling in Tuesday night, but now we have the full list. ABC’s General Hospital leads the way with 19 noms, followed by fellow long-running soaps CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful (14) and The Young and the Restless (13) and NBC/Peacock’s Days of Our Lives (11). All also are vying for the marquee Daytime Drama Series prize. The Kelly Clarkson Show leads the talk field with 11 noms.
Disney TV Animation, responsible for 1,200 half-hours of animated content, including Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, is the latest division to be hit as it also merges the current and development teams. This has led to the departure of a number of executives including Khaki Jones, SVP current, who has been with the company for nearly 13 years, as well as a number of director level roles. Disney’s first-run syndication operation has been dissolved. Departing as part of that is Brent Jones, director and head of production finance and operations for first-run syndication.
