The vast majority of ad-supported networks lost audience, sometimes a lot of it, this year.
ABC’s The Bachelorette finale drew 5.24 million total viewers a 1.2 demo rating, matching Monday’s numbers and leading Tuesday on both counts. The Price Is Right at Night (5.2M/0.6) nipped at The Bachelorette‘s high heels in total audience; Let’s Make a Deal Primetime followed with 4.3M/0.6.
Following the NFL on Fox doubleheader on Jan. 3, the network’s new animated series The Great North is getting a special preview at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, ahead of its Feb. 14 series premiere, following the series premiere of multi-cam comedy Call Me Kat, starring Mayim Bialik at 8 p.m.
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.
Exclusives
The conglomerate, led by David Zaslav, now holds 95% of OWN, with Winfrey opting to receive a $35 million-plus stake.
The series, inspired by the real-life sacrifices, tragedies and triumphs of athletes will debut as specials on The CW before streaming on The CW App and as an eight-part docuseries on CW Seed. They will be co-hosted by Yogi Roth (r) and former NFL player Spencer Paysinger (l).
‘Kelly Clarkson’ Powers To New Season High
The just-renewed Clarkson ramped up 10% to a 1.1 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating in the week ending Dec. 13 and leapt into a tie with veteran Ellen DeGeneres for third place among talk shows for the first time this season.
ABC’s The Bachelorette dominated a quiet Monday with 4.9 million total viewers (its largest audience since Nov. 10) and a 1.2 demo rating (up 20% week-to-week). The night’s only other fresh fare, NEXT, ticked up to its third-largest audience thus far (1.2M) while holding onto its demo low of 0.2; the canceled drama’s two-hour finale airs tonight starting at 8 p.m.
His new TV show A Perfect Planet celebrates the harmony of the natural world and warns of human disruption to this delicate ecosystem. A Perfect Planet launches the new service Discovery+ on Jan. 4 and is showing on the U.K.’s BBC One and Canada’s BBC Earth on Jan. 3.
There’s more change at the top of the Smithsonian Networks. David Royle, executive vice president, programming and production, is leaving the company after 14 years.
Fox and Sinclair Broadcast Group said they reached an agreement renewing the Fox Broadcasting affiliation for stations in 25 markets. The Sinclair Fox affiliates affected by the deal cover about 11% of U.S. households.
Plus, how Covid-19 has changed their industry and what trends are likely to stay.
Univision Communications plans to launch a fresh streaming service in the first half of next year, a bet by new leadership that the Spanish-language broadcaster can attract more viewers with a bigger online presence. The service is expected to include advertising and rely heavily on the extensive library of Mexico’s Grupo Televisa SAB, a Univision investor and longtime programming supplier, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Brown and Giants averaged 12.9 million total viewers and a 3.4 demo rating, down 8% and 17% from last week‘s fast nationals to mark its smallest numbers since Oct. 26 and Oct. 19, respectively. That said, it of course dominated Sunday in both measures.
A new NHL season is on the way. On Sunday, the league announced it will play a 56-game regular season starting Jan. 13, 2021. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are slated to begin May 8 and last into July.
The multi-year deal covers 64 Tegna-owned Stations in 51 markets across the DirecTV, AT&T TV and U-verse video services.
ViacomCBS’s MTV Entertainment Group (formerly Entertainment & Youth) has named PBS NewsHour and former Nightline producer James F. Blue III as SVP, head of Smithsonian Channel. Blue will also oversee news and factual unscripted content for MTV Entertainment’s portfolio of brands across streaming, linear and digital, dual-reporting to Chris McCarthy, president, MTV Entertainment Group and Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer.
The day after The Flight Attendant season finale premiered on HBO Max, the streaming service announced Friday it was renewing the Kaley Cuoco-starring series, which appears to be one of the nascent streaming service’s first-word-of-mouth hits. The stylish, eight-episode dramedy thriller premiered to strong reviews on Nov. 26, and ended its first season by tying up its central mystery, while also setting the table for further adventures for its lead character, Cassie Bowden (Cuoco).
As Hollywood tries to make sense of 2020’s sweeping changes in TV’s C-suites, streaming’s priority is the only constant.
The E.W. Scripps Co. has appointed television industry veterans Jeffrey Wolf and Mark Gray to top leadership positions for its new national television networks business. Both will report to Lisa […]
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Leads Non-NFL Fare
The winter finale of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, slipped two tenths in the demo to match its series low of 1.0, and yet led non-sports fare in that measure, while delivering 5.6 million total viewers.
