Today’s Premieres
Apple TV+: Amber Brown; Surface
CBS: Secret Celebrity Renovation at 8p
Netflix: Fanatico; Rebel Cheer Squad: A Get Even Series; Uncoupled; Case Closed: Zero’s Tea Time
OWN: Ready to Love at 8p; Belle Collective at 9p
Prime Video: Paper Girls; Do, Re, & Me
WE tv: Life After Lockup at 9p; Super Sized Salon at 10:30p

Saturday’s Premieres
Animal Planet: Otter Dynasty at 8p
Disney XD: Chibiverse at 8p
Nickelodeon: Are You Afraid of the Dark? Ghost Island at 7p

Saturday’s Finale
Lifetime: Flowers in the Attic: The Origin at 8p

Sunday’s Premieres
Discovery: Naked and Afraid XL: Frozen at 8p
Food Network: Alex vs America at 9p
Science Channel: Secrets in the Jungle at 9p
Showtime: City on a Hill at 10p
TBS: Love Life at 10p

Sunday’s Finale
The CW: Riverdale at 8p

IN THE NEWS

The South by Southwest Film Festival is rebranding as the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. It’s been a long time coming – SXSW first added episodic television to its program back in 2012, with “Girls.” “We are so proud of our rich history of showcasing both film and television, and wanted the festival name to reflect what we have been doing for a decade,” said Janet Pierson, VP, Director of Film & TV. “SXSW has long been at the epicenter of the best new TV, and in 2023 we will once again thrill our audiences with exciting new work from some of the most talented creators.”

ABC landed the most News & Documentary Emmy nominations with 39, followed by CNN (37), PBS (28) Vice (28), CBS (26) and HBO (23). The awards will be presented in two ceremonies: news categories on Wednesday, September 28, and docs on Thursday, September 29. In addition to celebrating this year’s nominees in 64 categories, the National Academy will honor Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor, PBS NewsHour, and biologist and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough.

Over 400 TV writers and showrunners sent letters to major entertainment companies including Netflix, NBCUniversal, Paramount, AMC and Amazon demanding protections for employees in states where abortion is illegal. Among the high-profile participants were Shonda Rhimes, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Ava DuVernay and Amy Schumer. The companies were given 10 days to respond. “It is unacceptable to ask any person to choose between their human rights and their employment,” reads the letter. “Many of us would not have the careers and families we have today if we had not been granted the freedom to choose what was best for ourselves.”

AMC+’s “Moonhaven,” the suspense thriller created by Peter Ocko (“Lodge 49”), has been renewed for season two. “The story is suspenseful, provocative and prescient, and features a phenomenal cast that delivers mesmerizing performances,” said Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “What Peter and the team are crafting for season two is next level, and the fans will be thrilled.”

Contrary to the prevailing market sentiment, ad spend in the second half of 2022 is projected to be up +7% vs. original plan, according to IAB study “2H 2022 Flash Bulletin: US Ad Investment Projections within the Current Macroeconomic Climate.” Ad spend is being driven by travel and tech, while health & wellness and auto are down vs. planned. For those decreasing 2H22 ad spend, a “slowing economy” was the #1 contributor at 66%, followed by 45% for supply chain bottlenecks and 38% for consumer inflation. Execs are less rosy about full year ad spend, which they expect to be down 31% from what was projected in a survey in fall 2021.

Library streaming rights for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” will be shared by ABC’s corporate sibling, Hulu, and HBO Max, sib to the show’s studio, Warner Bros. Television. Hulu has exclusive in-season streaming rights.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

A live-action series adaptation of “Eragon,” based on the Christopher Paoliini’s YA book series The Inheritance Cycle about a teenage boy who becomes joined to a dragon, is in development at Disney+. Paolini will co-write the series and executive produce with Bert Salke, who is executive producing via his Co-Lab 21. 20th Television is the studio.

HGTV picked up a second season of “Fix My Flip,” starring Page Turner. The renovation series attracted more than 15 million viewers during its freshman run.

Krysten Ritter (“Marvel’s Jessica Jones”) will star in and executive produce AMC Networks’ “Orphan Black: Echoes,” the new series set in the world of “Orphan Black.” Set to debut in 2023, the spin-off is produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker.

