PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Speaking of, Conan O’Brien and TBS expanded their partnership through a new joint venture spanning television, digital, social and live events that will enable the late-night host to interact with his fan base across platforms. O’Brien’s show will continue to air four nights a week on TBS, and in 2019 will unveil a new, less structured 30-minute format. “It’s still going to be me, hosting a very silly show, but I want segments on my half-hour program to link to digital content, deepening the experience for my younger fans, and confusing my older ones,” explained O’Brien.
IFC greenlit Sherman’s Showcase, the musical variety sketch comedy show created by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon comedy duo Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle and executive produced by John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. and Radical Media. Set to air in 2019.
Rapper Meek Mill, who recently served time for violating probation, is partnering with Amazon Prime Video to develop a six-part docuseries that follows his fight for exoneration and exposes the flaws of the criminal justice system. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is attached to the project.
FX ordered a series reboot of What We Do In The Shadows, a half-hour comedy based on the 2014 mockumentary horror film co-written, co-directed and starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Set in New York City, the project centers on three vampires who have been roommates for centuries.
The Independent Filmmaker Project and Series Fest partnered to launch the “Forward Impact Project,” a year-round initiative designed to help finance, produce, release, scale and build an audience for 15 independent series deemed ready for development and production. The project takes place during IFP Week in New York City, beginning Thursday, September 20.
AT THE NEWFRONTS
In its first chance to showcase its brands and reach since acquiring Time Inc. last year, Meredith stressed the appeal of its well-known publications to millennials at the NewFronts on Thursday. “Meredith now has 42 trusted brands, at-scale reach against highly coveted audiences like Millennials and Latinas, unique and actionable insights, and immersive cross-channel experiences that drive impactful results and make a difference for consumers, advertisers and the world,” said Jon Werther, president of Meredith’s national media group.
Meredith announced new programming, including Badass Women, which puts the spotlight on women who aren’t usually the focus of media attention. The video series will accompany InStyle’s monthly print and digital magazine about inspiring women that are breaking barriers, speaking their minds and achieving unparalleled work in their fields. Also on the slate is Search History, which peruses phones of unsuspecting bystanders to uncover awkward text conversations, selfies and more. Stand-up comedian Michelle Collins hosts the show which bows Tuesday, June 5 on PeopleTV.com and the PeopleTV app. And documentary series Beyond the Storm, from Southern Living, explores stories of heroes who step up in the wake of disasters to help the rebuilding effort in their home towns, like Houston Texans’ defensive end JJ Watt, who raised over $37 million for Harvey relief.
Group Nine Media unveiled its content slate at its 2018 NewFronts presentation. “Just 18 months ago, we introduced Group Nine to the world and talked about our huge scale and view count,” said CEO Ben Lere. “I am humbled to say that we not only continue to have tremendous reach, but more importantly, we’ve developed deep habitual relationships with obsessed superfans representing the nearly 40 million viewers that welcome us into their lives every single day. All this allows us to refine faster, leverage better insights and target smarter opportunities for our marketing partners.”
Among new programming announced were About Seeker, which explains every aspect of our world through a lens of science; Seeker Universe, dedicated to all things outer space; and Wild Moms, which explores animal sex and motherhood. NowThis, the top U.S. video news publisher on social, launched NowBreaking, its new breaking news coverage produced exclusively for Snapchat. It aims to provide real time updates and relevant context for Snapchatters worldwide and will debut on Snapchat’s Discover page in June.
Meanwhile, The Dodo, the number one digital media brand for animal people, continues its strong focus. Pet Project explores preschool and elementary school kids and their best furry friends, as they share moments that shape their relationship. Dodo Heroes, which airs Saturday June 9 on Animal Planet, features animals around the world in need and the heroes who help them.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
ABC’s The $100,000 Pyramid returns Sunday, June 10 at 9p. Season 3 features an all-star cast of celebrities, including Taye Diggs, Debra Messing, George Stephanopoulos and more.
American Woman bows Thursday, June 7 at 10p on Paramount Network. Series stars Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari and Jennifer Bartels as three best friends in 1970s Beverly Hills.
AMC’s Dietland premieres with back-to-back episode on Monday, June 4 at 9p. Starring Joy Nash and Julianna Margulies, satire centers on Plum Kettle (Nash), a ghost writer for the editor of one of NY’s hottest fashion magazines.
Bravo Media’s returns for its fifth and final season of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce on Thursday, June 14 at 10p.
TLC presents Our Wild Life, an unconventional clan comprised of humans and wild creatures, on Tuesday, May 22 at 10p. Show follows heads of the household, Bobbie Jo and Jerry Abrams and their 86 “children.”
