Today’s Finale
ID: Raw Terror at 10p

IN THE NEWS

FX renewed What We Do in the Shadows for a third season. The vampire comedy’s current second season is averaging 3.2 million total viewers across platforms through the first six episodes, up 25% from season one.

HBO is taking $1 million from funds budgeted for Emmy events to make a donation to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles Emergency COVID-19 Crisis Fund. “We are proud to make this contribution from HBO instead of using it for our traditional Emmy party and FYC events,” said Casey Bloys, President, HBO Programming. Not that the company is is giving up hope for an awards haul. “I am tremendously proud of all of our shows in Emmy contention this year, and I am hopeful they will receive the recognition I believe is richly deserved for all of our talented collaborators, in front of and behind the camera,” said Bloys.

Political comedy Irresistible, directed by Jon Stewart and starring Steve Carell, Rose Byrne and Chris Cooper, will be available for rent at home starting Friday, June 26. Plans for the Focus Features film’s May 29 theatrical release were scuttled due to the coronavirus.

A federal judge dismissed One America News Network’s defamation lawsuit against MSNBC, Rachel Maddow and Comcast. OAN had taken issue over a segment during which Maddow described it as “the most obsequiously pro-Trump right wing news outlet in America” that “literally is paid Russian propaganda.” Despite using the word “literally,” it was clear Maddow was stating an opinion, said the judge, noting the host “inserted her own colorful commentary into and throughout the segment, laughing, expressing her dismay…and calling the segment a ‘sparkly story’ and one we must ‘take in stride.’” For Maddow to exaggerate the facts and call OAN Russian propaganda “was consistent with her tone up to that point, and the Court finds a reasonable viewer would not take the statement as factual given this context,” said the judge.

The NTT Indycar Series Genesys 300 race is jumping from NBC Sports to NBC, on Saturday, June 6. Practice and qualifying rounds remain on NBC Sports starting at 1:30p, with the main event shifting to NBC at 8p. “America has a thirst for live sports, so we’re thrilled to showcase the spectacular racing of the NTT INDYCAR Series in primetime on the broadcast network,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN.

In two weeks, Cynopsis Sports will guide you through today’s sports climate and how to prepare for success in the months ahead. On Tuesday, June 9, leaders from companies such as USOC, New Balance, Pac-12, Riot Games, NASCAR, NBC Sports Group and more will break down the new ways of doing business and how these methods will shape the risks & rewards that lie ahead for all segments of the sports sector. Register for free!

STREAMING SCOOP

HBO Max launches nationwide tomorrow, May 27, and plans for its launch campaign, “Where HBO Meets So Much More,” took a turn when the health crisis hit. “Our original vision for our launch week was to excite fans by integrating with their daily lives through physical retail partnerships and activations,” said Jason Mulderig, SVP Brand Marketing, HBO and HBO Max. “Following stay-at-home orders, we quickly pivoted to partners who could create similar experiences in a safe way for consumers to enjoy from home.” Now on offer are curated, complimentary food, drink, fitness classes and family-friendly activities from Blue Apron, obé Fitness, Bluestone Lane, Best Friends Animal Society, FreshDirect, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.

Speaking of, HBO Max originals in June include kids’ adventure competition series Karma, the Adventure Time: Distant Lands BMO special, the third season of the comedy Search Party, and the second seasons of Doom Patrol, Esme & Roy and Summer Camp Island. Blockbuster movies will include Ad Astra, Ford V. Ferrari, horror film Doctor Sleep and The Good Liar.

Pluto TV reports its number of active users jumped 55% in March versus a year earlier, to 24 million. Launched in 2014, it took a few years for the AVOD to find its sweet spot, CEO Tom Ryan told Forbes. “While mobile is an important part of what we do and web is something we offer, we only really started to build a compelling business once we moved across to traditional TV. Advertisers have, in many cases, been moving dollars from traditional TV to streaming or the internet,” said Ryan. “Pluto is the best of both worlds. You’ve got the big brand-building 15-second and 30-second blocks on a big screen surrounded by premium content with the addressability and targetability of digital.”

Netflix reports 37.6 million households watched The Willoughbys in its first four weeks of release. Narrated and executive produced by Ricky Gervais, the animated comedy focuses on a family of children, convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, who plot to send their parents off on a vacation.

