MAGNOLIA NETWORK SET TO LAUNCH

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DISCOVERY, CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES’ HIGHLY ANTICIPATED, MULTIPLATFORM MAGNOLIA NETWORK WILL LAUNCH ON JULY 15 ON DISCOVERY+, FEATURING A FULL SLATE OF ORIGINAL, FAMILY-FRIENDLY PROGRAMMING, THE COMPLETE FIXER UPPER LIBRARY AND MORE!

MORE THAN 150 HOURS OF CONTENT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STREAM THIS JULY, FOLLOWED BY MAGNOLIA NETWORK’S LINEAR LAUNCH IN JANUARY 2022!

CLICK Here TO SEE WHAT OUR REAL BRANDS FOR REAL LIFE CAN DO FOR YOU

Thursday May 13, 2021

Today’s Finales
CBS: “Young Sheldon” at 8p, “Mom” at 9p, “B Positive” at 9:30p
Food Network: “Chef Boot Camp” at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Daytime talker “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will come to an end after the production’s upcoming 19th season. Though the Emmy-winning host has had a rocky season, with controversy over the series’ workplace culture and a decline in ratings, DeGeneres has said before that her current talk show contract would be her last. She’s expected to discuss her decision with pal Oprah Winfrey on today’s show.

Also coming to a close at the end of its next season – which will be its sixth – is NBC’s “This Is Us,” according to reports. Creator Dan Fogelman has often said the family drama was conceived as a six-season show.

FuboTV beat expectations for 1Q21 subscriber growth (590,430, up 105% year-over-year, including 43,000 net additions in the quarter), total revenue ($119.7 million, up 135% year-over-year) and advertising revenue ($12.6 million, up 206% year-over-year). In revenue, the virtual MVPD reported a net loss of $70.2 million, versus $66.6 million for the same quarter last year.

SeriesFest has renewed its partnership with Shondaland to launch the third cycle of the “Women Directing Mentorship,” a competition designed to launch the careers of aspiring female directors.

The Lippin Group has launched a new agency service, TLG connect, offering consulting including networking, business development, event curation and content strategic counsel. “This new service will be devoted exclusively to providing meaningful connections, strategic guidance and analysis for companies looking to make their mark in the entertainment and media sectors, as well as for established companies in segments of the industry hit hard by the pandemic and seeking to either revive or evolve their brands,” said TLG Chairman & Founder Dick Lippin. “Once a value-add, this type of service is now an absolute necessity in our industry today.”

Comedy brand Funny or Die, founded in 2007 by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Judd Apatow and Chris Henchy, has been acquired by designer/activist Henry R. Muñoz III. “The future of comedy and entertainment is in companies that empower talent and creative forces to make content that reflects the cultural identity of our country at this moment in our history,” Muñoz said in the deal announcement. “Funny Or Die’s own rich history as a place of innovation and as a voice of new generations speaks for itself…. I understand the responsibilities of owning a brand like Funny Or Die and I am excited to work with our team to make sure we have the resources we need to develop funny, original and diverse new content.”

UPFRONT UPDATES

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises touted a 2021-2022 programming lineup with over 1,000 hours of original scripted and unscripted content, sporting events and news. Among the highlights: “La Reina del Sur” will return for a third season, and “Malverde: El Santo Patron,” the network’s period drama Super Series, will debut, as well as love story “Diario de un Gigoló,” new dramedy “Parientes a la Fuerza,” and a new season of “Pasión de Gavilanes.”

Also on the way are two new reality shows, “La Casa de los Famosos,” centered on a group of celebrities living together, and dance competition “Así se Baila,” as well as season six of “ Exatlón Estados Unidos,” the sports reality competition. Telemundo Deportes will air more than 300 hours of coverage of the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, and the most extensive coverage ever of the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers.

“With Latinos surpassing $1.7 trillion in purchasing power, every company in America should build strong relationships with this audience to grow their business today and into the future,” said Beau Ferrari, Chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “This coming season we’re doubling down on our commitment and investments to super-serve Latinos with the best entertainment content, world class sports events and most trusted news they want and need, delivered on the devices they prefer.”

Among adults A18-49, Telemundo noted its weekday prime time is up double digits, and its digital properties are registering unprecedented growth. “For our marketing partners, this means an opportunity to tap into a powerful, critical audience and move their business through the incredible impact of storytelling,” said Laura Molen, President, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “From primetime to Peacock, only NBCUniversal and Telemundo can help marketers meaningfully engage with the Hispanic consumers leading the cultural and technological revolutions of tomorrow.”

