‘Hollywood Today Live’ Returns In September

Media General Inc.’s digital studio, production and entertainment company BiteSizeTV and Fox Television Stations today announced a deal to renew BiteSizeTV’s syndicated Hollywood Today Live for the 2015 broadcast season.

Hollywood Today Live is an entertainment news and variety show. Following a six-week test last summer on select Fox Television Stations, Hollywood Today Live will premier Sept. 14 on Fox Television Stations and Media General stations in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. The companies are working together to add new partners in additional markets.

The one-hour program will be produced live in BiteSizeTV’s digital studios in Hollywood and air five days a week. BiteSizeTV developed Hollywood Today Live digitally, debuting it along with a full lineup of digital programming in January 2014.

In  making  the  announcement,  Robb  Richter,  Media  General’s  chief  digital  officer,  said:  “As  a  truly  connected- screen  company,  we  are  delivering  on  our  promise  to  create  and  scale high-quality  original  content  that  can  be consumed  through  both  digital  and  linear  distribution.  We  developed  this  show  in  the  digital  world,  tested  it  on television  and  introduced  it  to agencies  and  brands  during  our  exclusive,  invite-only  presentation  at  the  Digital Content NewFronts, and now we are thrilled to partner with Fox Television Stations our own local stations and to connect Hollywood Today Live through all screens.”

Ron Bloom, founder-CEO of BiteSizeTV, said: “We felt that daytime television needed a new voice for a younger audience, so we decided to develop an entire block of programming digitally and let the television networks and station groups watch us in action. We figured if they saw it, they would get it. And they did. We see Hollywood Today Live as not just a show, not just a franchise, but as a new model.”

“Having the ability to partner with BiteSizeTV and work directly with Media General has given us an opportunity to reinvent the classic development paradigm,” said Stephen Brown, EVP of programming for Fox Television Stations.