FETV Delivers the Three E’s – Engaging, Effective,
and Easy to Work With!

EFFECTIVE: FETV delivers a growing audience who are more likely to own their homes, travel, have multiple pets, and have large amounts of disposable income.

FETV | Where Family Is Everything.
For information contact Karen Bressner, EVP Advertising Sales, at [email protected]

Source

Tuesday April 13, 2021

IN THE NEWS

The US now has more streaming subscriptions than it does people, according to a 1Q21 report from Ampere. The average consumer subscribes to four or more SVODs, with one-quarter reporting they subscribe to five or more. “In 2020, pay TV penetration dropped below 60% for the first time – down from more than 80% at the beginning of 2015 – with consumers increasingly shifting to SVOD services,” said Ampere Research Manager Toby Holleran. Ampere credits the pandemic, as well as the launches of Peacock and HBO Max, with contributing to the spread of the streaming pool.

“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said Academy Awards producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.” Instead of having a host, the ceremony will have 15 stars presenting, including Joaquin Pheonix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Bong Joon-Ho, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya. The show airs live Sunday, April 25 on ABC.

It’s been a rocky road for Gawker, but the media news and gossip site could live to snark another day. Bustle Digital Group has confirmed the hire of former Gawker writer Leah Finnegan as editor-in-chief of a new version of the web site, which BDG first attempted to resurrect in 2019 after purchasing it in a 2018 bankruptcy court auction.

Octopus Interactive, a network of interactive screens inside of Uber and Lyft vehicles, struck a deal with Nielsen to incorporate Octopus Interactive’s content into Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings. The move will add Nielsen third-party measurement to Octopus’ first-party data effective in 2Q21. “There’s something special about the rideshare environment that causes passengers to sit up and pay attention to the content playing on Octopus Interactive screens, and now we’ll have additional data to prove that out,” said Cherian Thomas, CEO of Octopus Interactive.

Vice Media Group has launched Rec Room, an e-commerce platform that covers “products competitors shy away from” (sample: “How to Buy Art from San Quentin Death Row Inmates”). The vertical offers editorially curated content and shoppable recommendations to readers, as well as “a groovy 70s basement vibe.” Promotion will be across VICE’s home page and other editorial promotion channels.

You can find the following companies’ assets available now: a4 Advertising, Discovery, FETV, Gamut Total, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, New York Interconnect, TiVo, Tubi and more to come!

www.cynopsis.com/resource-center

Epix greenlit “From,” unraveling the mystery of a town in middle America that traps everyone who enters it. The sci-fi horror series comes from creator John Griffin (“Crater”), who executive produces with Midnight Radio. “From” is a co-production between Epix Studios and MGM International Television Productions.

Jupiter Entertainment announced a first-look co-production partnership with newly formed Bronco Productions, created by actor/producer Oliver Hudson (“Scream Queens”) and his producing partner Josh Algra. Under the agreement, Jupiter will have exclusive rights to Bronco’s complete slate of content, focusing on premium lifestyle and adventure formats within the documentary and unscripted, limited-series space. The companies already have series in development, including “World’s Best Dad” (wt).

BritBox North America announced its biggest original commission to date: limited series, “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”, adapted by Hugh Laurie (“House”). The three-part mini-series, an adaptation of the Christie mystery which Laurie will also direct and executive produce, is set to debut on BritBox in 2022. “I loved this book as a nipper and still do,” said Laurie. “The hairs on the back of my neck haven’t properly settled down from the first time I grasped the beauty of the essential mystery.”

FilmRise and FirstLookTV are teaming for true-crime series “Meet, Marry, Murder Hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg,” exploring tragic love stories that led to murder. Trachtenberg (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) hosts and serves as an executive producer.

Casting notes: Sharlto Copley (“District 9”) has boarded the season two cast of Netflix’s “Russian Doll.”…Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”) landed a series regular role opposite Amy Schumer in Amazon comedy “Life & Beth.”

SYNDICATION

NBCUniversal Syndication Studios has renewed “Access Hollywood” and brand extension talk show, “Access Daily” through 2025 in national syndication. Picking up the entertainment news shows for three additional seasons are the NBC Owned Television Stations group, along with leading station groups across the country. For the 2020-21 season, “Access Hollywood” is averaging over 1.4 million viewers each day, ranking as a top entertainment news programs among the W 25-54 demographic in three of the top four markets including Los Angeles (KNBC), Chicago (WMAQ), and Philadelphia (WCAU).