Join more than 100k leading executives from agencies, brands, networks, streamers & tech companies who already look to Cynopsis to be their guide to working smarter + connecting more.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

NBC is reviving live with musical “Annie Live!”, set to air on the network during the holiday season. Former NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron (“The Sound of Music Live!”) are producing, with Alex Rudzinski (“Hairspray Live!”) as live TV director and EP. “As we look to drive big live audiences for NBC, we could think of no better way than to bring back the network’s holiday musical tradition,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “And there are no better partners to do this with than the incredible Neil Meron and Bob Greenblatt, who oversaw every live musical during the years he ran NBC.”

Peacock is diving into programming, with orders for 13-part docu-series “Paris in Love” (wt), following heiress Paris Hilton as she prepares for her wedding; “The Siwa Dance Pop Revolution” (wt), a pop star competition hosted by momager Jessalynn Siwa and her daughter JoJo; and hybrid alternative-scripted series “True Story” (wt) co-hosted by Ed Helms (“The Office”) and Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”), in which the extraordinary stories of ordinary people are brought to life by comedians and actors.

HBO Max ordered family comedy “Gordita Chronicles,” from Claudia Forestieri (“Good Trouble”), Osprey Productions, Cinestar Pictures and Sony Pictures Television. The series, following the story of a willful 12-year-old Dominican immigrant, was inspired by Forestieri’s life.

Casting notes: Billy Porter (“Pose”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek”) and EJ Johnson (“Rich Kids of Beverly Hills”) have joined the voice cast of the upcoming Disney+ animated series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” currently in production for a 2022 launch on Disney+…Gillian Jacobs (“Community”) and Wood Harris (“The Wire”) are onboard HBO’s LA Lakers drama series, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynsty of the 1980s.”…Eison Bailey (“Band of Brothers”) landed a lead in Epix horror series “From.”…Devon Chandler Long (“Doom Patrol”), who guest starred on the pilot for CBS comedy “Ghosts,” was handed a series regular role.

Original cast members Yaya DaCosta and Torrey DeVitto are exiting NBC’s “Chicago Med” after its current sixth season. DaCosta is jumping to Fox, where she’ll play the lead in new drama series, “Our Kind of People.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

AMC+ revenge thriller “The Beast Must Die” premieres Monday, July 5 on the streamer, and Monday, July 12 at 10p on AMC. The remaining episodes will continue to debut on linear after their AMC+ airings.

Fox News Channel is launching a new weekend slate beginning June 5-6. Former South Carolina congressman Trey Gowdy will host a Sunday program at 7p, former US Secret Service agent Dan Bongino is set to host a Saturday show at 10p, and panel programs “The Big Saturday Show” and “The Big Sunday Show” have been added to the schedule permanently.

A new trail of evidence has experts looking for a legendary lost city in “Hunting Altantis,” premiering Wednesday, June 2 at 9p on Discovery.

“Muhammad Ali,” a four-part documentary focused on the heavyweight boxing champ directed by Ken Burns, airs on PBS September 19-22 from 8p-10p. Leading up to the broadcast, Burns will join PBS and The Undefeated, ESPN’s multimedia platform exploring the intersection of sports, race and culture, to hold a series of virtual conversations about sports and race in America.

As Memorial Day Weekend ends on Monday, May 31, Nat Geo offers new beginnings with the season premiere of Nat Geo’s “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” at 9p, followed by the series premiere of “Breaking Bobby Jones” at 10p.

Home BBQ cooks are pitted against each other in the battle to win a custom outdoor kitchen in Food Network’s “Grill of Victory,” debuting Monday, June 21 at 10p.

Another cooking competition, Discovery+ series “Battle of the Brothers,” features restaurateur sibs testing the talents of promising chefs, starting Thursday, June 17.

Limited series “Million Dollar Listing: Ryan’s Renovation” premieres Thursday, June 3 at 10:15p. The Bravo four-parter will document the overhaul of a multi-million dollar townhouse – hiccups and all.

Are you sitting down? Sandra Oh’s college-set comedy “The Chair,” from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (“Game of Thrones”), has a premiere date: Friday, August 27 on Netflix.

ATTN: and Hulu are partnering for three-part social series “Mom and Pop,” celebrating API Heritage Month. Immigrant stories are told through the lens of three actors: Ravi Patel, Atsuko Okatsuka and Jenny Yang. Full episodes will be available on Hulu’s YouTube and Facebook channels, along with episode teasers on ATTN:’s social channels.

STREAMING

Tubi is offering a freebie. The streamer is making all three movies in the “Divergent” action franchise available now through Sunday, May 30.

Sony Canal, the FAST destination from Sony Pictures Television for Spanish speaking viewers in the US, is now available to consumers on XUMO’s free streaming platform with Sony Canal Competencias, and via Pluto TV in the en Español category with Sony Canal Comedias and Sony Canal Escape Perfecto.

