Programming

Early Wednesday, some started noticing a change to the credits on films appearing on the just-renamed Max streamer from Warner Bros. Discovery. Instead of individually listing writers, directors and producers, the new Max format had lumped them all together. By Wednesday afternoon, the presidents of the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America West had issued a strongly worded joint statement condemning the “creator” credit.

ABC’s Jeopardy Masters (5.8 million viewers/0.5 demo rating) tied NBC’s The Voice finale (6M/0.5) for the Tuesday demo win, while CBS’s FBI finale copped the night’s largest audience (6.3M/0.4).

As the 2022-23 broadcast TV season takes its last gasp of air, a rather large number of series are still awaiting word of their fate. The uptick in “bubble show stragglers” can largely be blamed on the current writers’ strike. As an unnamed senior executive at one of the Big 5 broadcast nets recently conceded, “The duration of the strike will ultimately determine what our programming needs are for next season. We’re trying to keep as much flexibility as possible.”

The Mother continues to lead all of Netflix titles for the second consecutive week with 92 million hours viewed during the May 15-21 viewing window. Thus, pushing the show to hit more than 90 million views. Netflix calculates total views by dividing the total hours watched, (178.1 million hours) by total runtime (1.96 hours).

The game of musical chairs continues at Paramount. On Tuesday, the company’s fast-rising TV boss Chris McCarthy and its chief research officer, Colleen Fahey Rush, announced via internal memo that Kim Lemon, Showtime’s EVP of data strategy, research, scheduling and programming, would be exiting. In what it likely no surprise to those within, Lemon is being replaced by a longtime Viacom-turned-Paramount executive, Laurel Weir.

What is on the horizon for the U.S. syndication business in this massive moment of change — with all things moving to streaming and digital? Can TV stations keep up? At a recent event, Mort Marcus, co-president of Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, said things may not be so bad. But many are taking nothing for chance, looking to expand their locally produced TV news content — programming where they can control all the ad inventory versus national syndicated programming, where stations must share ad inventory/revenue with major TV-studio based media companies.

Comcast is rolling out Now TV, a streaming offering aimed at what it calls “the value-conscious consumer who wants an entertainment product.” For $20 a month, the service includes more than 40 live channels, among them A&E, AMC, Hallmark and selections from Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio, along with 20-plus free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels from NBC, Sky and Xumo Play. A subscription to Peacock Premium is also included at no extra charge. Now TV is available to customers paying for internet service from Comcast’s Xfinity brand.

Josh McIvor has been promoted to global general manager of MGM+, the Amazon-owned streamer that relaunched in January after previously being known as Epix. As global general manager, he will report to Chris Brearton, vice president of Prime Video Studios corporate strategy.

ABC’s Jeopardy Masters (5.6 million viewers/0.5 demo rating) led Monday in the demo, while CBS’s NCIS copped the night’s largest audience (6.5M/0.4).

Earnings from traditional TV have fallen sharply after helping to offset Disney+ losses in recent years.

ABC’s American Idol finale dominated Sunday in the demo (5.8 million/0.8), while CBS’s 60 Minutes easily clocked in with the night’s biggest audience (6.7M/0.4). Also on CBS, the series finale of NCIS: Los Angeles hit a farewell season Sunday high in audience (5.04M) and drew its first 0.4 rating in eight episodes.

The company is expected to cut some roles in its cable TV business, which includes the Discovery-branded cable networks. It’s been described as “pockets of refinement” rather than wholesale cuts and sources have said that cable staffers have been bracing themselves over the last couple of weeks.

CBS is making its summer reality plans. The network said today that its unscripted juggernaut Big Brother will launch its 25th season with a 90-minute special on Wednesday, Aug. 2, and then air Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Thursdays at 9.

The competition’s 25th season is part of a backloaded summer schedule at the network.

TV stations now connect with audiences on many different platforms, and changing technology offers an opportunity to expand on a key strategy, weather alerting, making it the catalyst for a broader approach that includes lifestyle forecasts, school closings and more. Join TVNewsCheck and The Weather Company for an in-depth conversation about the changing world of alerting during a June 8 webinar. Register here.

David Zaslav was met with boos and jeers while delivering a commencement address Sunday at Boston University amid the Hollywood writers’ strike. In videos circulating on social media, graduating students and protesters can be heard chanting, “pay your writers,” and heckling the president of Warner Bros. Discovery as he speaks about lessons he learned throughout his career. A photo of an airplane flying over the ceremony with a banner that read, “David Zaslav — Pay your writers,” was also circulating online.

For decades, the week in May when television executives revealed what new shows were coming and which old ones were going spoke to the power and influence that ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox had over popular culture. This past week offered more evidence of how that is diminishing, draped in confusion about the future wrought by the Hollywood writers strike.

CW network president Dennis Miller and entertainment president Brad Schwartz talk about the network’s plans for adult dramas, programming to Black audiences following the success of All American, going hard on unscripted with FBoy Island, and the path to making the former Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network profitable for Nexstar.