PBS is partnering with Maven Screen Media (“Catherine the Great”) for “Mrs. Churchill” (wt), a five-part series based on the life of the wife of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Margaret Nagle (“Boardwalk Empire”) is writing.

Niecy Nash inked a first-look deal with eOne, producer of her new ABC series, “The Rookie: Feds.” The agreement calls for Nash to develop and exec produce scripted and unscripted television content for broadcast, cable, and streaming.

ABC Signature scored TV rights for the story of the undefeated season of the 2021 football team from the California School for the Deaf. Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) will play the team’s coach and executive produce with “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin. Kevin Falls (“The West Wing”) will EP and serve and showrunner.

“American Idol” will welcome back judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and host Ryan Seacrest when it launches its sixth season on ABC in spring 2023. Audition start August 3.

“Today” host Jenna Bush Hager and Universal International Studios have teamed with Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century, to develop a TV adaptation of the true-crime bestseller. Johnson will write the series adaptation.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

HBO bilingual comedy “Los Espookys” returns for season two Friday, September 16 at 11p. The series follows a group of friends who turn their shared passion for horror into a peculiar business.

Hulu’s “Reboot,” forcing the dysfunctional cast of an early 2000’s sitcom back together, premieres Tuesday, September 20 with two episodes. The series stars Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy and Krista Marie Yu.

Season nine of “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr.” will premiere January 3 on PBS. Among those digging into their pasts will be Brian Cox (“Succession”), Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”), Claire Danes (“Homeland”), Jeff Daniels (“American Rust”), Viola Davis (“The Woman King”), David Duchovny (“The X-Files”), Tamera Mowry (“The Real”), Edward Norton (“Fight Club”), Julia Roberts Carol Burnett, among others.

EARNINGS REPORTS

NBCUniversal’s adjusted earnings rose 19.5% to $9.4 billion, despite a $467 million loss for Peacock, versus a $363 million loss in the year-ago quarter. Peacock held steady at 13 million subscribers. “At NBCUniversal, terrific results at theme parks fueled our growth in the quarter, and we expect our recent premieres and planned slate of content and live events from our media and studios businesses… to make significant contributions later this year, including to our subscriber growth at Peacock,” said Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. “Looking ahead, our company is in an enviable strategic and financial position, with substantial cash flow generation and a strong foundation for innovation.”

As for advertising at NBCU, this year’s upfront was “way better than we expected,” said CEO Jeff Shell during an earnings call. “There’s definitely some choppiness but nothing that traumatic.”

Meta reported its first revenue decline as a public company for 2Q22, posting $28.8 billion in revenue, down 1% versus 2Q21, and slightly below analysts’ expectations of $28.9 billion. “We seem to have entered an economic downturn that will have a broad impact on the digital advertising business,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “It’s always hard to predict how deep or how long these cycles will be, but I’d say that the situation seems worse than it did a quarter ago.”

Amazon reported a net loss of 20 cents in 2Q22 compared with earnings of 76 cents in 2Q21 and analysts’ expectations of earnings of 13 cents, but revenue rose 7% to $121.2 billion, beating expectations of $119.09 billion.

The number of active Roku accounts in the quarter ending June 30 was 63.1 million, up 14% from 2021, but the company lost 82 cents a share and posted revenue of $764 million, versus Wall Street expectations of a loss of 6 cents and revenue of $805 million. “There was a significant slowdown in TV advertising spend due to the macro-economic environment, which pressured our platform revenue growth,” said a letter to shareholders. “Consumers began to moderate discretionary spend, and advertisers significantly curtailed spend in the ad scatter market (TV ads bought during the quarter). We expect these challenges to continue in the near term as economic concerns pressure markets worldwide.”

Apple revenue rose 2% year-over-year to $83 billion, while earnings per diluted share were at $1.20, down from $1.30 in the same period in 2021. That was enough to beat Wall Street expectations of earnings of $1.16 and revenue of $82.8 billion. The results “demonstrate our ability to manage our business effectively despite the challenging operating environment,” said CFO Luca Maestri.

