Today’s Finales
A&E: Accused: Guilty or Innocent? at 10p
CW: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow at 9p
HGTV: Bargain Mansions at 9p
History: The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch at 10p
TLC: 7 Little Johnstons at 10p

Some Facebook employees protested CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision not to take down controversial posts from President Trump – including one that said, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” – by staging a virtual walkout on Monday. The employees took the day off, leaving automated messages saying they were out of the office in a show of protest. “We recognize the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community,” said a spokesperson. “We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership. As we face additional difficult decisions around content ahead, we’ll continue seeking their honest feedback.” Zuckerberg said Facebook would commit $10 million in funding for groups advocating racial justice.

In response to outrage over the police killing of George Floyd, Discovery Inc. joined the media companies speaking out against racial injustice with a new PSA that says, “Discovery’s mission is to understand and share the world around us. We will always stand for mutual respect, equality, and tolerance. Our hope is for justice and peace for all. #BlackLivesMatter.” In a memo to employees, CEO David Zaslav said that in addition to developing a programming strategy that can “help bring more understanding and debate around some of the core issues at the heart of systemic racism,” the company will support organizations through philanthropy, employee impact initiatives and career opportunities.

ViacomCBS showed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement yesterday with an eight-minute and 46-second video that aired across networks at 5p, with the words, “I can’t breathe” and a timer to mark the time in which George Floyd was killed in police custody. “Breath is one of the many things that unites us – and during this time, when Black lives are under attack in so many ways, we want to leverage all of our platforms to show our ally-ship,” wrote Chris McCarthy, President of entertainment and youth brands at ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, in a note to staff. The video also showed viewers how to text the organization Color of Change.

Recommendations to get TV and film production back on track after the coronavirus shutdown were submitted to New York governor Andrew Cuomo and California governor Gavin Newsom in a document compiled by top studios, guilds and producers. “Proposed Health and Safety Guidelines for Motion Picture, Television, and Streaming Productions During the COVID-19 Pandemic” included physical distancing, regular testing, cleaning and protection, as well as an autonomous COVID-19 Compliance Officer to ensure safety compliance and enforcement. Location filming would be avoided as much as possible, and live studio audiences discouraged.

Fox Corp. is grabbing a bigger stake in online gaming company Flutter Entertainment. “Fox is bullish about the opportunities in the digital sports wagering market,” said Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch. “Fox Bet has shown strong growth since launching last fall, and we look forward to continuing that success with our partner, Flutter.”

Speaking of, sports betting could boost engagement as the sports industry begins to recover post-COVID-19. According to a joint study from Heart+Mind Strategies and Horowitz Research, 77% of sports bettors say they are “more into sports” now that they can bet on them. “More than ever, the sports industry and its stakeholders need to evaluate the methods by which they enable fans not only to consume but be active participants in sports,” said Mike Dabadie, CEO at Heart+Mind Strategies. “In a world impacted by COVID-19, fans are interested in connecting with the excitement of sport in new ways, and sports betting is one of the biggest opportunities.

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is reportedly toying with the idea of replacing CNBC’s prime time programming with right-wing talk shows, according to the NY Times. The network’s current prime time lineup includes shows like Shark Tank reruns, The Profit and Jay Leno’s Garage.

LX, NBCUniversal Owned TV Stations’ new TV/streaming network for Gen Z and millennials, debuted live news program LX News yesterday, June 1. “At LX, we are innovating on the local news experience for adults 18 to 45 by delivering them powerful and visually-rich storytelling that takes their interests into consideration. LX’s approach to news is personal,” said Meredith McGinn, SVP of LX.

Cheddar is relaunching with the tagline, “News Worth Investing In.” Born as a business news network in 2016 and followed two years later with a sibling headline news network, Cheddar will now combine its networks and focus on technology, media, and innovation. “The unification into one network will simplify the confusion between the two Cheddars and allow us to put our full effort, more wood behind fewer arrows, into building a single widely and consistently available live news network,” said Altice News and Advertising President and Cheddar founder Jon Steinberg, who added that the pandemic “has required us to rethink and challenge ourselves on how we bring that vision to life: how we broadcast, adapt to the ad market, and lean into changing consumer streaming habits.” The health crisis also forced layoffs of “some of the anchors, producers and professionals that got us to where we are today, and those decisions were very difficult,” said Steinberg.

Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News, until now found on his web site and YouTube, has started airing weeknights at 8p and 11p on conservative OTT net The First. The First’s programming can be found on its owned and operated channels, as well as ViacomCBS’s Pluto TV, Sinclair Broadcast Group streaming network STIRR and DistroTV. O’Reilly left Fox News in April 2017 after being accused of sexual harassment.

Comedian Scott Rogowsky (HQ Trivia) will host the virtual IAB NewFronts the week of June 22. Co-hosts so far include co-founder and lead analyst of TVR[E]V Alan Wolk, Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Video Host Clair Saffitz, host and senior editor of Marketplace Tech, Molly Wood, and business anchor at Cheddar, Nora Ali. “A digital pioneer, Scott is the perfect choice to host this year’s first-ever virtual NewFronts,” said David Cohen, President, IAB. “His irreverent media savvy approach is exactly what this event needs – he’ll help us break down what’s really happening and why it matters as we all navigate our new streaming future.”

NBC has five new episodes of Hollywood Game Night set to start rolling Sunday, June 7 at 7p. The fresh batch is left over from last summer’s season six.

A Broadway-themed special slated to stream Sunday, June 7 has been postponed due to national unrest. “We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter,” said Broadway on Demand CEO/President Sean Cercone. The one-hour special, which was to take place on the day originally slated for the Tony Awards, was planned as a celebration of theater, and a fundraiser for the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.

