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Today’s Premieres
BritBox: The Confessions of Frannie Langton
CNBC: Last Call at 7p
Disney+: MPower
Fox: Farmer Wants a Wife at 9p
MotorTrend: Texas Metal’s Loud and Lifted at 10p
Netflix: MH370: The Plans That Disappeared; Faraway
Paramount+: The Challenge: World Championship

Today’s Finales
BET: The Wine Down With Mary J. Blige at 10p
CW: Kung Fu at 9p
TBS: Power Slap: Road to the Title at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Following the report that Tyler Perry is in early talks to acquire a majority stake in BET Media Group from Paramount Global comes word that Byron Allen, founder of Allen Media Group, is also interested in buying BET. “He will be pursuing the acquisition of the network,” said a rep for Allen.

Meta is planning to lay off thousands of employees, reports Bloomberg, after cutting 13% of its workforce – about 11,000 employees – in November. Last month, the company asked numerous managers and directors to move to individual contributor jobs as it worked to be more efficient, and appears to be pivoting away from the metaverse and toward generative artificial intelligence.

Ad spend allocated towards diverse-owned media grew at a rate of 80% per year between 2020 and 2022, versus 9% YoY growth for ad spend as a whole, according to a new report from ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, in partnership with MAVEN/Media Framework and Standard Media Index. The report also found that LGBTQ-owned media ad spend allocation has tripled since 2020, to $15 million, with $13 million in digital and $2 million in print.

Ovation TV has acquired the U.S. rights for twelve titles from DCD Rights. The shows, both scripted and unscripted, cover genres such as crime drama, art history, live performance, women’s history, and travel docuseries. Select titles will air on the linear network, while others will debut on Ovation’s digital properties. Among the programming, just in time for Women’s History Month, is four-part “The Ascent of Women: a 10,000 Year Story.”

Gigi Sohn has withdrawn her name from consideration for the post of Commissioner of the FCC. After two years of delays in her confirmation, Sohn asked President Biden to withdraw her nomination, citing “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks” on her character and career. Sohn faced criticism from Republicans that she leaned too far to the left to serve in the job.

Several Senate Republicans rejected Tucker Carlson’s characterization of the January 6 attack on the Capitol as “mostly peaceful chaos” from “sightseers.” The Fox news host made the comments as he played videos from the day on his Monday show. “I want to associate myself entirely with the opinion of the chief and the Capitol Police about what happened on January 6,” said Senate Minority Leader McConnell, holding a letter from Chief Thomas Manger that denounced Carlson’s comments, while Sen. Thom Tillis called the remarks “bullshit.” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had exclusively given Carlson thousands of hours of January 6 footage.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Netflix handed a straight-to-series order for a comedy based on the Chilean feature documentary “The Mole Agent,” starring Ted Danson as a retiree who answers an ad to become a mole in a secret investigation. Mike Schur (“The Good Place”) and Morgan Sackett executive produce through Schur’s Fremulon, and David Miner via 3 Arts Entertainment. Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibañez EP for Micromundo Producciones along with Julie Goldman and Christopher Clements for Motto Pictures.

“Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge” landed a series order from NBC. Hosted by Rutledge Wood (“Top Gear US,” “Floor Is Lava”), who will also serve as one of the show’s judges, the 10-episode series will give Hot Wheels superfans the opportunity to turn a nostalgic car from their past into a life-sized vehicle. The season-finale winning creation will become an official Hot Wheels die-cast car. The original format was developed and produced by Endemol Shine North America in association with Workerbee under license from Mattel Inc. Executive producers are showrunner Tim Warren, along with Andy Thomas, Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre and Michael Heyerman from Endemol Shine North America; Rick Murray and Chris Hale from Workerbee (a Banijay UK Company); and Fred Soulie and Phil Breman from Mattel Television.

ABC Signature is looking for a new home for “The Devil in the White City.” The limited series, which was to have been executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Rick Yorn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson, Stacey Sher, Sam Shaw, Lila Byock and Mark Lafferty, had been in development at Hulu with production slated to start this year.

Endeavor Group Holdings has made a strategic investment in nonscripted production company Asylum Entertainment Group, giving Asylum the financing and resources to increase its footprint through domestic and international M&A. Asylum, whose portfolio includes The Content Group, Texas Crew Productions, Big City TV, Breaklight Pictures, and Audity, will become part of Endeavor’s nonscripted content division, led by Rebecca Sanhueza, EVP of Content Strategy & Development; Head of Nonscripted Content at Endeavor. Asylum’s CEO Steve Michaels and President Jodi Flynn will report to Sanhueza.

wiip has optioned The Immortal King Rao, the dystopian novel by Vauhini Vara. Playwright and screenwriter Madhuri Shekar is adapting for television and will executive produce alongside Vara and wiip’s Paul Lee, Josh Stern and Gabe Fisher. Additional executive producers include Inimitable Pictures’ Nimitt Mankad and Lenore Entertainment’s Adam Berkowitz.

