PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Tijuana, a new scripted Spanish-language drama series co-produced by Fusion Media Group and Netflix, is scheduled to start production next month. The show will air in the U.S. on Univision Network and debut globally on Netflix.
HBO gave a series pickup to J.J. Abrams sci-fi fantasy drama Demimonde, from Warner Bros. Television and Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions.
Fox ordered a Danny Strong (Empire) and David Elliot (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) legal drama pilot, from 20th Century Fox Television and Danny Strong Productions.
Kudos acquired TV rights to Ill Will, a new-gothic novel from Michael Stewart coming out in March, focused on Wuthering Heights anti-hero Heathcliff. Ill Will (wt) will be exec produced by Emma Kingsman-Lloyd and Diederick Santer at Kudos.
Red Arrow Studios and Kinetic Content struck an exclusive deal with longtime ABC Alternative exec John Saade (Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelor) and his new production company, Spinnaker Chaos. Spinnaker will be housed at Kinetic, with all projects emerging from the venture produced by Kinetic in association with Spinnaker, and Red Arrow handling worldwide format distribution.
Mindshare released its “Culture Vulture” report of consumer and cultural insights. And there’s good news for the television industry – “TV will be an even more important resource for brand building efforts,” Kyle Ranally, manager, consumer insights, Mindshare North America, tells Cynopsis. For more takeaways for TV networks, see the new Cynsiders.
ABC ordered pilots for dysfunctional parent comedy Single Parents, from New Girl’s Liz Meriwether and J.J Philbin, and stepparent comedy Steps, from Kristin Newman and Mandeville TV.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
DIY gave the green light to Boomtown Builder, following the renovations of once-grand homes in old Arizona mining towns. 8 half-hour episodes are slated to premiere in August.
Travel Channel greenlit production for season 3 of Man v. Food. Season 2, airing Mondays at 9p, has delivered over 4.5 million viewers. “I am pumped to keep the party going,” said host Casy Webb, who hopped aboard last July.
Rapper N.O.R.E. turns foodie in On the Run Eatin’ with N.O.R.E. All 8 episodes will be available on Complex and the go90 platform starting Wednesday, February 28.
Fusion is launching political sketch comedy series Happy Ending With Nando Vila on Thursday, February 8 at 9p. “America is looking for a happy ending to the mess we are in,” said Vila, who has hosted and produced a range of shows on Fusion. “We are taking a fun, entertaining and informative look at the different building blocks of our political system, while proposing solutions in the hopes of making progress – because we’d like to end up, you know, happy.”
Also happy? Jack Osbourne, apparently. A&E renewed Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour for an 8-episode third season, and the younger Osbourne announced the renewal on Facebook: “Day 1 of season 3, baby!!! Whoooohoooo.”
Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science returns for a new season of homemade stunts and experiments on Wednesday, February 28 at 9p.
Golf Channel’s Feherty is back for season 8 on Monday, March 5 at 9p, kicking off with PGA Tour star Rickie Fowler and Jack Nicklaus.
All 6 episodes of Hulu’s Hard Son launch Wednesday, March 7. Jim Surgess and Agyness Deyn play detectives seeking to enforce the law as a world-ending disaster approaches.
COMING UP
Kitten Bowl V debuts Super Bowl Sunday, February 4 at 12p on Hallmark Channel. “In 2014, when 3 Ball was in production on the first Kitten Bowl, we never dreamed the event would eventually be trending #1 on Twitter on Super Bowl Sunday – of all days,” Jeff Altrock, exec producer and SVP, current programming 3 Ball Entertainment, tells Cynopsis. “It’s been amazing to be part of this tradition, which adds another layer of amusement to what has become a national holiday, and also promotes a great cause in the importance of pet adoption.”
Lifetime’s Breaking Their Silence: Inside the Gymnastics Scandal premieres Monday, February 5 at 10p. Special features interviews with victims of Larry Nassar and sports experts close to the crisis.
Nat Geo special Lost Treasures of the Maya Snake Kings, mapping 60,000 previously unknown structures that reveal interconnected cities, premieres Tuesday, February 6 at 9p.
Ali Siddiq, who credits 6 years behind bars with developing his comedy chops, returns to jail for Comedy Central special Ali Siddiq: It’s Bigger Than These Bars, premiering Friday, February 23 at 11p.
CBS’s 48 Hours takes a new look at the 1981 drowning of Natalie Wood, and her husband Robert Wagner’s possible connection to it, tomorrow, February 3 at 10p. “As we’ve investigated the case over the last 6 years, I think he’s more a person of interest now,” says LA County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant John Corina in the segment.
Boomerang has Valentine’s Day specials and episodes slated for Thursday, February 8. Included are The Flintstones (“I Yabba Dabba Do”), “My Smurfy Valentine,” Looney Tunes (“Love Is in the Hare/Valentine’s Dayffy”) and The Tom & Jerry Show (“Return to Sender”).
In a different kind of Valentine’s Day stunt, IFC is offering a midnight V-Day airing of Night Flight Presents: Dr. Ruth Good Sex Special.
A&E has 2 documentaries on tap focused on the untold stories of high-profile cult leaders. Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil premieres Monday, February 19 at 9p, followed by Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre on Monday, February 26 at 9p.
