Today’s Premieres
Apple TV+: Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Crackle: At Home with Genevieve
Discovery: Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan at 10p
Netflix: Catching Killers; Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series
Prime Video: I’m a Virgo
The Roku Channel: Tempting Fortune
Shudder: The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs at 9p

Today’s Finales
CW: The Great American Joke Off at 9:30
Food Network: Guy’s All-Around Road Trip at 9p

Saturday’s Premiere
OWN: Love & Marriage: Detroit at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres
BET: Average Joe at 11:30p
CW: Totally Weird and Funny at 9:30p
Paramount+: The Gold
Tubi: The Freak Brothers

IN THE NEWS

The CW yanked “Barons” from its schedule after just four episodes. The Australian surfing drama was a wipeout, debuting to 179,000 total viewers and 0.0 in the A18-49 demo and falling from there, most recently drawing 157,000 viewers. Repeats of “Nancy Drew” will fill the Monday slot.

NBC’s remake of UK game show “The Wheel” has been canceled after one season. The series, which aired five nights a week for two weeks in December, launched to 1.3 million viewers and a 0.2 rating among A18-49.

Meanwhile, NBC’s “The Voice is gearing up for season 25, with Dan + Shay boarding as the show’s first-ever coaching duo. They join John Legend and Reba McEntire, returning for back-to-back cycles, and Chance the Rapper, who made his debut in season 23. Season 24 – with a coaching lineup of Naill Horan, Gwen Stefani, Legend and McEntire – kicks off in fall 2023.

A group led by Fortress Investment Group, Soros Management and Monroe Capital has reached a deal to take over Vice Media after bidding $225 million to acquire it out of bankruptcy. An auction scheduled for yesterday was called off. In better days, the company was valued at $5.7 billion.

Peacock has made a meaningful connection with Match Group. The two are partnering on in-app, experiential, and social contextual content that will align Peacock’s programming and characters with dating brands like Tinder, Match, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa, and Plenty of Fish. Participating apps’ members will be eligible for offers from Peacock. “A favorite TV show or movie is an important connecting passion point when it comes to singles uncovering a reason to bond,” said Peter Foster, GM of Global Advertising and Brand Solutions at Match Group. “We are the perfect platform for Peacock to reach their core consumers while they are in the discovery mindset.”

The U.S. Joint Industry Committee gave a progress report on its measurement efforts at the JIC Summit at Cannes Lions. Two key updates: The JIC provided transparency into its measurement certification efforts by unveiling the Scoring Rubric that will be used to evaluate the RFI submissions received from Comscore, InnovidXP, iSpot, SambaTV, VideoAmp, and 605; and unveiled new details on the roadmap and architecture design of its Streaming Data Service. “The need for standardization in cross-platform measurement has been the catalyst for both buyers and sellers to work together to create a modern measurement ecosystem that captures media behavior of today’s consumer,” said Helen Katz, EVP of Research at Publicis Media. “We have applied considerable rigor and thoughtfulness into designing a robust scoring rubric that will serve as the foundation to allow us to determine currency readiness for transaction at scale, and we’re pleased to give the industry transparency into our progress.”

The Joint Industry Committee is publishing a “Scoring Rubric” to evaluate submissions for cross-media measurement certification. Grading of categories including cross platform; Big Data; tech and infrastructure; interoperability; privacy; transparency; governance; cross media transparency; and planning, optimization, and activation will be done in July, with the goal of completing the certification process by the start of the 2024 broadcast season.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was able to reassure some Hollywood titans that despite budget cuts at TCM, the movie channel is safe. “Earlier this week, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, got in touch to talk about the restructuring of TCM. We understand the pressures and realities of a corporation as large as WBD, of which TCM is one moving part,” said a joint statement from directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson. “We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone that we all treasure.”

Charter Communications aims to help people launch their own business with “Let’s Get Started,” a new initiative from Spectrum Business. The program features a digital hub with free resources, how-to articles and guidance for starting a small business. Additionally, entrepreneurs can use the portal to access more than 10,000 SCORE mentors at no cost through the Company’s partnership with the nonprofit SCORE Foundation.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Netflix and the estate of Juan Gabriel are teaming for a documentary film about the Mexican music superstar. Laura Woldenberg and Ivonne Gutierrez from Mezcla (“The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo”) will produce.