WarnerMedia has sold broadcast syndication rights to “Young Sheldon” in over 90% of the US, with the show launching in fall 2021. The “Big Bang Theory” spin-off will air in Nexstar markets as well as stations from Sinclair, CBS, Hearst, Gray, Tegna, Scripps, Cox, Meredith, Graham, Weigel, Allen Media, Sunbeam, News-Press, Londen Media, Griffin, Lockwood, and Morris, among others. Currently in season four on CBS, the series has been picked up for three more seasons.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

NBC summer series “Capital One College Bowl” kicks off Tuesday, June 22 at 10p, hosted by Super Bowl champ Peyton Manning. A reboot of the classic quiz show, “College Bowl” will award $1 million in school tuition.

Apple TV+ workplace comedy “Mythic Quest” starts its sophomore season on Friday, May 7. New guest stars include musician Snoop Dogg and Derek Waters (“Drunk History”).

Also coming back for season two is “War of the Worlds,” launching on Epix Sunday, June 6 at 9p. The modern-day retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel stars Gabriel Byrne (“In Treatment”) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”).

A new season of “Haunted Hospitals” starts streaming Friday, May 7 on discovery+. As if hospital visits weren’s scary enough, the series offers tale of a support worker stalked by an energy-sucking entity, the otherworldy cries of a distressed infant and ghost twins.

HBO’s “In Treatment” is back for a reimagined season four with Uzo Aduba (“Mrs. America”) playing the lead role of therapist previously held by the aforementioned Gabriel Byrne. The new version is set in present-day LA.

Blood, sweat and tears: The biology of human bodies is explored in “Human: The World Within,” a six-parter (covering the nervous, circulatory, digestive, immune, sensory and reproductive systems) premiering Wednesday, April 28 (check local listings) on PBS.

Anthology series “Cinema Toast” will premiere all 10 episodes on Showtime streaming and partner platforms on Tuesday, April 20. Created by Jeff Baena and produced by the Duplass Brothers, the series is a “post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories.”

Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” returns for season 11 on Wednesday, May 19 at 8p. This go-round brings divorce, empty nests, home-schooling, man-hunting and more.

HGTV topiary competition “Clipped” premieres with a special 90-minute episode on discovery+ on Wednesday, May 12. Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) hosts, while judges Martha Stewart, landscape architect Fernando Wong and Chris Lambton (“Going Yard”) decide who makes the cut.

The fierce rivalry between boxing champions Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard is explored in Showtime’s “The Kings,” a four-part series chronicling the fighters’ divergent ascents to greatness and the legendary matches they produced. The weekly series premieres Sunday, June 6 at 8p.

Spanish-language dating format “La Máscara Del Amor” (“The Mask of Love”) is slated to premiere Thursday, May 27 on Estrella TV. Hosted by Angelica Vale (“Ugly Betty”), the series focuses on a single person who is wooed by five masked suitors; at the end of each episode, the contestant chooses between a suitor or a cash prize.

Season two of “De Viaje Con Los Derbez” (“Derbez Family Vacation”) drops with four episodes on streamer Pantaya on May 27. The Spanish-language docu-series follows the vacation adventures of Mexican star Eugenio Derbez and his family.

Season four of Spanish original “Elite” arrives on Netflix Friday, June 18. The YA drama has already been renewed for season five.

COMING UP

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, History Channel is paying tribute to the first responders and survivors with four new two-hour documentaries. Co-produced by The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, “Revealed: The Hunt for Bin Laden,” will premiere on Sunday, May 2 at 8p, on the 10th anniversary of the raid that found Osama bin Laden. Six hours of additional programming will premiere on September 10 and 11 with “9/11: Four Flights,” “Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center” and “9/11: From the Ground Up” (wt).

“OWN Spotlight: Viola Davis” is set to air Friday, April 16 at 10p, continuing OWN’S conversations surrounding issues impacting Black lives. Oprah Winfrey talks to the Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-Winning actress about her role as blues singer Ma Rainey in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and what it taught her about harnessing her own powers as a Black woman.

TECH TALK

Bad actors train bots to click on ads and drain budgets early in the morning, according to an analysis by CHEQ which looked at 30 campaigns from October 2020 to January 2021. The highest daily level of invalid clicks occurs at 4a, when 8% of all customer acquisition campaign clicks arrive from bots rather than real customers. Customer acquisition campaigns are cleanest at the end of the day by 11p, when bot attacks have almost halved (hitting a 4.7% rate of invalid clicks), according to the study.

