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For information contact Karen Bressner, EVP Advertising Sales, at [email protected]

Monday April 5, 2021

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Coming this Fall to Entertainment Studios Syndication
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“The Right Stuff” was not renewed for a second season on Disney+. Studio Warner Bros. Television is reportedly looking for another home for the period space drama, Nat Geo’s first scripted original series for its streaming sib.

HBO Max’s “Friends” reunion special is set to start shooting this week. The unscripted show had originally been intended as a launch special for HBO Max last May, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

General Motors said it plans to quadruple its ad spend on Black-owned media, to 4% by 2022, and 8% by 2025. “Black-owned media are a vital component of our marketing mix, and we evaluate our spend for media partners through several core metrics, including transparency, innovation, ad quality, audience delivery and brand safety,” said GM. The company is also holding an upfront process in May with diverse media owners. The announcement came after a group of Black media leaders took out ads in the Wall Street Journal and the Detroit Free Press last week calling for the automaker to increase its ad spend on Black owned media.

Breakout star Regé-Jean Page will not return as the Duke of Hastings in season two of Netflix hit “Bridgerton.” The show’s narrator broke the news on Twitter. “Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings,” said Lady Whistledown. “We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the ‘Bridgerton’ family.” Phoebe Dynevor remains onboard as Daphne, “helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear,” added Lady W.

Meredith Corp. is working with a financial advisor on possibly divesting its TV stations, sources tell Bloomberg. Meredith has 17 stations, including affiliates of Fox and CBS, which contributed 27% of its revenue in its most recent fiscal year.

Retail is now the number one advertiser on Facebook, and food and pharma are up 2X year-over-year from 2020 to 2021, according to MediaRadar’s analysis of Facebook advertising trends. Entertainment is down, and professional services are mostly consistent. The top four Facebook advertisers by category after Retail are Other (Beauty, Travel, Auto, Alcohol), Entertainment, Services, and Tech. Within the retail category, top advertisers include Amazon, supermarkets, quick food restaurants, and big box stores.

CBS Studios responded to a lawsuit over its “MacGyver” remake, which claims Hanzer Holdings and Arlita, Inc. are entitled to payments based on a 1984 “package commission” deal for the original series. Repsonded CBS Studios: “Paramount/CBS never had any contractual relationship with Hanzer Holdings, and never even heard of plaintiff Arlita, Inc. until it filed this lawsuit. Second, even assuming arguendo that such a contractual relationship existed (it never did), they premise their entire case on an allegation that the 2016 ‘MacGyver’ remake is somehow a ‘spinoff’ under a written contract which does not even apply to remakes….Finally, even assuming a contractual relationship which would apply to the Remake, Plaintiffs admittedly were and are unable to perform, making it impossible for them to meet an essential element of their claim performance. Plaintiffs have resisted discovery at every turn for a very simple reason – their allegations are belied by the evidence.” A trial date is set for June 7.

Being resourceful is equally as important as being efficient. Stay informed and visit the Cynopsis Resource Center, your one-stop destination to the cutting edge tech, streaming, network offerings, and tools to support your business initiatives.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT: Automating the Ad Buy
The key to automating ad buy/sell processes & workflows is connecting all the necessary and vital data throughout the advertising ecosystem. On Tuesday, June 15, Mark Gorman (CEO at Matrix) will look at how the industry is evolving to make tangible the reality of self-serve inventory ad buys, i.e. adopting a standard unit of measurement across platforms, eliminating makegoods, and the tech & integration points needed to make it happen.

REGISTER NOW

All six season two episodes of “Archibald’s Next Big Thing Is Here!” drop Thursday, April 22 on Peacock. The animated series from Tony Hale (“Veep”) focuses on an adventurous chicken.

Discovery+ has acquired “Citizen Penn,” following the humanitarian efforts of actor Sean Penn and a team of volunteers to bring aid to Haitians after the 2010 earthquake. The doc premieres Thursday, May 6.

Season seven of ID’s “Fear Thy Neighbor” launches Thursday, April 15 at 10p, with the tale of a man who returns from a work stint out of state to find his neighbor has taken over his property. Then on Friday, April 22 at 10p comes special “The Grim Sleeper: Mind of a Monster,” following a cold case reopened by the LAPD.

Sports Media’s MVPs are here! View the full list of finalists here and don’t forget to secure your complimentary pass to see the winners claim their victory.

STREAMING

YouTube TV introduced a new feature that allows subscribers to access and watch all movie purchases through the YouTube app, as well as search, view, buy or rent new titles. Subscribers can search for new titles and find their existing buys in the “Purchased” section at the bottom left of their YouTube TV libraries.

The competition in the live entertainment is no joke, and the heat is on to make sure your audience is consistently growing. Learn from the experts at Katz Media Group how to expand your reach and exceed your advertising partners expectations.

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For 1Q21, the Discovery portfolio reached nearly 150 million people and was the #1 pay-TV portfolio on average time spent, according to Nielsen Liv+3 data; 84 titles averaged over 1.0 million P2+ viewers.

The fourth episode of Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” was up +31% versus the prior 6 weeks and up +37% versus YAGO, and posted its highest rating among W25-54 with (1.0 Live+3).

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, April 1
Show, P2+ millions, (A18-49)
ABC: “Station 19” 4.78 (0.8), “Grey’s Anatomy” 4.55 (0.9), “A Million LittleThings” 2.62 (0.4)
CBS: “Young Sheldon” 6.64 (0.7), “United States of Al” 5.31 (0.6), “Mom” 5.00 (0.6), “B Positive” 3.85 (0.4), “Clarice” 2.37 (0.2)
CW: “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” 0.7 (0.1), “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” 0.62 (0.1)
FOX: “Hell’s Kitchen” 2.62 (0.7), “The Moodys” 1.04 (0.3)
ION: “Chicago PD” 1.24 (0.4), “Chicago PD” 110 (0.3), “Chicago PD” 1.01 (0.2)
NBC: “Manifest” 3.99 (0.7), “Law & Order: SVU” 8.03 (1.7), “Law & Order: Organized Crime” 7.86 (1.6)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 0.97 (0.3), “La Suerte de Loli” 1.04 (0.3), “Buscando Frida” 1.10 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Spectrum Networks announced Alexander Quince as Senior Director, News, for Spectrum News in Upstate New York. Quince most recently served four years as an executive producer for WABC-TV in New York City.

Elizabeth Boykewich has left her role as SVP, Casting and Talent at Freeform. Boykewich joined the network (then ABC Family) in 2005.

IN MEMORIAM

Don Farmer, one of CNN’s original anchors, died March 31 of a rare neurological disease. He was 82. “My admiration for Don’s journalistic skills and integrity increased every day,” wrote producer David Guibault, who worked with Farmer on ABC News and went on to be senior producer of CNN’s “Take Two.” “Don was a wonderful writer and a masterful interviewer. I am very proud of the work we did together under very challenging circumstances with very meager resources.”

Linda Torres, who appeared on VH1’s “Big Ang,” died April 1, nine weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19. She was 67. Torres also made appearances on “Mob Wives.”

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
The theme song of which 2002-2006 sitcom had the same name as the show? “What I Like About You.” Kudos to: Benjamin Zander-MSNBC/Great Neck,NY, Errol Da-Re-Venture X Richmond Hill/Ontario, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, Isabel Gaspard-Future Now Media Foundation/Brooklyn, NY

Today’s Trivia Question
In 1952, what was the first toy to be promoted in an ad? (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.)