SPORTS

Play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti is moving to FOX Sports this year, contributing to the network’s live sports slate beginning with college football this fall. Since 2016, Benetti has served as the voice of the Chicago White Sox, and this season he was named the voice of NBC Sports’ MLB Sunday afternoon package. He also provided play-by-play for the network’s Olympic baseball coverage during the 2020 Summer Games.

Meanwhile, NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler joins ESPN as a college football analyst and will team up with play-by-play commentator Anish Shroff and sideline reporter Taylor McGregor on a package of games this season.

NBC Sports kicks off its coverage of the 2022 NFL season with the 2022 Hall of Fame Game between the Jaguars and Raiders on August 4, with the company bringing the Football Night in America crew to Canton in for the first time, with coverage at 7p followed by the game at 8p. Calling the preseason contest will be the new SNF announce teams of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark, with Terry McAulay serving as rules analyst.

NBC Sports also announced plans to offer up a NASCAR and NTT INDYCAR SERIES crossover weekend, featuring a tripleheader at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this Saturday and Sunday on NBC and Peacock. As part of the crossover weekend, NBC Sports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. will serve as an analyst for the INDYCAR race and NBC Sports’ INDYCAR analyst James Hinchcliffe will join the commentary booth during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday.

SiriusXM and the National Women’s Soccer League announced a new agreement that will make live broadcasts of NWSL matches available to SiriusXM subscribers on the SiriusXM FC channel and the SXM App. SiriusXM listeners will have access to the NWSL Game of the Week as the league’s 12 teams compete for one of six playoff berths in the home stretch of the regular season, beginning with this Friday night’s match between Racing Louisville FC and Portland Thorns FC (8p).

Camping World is ending its run as the presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Truck Series, a role they have held since 2009. Company CEO Marcus Lemonis posted the news on Twitter, stating “What an amazing opportunity it has been. 14 years, over 30 race entitlements, over 35 drivers sponsored and some of the best fans one could wish for. Thank you NASCAR.”

FaZe Clan and the National Football League announced that Donald De La Haye will take the ‘1ON1’ series to cities across the country during NFL preseason. Each ‘1ON1’ series features episodes made up of wide receivers and defensive backs going head-to-head in multi-stage competitions. The first episode will kick off with the Miami Dolphins at The Baptist Health Training Complex on August 5.

COMING UP

Pluto TV is airing Western Weeks for four weeks, starting Monday, August 15. Programming includes classic films and TV shows, as well as weekend marathons of “Yellowstone”

The “wibbly-wobbly” nature of reality television is explored – and taken to a fantastical new level – in Tune in Tomorrow, a novel by veteran entertainment journalist Randee Dawn that comes out August 16. In Cynsiders, the author offers her take on the genre, and its impact on viewers.

MeTV is commemorating the 50th anniversary of “M*A*S*H” with a weeklong presentation of Jamie Farr’s favorite episodes, featuring hosted commentary, memories, and stories from his time as Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger. “M*A*S*H: The Best by Farr” airs September 12-16 from 7-8p on MeTV.

Next month, Fuse Media’s Future History franchise will recognize a class of Future Middle Eastern History makers who are using their voices to drive positive change. The Future Middle Eastern History Class of 2022 will be spotlighted through a short-form video series released during the month of August on the Fuse digital and social platforms, as well as its Fuse and FM (Fuse Music) linear channels.

TECH TALK

Google has postponed its plan to kill third-party cookies in Chrome web browsers. While Google had said it would implement anti-tracking policies by 2023, the phase-out is now slated for the second half of 2024. As Google has been developing privacy-preserving alternatives to third-party cookies, “The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox technologies before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome,” said Anthony Chavez, VP, Privacy Sandbox at Google, in a blog post.

Integral Ad Science announced a partnership with Anzu to enable brands and agencies to monitor the quality of their in-game media investments in mobile gaming environments. IAS provides advertisers with Invalid Traffic measurement and reports on Viewability through the IAS Signal platform. “Gaming continues to emerge as a medium with broad appeal and growing reach,” said Tom Sharma, Chief Product Officer of IAS. “This integration sets the platform for quality standards within ad-supported gaming and allows advertisers to better understand and control the quality of their media on Anzu.”

