PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Big Fish Entertainment is teaming with Rovio Entertainment to bring mobile game property Angry Birds to television as a live action game show. Tentatively titled Angry Birds Challenge, the series will see participants compete in super-sized obstacle courses as quickly as possible to save the most eggs.
FX Networks greenlit a pilot based on the life of rapper/comedian Dave Burd, known by stage name Lil Dicky. The project, based on a story co-written by Bird and co-creator Jeff Schaffer, centers on a suburban neurotic man in his late twenties who has convinced himself that he is destined to be one of the best rappers of all time.
SundanceTV and BBC One announced that Abi Morgan’s original drama The Split, produced by Sister Pictures, will return for a second season. The series premiered on Sundance TV on May 23.
Disney Channel ordered a third season of Tangled: The Series. The move comes three weeks ahead of the premiere of its new chapter, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
Acorn is developing a biopic about Benny Hill, following the British comedian’s life from the mid-1930s through his tragic death in 1992.
NBC is moving forward with Cul-De-Sac from Scream: The TV Series writer Brian Sieve, director Larysa Kondracki (The Fix), Blumhouse Television and Universal Television. The serialized horror drama centers on three suburban families who begin to experience terrifying events.
Exclusive: Eastward is launching a new unscripted content development division, and tapped industry veg Cam Sammartano as its Director of Development. The bi-coastal studio will produce and develop unscripted content and develop and produce projects in film, television and digital video.
Spain’s Onza Entertainment and Dopamine, a unit of Mexico’s Grupo Salinas, are developing a series focused on explorer Hernan Cortes. It’s not the only project on Cortez – Amazon greenlit one from Steven Spielberg and Steve Zaillian that will star Javier Bardem.
Buyers and planners – looking for info on networks and programming as you strategize for the fall season? The Cynopsis Upfronts portal covers Upfront/NewFront and is a handy resource: http://www.cynopsis.com/upfronts2018/
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
Bravo’s Southern Charm Savannah is back for its sophomore season on Monday, July 16 at 10p.
Discovery’s Cooper’s Treasure returns Friday, June 22 at 9p. This season, treasure hunter Darrell Miklos ventures to the Bahamas to investigate 11 wreck sites identified by NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper over 50 years ago.
Caroline & Friends bows on Game Show Network on Monday, July 16 at 4p. Caroline Rhea hosts the half-hour series showcasing videos.
Season 2 of EPIX original series Get Shorty bows Sunday, August 12 at 9p.
AMC set premiere dates for two series: Better Call Saul returns for its fourth season on Monday, August 6 at 9p, followed by Lodge 49 at 10p.
Season two of The Sinner is slated to launch Wednesday, August 1 at 10p on USA.
COMING UP
Former President Bill Clinton discusses his impeachment, President Donald Trump and his new book with James Patterson on CBS Sunday Morning, June 3 at 9a.
Quarterback Tom Brady On Legacy & Longevity bows Sunday, June 17 at 11a on OWN. Show features a rare sit-down interview with the NFL legend and Oprah Winfrey.
TLC presents wedding event special Property Brothers: Linda & Drew Say I Do on Saturday, June 2 at 9p.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy, getTV airs an historic episode of The Merv Griffin Show featuring the late Senator on Wednesday, June 6 at 9p. Show originally aired October 3, 1967.
Fuse celebrates Future LGBTQ History throughout June with a look at emerging LGBTQ leaders in music, film, TV, sports, fashion and pop culture. Coverage kicks off at 8a on Friday, June 1 with a music video block.
Noticias Telemundo presents Llego La Hora Con Lydia Cacho on Sunday, June 3 at 5p. Special explores machismo and abuse in Latin culture.
Cinelatino celebrates the 2018 FIFA World Cup with a lineup of soccer-themed movies throughout the month of June. Included are the pay-TV premiere of Jules y Dolores and exclusive debut of Once Machos, airing Sunday, June 10 and Sunday, June 17 at 11p.
Supportive pops are the focal point when HDNET Movies airs its “Thanks Dad” stunt on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17. The event begins with Teen Wolf at 8p, followed by Curly Sue at 9:30p and The Boys Are Back at 11:20p.
June’s World of X Games programming kicks off with Best of X Games Norway 2018, airing Saturday, June 2 at 2:30p on ABC.
CASTING
Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica) and Yasemin Allen (Water and Fire) have joined the cast of Cinemax’s Strike Back… Raymond Cruz (Major Crimes) landed a recurring role in Season 2 of EPIX’s Get Shorty.
DIGITAL DATA
The once dominant Facebook has been surpassed by YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat as the most popular online hangouts for U.S. teens, according to a new study released by Pew Research Center. Findings showed that while 51% of American teens ages 13-17 use Facebook, 85% use YouTube, 72% use Instagram and 69% turn to Snapchat. The new data signifies a social media shift – in Pew’s 2014-15 survey, Facebook was the dominant teen social media choice.
21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch talked Hulu at Recode’s Code Conference on Tuesday – specifically, the benefit of subscribers being able to choose between ad-supported ($7.99 per month) and ad-free ($11.99 per month) programming packages. Giving consumers that option makes for more effective ads and maintains a stable business model. “I think once you empower the customer, and you make it really transparent, that it’s really about how they’re valuing their time,” said Murdoch. “They also complain a lot less about the ads.”
AMC Networks partnered with mobile ad-tech company ACTV8me to offer new data-driven platform to advertisers using inaudible audio triggers on TV commercials, to instantly send customized offers to viewers – including reward points, coupons and promotions – through an app on their smartphones. “Our goal through AMCN Agility is to build a variety of ways for advertisers to reach customers, driven by data and new technologies,” said Adam Gaynor, Vice President of AMCN Agility.
Google’s programmatic audio ads are now available to all advertisers using platform DoubleClick Bid Manager, its demand site. The move gives marketers global access to advertising inventory from Google Play Music, Spotify, SoundCloud and TuneIn. Coming soon: Pandora.
Netflix set January 25, 2019 for the remaining six episodes of Season 4 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The series’ first six episodes launched on May 30.
Newsmax TV has expanded its reach. The cable news channel launched on OTT service Sling TV.
Retro game show network BUZZR is now available on the web, across multiple viewing devices, and via live stream. “We are thrilled to be celebrating our third anniversary by offering a simulcast of BUZZR on the network’s website for the first time,” said Mark Deetjen, general manager of BUZZR. The net is in the midst of hosting its first-ever BUZZR Misspelling Bee, a celebration of National Spelling Bee week.
FilmStruck celebrates Pride month with five curated collections dedicated to exploring LGBTQ themes and artists in cinema, which begin streaming on Friday, June 1.