Hallmark Channel Radio is back on SiriusXM for “A Little Romance,” featuring classic love songs during the month of June. The channel will be hosted by Hallmark Channel star Lacey Chabert, with additional network talent including Erin Krakow, Andrew Walker, Wes Brown, and Jessy Schram.

It’s happening… One week from today! The Great Sports Disruption: Preparing For Success in a Post-COVID World. During this VIRTUAL event, Cynopsis brings together sports media experts to share how we can get our industry back on its feet. View agenda here and register for free today.

TiVo and Xperi completed their merger, to form a new digital entertainment technology platform and IP licensing platform. “With this combination, we are better positioned to transform the entertainment experience across the home, auto and mobile markets with smarter technologies that enable extraordinary experiences,” said Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi. “With the combined expertise of our innovative R&D teams and a broader market TAM, we will be well positioned to achieve even better patent monetization outcomes, greater cash flow generation and long-term value creation.”

Cineflix Productions has attached Dream Hampton (Surviving R. Kelly) as executive producer and director of its new limited documentary series, Black Wall Street (wt), focused on the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.

STREAMING SCOOP

Endemol Shine Group announced a strategic content partnership with TV maker Vizio that makes entertainment channels from Endemol Shine’s library free to Vizio SmartCast users. The roll-out offers more than 600 episodes of “comfort food” entertainment from channels Deal or No Deal, Wipeout, DIY Daily and Reel Truth Crime. Also launched on Vizio TV’s is AVOD Gusto TV, the food and lifestyle channel.

FuboTV’s live TV streaming platform is now available on Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices. Subscribers can stream fuboTV’s TV channels, and access VOD movies, TV shows and their local TV networks. Xbox One X and Xbox One S users can also stream 4K content.

WWE introduced a free version of WWE Network, unlocking new shows; recent episodes of Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and NXT; historical PPVs; and weekly WWE highlights. “The launch of WWE Network’s Free Version is a key component of our company’s digitization strategy,” said Jayar Donlan, WWE EVP, Advanced Media. “As we continue to reimagine WWE Network’s offering, the Free Version will serve as an effective way to reach a broader group of consumers and allow them to experience the history and spectacle of WWE.”

Sci-fi horror film Color Out of Space and vampire drama The Shed have found a home at Shudder. The service landed exclusive streaming rights for both films in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

Cynopsis conducted a workplace satisfaction survey earlier this year, and the good news is that employees are generally satisfied with their jobs. Which factors contribute to that satisfaction? Read the report to find out (it’s free)!

ADVERTISING

In line with expectations, broadcast network TV ad revenue was down 33.4% in April versus the same period in 2019, to $907 million, according to Standard Media Index. Cable nets dropped 24.8%, to $1.66 billion. National TV syndication bucked the trend, rising 12.1%, to $140.2 million. TV news programming ad rev also rose – up 5.5% for broadcast news programs, and 1.6% for cable nets.

FourthWall Media introduced Adapt, a platform tool to onboard linear, addressable, and digital advertising campaigns, and added Automatic Content Recognition data from Smart TVs to its cable set-top box viewing dataset into the Reveal analytics platform. “Adding ACR data from Smart TVs to FourthWall’s established cable set-top box data gives us a unique opportunity to fuel Reveal with two carefully-curated datasets covering different viewing modes,” said Ellen Dudar, Chief Product Officer of FourthWall Media. “In addition, we’ve extended our ability to import ad campaign data from linear as-run logs to now include addressable and digital exposure files.”

The World Federation of Advertisers released a guide for brands on data ethics. “Data Ethics – The Rise of Morality in Technology” lays out what marketers need to consider to ensure data is used ethically. The group’s research indicates 74% of CMOs believe data ethics will be more important in their jobs in the next five years, and 82% of respondents said they would consider leaving their employer if they felt the approach to data was not ethical. The guide named four key principles in data ethics: transparency, accountability, respect for the people behind the data, and fairness, to ensure inclusivity.

Google is being sued for violating anti-trust laws, leveraging “its stranglehold on online search and search advertising to gain an illegal monopoly in brokering display advertising on other companies’ websites,” allege a D.C. tour company, a Florida-based pet company and a San Francisco law firm in a class-action suit. The complaint alleges Google’s conduct has resulted in higher prices for advertisers and consumers, lower payments to online publishers and diminished competition.

COMING UP

HGTV will run a knock-it-down, build-it-back-up Dad-A-Thon on Sunday, June 21, from 7a-10p. The lineup includes episodes of popular series showcasing dads creating dream homes for families.

Bounce and its streaming service, Brown Sugar, are teaming for a Black Music Month tribute, celebrating the contributions of African Americans to music, with films like Cadillac Records, Prince: A Purple Reign, Michael Jackson: The Journey, and more.

GOING GLOBAL

The New Zealand creative production and technology sector launched a new campaign, Your Creative Business Can Happen Now, offering a production hub solution to studios looking to keep creating amid COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is a cross-sector, private-public partnership with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Callaghan Innovation and Chorus, a national telecommunications company.

Moonbug is expanding within Canada via a partnership with WOW! Unlimited and Crave, making episodes of soccer series Supa Strikes, Little Baby Bum and My Magic Pet Morphle available.

GET STARTED ON YOUR ENTRY

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played Andy’s wife in The New Andy Griffith Show (1971)? Lee Meriwether. Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London, Charles Lore/NYC, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Beth Tallent-TallentPR/Nashville, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Jerry Jones/Walnut Creek, CA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which two short-lived series, launched five years apart, had the same one-word name? (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.)