Circle Network has partnered with Nashville singer/songwriter Julia Cole (“Circle’s Ultimate Fan Fest”). Cole, who recently made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage, will first star in an episode of Circle Network’s series, “My Opry Debut.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

All four episodes of Disney+’s “Rennervations,” from Disney Branded Television, drop Wednesday, April 12. In the series, Jeremy Renner (“Mayor of Kingstown”) and his team of expert builders reimagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them into creations that serve communities around the world. Production on the show had wrapped before Renner was injured in January while trying to rescue his nephew.

TelevisaUnivision’s “Mas Moda Menos Filtro (More Fashion Less Filter) is hosted by Univision fashion and beauty expert Jomari Goyso. The new weekly fashion concept offers a two-part experience, streaming on ViX’s channel Noticas 24/7 Edicion Nocturna followed by “Menos Filtron” on Univision’s “Despierta America” the following day (today, March 8).

Season six of “The Eric Andre Show” will premiere Sunday, June 4 at midnight on Adult Swim. “The wait is finally over,” said Andre. “We broke a lot of hearts, sets, and famous people’s publicists to bring you our most chaotic season so far. We’ve barely recovered.”

After its first season resulted in four convictions of sexual predators, the team at Safe from Online Sex Abuse multiplies that number in season two of ID’s “Undercover Underage,” premiering Monday, May 1 at 9p.

Freevee comedy “Jury Duty” makes its debut Friday, April 7. The series stars James Marsden as an alternate version of himself, going through a trial that he doesn’t realize is fake.

Anticipation is heating up for “Succession” as the HBO comedy-drama heads into its fourth and final season on March 26, reports Whip Media. Some stats:
· “Succession” had a 29% spike in daily new followers in the 3 days after the show’s latest trailer was released on March 2.
· Following creator Jesse Armstrong’s announcement on February 23 that the show would be ending with season four, “Succession’s” average new daily follower count surged 39% in the 10 days following the announcement.
· “Succession” cracked Whip Media’s list of the top five most anticipated returning shows.

Also headed for a fourth and final season is HBO’s “Barry.” The dark comedy starring Bill Hader returns Sunday, April 16 at 10p. “It’s been an amazing journey making this show, and it’s bittersweet that the story has come to its natural conclusion,” said Hader, also the show’s co-creator, writer and EP.

Top cowboys from the first three seasons of “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown” will make up an all-star cast for season four of the INSP competition series. Trace Adkins will return as host. The premiere date is TBD, but EVP of Programming Doug Butts promises, “Without giving too much away, viewers are in for an unexpected twist in the final episode. Even the production crew didn’t see it coming!”.

Showtime Sports Documentary Films “Catching Lightning,” a four-part docuseries chronicling infamous mixed martial arts fighter ‘Lightning’ Lee Murray and his role in one of the largest cash heists in history, premieres Friday, April 7 on all streaming and on-demand platforms for Showtime subscribers before making its linear debut on Sunday, April 9 at 8p.

STREAMING

EarthxTV, the Dallas-based television entertainment network dedicated to environmental sustainability, announced a multi-year distribution agreement to bring its programming to Fubo, and is now available to U.S. subscribers of Fubo’s base ‘Pro’ package. “Fubo has built an impressive audience by tapping into the passions of its viewers,” said Rajan Singh, Head of Distribution for EarthxTV. “Our mission is to share the inspiring stories of the people working to make our planet a better and more sustainable place for everyone.”

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Football fans won’t have to be Prime members to catch the first Black Friday NFL game, set for November 24, 2023 on Prime Video. “We’re excited to expand our relationship with the NFL and build a new holiday tradition for our customers,” said Jay Marine, VP of Prime Video and global head of Sports. “We’re so very proud of our ‘Thursday Night Football’ production and all the teams in front of and behind the camera. As families look to spend time together over the holiday weekend, we are excited to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy this new day of NFL action.”

FOX Sports is set to begin its presentation of the 2023 Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament, running today, March 8 to Saturday, March 11 at Madison Square Garden. Lead play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson joins Bill Raftery to call the tournament’s Thursday night quarterfinals before teaming with NBA veteran Jim Jackson for the semifinals and championship. Play-by-play announcer Tim Brando calls Wednesday’s first-round games with Raftery and Thursday’s afternoon quarterfinals with Jackson. Kristina Pink also serves as sideline reporter for all ten games.

Netflix has renewed two sports docuseries for second seasons: golf series “Full Swing” and tennis-focused “Break Point.” “These shows quickly appealed to core fans of golf and tennis, and also recruited brand new fans from all around the world,” said Brandon Riegg, VP, Unscripted and Documentary Series, Netflix. “Like so much of our growing sports slate, the compelling characters, competitive stakes, and vibrant storytelling reveal sides of the game you’ve never seen before.”

Fight Life will now be exclusively on FITE+. It’s the first wrestling promotion from the New England region to benefit from FITE+’s global reach. “For years I have watched some of my favorite indy wrestling, boxing, and MMA events on FITE and have genuinely become a fan of the service and promotions involved. Thanks to this new partnership, Fight Life will be available on any device, smart tv, etc., and will reach a global combat sports audience!” said Fight Life founder Frankie Sbacchis. “I am so honored to be the only New England-based promotion currently on the service.”