AXS TV will air The BRIT Awards 2018 on Wednesday, February 21 at 9p, hours after the original UK broadcast. Featured performers include Justin Timberlake, The Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and more.
The lineup for the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards so far includes Ed Sheeran, Cardi B,Maroon 5, Camila Cabello, Charlie Puth and Backstreet Boys. The show, hosted by Hailey Baldwin and DJ Khaled, takes place Sunday, March 11 at 8p, and will simulcast live on TBS, TNT and truTV.
DIGITAL DATA
Google and Amazon are in talks for investments in Saudi Arabia, reports the Wall Street Journal. Google parent Alphabet is conferring with Saudi Arabian Oil Co. about jointly building a tech hub, while Amazon is mulling a $1 billion deal to build 3 data centers in the area. Details are foggy and talks are by no means final, adds WSJ.
Amazon reported a 4Q17 rise in revenue of 38%, to $60.45 billion and earning per share of $3.75, versus the $59.9 billion and $1.88 expected from Wall Street. “Our 2017 projections for Alexa were very optimistic, and we far exceeded them,” said founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. “We don’t see positive surprises of this magnitude very often – expect us to double down.”
Apple also exceeded analysts estimates, with revenue of $88.3 billion for its first fiscal quarter versus estimates of $87.28 billion. “iPhone X surpassed our expectations and has been our top-selling iPhone every week since it shipped in November,” said CEO Tim Cook. “We’ve also achieved a significant milestone with our active installed base of devices reaching 1.3 billion in January.”
During 4Q17, total time spent on Facebook dipped 5%, a result of changes to it News Feed that promoted more meaningful content, said CEO Mark ZUckerberg. “The most important driver of our business has never been about time spent itself,” said Zuckerberg during an earnings call. “By focusing on meaningful connections, our community and business will be stronger over the long term.” As for the short term, Zuckerberg admitted the changes could significantly impact profitability.
Snapchat has launched a merchandise store. The Snap Store lives in the Snapchat app’s Discover section, with merch like a $20 Dancing Dog Hot Dog. Users can visit the Snap Store site for the Snapcode; more products are set to arrive February 8.
DreamWorksTV is going OTT on Amazon. The $4.99/month service is aimed at kids age 6-12. “As we continue to grow the DreamWorksTV brand, this is an exciting step for us to explore revenue streams and brand engagement across platforms,” said Rick Rawlings, head of DreamWorksTV.
Genius Kitchen, the food-focused digital brand from Scripps Lifestyle Studios, is introducing over 40 additional hours of on-demand content tailored to represent the varied experiences young people are seeking in their digital food consumption. “After we launched in October, we saw a huge group of passionate viewers respond positively to the content and ask for another helping,” said Rich Lacy, SVP of digital brand creative at Scripps Lifestyle Studios.
Live TV streaming service fuboTV added 23 more local NBC stations, bringing its coverage from 51% to 70% of U.S. households.
Among the titles added to Hallmark Movies Now in time for Valentine’s Day are Be My Valentine, Just the Way You Are, Smooch, and The Lost Valentine.
Scifi web series Personal Space debuts Friday, March 2 on Amazon Video. The dramedy is dedicated to the memory of Battlestar Galactica’s Richard Hatch, who died at 71 on February 7, 2017, shortly after his scenes were filmed.
ADVERTISING
Its acquisition of Time Inc. complete, Meredith sent a note to clients and partners saying, “Over the next 60 days we pledge to keep you informed as we integrate and create a one-stop shop that offers a full span of sales and marketing solutions.” The company noted it now reaches over 200 million consumers across channels, and is a Top 10 digital media company, with 12.5 billion video views and 340 million social followers.
CASTING
Phillip Rhys (24) landed a recurring role on Syfy supernatural thriller Nightflyers…. Shamikah Christina Martinez (Night Snack) will recur on CBS’s Superior Donuts…. Shalita Grant is leaving her role on CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans, reports Variety. Her last episode is April 3. “It’s just time for a change,” said Grant’s manager, Did Rea. “This is about moving on to the next great thing.”
KID STUFF
In honor of Elmo turning 3½ years old again, Sesame Street is introducing social media campaign #ELMOtivation, with shareable images and videos encouraging kids and adults to believe in themselves. #ELMOtivation will share immortal words like these from Sesame Street Muppet Oscar the Grouch: “Does it really matter if the trash can is half full or half empty? Just be happy there’s trash in it!”
Zone·tv’s PlayKids, a new ad-free SVOD service, is now available to Xfinity customers through Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform. Content is designed to foster literacy, promote motor coordination, enhance social skills and spur creativity.
GOING GLOBAL
With the approach of the Olympics on its sports brand Eurosport, Discovery announced new metrics to capture every eyeball it can across free-to-air, pay TV, online and social platforms, for the company’s own platforms as well as its partners. “Discovery is proud to partner with the IOC and Publicis in modernizing media consumption measurement to better understand audience behavior in the digital era,” said Jean-Briac Perrette, Discovery Networks International president and CEO. “Clearly the way people consume content and particularly big events has evolved, which is why we need to bolster traditional measurement methods and expand the metrics of television to capture Total Video – the new TV.”