“WOW – Women Of Wrestling” has been greenlit for a second season coming this fall. The all-female sports entertainment property is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Roku has ordered “Empty Nest Refresh” from Velvet Hammer Media. The renovation series will be hosted by Liza Koshy (“Liza on Demand”).

ViX announced the start of production of seven original titles during the second quarter of the year. Projects include six series and one film. “With these seven new productions we continue to increase our original content offerings on ViX, with stories that appeal to the diverse tastes of our audiences,” said Rodrigo Mazón, Chief Content Officer ViX for TelevisaUnivision. “Since the launch, we have been working on a path of constant development and production that we know today strongly reflects and resonates with the audience’s preferences.”

A limited series focused on the winning 2021 football team of the California School for the Deaf has been sacked. The Disney+ project from ABC Signature and Disney Branded Television was a casualty of budget cuts.

And speaking of budget cuts, Entertainment One, the studio owned by Hasbro, is going through layoffs expected to impact 20% of its film and TV staff. “This workforce reduction is part of the ongoing transformational changes Hasbro announced in January to substantially reduce costs and increase growth rates and profitability,” said a Hasbro rep in a statement to Deadline. Hasbro is in the process of selling a majority stake in most of eOne’s film and television assets.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Windy City Rehab: Alison’s Dream Home” follows home renovation expert Alison Victoria as she transforms her Chicago office into a live-work space, starting Tuesday, July 25 at 9p.

Canela.TV’s 2023 Verano Canela (Summer) programming schedule will include new originals and premieres across Canela Deportes, Canela Kids and Canela Music. Among the sports-related offerings: “El Score” premieres Wednesday, July 5 and magazine show “Campeonas” makes its debut Wednesday, July 19 on Canela Deportes.

Cooking competition “Best in Chow,” which has comedian Matt Richards scouring the country for outrageous concoctions, premieres Saturday, July 8 at 11a on A&E.

Season three of Circle Network’s “Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage” premieres Thursday, June 29 at 10:30p. The series focuses one-of-a-kind projects like robots, vintage cars and more.

The voice cast of “Tiny Toons Looniversity,” Cartoon Network’s animated reboot reintroducing classic characters from the original “Tiny Toon Adventures” series, will include Ashleigh Harrison, Eric Bauza, David Errigo Jr., and Tessa Netting. “Tiny Toon Adventures” alums Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen, and Candi Milo reprise their roles as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Dean Granny, respectively.

TECH TALK

The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon, claiming the company tricked consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service, and employed a “labyrinthine” process that made it hard for subscribers to cancel. “Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions,” said the FTC complaint. Amazon called the FTC’s allegations “false on the facts and the law.”

The Weather Channel and Google News Initiative are teaming for the launch of a new SKYFX Camera Network that will gather weather data and visuals. The SKYFX Camera Network will pair high-end 360-degree video cameras with individual weather stations to collect real-time meteorological data and live streaming video. The partnership stems from Google’s strategic relationship with TWC’s parent company, Allen Media Group.

DoubleVerify announced an expansion of its quality solutions with Meta to enable media measurement and help maximize advertiser performance on Facebook and Instagram Reels. This release will leverage DV’s technology to help advertisers on Meta Reels ensure their video ads are viewable by a human being and are safe from Fraud/Invalid Traffic. “The explosion in short-form, user-generated content is offering advertisers a high-engagement environment to connect with passionate online communities,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO, DoubleVerify. “We can now provide media authentication, and help maximize campaign impact and performance for our mutual advertisers.”

Seriously? In what started as a joke – and maybe still is – Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta head Mark Zuckerberg have agreed to a cage match. After a report that Meta is developing a Twitter competitor, Musk posted of Zuckerberg, “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.” To which Zuckerberg responded on Instagram, “Send Me Location.” Musk replied, “Vegas Octagon” – the Las Vegas arena that hosts the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

COMING UP

The farewell tour of music group CNCO will include a stop on Univision’s “Premios Juventud.” The band will perform their final single on July 20 at 7p in the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot.

Honorees for the 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony include Billy Crystal, Renee Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick. Gloria Estefan will host the December 3 event, which is set to air on CBS.

