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Monday June 28, 2021

Today’s Finale
HBO: In Treatment at 9:30p

IN THE NEWS

The majority of viewers watch TV from both ad-supported and ad-free sources, according to new research from Hub. Nearly all TV consumers (95%) watch from at least one ad-supported source, and 79% also watch from at least one ad-free TV source. So how do they feel about commercials? When asked which of three statements about ads comes closest to their own feeling, 17% of those surveyed said that they would “never consider signing up for a TV service that has ads, no matter how much I like the shows.” Another one-fourth said, “If I’m really interested in a show, it doesn’t matter to me if there are ads.” And nearly 6 in 10 fall between these two statements, agreeing that, “I can tolerate a certain number of ads, but if there are too many I’ll go elsewhere.”

NBC has canceled “Good Girls” after four seasons, after a possible move to Netflix didn’t work out. The five remaining episodes will air this summer. While the show was NBC’s #2 show on digital platforms, linear ratings for season four are averaging 1.5 million viewers and 0.3 among A18-49.

ABC’s “General Hospital” scooped up the most Daytime Emmy Awards in Friday night’s televised ceremony, with 6, including Outstanding Drama Series. The late Alex Trebek won as game show host, along with “Jeopardy!”. Separate ceremonies will recognize Daytime Children’s Programming and Animation on July 17, and Daytime Lifestyle Programming on July 18.

The day after the awards ceremony, an apology was posted on the Daytime Emmys Twitter account, for misidentifying the late Marguerite Ray during the In Memoriam segment. During the tribute, an image of actress Veronica Redd – who is still alive, and who replaced Ray after she exited “The Young and the Restless” – appeared along with Ray’s name. Ray died November 18 at age 89.

The industry’s biggest event of the year is back, and it’s virtual: That Big TV Conference takes place online on September 21-23. Join 1,000+ professionals across Advertising, Business Developing, Media Buying, Production, and more to connect the dots between networks, brands, agencies, and tech to grow your business in the new TV landscape. Registration is open and FREE until July 2: Save your spot now!

Does your work have what it takes to bring home the gold?

FIND OUT: ENTER NOW

FX has ordered “Under the Banner of Heaven,” a limited series inspired by Jon Krakauer’s bestselling novel of the same name about a devout detective whose faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder. Produced by FX Productions and adapted by Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”), the series will be available exclusively on FX on Hulu. Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) and Daisy Edgar Jones “Cold Feet”) star.

The CW handed a script commitment for a prequel series to “Supernatural,” being developed by “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles and hjs wife, Danneel Ackles. Titled “The Winchesters,” the spin-off, from “Supernatural” writer Robbie Thompson, tells the love story of John and Mary Winchester, parents of the brothers played by Ackles and his former “Supernatural” co-star, Jared Padalecki.

News of the potential “Supernatural” spin-off apparently came as news to Padalecki, who tweeted that he was “gutted” to hear of it via social media. But the response to his tweet prompted Padalecki – now starring on “Walker” – to ask fans to “resist the temptation to lash out” on his behalf, later writing, “The show is early in the process with miles to go. We’ve travelled a lot of roads together, and sometimes those damn roads have bumps. Bumps don’t stop us. Once brothers, always brothers.”

HBO Max is developing a series based on DC Comics character Madame X, from writer Angela Robinson (“Hung”) and produced by Bad Robot in association with Warner Bros. Television. Robinson will executive produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson.

HBO handed a series order to “The Rehearsal,” written, directed by, starring and exec produced by Nathan Fielder (“Nathan For You”). In the series, Fielder gives people the opportunity to rehearse for their own lives.

Production is underway on a new animated show, “The Great Wolf Pack,” the tentpole project under newly-launched Great Wolf Entertainment. Julia Pistor (“The Rugrats Film”) is exec producing, and Kent Redecker (“DocMcStuffins”) will EP and write the project, due out in early 2022.

Grom Social Enterprises is teaming with animation house Toon2Tango to produce a “Baldwin’s Big Adventure” series.

Casting notes: Jonny Lee Miller (“Trainspotting”) wlll play Prime Minister John Major in season five of Netflix drama “The Crown”…HBO Max limited series “The Staircase” has added Olivia DeJonge (“The Society”) to the cast…David Patrick Kelly (“Twin Peaks”) landed the lead in Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” film…Hanako Greensmith has been promoted to series regular on season eight of NBC’s “Chicago Fire.”