FanDuel Group and NESN inked a multi-year sponsorship, designating FanDuel as the premiere sportsbook partner of NESN’s Red Sox and Bruins game day coverage. The sponsorship teams the gaming destination with New England’s sports network, which is home of the Bruins and Red Sox broadcasts. The deal includes commercials, in-game sponsorship integrations, and pre-game features highlighting FanDuel.

TECH TALK

Streaming technology company Brightcove has launched Brightcove Ad Monetization, a service designed for media companies to better monetize their content. The company also created a new global advertising operations team to support media organizations. “Advertising-supported streaming is a fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar business we have supported for many years,” said Marc DeBevoise, CEO of Brightcove. As a valued partner to our media customers, Brightcove Ad Monetization extends our commitment to providing them with the best products and services to power their video content, optimize their advertising strategy, and now – for the first time – truly drive and maximize their advertising revenue.”

COMING UP

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises unveiled a new campaign, “Change the Game” (Cambia el Juego), under the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative, Unstoppable Women (Mujeres Imparables). The new multiplatform initiative timed to Women’s History Month seeks to “inspire, inform, and ignite a community of unstoppable Latino women to shift their perspective and ‘change the game’ of life.” Activations will take place throughout the month on broadcast and digital channels and in a series of community events across the nation leading to the countdown of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, airing on Telemundo and Peacock this summer.

Spectrum will celebrate Women’s History Month with an On Demand collection of free action films, with stars including Angelina Jolie, Gal Gadot and Viola Davis, and a lineup of movies and documentaries for rent focused on women trailblazers. Now through March 21, Spectrum TV customers can access female action-themed movies under the “Fierce and Fabulous” On Demand category.

The first round of performers announced for the 10th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards include P!NK, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Muni Long, Cody Johnson and Coldplay. P!NK will be honored with the iHeartRadio Icon Award, and Taylor Swift will accept the iHeartRadio Innovator Award. The show airs live on FOX on Monday, March 27 at 8p from LA.

Meanwhile, stars continue to line up for the Oscars. Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver have been added as presenters for the ceremony, just four days away on ABC.

“The Young and the Restless 50th Anniversary Celebration,” an “Entertainment Tonight” special, premieres Monday, March 27 at 8 on CBS. “ET” co-host Nischelle Turner hosts from the soap’s set.

GOING GLOBAL

Ad-supported streaming service wedotv has launched its FAST channels wedo movies and wedo big stories on the UK OTT platform Freeview via Channelbox.

Out is launching a linear channel in South Africa, on Openview Ultra. The channel will be available on Openview channel 241.

London-based Scorpion TV has closed a string of sales for documentaries “Meeting the Beatles in India” (to Germany’s Koch Media, Italy’s Nexo Digital and Norway’s Film På Farta) and “A President, Europe and War” (to SVT Sweden, VRT Belgium and NRK Norway).

Children’s TV series “SuperTed” celebrates its 40th year with a new distribution and production deal with Splash Entertainment and a March 8 re-launch on kids’ AVOD channel Kabillion.

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RATINGS

The eighth episode of HBO’s “The Last of Us” drew a series high 8.1 million viewers on Sunday, up 74% from the series debut. The season finale airs Sunday.

Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of February 27
Network, P2+ AA (000s)
Primetime
Fox News 2087
ESON 1275
MSNBC 1130
HGTV 841
History 776
INSP 758
Hallmark Channel 685
TNT 676
Discovery 650
Food Network 633
Total Day
Fox News 1375
MSNBC 693
ESPN 562
CNN 446
HGTV 439
Hallmark Channel 411
INSP 405
History 384
Food Network 373
ID 387
Source: Nielsen

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Independent studio MRC has named Jenna Santoianni as President of Television. Santoianni was most recently EVP and Head of Development for Paramount Television Studios.

Data scientist Mainak Mazumdar has joined FOX Ad Sales as its first Executive Vice President, Chief Advertising Research and Analytics Officer. Mazumdar most recently served as Nielsen’s Chief Data & Research Officer.

Amanda Richman, U.S. CEO at Mindshare, has abruptly stepped down just short of two years into her tenure. Her departure was confirmed but not explained; Global CEO Adam Gerhart and GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald will oversee the operation during the search for a successor.

Marla Newman, former President, Digital Sales–Lifestyle Group at DotDash Meredith, has joined CafeMedia as Executive Vice President of Sales.

Sports technology and analytics company Kitman Labs announced the hiring of Kirk Iwanowski and Chris Aker for the newly created positions of Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, respectively. Iwanowski joins Kitman from AnyClip, while Aker arrives from Compass.

This Day in History
1930: Babe Ruth signed a two-year contract with the Yankees for $160,000. GM Ed Barrow said at the time, “No one will ever be paid more than Ruth” (ha!).

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the name of the character played by supermodel Emily Ratajkowski on “iCarly” (2007-2012)? Tasha. Kudos to: Jessica Jiang-FOX/NYC; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Roger Furman-Sports Marketing Communications/Greentown, PA; Megan Manlunas-Paramount Global/NYC; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
In 1971 special “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” what did an evil bunny feed Peter’s rooster to keep him from waking up to deliver eggs? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team