We stand behind equality for all.
Justice for all.
Always.

AMC Networks and The Weather Channel have joined advanced advertising consortium OpenAP, joining Fox, NBCUniversal, Univision and ViacomCBS. “The diverse portfolios of both AMC Networks and The Weather Channel – who are each investing heavily in sophisticated targeting capabilities – further cements our ability to make it easier for advertisers to buy at scale in an open marketplace,” said David Levy, CEO of OpenAP. “The partnership is a true testament to the power of collaboration.”

Amid protests over the death of George Floyd, the executive producers of CBS police drama S.W.A.T. promised to do at better exploring themes of race and policing in season 4. In a Twitter statement, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan said, “When S.W.A.T. began three years ago on CBS, as writers we examined the intersection of black communities and law enforcement through the eyes of Daniel ‘condo’ Harrelson, an African-American cop who has one foot firmly planted in each world….We are watching recent events in horror and sadness along with everyone else, and we will continue to mine the truth about these issues in the writing of our upcoming season as we all work towards a fairer, better system.”

BET announced a series of programming addressing systemic racism, the violence faced by Black people in America and the solutions to help move the country forward. Over the month of June, BET will air a series specials, including Justice Now: A BET Town Hall, featuring community leaders and activists, and a presidential forum, in which BET News will invite President Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to address the concerns of Black America.

Warner Bros. has made Just Mercy available to rent for free for the month of June on all digital platforms. “We believe in the power of story. Our film Just Mercy, based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society,” said Warner Bros. on its social media channels. The film, starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.

Carole Baskin has been awarded control of the animal park once owned by Joe Exotic, the focus of Netflix hit Tiger King. A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that Exotic’s transfer of ownership of the property to his mother to evade creditors was fraudulent, allowing Baskin to take ownership of the zoo as payment in a trademark lawsuit. Meanwhile, Joe Exotic’s Twitter account posted a letter from him that reads in part, “Please keep my story alive and please keep asking our dear President to make this right and pardon me.”

WGN America announced the on-air teams that will lead its live three-hour primetime national newscast, News Nation, debuting Tuesday, September 1. Joe Donlon and Marni Hughes will serve as weekday anchors, Rob Nelson will handle breaking news and Albert Ramon is chief meteorologist. The weekend News Nation team will be led by anchors Rudabeh Shahbazi and Nichole Berlie, breaking news anchor Aaron Nolan and meteorologist Gerard Jebaily. News Nation will air from 8p-11p.

TECH TALK

Samsung’s the Sero TV, now on sale, can swivel and change its orientation to mirror mobile phone content, rotating between landscape and portrait. The 43-inch TV also uses AI to convert content to 4K resolution. “With people now using their TVs in different ways than ever before, whether scrolling through social media, watching the latest viral videos or catching up on TV, the Sero is able to seamlessly adapt to enhance whatever content the user is watching,” said Dan Hastings, director of TV and AV at Samsung Electronics U.K. Price tag: $1999.

STREAMING SCOOP

The Roku Channel now has a live, on-screen program guide, which shows 12 hours of programming information. Roku also added 30 new channels, for a total of over 100. “Now more than ever it’s important for our users to have easy access to free content, such as news, and the ability to find it quickly,” said Ashley Hovey, Director, AVOD Growth, Roku

Syncbak, a platform for live local OTT, has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to short film Backlash, set in a midwestern winter in 1987. The film was originally planned to debut online and move to local arts and film festivals in Iowa, but those plans were shuttered due to the pandemic.

It’s amazing how the smartphone has transformed itself into both a movie screen and a television for many Americans. Yet the mobile viewing experience is far from ideal.

Did you know? 88% of viewers say they encounter mobile streaming frustrations. This data (and more) is from Penthera’s U.S. Mobile Streaming Behavior Report.
Learn more about the issues plaguing U.S. viewers, how to solve them, and how to increase revenue by improving the mobile video experience.

