Today’s Premieres
A&E: Nightwatch at 10p
AMC+: That Dirty Black Bag
BET+: Ruthless
discovery+: Ghost Adventures
HBO Max: Theodosia; Juanpa + Chef
HGTV: First Timers Club at 11a; Fix My Flip at 9p
Motherboard: Cryptoland
Netflix: Kotaro Lives Along; Love, Life & Everything in Between; Karma’s World
Showtime: Desus & Mero at 11p
Peacock: Bust Down
Prime Video: Harina

Today’s Finales
CBS: B Positive at 9p
Fox: Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer at 8p; Pivoting at 9:30p
Lifetime: My Killer Body With K. Michelle at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Piers Morgan shared details about his return to live TV with a new primetime show, “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” on Rupert Murdoch’s upcoming TalkTV. The purpose of the show, said Morgan via tweeted, “will be to cancel the cancel culture….I also want it to annoy all the right people.” Morgan quit “Good Morning Britain” after drawing fire for negative remarks about Meghan Markle, then signed a deal with Fox News and News Corp. “Uncensored” will air on Fox Nation in the US and Sky News Australia.

Commercial inventory for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS Sports and Turner is virtually sold out on TV and digital platforms, with prices up close to double digits versus last year. The event has generated record revenue, with thirty-second spots in the final game going for “well over $2 million,” according to John Bogusz, EVP of Sports Sales and Marketing for CBS Network Sales. Games will air across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.

CBS renewed a quartet of unscripted series: “Survivor” for season 43; “The Amazing Race” for season 34; “Tough As Nails” for season 4, and “Secret Celebrity Renovation” for a sophomore run.

Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting that Disney has always opposed Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would prohibit classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity, but had hoped to work behind the scenes to sway lawmakers against it. “I understand our political approach, no matter how well intentioned, didn’t quite get the job done,” said Chapek, adding that Disney is signing a petition against such bills, and donating $5 million for work to protect the LGBTQ+ community. Chapek said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – who has expressed support for the bill, which passed the Florida Senate on Tuesday – has agreed to meet with him and some LGBTQ+ Disney employees.

In more Disney news, stockholders voted to approve a proposal for greater transparency on pay data, with reports on median and adjusted pay gaps across race and gender. “We appreciate our shareholders’ view on this important issue, and the Board accepts the results of today’s vote,” said Disney. “The Company is committed to pay equity, and we will continue our ongoing work on this front, including addressing interest in greater transparency around our efforts.”

The Video Advertising Bureau is asking Nielsen to delay its new “Big Data” monthly impact releases, covering set-top box data and smart TV viewership metrics that could be used to estimate the price of ad inventory, until after this year’s upfront. Before Nielsen’s “Big Data” national TV measurement can be considered legitimate for eventual TV currency data use, wrote VAB CEO Sean Cunningham to Nielsen CEO David Kenny, disclosures are needed on how the data was created, and how to compare data sets.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and co-creator of Showtime’s “Billions,” will host and produce a limited series for streamer NBC News Now. The show will “take an intimate look at the people, trends, institutions and forces shaping our world,” said NBC News.

HBO Max handed a straight-to-series order to “The Penguin” (wt), a spinoff of hit movie “The Batman.” Colin Farrell will reprise his film role as the Gotham villain. “The Penguin” is executive produced by “The Batman” director Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc, who is writer and showrunner. “Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman,’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill,” said Reeves.

“Power Book IV: Force” was renewed for season two by Starz, after the spinoff scored the most-watched series debut in Starz history (3.3 million multiplatform views in the US). Gary Lennon (“Power”) will replace series creator Robert Munic as showrunner/EP.

National Geographic has partnered with SVOD and content platform History Hit, digital content agency and media network Little Dot Studios, and impact-driven production company Consequential for a documentary event detailing the successful search and discovery of one of the great lost shipwrecks of history – Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. Set to premiere this fall as part of National Geographic’s Explorer series, the show will air globally on National Geographic Channels and Disney+. The documentary, also produced in partnership with ABC News, will be directed by Natalie Hewit (“Greta Thunberg: A Year To Change The World”).

Autentic is expanding its long-term partnership with Go Button Media, commissioning four new factual series: “Deadly Science,” “Mapping Disaster,” “Spies that Mapped the World,” and “Colossal Machines.”