TV One has a slate of suspense movies on deck for summer. Leading the lineup is “First Comes Love Then Comes Murder” on Sunday, July 9 at 9p.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, LIV Golf League CEO and commissioner Greg Norman and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund have been invited to testify at a July 11 hearing regarding the planned alliance between PGA Tour and LIV. “Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. “Americans deserve to know what the structure and governance of this new entity will be. Major actors in the deal are best positioned to provide this information, and they owe Congress – and the American people – answers in a public setting.”

Warner Bros. Discovery announced its six-second pre-roll ad product, an offering that has been in-market with partners across WBD digital properties including Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, has seen additional premium clients tap into the ads tied to the big games and sports moments, as well as highlights, polls, live video, recaps and episode clips. “Bleacher Report and House of Highlights attract a highly engaged audience of young sports fans, and this high value offering empowers partners to enhance their brand messaging in ways that capitalize on evolving viewing and consumption behaviors,” said Seth Ladetsky, SVP, Ad Sales, WBD. “As we continue to offer even more premium video content across our platforms, it is critical that we provide an ad experience that enhances the sports moments that fans and partners come to us for.”

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ eighth installment of live golf event “Capital One’s The Match” will feature NFL and NBA superstar duos going head-to-head, as teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce face off against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The 12-hole event, to be held Thursday, June 29 with coverage beginning at 6:30p, simulcast on TNT, truTV and HLN.

FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, unveiled the broadcaster match assignments for the group stage portion of the competition. The opener between the defending Gold Cup champion United States Men’s National Team and rival Jamaica features FOX Sports’ lead match commentary team in play-by-play announcer John Strong and match analyst Stu Holden with Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines from Soldier Field in Chicago. Live coverage commences at 9p on FS1. Strong and Holden will call every USMNT match throughout the tournament.

The BIG3 have partnered with FITE to stream Season 2023 games live as part of the FITE+ subscription in select international territories. Starting when the BIG3’s sixth season tips off Sunday, June 25 at United Center in Chicago, fans in Australia, New Zealand, South America and most of Europe can watch multiple games a week, every Sunday, live on FITE+.

During the NFL season and playoffs, major US sportsbooks experienced increases in digital engagement of 44% in search and 20% in site visitation, according to Disqo report, Making Marketing Wagers on Online Sports Betting. That contributed to a 30% year-over-year growth in overall digital behaviors. Other insights in the report include:
* The projected US ad spending for sportsbooks, expected to reach $2 billion in 2023, represents an 8% year-over-year increase.
* Growth opportunities arise for sportsbooks when exploring segments beyond the core audience of young men, including women and Baby Boomers.
* Consumer attitudes towards sports betting ads vary by demographic, with men showing more receptiveness and women generally having less interest.

UK’s Newcastle University has partnered with Pixellot to capture and stream games from their newly renovated sports facility. The AI-automated systems will initially capture men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, futsal and netball games.

As part of ONE’s expansion into the Middle East, Media City Qatar and ONE have signed an MOU to collaborate on bringing ONE Championship’s live martial arts events to Qatar for the first time. The first event is expected to be held in Doha, and will feature both international and regional athletes.

GOING GLOBAL

BBC Studios has acquired Copenhagen-based STV (“The Office”). The company will be rebranded under BBC Studios.

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RATINGS

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Zenia Mucha has joined TikTok as Chief Brand and Communications Officer, and Vanessa Pappas is stepping down as COO. Adam Presser, current Chief of Staff, has been promoted to Head of Operations. Mucha left her role as Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer for Disney in 2021.

Visual Creatures has appointed Scott Meadows as Senior Visualization Supervisor. Meadows was previously head of visualization at Digital Domain.

This Day in History
1960 – The first contraceptive pill was available for purchase in the US.

Friday Fun Fact
The sound of doors opening and closing on Star Trek is a flushing toilet.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Why was Salem turned into a cat in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (1996-2003)? Salem was a warlock who was turned into a cat as punishment for trying to take over the world. Kudos to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Marni C. Gold/Hawthorne, NJ; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Megan Manlunas-Paramount Global/NYC; Kathy Carlson-Novus Next/Bloomington, MN; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank;

Today’s Trivia Question
Which “SNL” alum appeared in a Doritos commercial in which he swiped a bag of chips from an old lady? (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.)

Cynopsis Team