Today’s Finale
ID: Hometown Homicide: Local Mysteries at 9p

IN THE NEWS

NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy is under investigation over claims of workplace harassment and fostering a toxic culture. “This narrative is not reflective of the values of NBC Entertainment or the culture we strive to create,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement. “NBCUniversal takes these matters seriously, and will investigate these allegations, many of which are coming to our attention for the first time. NBCUniversal remains committed to creating a safe, respectful and supportive workplace for all.” Responded Telegdy, “The nature of these allegations flies in the face of everything I stand for. I hope that my actions over decades – empowering those around me, supporting artists, and creating shows with values of aspiration and inclusion at the core – speak louder than the selective words of a few.”

Following reports of a toxic work culture at The Ellen DeGeneres Show that led to an investigation, Warner Bros. said, “Though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them.” In a letter to her crew, DeGeneres apologized, saying, “Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.”

Charter Communications ended the second quarter with not only more Internet subscribers (up 8.5% to 26.3 million), but 100,000 new video subscribers. CEO Tom Rutledge told analysts he is extending his contract, set to expire in April 2021.

For its fourth season on ABC, American Idol’s search for contestants will go digital, due to the COVID-19 crisis. From August 10 through September 9, auditions will take place remotely across the country. In the past, the Fremantle-produced competition went on a road tour to unearth new talent.

Mipcom 2020 TV market has been shortened by one day, and a hybrid in-person/virtual event will now take place October 12-14. The move comes after BBC Studios, ITV Studios, Sony and more said “no Cannes do,” and would not be in attendance due to coronavirus concerns. Exhibition stands have also been canceled. “New health and safety guidelines meant considerable disruption and extra costs for exhibitors and their stands, so we decided there will be no exhibition stands at Mipcom Rendezvous,” said Reed Midem’s Laurine Garaude.

How has COVID-19 affected your business? We’re conducting a survey to assess the impact if the pandemic, and feedback from you is important. (Everyone who takes the survey will be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card.) GET STARTED.

In a social media post, reality star Tamar Braxton who was hospitalized on July 16 after what she confirmed was a suicide attempt, thanked fans for their support. The star of WE tv’s Braxton Family Values and VH1’s To Catch a Beautician also wrote the she was “betrayed, taken advantage of, overworked and underpaid,” and will “make it my mission to establish the initiative that fights for ethical business practices in reality TV, fights for the ownership of our businesses, promote growth and evolution, of our stories, and gives us 100% equity in our freedom.” WE tv’s Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life!, scheduled to premiere July 30 was postponed to September 10 after the singer/actress’ hospitalization. WE tv responded, “Tamar Braxton has been an important part of our network family for more than a decade. As she focuses on her health and recovery at what is clearly a difficult and personal time, we will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network. We wish her nothing but the best.”

OWN announced the OWN Your Vote initiative, a bipartisan registration and get-out-the-vote campaign partnering with national and local grassroots and voting rights organizations to provide resources that will empower Black women to vote this November. “COVID-19 and the racial justice movement have highlighted the need for urgent policy reform to balance disparities that exist regarding affordable healthcare, systemic racism, and racial discrimination,” said OWN President Tina Perry. “We are proud to announce this important bipartisan social initiative.”

As part of its Be Heard. Be Change. campaign, asking Fuse’s multicultural, millennial and Gen Z audience to register to vote and cast their ballots for politicians who support climate action, two PSAs featuring Stacey Abrams will air through August 31 on Fuse and the FM networks, the company’s digital properties and social media.

Think you’ve seen it all on The Office? Not quite – to promote the introduction of the sitcom on Peacock, the streamer will be “incorporating elements that were not part of the original broadcasts,” Matt Strauss, Chairman of Peacock and NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises told Bloomberg. The Office moves from Netflix to its new exclusive streaming home in January.

THE FUTURE OF MEDIA BUYING

The future of advertising will no doubt be different. We’ve seen evidence of that in the months of COVID-19, but with enhanced technology, targeting, data, attribution and measurement, the future is bright for savvy media buyers.

READ OUR 5 FAST PREDICTIONS

Discovery is going to pot with Growing Belushi, a reality show from Live Nation Productions and Original Productions about Jim Belushi’s (According to Jim) cannabis business. “We are always looking for a show that takes you by surprise and this one did – it’s fun and funny and has a lot of heart. I think people will see Jim Belushi in a whole new way after watching,” said Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual. Dan Aykroyd will make appearances on the series, premiering Wednesday, August 19 at 10p.

Netflix renewed Spanish drama Money Heist for a fifth and final season. Production on the ten episodes starts in Spain today.

Judgement welcomed: Entries are flooding in for the Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards and we’re excited to spotlight these trailblazers and salute the advances they’ve made in digital media. If you think you’d be a good fit for the judging panel, please fill out this brief application and we’ll be in touch if you’re selected. Judging is done entirely online and will take place in late August.

TECH TALK

Watch your back, YouTube: Facebook has launched a new destination for Music in Facebook Watch. In partnership with labels including Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, “Artist/Fan connection on Facebook is deeper and more authentic because of tools like Stories, Live, and custom AR effects,” wrote Tamara Hrivnak, VP of Music Business Development and Partnerships. “Official music videos are re-born in that setting – they become part of the way people express identity and mood and bring a new dimension to the artist storytelling that happens on our apps every day.” Users can share, react to and comment on music videos like they do with other Facebook videos, across News Feed, Groups and Messenger.