How good were Grandma’s meatballs? Create TV announced the launch of the next Create Cooking Challenge, the fifth of its national video contests designed to seek digital hosts for a lifestyle series. This year, the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family’s Recipe is focused on foods passed down through generations. Sponsored by American Public Television, the challenge runs through April 5.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“The Garcias,” a reboot of 2000-04 teen comedy “The Brothers Garcia,” debuts on HBO Max on Thursday, April 14. Reprising their roles from the original series are Ada Maris, Carlos Lacamara, Alvin Alvarez, Jeffrey Licon, Bobby Gonzalez and Vaneza Pitynski.

A new weekly series on VICE News’ technology and science reporting multiplatform Motherboard offers a guide to the cryptocurrency space. “Cryptoland,” hosted by VICE News Tonight’s Krishna Andavolu, is aimed at both people who are deep in the crypto space as well as crypto newcomers.

The second batch of eight episodes of Netflix’s “Vikings: Valhalla” will air in 2023, shared the streamer. The first eight episodes, dropped February 25, were watched for 113 million hours by subscribers; production on season three begins this spring.

Peacock limited series “Angelyne,” starring Emmy Rossum as the LA billboard icon who drove a pink Corvette, premieres Thursday, May 19. The series, according to the streamer, is “about fame, identity, survival, billboards, Corvettes, lingerie, men, women, women teasing men, men obsessed with women, West Hollywood, crystals, UFOs, and most importantly of all, the self-proclaimed Rorschach test in pink, glow-in-the-dark queen of the universe, Angelyne.”

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS

The 75th Annual Tony Awards will return to CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 12, with dual live streaming and broadcast. It will be the ceremony’s first live coast-to-coast presentation. Paramount+ will have an exclusive hour-long pre-show at 8p ET and 5p PT, followed by the ceremony at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall honoring Broadway’s best.

Miranda Cosgrove (“iCarly”) and NFL star Rob Gronkowski co-host “Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards,” airing Saturday, April 9 at 7:30p. Nick promises “1,000 epic slimings.”

“The Americana Honors & Awards” will air on Circle Network on Sunday, March 20 at 8p. It’s the first time the awards will air on national broadcast. Taped in September 2021 in front of a live audience, the show honors members of the Americana music community.

COMING UP

Turner Classic Movies will honor actors Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie, and animator and story director Floyd Norman during the 13th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood from April 21- 24.

“Buffalo Keepers” premieres Saturday, May 7 at 4p on Insp. The one-hour special chronicles the history of the American buffalo, including its rescue from near extinction by Native Americans and ranchers.

STREAMING

“Never say never,” said Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann when asked at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference whether Netflix would consider changing its ad-free status, adding, “It’s not like we have religion against advertising.” That said, adding a tier with advertising is not in the plans right now. “We think we have a great model, a subscription business that scales globally really well,” said Neumann.

A lawsuit filed in New York on behalf of two HBO Max subscribers accuses HBO of providing Facebook with customer lists in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act. While HBO Max discloses on its website that it and its partners use cookies, the VPPA requires that subscribers give separate consent to share video viewing history.

TECH TALK

In the aftermath of ATT, 92% of app advertisers use the Dedicated Campaign feature on TikTok to target users on iOS 14 and above, according to findings from mobile analytics platform AppsFlyer’s In-app Measurement & Performance Report, in partnership with TikTok. Other highlights include:
Retail apps see a 60% drop off between checkout and purchase. Finance apps, however, manage to convert about 1 in every 4 registered users.Securing the final step in the funnel (purchase) is much harder for Gaming apps with 91% drop off on average vs. the level played event. Non-gaming apps see a 68% drop off before completing a purchase.The average large app (top 30%) measures a total of 3.7 million daily in-app events; medium and small apps measure 147K and 41K, respectively.

UPFRONT UPDATES & CALENDAR

NBCUniversal unveiled the programming lineup for One22, the company’s second annual local-to-global developer conference. “From data and technology, to driving meaningful scale on digital, to activating within iconic content, marketers are navigating a complex premium video landscape,” said Josh Feldman, Global Chief Marketing Officer, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “On March 22, we’re kicking off our symphony of events designed to spotlight each of these areas, and demonstrate to advertisers in every industry that the future is now.” First up: Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Global Advertising Partnerships, NBCU.