Cristina and Tarek El Moussa return with 15 new episodes of HGTV’s Flip or Flop on Thursday, May 31 at 9p. Series follows the duo as they buy dilapidated Southern California houses and transform them into beautifully renovated homes.
COMING UP
Nat Geo Wild celebrates Mother’s Day with an all-day Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet marathon on Sunday, May 13 at 12p, followed by Girl Power at 8p.
E! delivers complete multi-platform coverage of fashion’s biggest night with Live from the Red Carpet: The 2018 Met Gala on Monday, May 7 at 6:30p. The live show features and all-star fashion panel led by Giuliana Rancic.
ADVERTISING
The Data & Marketing Association, The Advertising Research Foundation and The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement joined forces with 15 DMA member companies to develop, test and adopt standards for audience data quality and transparency. At a time of elevating global standards for audience-based advertising, the initiative, which is being spearheaded by DMA’s Council for Data Integrity, is designed to help marketers, agencies, data providers and publishers identify and make better decisions on high-quality, responsibly-sourced data.
CYNSIDERS
Jonas & Co, an advertising and production company, just won an Emmy Award for its original spot for Nick Jr., “Girls in Charge: Girl Power Campaign.” The spot plays off the tropes of a Hollywood action movie trailer, blending real girls with Nick Jr. characters. Hema Mulchandani and Jonas Morganstein talk about the alarming research that led to the project in the new Cynsiders.
CASTING
Catherine Zeta-Jones will headline Facebook Watch series Queen America. The dark comedy, which received a 10-episode straight-to-series order, is set in Tulsa, OK and revolves around Vicki Ellis (Zeta-Jones), the state’s renowned and ruthless pageant coach.
Brandon Scott (Grey’s Anatomy) and Maria Sten (Straight Outta Compton) are set to star in Channel Zero: The Dream Door, premiering on Syfy later this year….Carrie Coon (The Leftovers, Fargo) is joining the second season of USA’s The Sinner….Wunmi Mosaku (Kiri) nabbed a lead in HBO’s straight-to-series drama Lovecraft Country….Matt Borlenghi turns up as a lead guest star on ID’s Dead Silence.
DIGITAL DATA
Oxygen Media unveiled its new AR app for iOS users, “Forensic Detective: Inside the Crime Scene.” The network, which features high-quality crime programming, is offering fans the opportunity to step into a pseudo crime scene to help solve a murder mystery through the interactive augmented reality app, which will be available at the Apple Store
in June.
Cinedigm, JungoTV and Karate Combat struck a distribution deal putting new professional martial arts league’s content on COMBAT GO, the newly launched global martial arts digital-first network.
Boomerang bows Season 2 of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz on Thursday, May 24.
Craig Ross, Jr.’s Monogamy debuts on UMC – Urban Movie Channel on Friday, May 4. Series pushes past the limitations and boundaries of traditional marriage.
GOING GLOBAL
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity named Google as the Creative Marketer of the Year 2018. The award honors brands that distinguish themselves through consistently outstanding creative storytelling.
Endemol Shine Group commissioned Israeli drama Harem for a second season on Reshet 13. Inspired by cults in Israel and the world, the series explores the story of a charismatic mystic faith healer who lives in Tel Aviv with 20 wives, who birthed him over 40 children.
Walter Presents acquired Scandinavian terror thriller Greyzone from ITV Studios Entertainment. The Cosmo Film-produced series is slated to air in the UK later this year.
CBC, 3Bird Media and Entertainment One announced new series Back in Time for Dinner, premiering Thursday, June 14 at 8p on CBC. Hosted by Carlo Rota (Great Canadian Food Show, Little Mosque on the Prairie, 24) and based on the Warner Bros. format of the same name, the social experiment takes one Canadian family on a whirlwind trip back in time as they eat their way through six decades.
Kantar, WPP’s data investment management division, launched a new global analytics practice that unlocks deeper insights to fuel business growth. Kanta Analytics Practice will combine the world’s most in-depth understanding of consumers with a deep analytics toolkit developed over four decades of solving the most difficult sales, brand, media and marketing problems.
Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. struck a deal with Laguna Productions, Inc. to acquire exclusive worldwide transmission rights to 25 Mexican and U.S. Hispanic movie titles. Package features a mix of comedy and action films starring popular Mexican movie stars, including Luis Fernando Pena (El Chapo, Sin Nombre, Amar Te Duele), Gerardo Taracena (El Violin, Man on Fire, The Mexican, Apocalypto) and more.
