Tonight’s Finale
History: The Curse of Oak Island at 9p

IN THE NEWS

HBO Max will be available on Apple devices when the streamer debuts on May 27, fully integrated with the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV. “As we prepare for the launch of HBO Max, our focus remains on making it as widely available as possible for customers,” said Rich Warren, President of WarnerMedia Distribution. “The availability to HBO Max across Apple devices is a great addition to our distribution offering and will provide seamless access for millions of customers.” WarnerMedia also has distribution agreements with Charter and YouTube TV.

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show episodes have expanded to 45 minutes. The “Daily Distancing” installments with Trevor Noah have seen significant linear ratings growth and digital gains – recent appearances by New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Dr. Anthony Fauci, their first on late night during the pandemic, garnered more than 43 million views across channel views. With 1.4 billion views in 2020, the show is up +56% year-over-year. It’s the first time in its 24-year history that the late-nighter has expanded to 45 minutes.

Discovery, Inc. and Amazon expanded their collaboration, giving Amazon Fire TV and Fire Tablet customers in the US a one-year subscription to Discovery’s Food Network Kitchen, compliments of Amazon. Amazon and Discovery introduced Food Network Kitchen on Amazon devices in 2019. “We were thrilled with the success of our initial collaboration with Amazon to launch Food Network Kitchen,” said Peter Faricy, CEO, Global Direct-to-Consumer, Discovery, Inc. “With families and individuals preparing meals at home now more than ever, this offer will help provide ideas and encouragement to even more customers during this unprecedented time.”

To coincide with the offer, Food Network Kitchen and Amazon are launching the “We Cook Together” initiative. On May 2 and 3, Food Network Kitchen will present “We Cook Together Weekend,” bringing back live classes and allowing at-home cooks across the country the opportunity to cook alongside TV chefs, cooking in real-time from their own home kitchens.

Hallmark Channel renewed When Calls the Heart, averaging 2.4 million viewers, for season eight. The finale of season seven, the first full season without Lori Loughlin’s character, aired Sunday night.

Revenue projections for 2020 local advertising dipped to $144.3 billion, down 10.6% from its November 2019 estimate, said BIA Advisory Services. “A realistic view of the virus is that it will continue to have a negative impact on the second quarter, with some continuation into the third quarter,” warned Mark Fratrik, BIA’s SVP and Chief Economis. “We have assumed that there will be a strong rebound in the latter part of the year, but we will have to re-evaluate as the on-going economic impact becomes clearer.

Complex Networks is launching a COVID-19 relief initiative by donating $1 million in ad and media inventory. Complex is working with three non-profit organizations: Last Prisoner Project, Restaurant Workers Community Foundation and GoFundMe’s Small Business Relief Initiative.

Announcing the speaker lineup for Cynopsis’ latest webinar: Building A Super-Bond with Audiences During the Pandemic(Thursday, April 30 @ 1:30p). One result of the Covid-19 lockdown is that TV viewership has increased as much as 73% YOY, according to Comscore, which means that consumers are hungrier than ever for content. Hear from Executives at Bleacher Report, Discovery, FanAI, NHL, Situation & Twitch on this crucial time for our industry. Click here to learn more and register.

Netflix canceled Turn Up Charlie after one season. The comedy was released March 15. “We’re especially grateful to star and executive producer Idris Elba, who turned his passion for DJing into a witty, heart-warming comedy series,” said Netflix. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Idris on future projects.”

STREAMING SCOOP

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will begin streaming two months early on Disney+ in honor of “May the 4th,” aka Star Wars Day, joining a line-up including the premiere of the docu-series Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, and the series finale of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

HBO Max nabbed worldwide rights to An American Pickle, starring Seth Rogen in dual roles. The upcoming streamer acquired the film from Sony Pictures so its release will not be delayed due to coronavirus theater closures. “We worked very hard and put as much of ourselves in this story as possible. We’re very proud of the end result and we can’t wait for people to get to see it,” said Rogen.

The King of Staten Island, from Pete Davidson and Judd Apatow, is also headed to the small screen. Instead of opening in theaters as planned on June 19, Universal announced the film is going straight to VOD on June 12.

Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube are partnering for a 10-day streaming event. The We Are One: A Global Film Festival, starting on YouTube on Friday, May 29, will benefit the World Health Organization and other health crisis relief partners. Programming will include films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy, and conversations.

Pearl Jam and Apple TV launched the Gigaton Global Listening Experience, an audio-visual event available free to Apple TV through April 30, before it moves to iTunes. The immersive visual album pairs the band’s visuals for a 360-experience.

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There’s a new game in town. Armoza Formats announced the international launch of Beat the Grid, an interactive game show created in partnership with Gamechanger that uses CGI-technology to turn a simple set into a big shiny floor format. “We have seen a shift in the TV industry: budgets are getting smaller but the need for an expensive look is in higher demand so we have developed a technology that overcomes this,” said Nimrod Harel, Co-Founder and CEO of Gamechanger.

HBO is developing a series based on the Hellraiser film franchise, with Halloween director David Gordon Green attached to direct. Writers Mark Verheiden and Michael Dougherty will executive produce along with Green.

MY Entertainment announced that PBS member station VPM in Central Virginia has re-commissioned Legacy List with Matt Paxton for an extended run of 8 x 60 mins. The series, produced by MYE in partnership with Shipyard Entertainment, began airing in the US in January.

The Cartel and Untitled Entertainment are teaming to develop and produce 10 movies for television and theatrical release as well as international distribution over the next two years. The companies will jointly develop and produce the titles and The Cartel will finance and operate as the production service company.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Season 15 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent has a debut date of Tuesday, May 26, followed by the season four premiere of World of Dance at 10p. “This show represents the best in perseverance, creativity and optimism,” said Simon Cowell, AGT judge and executive producer. “At a time when families are unable to go out we really hope the new season will bring some much-needed joy and escape.”

Hulu’s Love, Victor – sequel to Love, Simon – makes its debut Friday, June 19. Michael Cimino (Annabelle Comes Home) stars as a high school student adjusting to life in a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation.

Amy Schumer Learns to Cook, starring the quarantined I Feel Pretty star and her chef husband, Chris Fischer, premieres Monday, May 11 at 10p with weekly double episodes on Food Network. “Watching Amy and Chris is intimate, real, fun and just great TV,” said Courtney White, President, Food Network. “The nanny holds the camera, as Chris makes incredibly delicious food and Amy’s sharp wit delivers laugh out loud moments all the way through.”

The bromance that keeps on giving: MTV’s Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D & Vinny, the #1 new cable series of 2019 with P18-34, returns for its second season on Thursday, June 11 at 9p. The announcement comes after MTV greenlit Revenge Prank with DJ Pauly D and Vinny, set to launch this summer.

The first three episodes of Tyler Perry’s new series, Bruh, drops on BET+ on Thursday, May 7. The 24-episode season follows four longtime friends with a brother-like bond.

New UK series Trying debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 1. The comedy focuses on a thirtysomething couple and their friends learning to grow up and settle down.

iOne Digital announced the launch of #TheBlackBallot, an online space designed to serve as a resource for consumers looking for political content from Black perspectives. Readers will experience op-eds from familiar and new political voices, critical analysis of the community’s needs and inter-generational news coverage.

Radio and CMT personality Cody Alan has launched a virtual pet playdate series, Teddy Time. Twice a week, Alan and his 9-month-old Golden Retriever, Teddy, welcome Country music artists and their pets to catch up online; the video is posted to Alan’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

Pokémon seasons 1-5 airs on TeleXitos beginning Sunday, May 3 at 12p (check local listings). Spanish-language audiences in the US can watch the series in Spanish without subtitles, and for free, over-the-air. TeleXitos is available in 32 US markets.

Boxeo Telemundo returns with a special encore presentation featuring iconic bouts that launched the careers of champions and notable fighters. The special four-week season premieres this Friday, May 1 with a look at the best of the classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.

COMING UP

Yahoo Finance returns as the exclusive livestream host of the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting on Saturday, May 2 beginning at 4p. “2020 marks our fifth year partnering with Yahoo Finance as the exclusive livestream host of the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting,” said Marc Hamburg, Chief Financial Officer & SVP, Berkshire Hathaway. “This year’s live stream is more important than ever, as our shareholders can tune in to join us in Omaha from the safety of their homes.”