What can we expect this Upfront/NewFront season as a result of COVID-19 and shifting consumer habits? Mike Menkes, SVP at Analytic Partners, weighs in with three predictions in Cynsiders.

TECH TALK

Video advertising platform SpotX announced the expansion of its comprehensive Measurement and Attribution Suite, aimed at providing advertisers the ability to accurately attribute ad spend across video channels including CTV. By uncovering audience reach metrics like brand lift, incremental reach and frequency, and outcome-based measurement, SpotX says it can help advertisers can more accurately pinpoint the value across all video channels.

Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, hopes to steer car advertisers in a new direction with its Virtual Automotive Showroom. Auto makers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can feature their cars on a full-scale, voice-activated virtual showroom for free on Comcast’s Xfinity X1, and customers can explore new vehicles on their television by saying “Auto Showroom.” “The automotive industry is facing challenges they’ve never seen before,” said Melanie Hamilton, Head of Enterprise Sales for Effectv. “We created the Virtual Automotive Showroom as a way to help Tier 1 automotive brands during this difficult time.”

You’ve got 48 hours: Is your team making strides in the adtech community? Cynopsis wants to spotlight the campaigns, strategies and platforms spearheaded by your company for the first ever Cynopsis Adtech Awards. View categories here and be sure to enter your work before Thursday – May 28.

Netflix renewed Spanish boarding school drama Elite for season four. Mina El Hammani, Danna Paola, Ester Expósito, Álvaro Rico, and Jorge López will be leaving the show, while Itzan Escamilla, Miguel Bernardeau, Arón Piper, Omar Ayuso, Claudia Salas and Georgina Amorós are reprising their roles.

Tuca & Bertie got a season two pick-up by Adult Swim. The animated comedy about the friendship between a toucan and a songbird was canceled by Netflix last year.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

AXS TV’s Final 24 explores the events around 14 notorious deaths, starting Wednesday, June 3 at 9p. Another series makes its debut on the net when 10-part docu-series The 1960s Rediscovered kicks off Sunday, June 7 at 9a.

Fan-favorite couples are back for a new season of TLC’s 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?, launching Sunday, June 14 at 8p.

Nat Geo’s Barkskins, which premiered May 25, follows a group of outcasts and dreamers battling to escape their pasts while navigating the brutal frontier hardships of the New World. Nat Geo’s EVP of Global Scripted Content & Documentary Films Carolyn Bernstein talked to Cynopsis about how the production team ensured a show set in the 1690s would be authentic – and why the story is so relevant today – in Cynsiders.

COMING UP

ABC News and National Geographic will join forces for a two-hour, global live streaming and television event covering NASA and SpaceX’s mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 27. Launch America: Mission to Space Live launches at 3p on ABC News live and Nat Geo, with live coverage continuing on Thursday, May 28 when the spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS.

TechCrunch’s annual Disrupt event is going virtual for 2020, due to the impact of the coronavirus. Taking place over five days, from September 14-18, Disrupt is aimed at “helping entrepreneurs to understand our new realities in order to build hardy, innovative companies that not only weather this storm but flourish.”

Also virtual is ATX’s Television Festival, taking place June 5-7. The lineup includes sessions on HBO’s Perry Mason reboot; Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere; HBO Max reality voguing competition Legendary; FX’s Justified, and more.

GOING GLOBAL

3 Ball Productions landed US rights to Belgian hit The Container Cup. The competition series testing elite athletic ability comes from Belgium’s Woestijnvis, originator of The Mole.

Cynopsis’ Virtual Event brings together A-list speakers who will break down the new ways of doing business and how these methods will shape the risks and rewards that lie ahead for all segments of the sports sector. Hear from leaders at: Athletes Unlimited, Learfield IMG College, NASCAR, NBCUniversal, New Balance, Pac-12 Conference, Riot Games, United States Olympic Committee SeventySix Capital and more.

REGISTER FOR FREE

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On which 1980s procedural did the wife of one lead actor and the father of the other have recurring roles? Remington Steele (1982-1987). Kudos to: Andrew Goldman-Fathom Events/NYC, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which procedural focused on partners in a detective agency, one of whom was a retired bunco cop who had years earlier arrested the other? (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.)