AVOD Crackle Plus secured five integrated brand partnerships for season two of Crackle original “Going From Broke,” premiering Thursday, May 20. Onboard with support for people struggling with debt are Chegg, Airbnb, business information website Incfile, Roommates.com, and Smart Job Search.

TECH TALK

AT&T’s advanced advertising platform, Xandr, is making TiVo’s ad-supported CTV inventory available to buyers in the Xandr Marketplace. “By integrating with Xandr’s advanced technology platform, TiVo is furthering our commitment to providing advertising partners with the tools they need to effectively and efficiently communicate their marketing messages, at scale,” said Walt Horstman, SVP of Monetization at TiVo. “Xandr’s end-to-end platform enables a direct and streamlined exchange with buyers, providing unique and heightened value as the CTV ecosystem grows in complexity.”

CatapultX announced the official launch of its On-Stream video monetization and contextual artificial intelligence platform. The CatapultX On-Stream platform harnesses AI to power contextually relevant and non-interruptive video ads integrated directly within video content so that promotions don’t interrupt the audience experience. For advertisers, the AI-powered placements and unskippable format delivers brand messages in a privacy-safe way.

Charter Communications announced the availability of Spectrum Voice ID, an optional service that gives customers the ability to use their voice to provide greater account security when contacting Charter. The company is also accelerating the use of other digital technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies as part of an initiative to make it easier and more convenient for subscribers to manage their Spectrum services. “We want every customer to have simple, fast and easy experiences, whether they are upgrading their internet service, adding a new mobile line, reporting an issue, or signing up and scheduling appointments with us,” said Cliff Hagan, EVP of Customer Operations.

COMING UP

The First Twenty, a new initiative from ALL ARTS exploring how 2000-2020 changed American art, culture and consciousness, launches May 25 at 8:30p with “Michael Mwenso Honors George Floyd,” a concert homage featuring Black artists on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing. The special will stream nationwide on the ALL ARTS app and allarts.org.

OWN two-part special, “The Legacy of Black Wall Street,” premieres Tuesday, June 1, and Tuesday, June 8 on discovery+, and will broadcast in primetime the same evenings on OWN 9p. The documentary from Trailblazer tracks the rise of Black Wall Street in Oklahoma’s Greenwood District up until the 1921 Tulsa race massacre that destroyed the 36-block booming business epicenter.

Country superstars Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown will host the “2021 CMT Music Awards,” airing Wednesday, June 9 at 8p on CMT. The show will also air as a five network simulcast across the MTV Entertainment Group brands MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network and TV Land.

Cast members from season 11 of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” reunite for a two-part gathering with Andy Cohen on Wednesday, May 19 at 9p and Wednesday, May 26 at 9p.

GOING GLOBAL

Rainmaker Content has secured international distribution rights to “Amy Winter,” based on Caroline Mitchell’s book series. Susan Everett is attached as head writer and will serve as an Executive Producer.

FUEL TV is partnering with Netgem for a May 13 launch as a FAST channel in the UK, Ireland, and Gibraltar. Netgem has rolled out TV services with operators across 16 countries.

Curious Films and Picture Zero are producing a documentary for BBC iPlayer and international distribution following the UK Climate Assembly. “The People vs Climate Change” follows the panel’s 108 members as they debate the challenges of tackling the climate crisis.

Banijay Rights announced Yellow Bird’s Swedish true crime drama series, “The Hunt For A Killer,” has been acquired by BBC Four. The series will air on the channel and BBC iPlayer later this summer.

Next up from Nordic Entertainment Group: UK-set suspense drama “Red Election,” starring Stephen Dillane (“Game of Thrones”), Lydia Leonard (“Gentleman Jack”) and James D’Arcy (“Broadchurch”). The series, distributed globally by A+E Networks International and produced by Sweden’s Mopar Studios, will premiere on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2021.

Here’s a peak at what we found:
-Industry is split on preferring a calendar year vs. summer media buying season.
-Nearly 1/2 of industry execs say they are seeing budgets for live linear TV shifting to other outlets.
-Even faced with many challenges, media execs see a wide range of business opportunities.

>

VIEW THE FULL REPORT <

EXECUTIVE MOVES

BritBox North America has appointed Nada Arnot to the newly created post of SVP of Marketing. Arnot joins BritBox from AMC Networks, where she was GM of Sundance Now.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Norman Lloyd died Tuesday. He was 106. In addition to film and stage work, Lloyd had numerous television credits, including “St. Elsewhere,” “The Practice,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Kojak,” among others.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was Carol Brady’s maiden name on The Brady Bunch (1969-74)? Tyler. Kudos to: Dale Warshaw-KMSB/Tucson; Charles Lore/NYC; Sandy Spiegel-WTTW/Chicago; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA

Today’s Trivia Question
In 1999, Mattel paid homage to which police procedural with a police car based on the series? 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.)