How is this for tragic irony? For decades, network executives have been trying to break out of the traditional development cycle with little success. It may take a cataclysmic event like the current global coronavirus pandemic to finally do that. The fast-spreading outbreak has shut down or postponed production on about 50 scripted series across broadcast and streaming; ultimately, all shows are expected to grind to a halt, and some will end up delivering shorter seasons.
The Masters, golf’s most prestigious tournament, is the latest sporting event to succumb to the coronavirus pandemic.
The fate of scripted television production is very much in flux as the world grapples with the coronavirus. As of late Thursday evening, NBCUniversal has either suspended production or accelerated the season wrap schedules on 35 shows (scripted, unscripted and syndicated) as a precaution. CBS meanwhile, is taking a similar strategy and has done the same with a fair amount of its series. Other networks and studios are taking things on a case-by-case scenario.
Formula One also canceled its season-opening race in Australia, leaving the first weekend of global motorsports without a major event.
In order to mitigate the effect of not attending NAB Show 2020, Ross will be running a series of online presentations, webinars and demonstrations to ensure that our partners and customers can still learn about our new solutions and how we remain committed to the live production industry.
Exclusives
On Friday, IP video solutions provider TVU Networks made the following announcement: “With COVID-19 spreading quickly and widely across the U.S., we understand as a news organization you have a […]
With the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City essentially out of commission while it’s cleaned, the network’s flagship affiliate WCBS originated its newscasts from KCBS Los Angeles March 12 and 13.
In Praise Of Coronavirus Coverage
Poynter’s Tom Jones: “Despite early claims that the media was overblowing this story, creating a narrative where there was none and fueling unnecessary panic, this week has turned out to be one of journalism’s finest hours. The journalism on display this week during an ever-shifting and rapidly-moving story has been nothing short of spectacular.”
Netflix on Thursday closed one of its office buildings for deep cleaning because one of its employees is suspected of having coronavirus.
The UK’s top soccer competition the Premier League has officially been suspended until April 3 as sports authorities around the world attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
As the outbreak upends timelines and traditions, could this also prove to be a turning point?
As the coronavirus spreads, and states issue mandates to try to contain the pandemic, individual television and film productions are shutting down around the globe.
Caution about the spread of the coronavirus has led Discovery to cancel its May upfront presentation. Discovery said it has prepared an “alternative digital experience” to showcast the company’s portfolio of networks, programming and advanced advertising products to media buyers and clients.
TVN Focus On Advertising | March Madness A Costly Cancellation
The fallout from Thursday’s coronavirus-driven cancellation of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Tournament will be over $1 billion in ad revenue for CBS and Turner Sports. “There’s no bad guy here,” said one expert, but remedies will almost certainly have to be created.
“In light of recent developments and the current guidelines being set by health officials regarding COVID-19, The CW Network has decided to forego its traditional live upfront presentation scheduled for Thursday May 14 at City Center Theater in New York, as we join the community’s efforts to ensure that everyone’s health and safety is our top priority,” the network said in a statement Thursday.
FCC Locks Door Over Coronavirus
The FCC announced Thursday afternoon that “effective immediately, [we] will no longer allow visitors into our facilities, absent special permission from the Office of Managing Director.” However, that announcement, strange as it would be under normal circumstances, was of no particular importance. That’s because the same document noted that, starting tomorrow, the FCC is asking its staff to telework.
As New York is entering state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, New York-based shows have started to suspend production. That includes NBC’s latenight programs The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and syndicated daytime talker The Wendy Williams Show. In addition, CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert is joining its NBC late-night counterparts in suspending production.
There will be no madness this March after the NCAA on Thursday said the college tournament was canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak. The news came shortly after the AAC, SEC and Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 Tournaments were canceled.
TVN Focus On NAB 2020 | Post-Cancellation, A ‘Fog’ For NAB, Vendors
News of the NAB Show’s cancellation Wednesday left the show’s organizers, vendors and broadcasters scrambling to calculate their losses and frame out alternatives to conduct crucial business usually handled there.
The ATP has called off all men’s professional tennis tournaments for six weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Major League Soccer games across the U.S. and Canada will be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The suspension will be for 30 days.
Major League Baseball has delayed opening day by at least two weeks and canceled spring training games as of 4 p.m. ET today in response to the emergency situated created by the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. made the decision after a call with the league’s 30 clubs and a consultation with the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Univision’s Jorge Ramos has backed out of his planned role as one of the moderators of Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate because of possible exposure to the coronavirus, and the event itself has been moved from Phoenix to CNN’s studios in Washington, D.C.
Both CBS and NBCUniversal have canceled their upfront presentations that were scheduled in New York for mid-May. Both companies will present their upcoming slates digitally.
CBS News management, which said Wednesday that two New York-based employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said in a memo Thursday that a third employee has now tested positive.
One day after the National Basketball Association suspended the current season to prevent spreading coronavirus, the National Hockey League has halted its season. The suspension will begin immediately.
So many podcasts, newsletters and TV specials have popped up in the outbreak’s wake, that Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation even joked about it last week: “Not to alarm you, but coronavirus-focused news products are spreading very quickly.”
The radio-TV toolkit will also offer best practices for broadcast stations to combat coronavirus misinformation.
Concerns about coronavirus have forced the sports-TV world into a rather uncomfortable position: Admitting that having fans in the stands is less important, ultimately, than serving up live programming for those watching on television.
Newsrooms are creating contingency plans to make sure that they can adequately inform the public about the novel coronavirus while keeping their own employees safe.
Fears of a U.S. sales slowdown in auto showrooms due to the coronavirus outbreak that has spread globally are appearing in analysts’ forecasts, but industry executives said the pandemic has yet to affect demand or factory production.
