06/05/23: Big reveal for "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi

Monday June 5, 2023

Today’s Premieres
Fox: Stars on Mars at 8p; Crime Scene Kitchen at 9p
Freeform: Cruel Summer at 9p
Hulu: Age of Influence
Nat Geo: America’s National Parks at 9p
NBC: American Ninja Warrior at 8p
Netflix: Barracuda Queens

IN THE NEWS

YouTube will no longer remove content that advances false claims about election fraud in the 2020 and other US Presidential elections. In a blog post, YouTube said, “In the current environment, we find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm.” YouTube said it had pulled “tens of thousands” of videos since its decision in 2020 to remove videos claiming widespread fraud changed the outcome of the election, and will continue to ban videos misleading voters about when, where, and how to vote.

Netflix shareholders did not approve the 2023 pay packages of senior-level execs in a non-binding vote during the company’s shareholder meeting last week. The WGA had pushed shareholders to veto pay plans it labeled inappropriate. “In the midst of a disruptive labor dispute, Netflix is asking shareholders to give retroactive advisory approval of the company’s 2022 reported executive compensation totaling over $166 million,” wrote WGA West President Meredith Stiehm in a letter to Netflix shareholders. “By contrast, the proposed improvements the WGA currently has on the table would cost Netflix an estimated $68 million per year.”

Thirty-three days into the WGA strike, the Directors Guild of America reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The DGA said the deal “achieves major breakthroughs in addressing the international growth of the entertainment industry and makes significant gains across key economic and creative rights while reaffirming the critical role of DGA directors and their teams.” A board vote is scheduled for tomorrow, June 6.

Looks like “Yellowjackets” fans won’t have to wait until season three for new content. That’s according to the Showtime hit’s co-creator Ashley Lyle, who urged patience. “There will be a bonus episode between seasons, but I love you guys and don’t want y’all to lose sleep thinking it’s tonight,” she tweeted to fans anxious for more after the season two finale.

Synergy alert: Bravo’s “Top Chef” World All-Stars season aired a special integrated Quickfire challenge with brand partner, Delta Air Lines, in Paris, site of next summer’s Olympics. The final four cheftestants traveled to the City of Light for a challenge at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, paired with Team USA Olympians. “We are always looking to create unique can’t miss experiences for brand partners to connect with our massive fanbase,” said Jamie Cutburth, EVP, Marketing & Content Partnerships, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “We were able to strategically pull the right marketing levers across the NBCU portfolio, while also connecting communities around the world with cultural and culinary stories that ultimately drive impact for our viewers, our partners and our One Platform.” The season finale airs Thursday, June 8 at 9p.

In more “Top Chef” news, Padma Lakshmi is headed for the exit. “After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave ‘Top Chef,’” posted Lakshmi on social media. “Having completed a glorious 20th season as host and exec producer, I am extremely proud to have been a part of building such a successful show and of the impact it has had in the worlds of television and food.”

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RETURNING SERIES

Hulu’s “This Fool” returns for season two with all ten episodes on Friday, July 28. The comedy is set in in working class LA.

STREAMING

An SEC filing confirmed that Disney will take $1.5 billion in write-downs tied to pulling streaming programming from its platforms. In this time of streaming cost-consciousness, the company said it is continuing to review remaining streaming content. “The company may terminate certain license agreements for the right to use content on its platforms, which would result in the removal of licensed content from its platforms and lead to impairment and/or contract termination charges as well as cash payments,” said the SEC filing. “The company currently expects that any such charges and payments related to licensed content would be meaningfully less than the impairment charges related to produced content.”

Cineverse announced that as a result of a content deal with Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, the Syd & Marty Krofft Channel, managed and operated by Cineverse, will feature live-action shows from the 70s and 80s. Among the offerings will be “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “The Bugaloos,” “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,” and more.

COMING UP

Spectrum is celebrating Pride Month by offering customers free scripted and reality series under the category LGBTQ+ in the On Demand portal under TV Shows, depending on their level of video service. Among the shows featured are “Good Trouble,” “I Am Jazz,” and “Family Karma.”

Pride Month programming for OUTtv Proud includes LGBTQ+ individuals like Cameroonian drag icon BeBe Zahara Benet and trans performer and activist Peppermint sharing their personal challenges and triumphs.

Comedic horror film “Renfield” drops on Peacock on Friday, June 9. Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss: Dracula (Nicolas Cage).