President Trump said on Friday he plans to ban TikTok, due to concerns the Chinese government could get access to Americans users’ information. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo affirmed Trump “will take action in the coming days” on Chinese apps, including ByteDance-owned Tik Tok. Said TikTok, “Our $1 billion creator fund supports US creators who are building livelihoods from our platform. TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.” ByteDance has reportedly had discussions with US companies, including Microsoft, about selling the app. Fox Business reported the chances of a Microsoft deal “are not dead but fading,” as the White House decides what course to take.

A 17-year-old from Tampa was arrested on Friday for orchestrating Twitter’s security breach on July 15 that hacked the accounts of Barack Obama, Kanye West, Bill Gates and other major figures. A 19-year-old and a 22-year-old also face federal charges. The hack started with the targeting of a small number of employees through a phone spear phishing attack, said Twitter; their credentials were used to access internal support tools and information about Twitter’s processes. “Using the credentials of employees with access to these tools, the attackers targeted 130 Twitter accounts, ultimately Tweeting from 45, accessing the DM inbox of 36, and downloading the Twitter Data of 7,” said Twitter in a post. “We have zero tolerance for misuse of credentials or tools, actively monitor for misuse, regularly audit permissions, and take immediate action if anyone accesses account information without a valid business reason. While these tools, controls, and processes are constantly being updated and improved, we are taking a hard look at how we can make them even more sophisticated.”

In more Twitter news, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has been banned – for good. The account has been “permanently suspended” for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct, said the micro-blogging site. Duke’s account had over 50,000 followers.

COMING UP

John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero airs Tuesday, August 4 at 10p. Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Brad Pitt and Tyler Perry will co-host the one-hour special honoring the civil rights icon, who died July 17 at age 80. “Congressman Lewis was one of the most prominent and forceful voices for change in this country. Losing that voice now is so difficult as the country confronts structural racism,” said CBS News President Susan Zirinsky. “But John Lewis gave us the will and the way to continue his work. This special reminds us the journey will not be easy, and there’s no turning back.”

Fox’s Filthy Rich, originally scheduled to air Tuesdays, will now premiere Monday, September 21 at 9p. Kim Cattrall stars in the drama as the matriarch of a wealthy Southern family. The show follows the 8p debut of L.A.’s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba and picked up from Spectrum Originals.

New Zealand psychological thriller The Sounds premieres on Acorn TV on Thursday, September 3, described as combining “the multiple layers of Big Little Lies with the marital microscope of The Affair and the unexpected twists of Ozark.”

OZY’s The Carlos Watson Show launches today on the OZY YouTube channel and OZY.com. The talker airs Monday-Friday.

TLC ranked as the #1 Primetime Ad-Supported Cable Network with P/W25-54/18-49/18-34 in July. The network was also the #1 Primetime Ad-Supported Network in all of television with W18-34, #2 with W18-49, and #3 with W25-54 in July. Among P25-54 in primetime, TLC grew +10% from the previous July.

Syfy’s Wynonna Earp returned to air after a 2-year hiatus for season four with 1.2 million multiplatform views. The premiere episode delivered 656,000 P2+ in Live+3, besting the season 3 premiere by 11%.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, July 30
Show, P2+ 0000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Holey Moley 2.91 (0.5), Don’t 2.29 (0.4), To Tell the Truth 2.91 (0.5)
CBS: Young Sheldon 4.34 (0.6), The Unicorn 2.99 (0.4), Mom 3.30 (0.4), Mom 3.02 (0.4), NCIS: Los Angeles 2.57 (0.4)
CW: Killer Camp 0.47 (0.1), Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.1)
FOX: Fox Thursday Baseball 1.88 (0.4)
NBC: Ellen’s Game of Games 2.32 (04), Law & Order: SVU 1.78 (0.3), Law & Order: SVU 2.34 (0.2)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.17 (0.4), Cennet 1.13 (0.3), Enemigo Intimo 0.792 (0.3)
Univision: Te Toy La Vida 2.02 (0.6), Medicos Linea de Vida 1.55 (0.4), Como Tu No Hay 1.64 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Agnes Chu is joining Conde Nast as President of Conde Nast’s studio and distribution division next month. Chu has been SVP, Content for Disney+.

WarnerMedia Entertainment has named Noelle Huynh as VP of Research, HBO Max, and Liz Lundy as VP of Content Research, WarnerMedia Entertainment. Huynh joins from Facebook Marketing, while Lundy was previously at Netflix.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Wilford Brimley died August 1. He was 85. In addition to numerous film roles, Brimley starred on television series Our House, and appeared on The Waltons, Seinfeld and Homicide: Life on the Street, among others.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Road Rules (1995-2007) was inspired by an episode of which series? The Real World. Kudos to: Perry Casciato-CBS Television Stations/Riverside,NJ, Eric Emeric-Showtime Networks/NYC, Rob Casalaina-ITN/NYC, John Kukla-KDFW-FOX4/Dallas, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which celebrity appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-2011) more than anyone besides Winfrey pal Gayle King? (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.)