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LEARN MORE ]

GOING GLOBAL

DCD Rights announced new sales of its six-part psychological thriller The Secrets She Keeps, ahead of its US launch on Sundance Now on July 16. The drama series, starring Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey), has also been picked up by RTL Crime Germany, and C More has secured rights in Denmark and Norway.

UK’s Spun Gold TV is producing a new three-part series for Channel 5 exploring the new life of one of the world’s most famous ocean liners as a five star hotel. Inside the QE2 Hotel has exclusive access to the QE2, now based in her new home as a floating hotel in Dubai.

ODMedia Group struck a new partnership with Kino Swiat, a Polish distributor. Under the agreement, ODMedia Group’s Poland office will manage all technical aspects regarding materials and local language versions, to deliver over 100 Polish and international titles to Netflix.

Register for this conference and take a close look at an unprecedented year in collegiate sports with Pac-12, see visions for the future of esports with Riot Games, check out professional leagues’ new approach to competitive play with Athletes Unlimited and NBC Sports Group, learn from New Balance’s take on positive brand messaging, glimpse the future of the Olympics with the USOC and more.

FOX Business Network ended the month of May with double-digit year-over-year growth across Business Day (242,000, +51%), Market Hour (248,000, +49%), and Total Day (162,000, +33%) viewership, according to Nielsen.

Cable News Ratings for May 2020 vs. May 2019
Total Day
Fox News: 1,877,000 total viewers – up +40% (326,000 in A25-54 – up +42%)
CNN: 1,091,000 total viewers – up +98% (296,000 in 25-54 – up +116%)
MSNBC: 1,155,000 total viewers – up +27% (178,000 in 25-54 – up 3+4%)
Primetime
Fox News: 3,441,000 total viewers – up +44% (558,000 in 25-54 – up +48%)
CNN: 1,652,000 total viewers – up +117% (464,000 in 25-54 – up +151%)
MSNBC: 1,923,000 total viewers – up +16% (293,000 in 25-54 – up +21%)
Source: Nielsen seven day week, Live+SD

Late Night Broadcast Ratings for the Week of May 25
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2.107 million viewers, 0.32/3 A18-49
NBC: Tonight 1.886 million viewers, 0.33/3 A-18-49 (R)
CBS: Late Show 1.727 viewers, 0.21/2 A18-49 (R)

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, June 1
Show, P2+ 0000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Celebrity Family Feud 3.55 (0.5), Celebrity Family Feud 3.46 (0.4), The Baker and the Beauty 2.26 (0.4)
CBS: The Neighborhood 3.64 (0.4), Bob Hearts Abishola 3.19 (0.3), All Rise 2.70 (0.3), Bull 3.61 (0.3)
CW: Howie Mandel’s 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala 0.7 (0.1), Howie Mandel’s 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala 0.74 (0.1), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.56 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1 2.41 (0.4), 9-1-1: Lone Star 2.20 (0.3)
NBC: The Titan Games 3.48 (0.7), The Titan Games 3.37 (0.7), Songland 2.34 (0.5)
Telemundo: Cennet 1.03 (0.3)), 100 Dias Enamorarnos 0.67 (0.2), La Reina del Sur 0.63 (0.2)
Univision: Te Doy la Vida 1.62 (0.5), Como Tú No Hay 2 1.67 (0.6)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Viamedia named John Piccone to the newly created position of President of QTT, a business division launching a cloud-based TV advertising solution. Piccone was previously President and CRO of Simulmedia.

Warren Schlichting has left his position as Sling TV Group President. His successor is Michael Schwimmer, previously EVP of International, Business Development and Strategy at Dish Network.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which two short-lived series, launched five years apart, had the same name? Hardball – an NBC crime drama (1989-90) and a Fox sitcom about baseball (1994).

Today’s Trivia Question
On Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976-77), who was the “Fernwood Flasher”? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four responses per time zone.)