In a video market that’s crowded, fragmented and shifting, Canoe has been working behind the scenes on the rapid programmatic evolution to manage expectations and ensure demand side platforms [DSPs] and supply side platforms [SSPs] are speaking a common language for VOD. “It’s early days, but we fully expect that more and more programmers are going to transact this way,” says Chris Pizzurro, Canoe’s SVP of global sales and marketing. “I can easily see this being 25 percent of the business in a year or two.” Find out how Canoe is steering through uncharted waters in a new special report.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Cloudco Entertainment has launched live-action mini-series “Care-A-Lot Club.” Episodes are being released on the Care Bears’ YouTube channel, with a new video rolling out on Tuesday mornings at 9a through July 2021.

Vetting the most proficient resources for your business is time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Get the latest in tech, streaming, network offerings, and tools. Work smarter, not harder: visit the Cynopsis Resource Center.

COMING UP

Leading up to Discovery’s Shark Week (July 11-18), Discovery and discovery+ will hold a shark movie festival across both platforms including the “Sharknado” series, “Mega Shark vs. Octopus,” “Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark,” “2-Head Shark Attack,” and “3-Headed Shark Attack,” available July 1 on discovery+. The big daddy of shark movies, “Jaws,” airs Saturday, July 10 at 80 on Discovery.

Original movie “Spin,” animated event “Descendants: The Royal Wedding” and new series “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off” all premiere Friday, August 13 starting at 8p on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW. The network TV premiere of Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” kicks off the Friday the 13th fun 6:15p.

STREAMING

Time spent watching AVOD grew by 200% from May 2020 to May 2021, according to a report from TVision. Time spent viewing SVOD rose by 100%, while time spent with linear viewing dipped by 13% during the same period. TVision, which focuses on viewer attention, found that the AVOD shows with the highest attention scores were Hulu’s “Letterkenny,” Paramount+’s “Start Trek: Discovery,” and Hulu’s “The Hardy Boys.”

ScreenHits TV customers can now add BBC iPlayer to their personalized discovery experience. On-demand programs and live channels from the BBC will appear in the ScreenHits TV interface, and selecting one of the BBC’s programs will take viewers through to watch on BBC iPlayer.

HBO Max has added the first two seasons of “The Chris Rock Show” for subscribers. The series originally aired from 1997-2000 on HBO.

GOING GLOBAL

BBC Three has commissioned “Stitch, Please!”, a new factual entertainment series from Waddell Media, as a result of the collaborative partnership with BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen.

October 18-20, 2021| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

This event brings together all sectors of the esports ecosystem for three days of networking, education, and inspiration. If you’re looking to understand the power of esports, learn how your brand can profit from this billion-dollar industry and make the connections you need, EBS is your gateway to get in the game.

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Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, June 24
Show, P2+ 0000s, (A18-49)
ABC: When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren 3.58 (0.5), Holey Moley 2.59 (0.5), The Hustler 1.98 (0.4)
CBS: Young Sheldon 3.51 (0.3), United States of Al 3.65 (0.4), Mom 2.88 (0.3), B Positive 2.25 (0.2), Clarice 1.96 (0.2)
CW: Walker 1.04 (0.2), Legacies 0.62 (0.1)
FOX: Beat Shazam 1.86 (0.4), Mental Samurai 1.51 (0.4)
ION: Chicago PD 1.03 (0.2), Chicago PD 1.16 (0.2), Chicago PD 1.20 (0.2)
NBC: Making It2.07 (04), Good Girls 1.58 (0.3), Good Girls 1.34 (0.3)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.12 (0.3), La Suerte de Loli 1.32 (0.3), Café Con Aroma de Mujer 0.88 (0.3)
Univision: Copa America 1.20 (0.4), La Hija Del Embajador 1.374 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Julie Pernworth is exiting her job as EVP Comedy Development at CBS Entertainment. In a note to colleagues explaining her decision, Pernworth – who joined CBS in 2000 at VP, Comedy Development – said she is taking the summer off and will share her plans later this year.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played Susan’s mother on “Suddenly Susan” (1996-2000)? Swoosie Kurtz. Kudos to: Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL

Today’s Trivia Question
What color is cartoon character Huckleberry Hound? (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.)