Verizon and Univision announced a multi-year partnership that can deliver advanced 5G viewing experiences for fans of soccer league Liga MX. Through the partnership, Univision will exclusively launch the TUDN Vision content portal experience, where fans can portal through the stadium with 360 camera views. Verizon will also work with Univision to virtualize and enhance production processes over 5G, and partner with Univision on an Enhanced Data Analytics feature. “This partnership between Verizon and Univision is a great example of how 5G can be used to power fan experiences and move the future of second screen experiences forward,” said John Nitti, Chief Media Officer, Verizon. “We know how passionate soccer fans are about the sport, teams and players and this is a great opportunity to enhance the engagement for the audience.”

Microsoft announced plans to purchase Nuance Communications for $16 billion. Nuance, now focused on the medical field, provided speech recognition software behind Apple’s Siri. “Nuance provides the A.I. layer at the health care point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise A.I.,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Apple is in the early stages of developing a smart-home product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV, along with Apple TV box functions like watching video and gaming, according Bloomberg. The company is also exploring the launch of a high-end speaker with a touch screen, reports the news outlet.

STREAMING

Roku is suing Universal Electronics for patent infringement. The lawsuit accuses the maker of remote controls for pay TV operators, OTT gadget makers and CE brands of violating patents based on set-up features, including “QuickSet” and “SimpleSet,” found in programmable remotes. Universal Electronics filed a suit last year alleging patent violations tied to Roky remotes tied to TV sets made by TCL and Hisense.

FETV (Family Entertainment Television) has launched on virtual TV provider VIDGO. “We are delighted to launch on VIDGO,” said President and CEO Drew Sumrall. “With our family-friendly entertainment, FETV is the perfect complement to any channel bundle.”

Preet Bharara is boarding Vox Media after its purchase of Bharara’s podcast company Café Studios, publisher of “Stay Tuned With Preet.” The former Manhattan US Attorney will serve as host and creative director, reporting to Vox Media Studios President Marty Moe. “This is an opportunity for tremendous growth with a company that shares in Cafe’s mission, values, and commitment to quality,” said Bharara. “Our creators are bursting at the seams with plans for more thoughtful, educational content and, in Vox Media, we earn a partner with a large audience, strategic business, and a strong reach across text, video, and events.”

GOING GLOBAL

Fuse Media announced content licensing deals with LingoPie and Telkom SA, marking its entry into the global media marketplace. The agreements “signify the early innings of Fuse Media’s global expansion,” said Head of Digital Patrick Courtney. “It is also inspiring that these companies are eager to provide their customers with content that not only engages young, multicultural viewers but also empowers underserved audiences.”

Fremantle has increased its stake in Abot Hameiri, the Israeli production outfit behind shows including “Power Couple,” to 100%. Fremantle had acquired a 51% stake of the company in 2016.

All3Media International has signed a new format deal for “The Dog House,” as ZDF commissions a local adaptation for Germany. Five Mile Films’ original version of the human-hound matchmaking show is also heading to Spain.

APC Kids has secured international sales for its new preschool series “DinoCity,” produced by Riki Group in partnership with Animax Production animation studio. New partners for the 2D animated series include Piwi+ (Canal+ Group, France) and MBC (MENA) taking pay TV rights, along with ERT (Greece) and Ketnet (Flemish Belgium) securing free TV rights. APC Kids has also licensed the exclusive free TV rights and non-exclusive SVOD rights to Menart in the Balkans (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia).

Channel 5 has greenlit “Motorhoming with Merton & Webster” (wt). The series will be co-produced by Curve Media and Motion Content Group.

Cineflix Rights has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Israeli police corruption drama “Manayek” from Yoav Gross Productions. The Kan 11 Network series is Cineflix Rights’ second Israeli drama, alongside “Tehran.”

Manga Entertainment is rebranding in the UK and Ireland as Funimation, effective Monday, April 19. The rebrand completes its acquisition by Funimation Global Group, serving anime fans worldwide, in April 2019.

Pikasso and and Broadsign have teamed to bring Pikasso’s network of DOOH displays to the Broadsign Reach programmatic DOOH supply-side-platform. With Pikasso’s DOOH inventory on-boarded to Reach, media buyers can opt to incorporate Pikasso’s roadside, shopping mall and transit inventory into their campaigns to expand audience reach across the Middle East.

Genius Brands announced the green light for season three of animated preschool series “Rainbow Rangers,” and a deal with Netflix to stream season one starting in July in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. Additional deals for the series include Amazon Prime Video, New Zealand’s TVNZ, and Israel’s Noga.

