Tonight’s Finales
History: Swamp People: Serpent Invasion at 10p
Oxygen: In Ice Cold Blood at 9p

IN THE NEWS

The T-Mobile/Sprint merger is at last complete, having jumped numerous regulatory hurdles since the deal between the third and fourth largest wireless carriers was announced two years ago. The new company will be called T-Mobile. John Legere steps down as CEO of T-Mobile a month earlier than previously announced, replaced by Mike Sievert, who had been COO.

Jason Kilar has been named CEO of WarnerMedia, effective May 1, replacing John Stankey, who remains AT&T’s President and COO. Kilar was previously the founding CEO of Hulu. “Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future,” said Stankey, to whom Kilar will report. “His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia.”

Fox drama Empire will come to an early end with season six’s episode 18, scheduled to air April 21, thanks to the production shut-down caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The drama was supposed to end with episode 20.

Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II. “This is a decision that we have not taken lightly, and we have done so with the highest regard for public health and the well-being of all those who come together to make Wimbledon happen,” said Ian Hewitt, chairmen of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. The AELTC had said postponing the tournament would be difficult in light of the short window available for grass court tennis.

Despite the cratering of the economy due to the pandemic, revenue for cable TV operator/broadband companies will dip just 2% through 2020, projects Moody’s Investors Service. That’s versus an estimate of a 5% increase forecast pre-COVID-19. “We expect greater demand across residential, commercial, governmental, and mobile carriers,” said the report. “Video viewership and engagement is rising sharply, with subscribers spending extraordinary time watching TV for news and entertainment comfort.”

Online auditions have resumed for season 15 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. AGT halted production over coronavirus concerns in mid-March, just days before shooting of audition scenes were to wrap.

DPAA has opened its WE.DOOH (Women’s Empowerment in Digital Out-of-Home) webinars and online activities will be open to non-members of DPAA for the duration of the pandemic crisis. “We want to help bring the entire community together during this difficult period of isolation for so many people,” said Barry Frey, President & CEO, DPAA. “We are, of course, cancelling all WE.DOOH in-person events for the coming months, but our ‘virtual doors’ are open.”

Comcast and Fox inked a new distribution deal covering Fox Television Stations, Fox News, Fox Business, FS1, FS2, BTN and Fox Deportes, including VOD and TV Everywhere rights. “We are pleased to extend our longstanding and productive partnership with Comcast so that millions of Xfinity customers will continue to enjoy Fox’s leading sports, entertainment and news programming for years to come,” said Michael Biard, President of Operations and Distribution for Fox.

An email received by support staff at CBS Television Studios about reduced hours was sent in error, said the company. “There has been no instruction or intention to reduce your pay for hours worked retroactively,” the head of human resources told employees. “There are no plans to limit or cap your working hours to 40 hours per week. We are continuing to require written pre-approval for any hours worked in excess of 52 hours per week.”

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises announced the launch of Nuestros Negocios (Our Business), a nationwide campaign under the umbrella of Telemundo’s corporate social responsibility platform El Poder En Ti (The Power in You). Launched in partnership with the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the multiplatform campaign will tap into Telemundo’s network, local stations, digital and social platforms to spotlight small and medium-sized Hispanic-owned businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and promote their services to help them sustain their businesses.

The Weather Channel was named the 2020 Harris Poll EquiTrend TV News Brand of the Year for the 10th consecutive year. The EquiTrend Brand Equity Index rates Familiarity, Quality and Purchase Consideration; brands ranking highest in equity receive awards for their respective categories.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down nearly all major sports events and their respective betting opportunities, esports is providing fans with new, live options for betting and daily fantasy moves. Join us for our latest webinar, produced in partnership with the Nevada Esports Alliance, to learn how esports can affect the betting industry. Hear from Seth Schorr (CEO, Fifth Street Gaming) and Ian Smith (Commissioner of Esports Integrity Commission).
REGISTER

Food Network’s The Kitchen will produce a special quarantine edition on Saturday, April 4 at 11a. Hosts Sunny Anderson, Alex Guarnaschelli, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian will share and cook recipes from their homes. “The ability for family and friends to converse and share delicious recipes, while pushing their creative boundaries to make a meal from the ingredients they have in their pantry is what Food Network is all about,” said Courtney White, President, Food Network.

Pull up a chair and get in on the action. Join Cynopsis Sports and leading execs in the industry for the eighth annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, taking place on August 12th in NYC. Finalists represent a wide range of companies whose successful campaigns and breakout content has risen to the top. View finalists here and register your team today.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Showtime is making some scheduling adjustments due to production shutdowns that resulted from the coronavirus. Season two of Black Monday will air through episode 6 on Sunday, April 12, with the season’s final four episodes coming later this year. Billions holds its season five premiere date of Sunday, May 3 at 9p, but there will be a hiatus after the first seven episodes air. Season three of The Chi moves up to Sunday, June 21 at 9p and will have an uninterrupted run, while the entire season of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is slated to air beginning Sunday, April 26 at 10p.

American Dad is back for season 16 starting Monday, April 13 at 10p on TBS. Guests this go-round will include The Weeknd, Jane Lynch, Patton Oswalt, Ron Perlman, Craig Robinson, Criss Angel and Bill Nye. Animated comedy landed a two-season renewal in January.

A new crop of familiar faces are put through their culinary paces when Worst Cooks in American: Celebrity Edition returns to Food Network on Sunday, May 10 at 9p. This season’s recruits are Wells Adams, Johnny Bananas, Dave Coulier, Bridget Everett, Robin Givens, Sonja Morgan and Brian Posehn.

