The Ellen DeGeneres Show has extended its hiatus in compliance with the recommendation from Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom that Hollywood studios put a pause on filming amid the ongoing COVID-19 surge in the state. Producers informed staff on Thursday that the show will delay its return to production by a week, rather than resuming with new episodes Jan. 4 as originally planned. Employees will be paid and will continue to work from home.
2020 was not, by any standard, a typical year. Even the linear television universe, a familiar and cyclical staple of media, saw its fair share of oddities. Halts in production of new and existing shows, delays in fall TV season premieres and an overall sense of time lost became realities as Americans were forced to recalibrate to spending more time at home for the good of public health and their communities. And in all likelihood, the atypical nature of the year will be profound enough to drive permanent shifts in consumer behavior, including media consumption. In fact, we’re already seeing them.
Besides having to do all profiles virtually due to COVID-19 protocols, there has been keeping up with late-breaking news and trying to hold the usual lively debates while being socially distanced. Above, l-r: Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Vick discuss NFL topics on the set of Fox NFL Kickoff during a 2019 show.
Dawn Wells, best known for playing the girl-next-door castaway Mary Ann on the iconic TV comedy series Gilligan’s Island, died Wednesday morning in Los Angeles from complications due to COVID-19. She was 82. Wells, who was Miss Nevada in the 1959 Miss America pageant, beat out 350 actresses for the role of Mary Ann.
Exclusives
CBS has pushed the post-holiday restart dates on several of its series back a week as COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County have surged. Production on NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and SEAL Team, all broadcast by CBS, as well as CBS All Access’ Why Women Kill and Disney+’s Diary of a Future President had been scheduled to return to production on Jan. 4 after their holiday break. All five shows will now resume on Jan. 11.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging the film and TV industry to consider pausing production for a few weeks during the ongoing surge in coronavirus cases throughout the county. “Although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate,” the health department said, “we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in COVID cases. Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible.”
Plus, how Covid-19 has changed their industry and what trends are likely to stay.
And how the streaming and TV ecosystem will continue to evolve.
The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as an increase in food stamp benefits.
After making it through the three-month Orlando bubble without a single case of COVID-19, the NBA couldn’t make it through two days of its out-of-the-bubble 2020-21 season before the virus wreaked havoc. The league announced that Wednesday’s game between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder has been postponed due to health and safety protocols.
The vast majority of ad-supported networks lost audience, sometimes a lot of it, this year.
Even though games may look the same, most of the processes around broadcasting the games have changed. Interviews for pregame features are being done remotely, announcers are socially distanced while being separated by plexiglass, and sideline reporters are in the stands.
The House and Senate both voted late Monday on a paired-up package of a COVID-19 relief bill and an omnibus government spending bill loaded with billions of dollars for broadband, new small business loan aid for broadcasters and a provision making the theft of video streams a felony for the first time.
Plus, how Covid-19 has changed their industry and what trends are likely to stay.
The National Association of Broadcasters is applauding the inclusion of new help for TV stations in the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 that appears headed for passage and to the president’s desk for a signature.
NTF 2020 | Local TV News’ Longer-Term Future Needs More Relevance And Inclusion
Executives from NBCU Owned Stations, CBS Television Stations, Graham Media, SmithGeiger and the Local Media Association envision a future for TV news in two years’ time that is more inclusive in its coverage and among its decision makers, holding on to the heightened sense of relevance it struck with viewers in the pandemic. “It’s incumbent on news departments not just to serve facts, but relevance, perspective and helpfulness,” said CBS’s David Friend at last week’s NewsTECHForum.
NTF 2020 | Broadcasters Hold Firm On Remote Workflows
Tech leaders at E.W. Scripps, Meredith and Hubbard Broadcasting as well as at tech vendor Avid say that remote production workflows are getting more refined, while vaccine promises also have them hopeful of a return to newsrooms. “The adrenaline that goes through a newsroom is hard to duplicate at home,” said Scripps CTO Ray Thurber at last week’s NewsTECHForum.
MipTV in April is moving online as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the film and TV calendars. Organizer Reed Midem confirmed the news today. Sister events MipDoc and MipFormats will also be digital.
The University of Maryland canceled its last football game of the regular season on Thursday after more than a dozen UMD players tested positive for COVID-19. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday against Michigan State, may not be Maryland’s last of the season if the team decides to compete in the postseason. Six members of the Terrapins’ coaching staff also tested positive, according to the school.
One of the most recognizable figures in sports news, ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt announced on his Twitter account Thursday that he has contracted the coronavirus and will be taking some time off.
Collins | COVID-19 Effects Extend To Company Taxes
The disruption that defines 2020 seems to extend into every corner of our professional and personal lives. It’s even affecting the tax calculations and reporting responsibilities for media businesses’ accounting and financial professionals.
This month’s virtual Devoncroft Executive Summit took the measure of a media technology market radically altered by COVID-19, from a 10% hit to its overall market size, a reassessment of how of it does business and a big potential shift in its sales and marketing efforts. Above, Devoncroft’s Josh Stinehour emphasized that technology investment by broadcasters is an opportunity to drive increased revenues, not simply a cost center.
The Rookie is modifying its production schedule after a number of positive COVID-19 tests. The ABC cop drama is going to reduce the shooting schedule for the rest of December as a result of the new cases, which were discovered through its strict health and safety protocols.
NTF 2020 | News Storytelling Sees Creative Flourish In Pandemic Year
Journalists from AJ+, NBCLX, NBCU Owned Stations and Graham Media said 2020’s confluence of major stories prompted a surge of creativity and experimentation in video news storytelling. They told a NewsTECHForum panel that working conditions prompted the acquisition of new skills and more elasticity in their story length.
In a letter addressed to the leaders of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Hulu and HBO Max, Sen. Angus King of Maine urged the platforms to make their content available to the masses for free during the holidays, which he believes could encourage Americans to stay home and therefore slow the spread of COVID-19.
NBC’s ‘Mr. Mayor’ Pauses Production Through 2020
Production on the upcoming NBC comedy series Mr. Mayor, starring Ted Danson, was shut down Monday following multiple positive COVID-19. On Tuesday, the shutdown was extended for the rest of this week, leading to the scheduled holiday break.
TV networks are feeling the strains of disappointing NFL ratings, as they are forced to restructure deals with advertisers to make up for the smaller audience, and their opportunity to make money off remaining games during the lucrative holiday season narrows.
Today, Dec. 11, NBC News is dedicating the full NBCNews.com homepage to coverage of the most important topic on the planet: The coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time the site’s homepage will devote all of its content to a just one topic.
Trends driven by the pandemic are likely to persist into 2021 and beyond, while transitions to IP infrastructures will accelerate and aging on-prem infrastructure will give way to increased reliance on the cloud. NextGen TV will also likely pick up speed after COVID’s cooling effect on its rollout this year.
Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres revealed Thursday she tested positive for COVID-19. She said on Instagram she is “feeling fine” but will be following the CDC-approved guidelines and will see her audience “after the holidays.”
The Ad Council is orchestrating a new campaign to encourage Black Americans to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The organization is working with the Hearst and Verizon-owned Complex Networks on the effort.