GOING GLOBAL

UK’s ITV Studios reported first half results that were a happy surprise. “ITV has recorded a strong performance across the business with both our Studios and Media & Entertainment divisions performing better in the first half than we expected at the beginning of the year,” said Carolyn McCall, ITV Chief Executive. Revenues in both divisions were up year on year and as a result total external revenue rose 8%.

Autentic Distribution has locked in sales for its Spring & Summer Slate. Among the deals: “White Winter – A Season on the Northern Alpine Rim” at Czech TV and Hungary’s MTVA. MTVA has also bought “Almighty and Poor – The Monks of Cluny,” while the “Wild Prairie Man” is headed to Poland’s Canal+. Crime Science series “Inside the Mind of a Con Artist” will be available in French-speaking countries via mediawan.

Viaplay Group has acquired Quintus Studios documentary film “Crisis In Cocaine Valley,” produced by Germany’s Maximus Film.

Cloudco Entertainment in the US, in conjunction with co-production partners Watchnext Media in France and Kavaleer Productions in Ireland, announced the greenlight and production commencement of season three of their animated comedy series “Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese.” Episodes have been commissioned by the France’s Gulli, the BBC in the UK, KidsME in Italy, and Ireland’s RTE.

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RATINGS

REELZ reeled in 3.5 million unique viewers for “On Patrol: Live,” with an average viewing time of 146 minutes across the seven telecasts over the premiere weekend starting July 22. The show made REELZ the second most watched network among all ad-supported broadcast and cable networks during its live showings on Friday and Saturday night, propelling REELZ into a top 25 cable network position for the first time ever. In Live+3 data, Friday’s episode grew 27% in HHs, from 623,000 to 792,000, and Saturday’s rose 22%, from 684,000 to 835,000.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, July 27
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Conners 2.19 (0.3), The Goldbergs 1.33 (0.2), Abbott Elementary 1.21 (0.2), Home Economics 1.03 (0.1), Press Your Luck 1.40 (0.2)
CBS: Big Brother 3.77 (0.8), Challenge: USA 2.18 (0.4), S.W.A.T. 1.46 (0.2)
CW: Mysteries Decoded 0.58 (0.0), Wellington Paranormal 0.21 (0.0), Wellington Paranormal 0.18 (0.0)
FOX: Master Chef 2.35 (0.4), So You Think You Can Dance 1.54 (0.3)
NBC: Chicago Med 2.83 (0.2), Chicago Fire 2.77 (0.3), Chicago PD 2.45 (0.2)
Telemundo: La Casa de los Famosos 1.27 (0.3), Amor Valiente 0.88 (0.2), Infiel: Historia de un Engano 0.93 (0.2)
Univision: La Mexicana y el Guero 0.95 (0.3), La Herencia 1.22 (0.4), Mujer de Nadie 0.99 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Former Disney Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn has joined Warner Bros. Discovery as a consultant. “Over the past six months, I have been fortunate to spend time with Alan. He has been generous and hugely helpful to me, and I’ve learned a ton about the business from our conversations,” said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Horn is no stranger to Warner Bros. – he was President and COO for 12 years.

Warner Bros. Discovery also announced that Asif Sadiq has been appointed Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Sadiq most recently served as the head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, International for WarnerMedia.

Digital marketing solutions provider Theorem has hired Reem Al-Basri, who joins to lead in the company’s London office as the Head of Digital Media Strategy. Previously, Al-Basri held several different titles while working at Publicis Group.

IN MEMORIAM

Mable Haddock, champion of Black television and film and the founding president and first CEO of the National Black Programming Consortium (now Black Public Media), died July 23 of kidney disease. She was 74. “Mable exemplified what it meant to be authentically Black and female in a professional space,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, Executive Director of Black Public Media. “A true trailblazer, she was a warrior in the fight for equity in public media, and a friend to all.”

This Day in History
1958 – President Eisenhower signed legislation that established NASA.

Friday Fun Fact
NASA’s current spacesuits were built in 1974, and cost between $15 million and $22 million dollars.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the name of Boo’s guinea pig on “Fleabag” (2016-2019)? Hilary. Kudos to: Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Terri Corigliano-Checkyourlocallistings.com/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; David Garber-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Anne Meara played a wisecracking cook in a tavern on which sitcom? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team