You have two weeks to tell us all about the female trailblazer in your life who deserve to be recognized as a Top Woman in Media. Nominate the deserving leader in sports, esports, or entertainment today and make plans to join us on September 24th in NYC for an awards gala to remember. Click here for more info and nominate by April 16th.

Drew and Jonathan Scott return to overhaul ordinary houses into dream homes in the new season of Property Brothers: Forever Home, premiering Wednesday, April 15, at 9p.

Reese Witherspoon is extending her Netflix series, Shine On With Reese, with Shine On At Home, to share advice from experts during the health crisis. “I’m talking to parenting experts. I’m talking to marriage counselors. People who counsel me about personal finances. People who just teach me fun, inspiring meals,” said Witherspoon of the series, available on her Instagram account. “I thought I would share some of these conversations with you guys and I hope you find them useful and maybe thought-provoking, or helpful.”

Quibi and MTV Studios announced the celebrity lineup for Quibi’s reboot of Punk’d, hosted by Chance the Rapper. Onboard are Lil Nas X, Adam Devine, Migos, French Montana, Scott Disick, Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae, Ty Dolla $ign, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin and Liza Koshy. Bite-sized version of the original hidden camera show launches along with Quibi, on April 6.

COMING UP

Mike Rowe is hosting Before the Catch, a special virtual talk show on Discovery Channel airing Tuesday, April 7 at 8p. Rowe will talk with all of the captains from Deadliest Catch, returning for season 16 on Tuesday, April 14 at 8p, followed by the kickoff of Deadliest Catch: Bloodline at 9p.

OWN will air two marathons of Super Soul Sunday the mornings of Palm Sunday (April 5) and Easter Sunday (April 12) from 6a-1p. Wintley Phipps and Pastor A.R. Bernard’s episodes will simultaneously live stream on Oprah Winfrey and Super Soul Sunday Facebook pages. In addition, Winfrey’s recent Facebook Live interview with Alicia Keys will air Saturday, April 4 at 10p and Sunday, April 5 at 11a.

Documentary Basketball County: In the Water, a collaboration with NBA star Kevin Durant and Thirty Five Ventures, premieres on Showtime on Friday, May 15 at 9p. Doc tells the story of a Maryland community that has spawned dozens of pro basketball players.

Classic media streaming network The Film Detective is celebrating film legend Roger Corman on Sunday, April 5 with a Roger Cor-Marathon from 3:30p-midnight, including A Bucket of Blood (1959), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and more.

STREAMING SNIPPETS

The Shudder original movie The Room has jumped to the service’s most-watched Shudder Original film of the year and one of the most watched Original premieres in the Shudder history since its March 12 premiere. “The Room had a strong debut in week one, which is where we usually see the biggest numbers,” said Craig Engler, Shudder’s GM. “But in week two the audience grew a staggering 150 percent, and week three viewership was only a hair below that….There’s something about The Room and its claustrophobic story of a family stuck inside a house under extraordinary circumstances that’s really resonating with Shudder members.”

ADVERTISING & AGENCIES

WPP is implementing cost-cutting measures including a hiring freeze, a halt on travel and motels, review of freelance expenditures and postponement of salary increases for 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are continuing to work closely with our clients to ensure timely payment for the services we have provided in line with contractual commitments,” said the company in an update. “On media, we are working with clients and vendors to maintain the settlement flow. Should we see any deterioration in payment from our media clients we will take appropriate action to manage our cash position.”

Horizon is helping work-from-homers with an internal communications platform that includes entertainment, health and wellness, an events calendar, and a section for employees to post pics of their puppies. There’s also a training section, so employees can enhance their skills from home.

Adwanted Group acquired SRDS (Standard Rate & Date Service) from Kantar. “Merging SRDS with Adwanted creates a compelling new product where customers can not only select and compare media opportunities, but now they can also purchase media quickly with just a few clicks,” said Adwanted Group CEO Emmanuel Debuyck. SRDS’s data allows ad agencies to compare online and traditional media across audiences.

Ad tech company VDX.tv launched a global digital video PSA initiative to help drive awareness around COVID-19. The campaign will enable corporations, brands, publishers, marketers and celebrities to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. VDX.tv’s video ads will be translated into several languages, with customized messaging in each city to provide the most relevant information.

Rubicon Project, the global exchange for advertising, and Telaria, the software platform that optimizes yield for video publishers, have closed their merger. The combined company will launch with a new name in the coming months and in the interim, will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RUBI.

GOING GLOBAL

DRG has established a new partnership with Dopamine, the independently operated Mexican studio. The collaboration will see the two companies co-finance, develop and produce English-language scripted content.

PODCAST POSTS

Yahoo Finance has launched a daily podcast, A World Interrupted, focused on the coronavirus and its impact on the economy, from macro issues to small businesses. Alex Sugg hosts.

Hrishikesh Hirway, host and creator of the podcast Song Exploder and co-host of The West Wing Weekly, returns with a new podcast, Partners. The Mailchimp Presents production focuses on different kinds of partnerships.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the title of Sanford and Son’s (1972-1977) theme song? The Streetbeater. Kudos to: Albert Acosta-Endeavor/Beverly Hills, Charles Lore/NYC, Tori Gallarello-Alcock-Little Roosters/Bronx, NY, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL, Dan Haberer-Creo Entertainment/Playa del Rey, CA, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC

Today’s Trivia Question
Which three instruments did the main character play on House (2004-2012)? (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.)