SECURE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY SEAT

HGTV’s “Farmhouse Fixer” averaged a .57 Live+3 rating among P25-54 during its run on Wednesday nights, up 47% over the previous six weeks. Among W25-54, the renovation series averaged a .75 Live+3 rating, a 50% lift over the prior six weeks.

Shareablee Top 10 TV Shows for the week of April 5
Program, Network, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), 3.9M, 49, 80,309, 36.3M
Hannity (Fox News), 3.4M, 303, 11,264, 10.9M
Ellen DeGeneres (WB/Syndicated), 2.4M, 59, 39,833, 208M
Today Show (NBC), 1.9M, 893, 2,104, 13.8M
Good Morning America (ABC), 1.8M, 820, 2,182, 14.3M
Entertainment Tonight (WB/syndicated), 1.6M, 610, 2,575, 9.2M
The Daily Show (Comedy Central), 1.4M, 122, 11,620, 27.8M
The Flash (The CW Network), 1.1M, 39, 28,159, 12.1M
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), 1.1M, 55, 19,862, 7.2M
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC), 979K, 65, 15,069, 13.3M

Shareablee Top 10 TV Streaming Shows for the week of April 5
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+), 1.4M, 34, 41,492, 687K
Get Organized With The Home Edit (Netflix), 596K, 38, 15,678, 5.6M
Selena: The Series (Netflix), 442K, 15, 29,442, 286K
Nanatsu No Naizai (Netflix), 366K, 49, 7,477, 788K
The Grand Tour (Amazon Prime), 332K, 6, 55,301, 5.8M
Loki (Disney+), 266K, 4, 66,462, 205K
High School Musical: The Series (Disney+), 253K, 2, 126,324, 515K
Shadow and Bone (Netflix), 231K, 9, 25,693, 282K
The Mandalorian (Disney+), 221K, 6, 36,827, 2.5M
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch), 206K, 16, 12,853, 5.8M
Ingobernable (Netflix), 187K, 12, 15,600, 1M

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Friday, April 9
Show, P2+ 0000s, (A18-49)
ABC: “Shark Tank” 4.31 (0.8), “20/20” 2.79 (0.5)
CBS: “MacGyver” 4.73 (0.5), “Magnum P.I.” 5.61 (0.5), “Blue Bloods” 6.35 (0.5)
CW: “Whose Line Is It Anyway” 0.86 (0.1), “Whose Line Is It Anyway” (0.82 (0.1), Penn & Teller: Fool Us” 0.72 (0.1)
ION: “Hawaii Five-0” 1.08 (0.1), “Hawaii Five-0” 1.01 (0.2), “Hawaii Five-0” 1.01 (0.2)
FOX: “WWE Friday Night Smackdown” 2.25 (0.6)
NBC: “The Blacklist” 1.96 (0.3), “Dateline NBC” 3.09 (0.4)
Telemundo: “Exatlon Estados Unidos” 0;95 (0.2), “La Suerte de Loli” 0.87 (0.2), “Buscando a Frida” 1.15 (0.3)
Univision: “La Rosa de Guadalupe” 1.42 (0.4), “Te Acuerdas Di Mi” 1.44 (0.4), “La Hija Del Embajador” 1.47 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Fox News Media has named Bernard T. Gugar as General Counsel and EVP of Corporate Development. Gugar joins from Google, where he served as the US Head of Industries for Google Cloud’s Deal Pursuit Organization.

Data Axle has promoted Niely Shams to President of its Nonprofit Solutions division. Shams had been EVP of Sales and Client Services.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Joseph Siravo died April 11 following a battle with cancer. He was 66. In addition to numerous stage roles, Siravo was known to TV audiences for his roles on “The Sopranos” and “American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson,” among others.

Garren Taylor, star of BET reality series “Baldwin Hills,” died April 11. She was 30. While no cause of death was given, Taylor suffered from lupus and was on dialysis at the time of her death.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which boy crazy sitcom cutie developed crushes on characters played by Daniel J. Travanti and Martin Milner? The title character in “Gidget” (1965-66). Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London, Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/San Francisco, Rick Dascher-WarnerMedia Studios/Atlanta, Lisa Fikey-NissanUnited/Chicago, Anthony Salerno-Horizon Media/NYC, Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA, Karen Kelly-SPUH/New Burnswick, NJ, Howard Rosenstein-Meredith Digital/NYC, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment’/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
On which which 1970s sitcom did the main character go from a married man in the first season, to a widower in the short-lived second season? 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.)