HBO Documentary short “How Do You Measure a Year?” debuts Wednesday, June 14 at 9p. Filmmaker asked his daughter the same questions every year on her birthday, resulting in this 29-minute short film.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Diamond Sports, which has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings since March, was ordered to pay the full value of its media contracts to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. Responded a Diamond spokesperson, “We look forward to engaging with MLB and our team partners to negotiate a go-forward rights package that works for all parties and positions Diamond for long-term success.”

GOING GLOBAL

Endemol Shine Finland will produce “Kurjen Kirous” (Supporting Actor) for Nelonen and Ruutu. The dramedy will be distributed by Banijay Rights.

Genius Brands International has partnered for the first time with Powerkids Entertainment to launch a new co-branded kid’s channel, Powerkids Kartoon Channel!, available via various distribution platforms across India and South Asia.

Globo and Disney have agreed to a co-production partnership for four feature films, which will be released, one per year, in theaters, with a second simultaneous exhibition window both on Globoplay and on one of the Disney streaming services available in Brazil (Disney+ and Star+). The agreement will be submitted for the evaluation by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense.

Cynopsis Measure Up! Awards

A celebration awaits… join us next week!

With the celebration just around the corner, we can hardly wait to bring together the biggest names in the measurement & data industry and honor the top players with the prestigious Measure Up! Awards. Let’s not forget our standout Hall of Fame Inductees, Kelly Abcarian of NBCUniversal, Jane Clarke of CIMM, and Bill Harvey of RMT. Something tells us this is an event that will be talked about for years to come, and one you simply cannot afford to miss…

I WANT TO ATTEND

RATINGS

ABC has claimed the title of the number one broadcaster of entertainment programming for the 2022-23 season, with an average 0.6 Nielsen rating among A18-49 through May 24. CBS, Fox and NBC averaged 0.5.

Primetime viewership at Fox News dropped 32% in May versus April, following the exit of Tucker Carlson, to an average 1.42 million. Still, FNC maintained the top spot among cable news networks. MSNBC viewership dropped 12% of its viewers, to average 1.16 million, and CNN shed 16%, counting 416,000 viewers. Viewership at conservative news net Newsmax was up 70%, to 298,000 primetime viewers.

HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover” delivered more than 14 million total viewers since it premiered on April 23. The six-episode sophomore season averaged a .59 Live+3 rating among A25-54 and a .75 Live+3 rating among W25-54, a respective lift of 16% and 15% from year-ago levels, with growth of 17% among M25-54 and 24% among A25+.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Two exits at Twitter: A.J. Brown, head of brand safety and ad quality, and Ella Irwin, head of trust and safety, have resigned. While no explanation was given, the departures came after CEO Elon Musk criticized the Twitter staff for determining that a video titled “What Is a Woman?”, by Matt Walsh – a frequent attacker of transgender people – violated its hate-speech rules. “This was a mistake by many people at Twitter. It is definitely allowed,” tweeted Musk.

This Day in History
1967 – The Six-Day War began between Israel and neighboring Arab states Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Where did Caroline’s wedding to Peter take place in “Succession” (2018-2023)? A villa in Tuscany. Kudos to: Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Rory Rosegarten-The Conversation Company/Manhasset, NY; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC;Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Charles Conner-KOKI Fox 23/Tulsa; David Westber-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
No Googling Week: Who played “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher in a 1993 TV movie? (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.)

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Job of the day

SR. DIRECTOR, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT >>
SHOUT! FACTORY/LOS ANGELES: P&L responsibility, ownership over all aspects of a project, standalone releases or a licensed library of titles. Works w/production, publicity, creative services, distribution/sales, digital, finance, legal, acquisitions & licensors to best position the project for success. 7+ yrs of exp. in marketing, business development, or product management. Full info HERE

SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER >>
SHOUT! FACTORY/LOS ANGELES: Prepare accurate reports using data from internal & external sources for sales planning & analysis. Communicate w/our distributor on a regular basis with an understanding of their systems & deadlines. Announce release date, pricing confirmation & metadata for staff & distributor. 3+Yrs exp. in Sales Planning & Analysis/Finance Administration. Full info HERE

SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER
INTERACTIVE ONE
NYC
Oversee video/creative production team thru ideation, production planning, crew/talent hiring, & budget/project management. Shepherd campaigns from development, pre-production, & production thru editing & delivery. Help w/shoots as well as postproduction team. 5+ yrs exp. spanning editorial, design, advertising agency, film, branded entertainment. Full info HERE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
INTERACTIVE ONE
NYC
Respond to both RFPs and direct-to-client assignments from brands and agencies. Examine client brief and lead ideation or adapt pre-existing creative. Identify innovative storytelling and emerging video formats. Minimum of 7 yrs exp. producing compelling video, television and digital media content across multiple channels and platforms. Full info HERE

AD SALES PLANNER >>
SINCLAIR BROADCASTING GROUP/NYC, Hybrid: Responsible for creating, analyzing & communicating sales proposals to the Sales team for presentation to advertising agencies and/or clients. Collaborate w/all media platforms & departments to create proposals, execute campaigns, manage stewardship & pacing of linear & digital deals. Point of contact post sale & provide excellent client services. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION LIFETIME/LMN MARKETING PRODUCTION OPERATIONS
A+E NETWORKS
Remote
Lead campaign planning & production oversight, ensuring best-in-class creative. Direct Campaign Planning rollouts & ensure production readiness of marketing initiatives. Oversee production on high-end graphics/design/editorial projects. 7+ yrs working in a fast-paced, highly collaborative team, with relevant work exp. in production management. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NYC: Determine best news stories for the program and create daily rundown. Work with show host in program preparation and execution. Identify compelling news stories. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to producers, associate producers, and casting producers. 3+ years executive producing experience or overseeing newscast production. Full info HERE

STAGE MANAGER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/WASHINGTON DC: Works with Production management to maintains cast and crew lists and manages local rehearsal and show calendar. Oversee daily technical run-throughs directly prior to shows. Willing and able to work shifts between 12noon to 11pm and occasional Weekends and some longer hours during election and special events. Full info HERE

BROADCAST ENGINEER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/WASHINGTON DC: Troubleshooting, repair, and preventative maintenance of television broadcast equipment, computers, and broadcast computer networks in a 24x7x365 environment. Serve as E.I.C. during live and taped shows. Electrical Engineering, or other technical degree preferred. 5+ yrs as broadcast engineer, or equivalent knowledge. 5+ yrs in live TV production. Full info HERE

PRODUCER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NEW YORK: Generate story ideas through research of news reports, social media, websites & contacts. Strong understanding of Newsmax brand & talent. Identify impactful news stories that result in provocative, compelling television. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to associate producers, assignment editors & video editors. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, GENERAL AUDIENCE PUBLICITY >>
PBS/ARLINGTON VA, Hybrid: Leads the strategy, development & implementation of external communications to support PBS’s general audience content & provide support for PBS’s reputation & executive visibility. Manage relationships w/notable on-camera talent, producers – including partner agencies, managers, or agents supporting their programs. 8+ yrs of public relations exp. Full info HERE

AD SALES COORDINATOR, DIRECT RESPONSE
TV ONE
NYC, Hybrid, Remote
Work with account executives & sales planners utilizing internal computer system to fulfill sales orders through the execution of client schedules. Serve as the primary point of contact for ad agencies & TV One to resolve discrepancies, confirm schedule changes & distribute post & pre-logs. Bachelor’s degree or 2 yrs of exp. in advertising sales. Full info HERE

MANAGER OF ENTERPRISE CONTENT, WTKR
SCRIPPS NETWORKS
NORFOLK, VA
Collaborates w/other newsroom managers to leverage the Scripps content strategy as the foundation for market-specific local content strategy. Leading a team of people to regularly & reliably produce targeted enterprise & investigative stories of impact & importance to our community. 3 yrs of exp. in digital media, journalism, broadcast preferred. Full info HERE

SR. DIRECTOR, DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND PARTNERSHIPS
TV ONE
SILVERSIDE MD, NYC, Hybrid Remote
Develop, cultivate, and socialize vision, mission, and strategy for Digital Business, Programming Visibility, Content Creation and Content Partnerships & Data Governance. Lead and facilitate cross-functional and cross-company project teams. 12 yrs in the media & emerging platform landscape with building digital platforms and vMVPD growth strategy. Full info HERE

VP OF BROADCAST ENGINEERING >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA, INC./NYC, NEW YORK: Oversee the planning, management, installation & maintenance of the networks technical infrastructure: studios, transmitters, digital production platforms & automated systems. Ability to deploy in the field to coordinate special events. 8+ yrs of broadcast troubleshooting in a television network environment, preferably in a network News environment. Full info HERE