March 15: National CineMedia at 11:30a (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago)
March 15-16: Black Owned Media Upfront at 1p (virtual)
March 22: NBCUniversal’s One22 Conference at 11a (30 Rock Studio 8H, NYC)
March 23: Fox’s Content Drives Commerce Brand Partnership Summit (Fox Lot, LA)
March 24: Nickelodeon at 4p (Palladium Times Square, NYC)
March 28: National CineMedia at 11:30a (Film at Lincoln Center, NYC)
April 12: Black Owned Media Upfront at 1p (virtual)
April 6: Disney’s Sports Summit (virtual); AMC Networks at 6:30p (The Peak in Hudson Yards, NYC); National CineMedia at 11a (Academy of Motion Pictures, LA)
April 25: Disney Storyteller’s Showcase
May 2-6: IAB NewFronts
May 2: NBCUniversal/Peacock NewFront
May 3: Roku at 11:30a (Caldwell Factory, NYC)
May 16: NBCUniversal (Radio City Music Hall, NYC); Telemundo (Ziegfeld Theater, NYC); Fox (Skylight, NYC)
May 17: Discovery (Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC); Disney (Basketball City at Pier 36, NYC); YouTube Brandcast at 8p; Univision (Javits Center in NYC)
May 18: Paramount (Carnegie Hall, NYC); WarnerMedia (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, NYC)
May 19: The CW (New York City Center Theater, NYC)
May 19: The CW (New York City Center Theater)

GOING GLOBAL

Genius Brands International has launched the new Kartoon Channel! Worldwide programming block, “Kartoon Genius,” across Latin America and the Middle East & North Africa region, reaching 67 countries.

Nippon TV Holdings announced a strategic collaboration with The Walt Disney Company that includes co-production of local language content ranging from drama series, animation to variety shows on Disney+ for both Japanese and global audiences. The latest edition of Nippon TV drama series “The Files of Young Kindaichi” will begin broadcasting on Nippon TV in April, and thereafter will be made available on Disney+ for Japanese and worldwide audiences.

MEASUREMENT & DATA CONFERENCE: MORE SPEAKERS CONFIRMED

The agenda is filling up quickly, with speakers from VAB, Mindshare, ARF, NBCUniversal, ANA and AMC Networks set to take the stage on June 7th.

Prices increase April 1, 2022.

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RATINGS

About 38.2 million people watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, March 2. Fox News had the biggest single audience with 7.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen, followed by CBS (4.6 million), ABC (3.9 million), and NBC (3.2 million).

Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” secured its highest-rated week since launch with 366,000 total viewers last week. Additionally, FBN’s “Varney & Co.” delivered 269,000 viewers for the week from 9a-12p.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, March 8
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Bachelor 3.50 (0.8), To Tell the Truth 1.93 (0.3)
CBS: FBI 7.71 (0.7), FBI: International 5.92 (0.5), FBI: Most Wanted 5.55 (0.5)
CW: Superman & Lois .077 (0.1), Naomi 0.45 (0.1)
FOX: The Resident 3.14 (0.5), I Can See Your Voice 1.52 (0.3)
NBC: American Auto 1.98 (0.3), Grand Crew 1.45 (0.3), This Is Us 4.24 (0.7), The Thing About Pam 2.86 (0.4)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.13 (0.3), Hercal: Amor y Venganza 1.25 (0.3), Pasion de Gavilanes 0.71 (0.2)
Univision: Soltero Con Hijas 1.71 (0.5), Mi Fortuna es Amarte 1.91 (0.6), Madre 1.81 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Comscore has named Elizabeth Daly as Vice President of Currency. Daly most recently served as VP, Group Media Director, Video Investment at MediaHub.

Kim Shillinglaw is joining Curious Films as a Non-Executive Director. Shillinglaw’s experience includes running commercial production companies for EndemolShine, as Controller of BBC2 and BBC4, and in a variety of commissioning roles.

Nahana Communications Group has promoted Thabang Skwambane to Chief Executive Officer. Skwambane was elevated from Group Managing Director of Nahana agencies FCB Joburg and Hellocomputer.

Campfire Studios has hired former Marc Platt Productions development executive Ryan Christians as SVP and Head of Scripted Content, as it aims to escalate scripted output.

IN MEMORIAM

Character actor Conrad Janis died March 1. He was 94. Janis appeared on numerous TV series, including “Mork & Mindy,” “Get Smart,” “Cannon,” and “Laverne & Shirley,” among many others.

This Day in History
1971 – The US Senate approved an amendment lowering the voting age to 18.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the name of the nursing home where Edith got a part-time job on “All in the Family” (1971-1979)? The Sunshine Home. Kudos to: Michael Braff-WNYW/NYC; Greg West-WATC TV/Atlanta; Greg Greenwald-CNN Original Series/NYC; Rhonda Seaton-AccuWeather/State College, PA; Sandy Spiegel/Chicago; Randall Bosley-Studio Talent Group/Santa Monica, CA; Darren Wadyko-TMB, Inc.; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which series focused on the lives of characters named Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo? (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