The next Stars in the House remote reunion, featuring castmates from the 1992-97 prime time soap Melrose Place, airs tonight, April 28 at 8p on YouTube. Viewers can donate to The Actors Fund as former castmates Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Marcia Cross, Laura Leighton, Heather Locklear, Doug Savant, Grant Show, Andrew Shue, Courtney Thorne-Smith and Daphne Zuniga reminisce about their days in the apartment complex.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, more people are watching TV across a variety of channels, finding new favorites as well as beloved older series. In the latter category, MeTV network is presenting “The Month of Mayberry” from May 3-31, featuring selected episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Mayberry R.F.D., and others. Here, Neal Sabin, Vice-Chairman, Weigel Broadcasting Co., shares his programming and advertising strategies in Cynsiders.

Fox News will present America Copes Together on Wednesday, April 29 at 1p, moderated by Outnumbered Overtime anchor Harris Faulkner. The virtual town hall will feature panels of psychiatrists and everyday Americans to highlight the psychological effects that the COVID-19 crisis has had.

NBCU sibs USA and Syfy are both planning Mother’s Day marathons. USA’s Law & Order: SVU “Mama Bear with Mariska Marathon” runs from 9a-11p on Sunday, May 10, while Syfy’s “Happy Mummy’s Day” stunt airs from 1p-11p.

Over at Lifetime, the net is celebrating Mother’s Day with films (Remember Me, Mommy; Mommy Knows Worst; The Wrong Stepmother, to name just three) starting at 11a on Saturday, May 9 and 10a on Sunday.

Netflix doc Becoming, following former First Lady Michelle Obama on her book tour, drops Wednesday, May 6.

Nickelodeon’s Danger Force sees the team of superheroes-in-training raising the stakes with a virtually produced special where the city of Swellview is quarantined from a way-too-natural gas leak on Saturday, May 9 at 8p.

GOING GLOBAL

Keshet International has completed multiple finished tape deals for its scripted slate, including The Baker and the Beauty (ABC) and The A Word season three (BBC One) along with foreign-language shows like False Flag (Keshet 12),The Paper (HRT) and 7 Faces (BluTV). “Regardless of where these dramas originate, we are seeing increased interest across our scripted finished tape slate,” said Keren Shahar, KI’s COO and President of Distribution.

Sky is pausing drama productions with overseas shoots or travel elements until 2021 due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, said Sky’s Director of Drama Cameron Roach during a Q&A on YouTube. Productions in the UK could start sooner, possibly by mid-summer. “By saying a mid-summer period of pre-production or heading into production, that means the writers’ room the prep teams can be focused on that,” said Roach.

Red Arrow Studios International has partnered with UK production company 87 Films and Israel’s TTV Productions to develop Protection, an original, eight-part crime drama set in Israel, the UK and USA. The drama centers on a psychologist who has been appointed to run the Israel Witness Protection Authority.

Endemol Shine Group announced that Meter Television has been commissioned by TV4 to produce the new entertainment format LEGO Masters for Sweden.

Xilam Animation has secured new deals in Southern Europe across its portfolio of international content, including a pair of significant package deals in Portugal, which will see a total of 100 hours of content head to the territory, and new sales in Turkey and Greece.

Video on Demand 365, a provider of branded OTT TV channels, has inked a content deal with NBC Universal that gives them UK VOD rights over 1000 episodes of NBC content spread across kids’ channels Ketchup and Yaaas!.

all3media international has signed three new deals in the CEE region for its factual entertainment content. The acquisitions from Russia’s First HDTV, ITI Neovision in Poland and BBC Poland include a range of new and library programming.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
For which role did Kirstie Alley win her second Emmy Award? Sally Goodson in 1994 TV-movie David’s Mother. Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Dan Haberer-Creo Entertainment/Playa del Rey, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Rev. Mark Wajda/Lakeland, FL, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Charles Lore/NYC, Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford, CT

Today’s Trivia Question
Who played Lynette and Tom’s therapist, Dr. Graham, on Desperate Housewives (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 per time zone.)