MEDIA RESEARCH MANAGER
CIRCLE MEDIA
NASHVILLE, TN
Evaluate programming for our linear and FAST channel schedules to provide insights for content strategy and audience growth. Analyze & interpret media research for programming, ad sales, marketing, and affiliate sales. Research, & preferably Nielsen background is a strongly preferred. Media Research with linear, or similar platforms, is required. Full info HERE

SCHEDULING ASSISTANT- PROGRAMMING DEPARTMENT
CIRCLE MEDIA
NASHVILLE, TN
Partner with the Programming Director to perform scheduling tasks for our Linear and FAST Channels. This includes data entry and distributing weekly schedules. Strong attention to detail and love for data entry/meta data is a plus. This role is ideal for someone looking to break into the media world. Full info HERE

TRAFFIC ASSISTANT- AD SALES METADATA ENTRY
CIRCLE MEDIA
NASHVILLE, TN
Performing a variety of administrative tasks to provide support to the Traffic Department. The majority of this role will focus on metadata entry and must have strong attention to detail. This role will also assist team members with projects and serve as an idea source during team meetings. Full info HERE

VIDEO EDITOR- MOTION GRAPHICS
CIRCLE MEDIA
NASHVILLE, TN
Responsible for editing a variety of content, including but not limited to: network promos, show promos, sponsor ads and graphics. The ideal candidate is highly skilled in the Adobe editing suite and is highly motivated and organized. After Effects/Motion graphics skills are needed and coding is preferred, but not required. Full info HERE

VICE PRESIDENT, COMPENSATION
A+E NETWORKS
NYC, Hybrid, Remote
Review current compensation programs to identify changes needed for a true best in class compensation approach. Develop simple tools that can be used by recruiters, candidates, & employees to effectively communicate all aspects of a compensation package. Minimum of 10 + years of experience in compensation. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR OF SALES
NEXSTAR
COLCHESTER, VT
Leader of the Sales Team. Drive new business & digital sales development. Manage inventory, rates, political sales processes & revenue forecasting. Develop and execute integrated marketing packages and projects to increase stations’ revenue. Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service. Min. 5 years’ exp. in Television Sales Management. Full info HERE

NETWORK ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
WEIGEL BROADCASTING CO.
CHICAGO
Building and managing relationships with existing and potential new clients and agencies through routine communication; actively grow industry relationships to gain marketplace intelligence. Generate revenue for the networks & meet monthly goals through effective outside sales techniques. 5 yrs of National Network selling and sales development exp. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR OF SALES >>
NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP WKRN -TV (ABC)/NASHVILLE TN: Being a Leader of the Sales Team and owning the position. Driving new business development. Managing inventory, rates, political sales processes & revenue forecasting. Developing and executing sales packages and projects to increase stations’ revenue. Performing other duties as assigned. Minimum five yrs experience in Television Station Management. Full info HERE

MANAGER, RIGHTS CLEARANCES, STANDARDS & PRACTICES
TV ONE
SILVER SPRING MD, Hybrid, Remote
Pre-screen broadcast programs, commercials and other content to ensure compliance with TV One’s current Content Standards, Federal Trade Commission/Federal Communications Commission regulations. Assign parental ratings to all TV One programming based on content review. 3+ yrs exp. in a rights clearances and standards and practices is preferred. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR OF AD SALES – PLATFORM PARTNER
BBC GLOBAL DIGITAL NEWS & STREAMING
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BBC Global Digital News & Streaming is looking for a highly skilled, NY based, Director of Ad Sales – Platform Partner. The purpose of the role is to launch BBC Studios Youtube and social advertising proposition across the Americas, deliver advertising revenues across the BBC Studios global portfolio and build a best in market Partner Sales team. Full info HERE

MONDAY JUNE 5
ABC: Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud
CBS: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
CW: The Rising, Barons
FOX: Stars on Mars [p], Crime Scene Kitchen [p]
NBC: American Ninja Warrior [p], Weakest Link
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, Antiques Roadshow, 10 Towns That Changed America
Telemundo: Top Chef VIP, Betty en NY, Secretos de Sangre
Univision: Perdona Nuestros Pecados, El Amor Invencible, Mujer

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