The BBC has unveiled its findings following a review into the conduct of recently-ousted chair Richard Sharp. The corporation said Sharp’s conduct did not give rise to any conflicts of interest. Sharp resigned two weeks ago after it was revealed he had helped former Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a loan in 2020 just weeks before Johnson recommended him for the role of BBC chair. Sharp was then formally appointed in Jan. 2021.
The network has renewed its comedy series Animal Control, about a group of municipal animal control officers who work better with the creatures they handle than other humans. The show, starring Joel McHale, is Fox’s first wholly owned live-action comedy.
Netflix at the last minute canceled its first live upfront presentation after striking writers said they planned to disrupt the event. The streaming service notified attendees Wednesday night that the presentation would be made virtually instead of at the Paris Theater, which has been run by Netflix since 2019. The company did not give a reason for the shift, although published reports indicated that that the New York Police Department expressed concerns about pedestrian safety in the vicinity of the event.
Jacklyn Zeman, who played Bobbie Spencer for 45 years on ABC’s “General Hospital” has died at 70. Zeman died after a short battle with cancer, her family confirmed Wednesday. News […]
The CW Network today unveiled its slate of original scripted and unscripted programming debuting on the network in Summer 2023.
ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today have been engaged in a fierce back-and-forth for the top spot in the key of demo of adults 25-54 for the fourth week in a row.
Exclusives
The network is currently averaging nearly 6 million primetime viewers per weeknight, setting it up to be the most-watched of the broadcasters, per live+same-day Nielsen data through April 30. This will mark CBS’ 15th consecutive season at No. 1, tying its own previous winning streak from 1955-1970.
TNT and ESPN dominated the primetime ratings chart for the second straight week on the strength of its NBA and NHL Playoffs coverage.
The ongoing writers’ strike has interrupted quite a few industry shindigs since it began on May 2, and the latest is one that hadn’t even been formally announced. On Tuesday night, the Critics Choice Association told members that a planned Celebration of LGBTQ+ movies and TV has been postponed indefinitely.
Wednesday’s town hall has already proved divisive — and it could be an unsettling preview for the TV news industry as it prepares to cover a presidential contest that is likely to feature Mr. Trump.
Buyers and sellers are still playing with alternative currencies such as VideoAmp, iSpot are Comscore, but nothing will take the place of C3/C7 ratings in a majority of this year’s upfront sales. Note: This story is available to TVNewsCheck Premium members only. If you would like to upgrade your free TVNewsCheck membership to Premium now, you can visit your Member Home Page, available when you log in at the very top right corner of the site or in the Stay Connected Box that appears in the right column of virtually every page on the site. If you don’t see Member Home, you will need to click Log In or Subscribe.
No more tropical island escapes for Fox: the network is not renewing Fantasy Island for a third season. Fox greenlit the contemporary version of the classic drama series in 2021. The series, which takes place at a luxury resort, starred Roselyn Sanchez stars as Elena Roarke, a descendant of the original series’ enigmatic Mr. Roarke. The series was done under a low-cost business model, so its threshold for success was lower. But Fox still decided to have the sun set on its summer series.
On Tuesday, The CW canceled Walker prequel Walker Independence after one season. The move, which was expected, followed the CW’s renewal of mothership series Walker earlier in the day. The bulk of the CW’s existing scripted series will be canceled this week as the network is transitioning to a new business model of lower-cost scripted programming in pursuit of profitability.
WildBrain Ltd., a global provider of children’s and family entertainment, has promoted Josh Scherba to president and chief executive officer. He has also been appointed to the company’s board of […]
The CW has given a 13-episode Season 4 order to Walker, starring Jared Padalecki, to air in 2023-24 broadcast season. This is the first renewal decision made by the CW under its new regime, flagship All American’s renewal, announced in January, was part of Nexstar’s deal to acquire the CW. Walker had been considered the frontrunner among the CW’s scripted series to snag a renewal. It is a strong ratings performer, ranking as the network’s most-watched linear show this season in total viewers.
In the latest wave of industry layoffs, the recently combined Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios as well as Paramount Media Networks, overseen by the division’s President and CEO Chris McCarthy, is reducing its domestic team by 25% today. McCarthy addressed the cuts, which he called a “very hard but necessary decision”, in a company memo. According to sources, the basic cable networks were most heavily impacted, with a number of units being shut down as part of consolidation, mostly on the operations side.
‘Fantasy Island’ Steady With Finale, ‘Jeopardy Masters’ Tops Night
ABC’s Jeopardy Masters premiere led Monday in the demo (5.6 million/0.6), while CBS’s NCIS copped the night’s largest audience (6.5M/0.4).
As it turns out, USA Network really wants The Big D. The cabler has picked up the dating competition series after it was scrapped by TBS last year. It’s now set to premiere on Wednesday, June 14, at 10 ET, following the return of Temptation Island.
The winners of the 2023 Peabody Awards have been announced and PBS leads the pack with a total of six followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ with three each and HBO Max with two.
About 10.9 million people watched the coronation of King Charles III, with broadcast and cable news outlets carrying coverage from 6-10 a.m. ET on Saturday (CNN continued with the coronation until noon). ABC led all networks with 3.04 million viewers, according to Nielsen, with NBC (2.72 million) not far behind in second place. Fox News (1.6 million), CBS (1.58 million), CNN (972,000) and MSNBC (694,000) followed. BBC America also carried the coronation, averaging 261,000 viewers over the four hours. (CNN got a bump for its coronation coverage after most other networks switched away, bringing in 1.14 million viewers from 10 a.m.-noon ET.)
CW Boosting Top Line For Nexstar
CEO Perry Sook: “On the advertising front, our CW affiliates are already benefitting from increased advertising revenue and we expect national advertising revenue at the network to grow over time.”
The additions to the diginets include Law & Order Criminal Intent, Grimm and The Laugh List.
The Charlotte-based operation names Erin Finnegan and Ken Baldwin creative services director and research director, respectively.
The president made his first public comments on the writers strike, which hits the one-week mark Tuesday, in remarks ahead of a screening of Disney+ series American Born Chinese. He was joined by an overflow crowd of hundreds of community leaders, elected officials and cast members and producers from the show in the East Room and the State Dining Room. “Nights like these are a reminder of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and the value they deserve,” Biden said. “I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.” Pictured: Actor Ke Huy Quan hugs President Joe Biden after he introduced Biden to speak before a White House screening of the American Born Chinese. The screening was held in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Monday. (Susan Walsh/AP)
