A+E Networks

Dare will be a national ad-supported broadcast network in partnership with A+E Networks.

Opening up this year’s upfront season, A+E Networks is telling advertisers that it will continue to put out original content created by high-profile talent and that it has developed a new measurement system to assure brands their campaigns will get results. In a quick 30-minute virtual presentation, A+E said that as many media companies are cutting back on content to reduce costs, it will be producing 2,500 hours of new multiplatform content, about the same as last year. Pictured: Paul Buccieri, A+E president and chairman.

The programmer orders 278 new episodes of shows from Free Food Studios.

As part of broad review, the entertainment company has reignited discussions about adding some channels to its venture with Hearst. Pictured: ABC, which airs hits such as The Golden Bachelor, has been identified as one of Disney’s most valued channels.

A+E Networks has hired Related Content Group’s President and Chief Content Creator Teri Kennedy as head of the company’s lifestyle programming and daytime originals. In the newly created role, Kennedy will “develop a robust pipeline of new, original lifestyle and daytime programming across A+E’s portfolio of networks, fast channels, the newly-launched multi-platform Home.Made.Nation strand, as well as for worldwide sales and distribution.”

A+E Networks has promoted Juliana Stock to chief marketing and brand officer for the company, with oversight of the company’s strategic, creative, and brand marketing teams. Stock’s new role will effectively combine those teams into one division within the company. Stock was most recently EVP of corporate brand strategy and chief of staff to A+E Networks President and Chairman Paul Buccieri. In her new role, she will continue to report to Buccieri.

DirecTV is again removing four A&E-owned channels from subscriber lineups if the satcaster deems that the subscriber isn’t watching them very often. The channels are: The History Channel, A&E Network, Vice, and Lifetime Movies. All four channels are owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture owned by Disney and Hearst.

A+E Networks has named former NBC News exec Sharon Scott to lead its unscripted division. Scott will take on oversight of the company’s nonfiction content unit, which includes Category 6 Media and Six West Media. Steve Ascher, previously EVP of Six West Media, has been upped to head of development for the entire division, reporting to Scott.

Executives from Sky, Global Eagle and A+E Networks will look at how media companies are building supply chains ready to facilitate new revenue streams in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on July 1. Register here.

In a world focused on streaming, A+E Networks isn’t turning off the traditional TV. The company, jointly owned by Disney and Hearst, is placing emphasis on original TV series aimed first at linear TV, with a vow to increase original hours of programming by 50%. “Our commitment is to original content and, for us, continuing to put all of that content on linear TV first,” says Peter Olsen, EVP of ad sales.

Moving away from demographics metrics, A+E Networks says this year’s upfront deals with advertisers will shift to total audience guarantees as its primary mode of transaction. Demographic viewing groups — 18-49 viewers and 25-54 viewers, for example — will be offered as secondary guarantees. This will apply for all its networks — A&E, Lifetime and History — for its upfront deal-making. A+E will hold a virtual upfront presentation on March 3.

A+E Networks has become the latest company in the TV business to alter upfront presentation plans because of concerns over coronavirus. Instead of having media buyers attend a live event on March 25, A+E said it will have a series of virtual presentations that will be conducted on an agency–by agency basis.

Peacock will get an infusion of unscripted series from A+E Networks when it launches this spring as part of wide-ranging licensing deal. The upcoming streaming platform from NBCUniversal will get the back catalogs of series from A&E and History, including Cold Case Files, First 48, Storage Wars, American Pickers, Ancient Aliens, Curse of Oak Island, Pawn Stars as well as History’s scripted drama Project Blue Book.

A+E Networks, AMC Networks, CBS, Discovery, Fox, NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia and other media publishers double down on addressable TV initiatives ahead of the 2020 upfronts.

A+E Networks is looking to expand the scope of its targeted advertising capabilities in a deal with Dish and Adcuratio that will allow marketers to serve up spots with creative messages that can be tailored for specific households.

A+E Networks is warning viewers of a possible blackout of A&E Network, Lifetime, History and other channels across DirecTV platforms as the sides go down to the wire on carriage renewal negotiations. DirecTV and A+E Networks are facing a deadline of midnight ET Tuesday to strike a new deal that will keep A+E Networks channels on DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse.

A+E Networks is teaming with Los Angeles-based PPI Releasing for the U.S. syndication launch of its Emmy-winning reality series Intervention. One-hundred-seventy-five episodes of the series will be launched into syndication at NATPE in Miami for the U.S. 2019-20 broadcast season.