Monday August 9, 2021

Today’s Finale
ABC: The Bachelorette at 8p

IN THE NEWS

Slip sliding away: NBC canceled “The Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide” before the show even made it to air. Production on the reality competition, intended to premiere in the post-Olympics slot, was near completion when it was forced to shut down June 2 due to an outbreak of a parasite-induced intestinal infection, caused by contamination on the set’s location. While initial plans called for production to resume at a new location, NBC scratched plans for the show instead.

Comscore has expanded and extended its relationship with Fox Corporation. “The rapid evolution of consumer behavior makes it more important than ever to have stable, granular audience measurement, and Comscore has made significant progress in its measurement capabilities,” said Audrey Steele, EVP of Sales Research Insights & Strategy for Fox.

“It’s like if somebody is running the 100 meters and they have a weight around their ankles,” former Olympics host Bob Costas told the New York Times, of shrinking viewership for the Games this summer. “That is not a fair judge of their speed.” NBCUniversal paid over $1 billion for an event slammed by the pandemic, the shift to streaming and the absence of some star athletes, drawing about half the viewership of the 2016 Games in Rio. Still, NBCU expects the Games to turn a profit, with ad sales higher than 2016. Throw in digital and social, and through Wednesday night, more than 100 billion minutes of Tokyo Olympics content had been consumed across NBCUniversal platforms.

But it’s not just about the numbers – advertisers are benefitting from their connection to the Olympics, notes NBCU. In a survey, the company found 69% of consumers said that brands that support the Games by advertising are helping the world come back together after the pandemic, and 2 in 3 respondents say the brands are helping bring families together (65%). NBC Prime Olympics coverage continues to outperform prior year brand norms, according to Phoenix MI, with a +15% lift in brand recall, and a +21% lift in message breakthrough.

TV ad minutes per hour rose to 13.3 minutes in 2Q21, up from 12.6 minutes in the year prior, according MoffettNathanson Research. Discovery Inc. was the biggest gainer, rising 16% year-over-year to average 13.7 minutes, while Walt Disney networks were the lowest, posting 11.7, up just 3.3% from 2020. The research company notes that while low viewership contributed to the phenomenon, some of the rise in ads was due to “a more normalized schedule” following the pandemic.

With the COVID-19 Delta variant raising alarms, the Television Academy is curtailing coverage of red carpet arrivals, and will offer a virtual media center to accommodate press. Admittance for anyone at the show will require vaccination and a negative COVID test. The event airs Sunday, September 19 on CBS.

Millennials and Gen Zers believe the media is responsible for the divisiveness afflicting the country by failing to represent, or by misrepresenting, people of color, and that the media now has an obligation to help fix the divide, according to a study from Fuse Media. When presented with a series of scenarios and asked if they found them to be somewhat or very empowering:
· 70% of Gen Zers and Millennials felt that a cast with an even mix of ethnicities and races is empowering,
· 67% view a storyline and cast representing underrepresented communities was as empowering.
· 65% say a show with a lead character from a marginalized community is empowering.

Amazon canceled YA drama “Panic” after one season. The series premiered May 28.

The CW announced an initiative to protect eligible voters and fight voter suppression. Freedom to Vote has enlisted network stars to appear in PSAs across platforms to spread the word.

These bold leaders have had their eye on the prize – and now they’ll be taking one home. Join the Production Pacesetters, Innovators and Disruptors, Tech Leaders and more at Cynopsis’ Top Women in Media Awards Gala October 27 in NYC. Register now to secure a table for your team before the event sells out.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT: Succeeding in Today’s Personalized Connected TV Landscape
In a world where IP is the new primetime, streaming & CTV platforms need to progressively advance/enhance their ability to personalize the experience of the viewer in order to succeed in this inundated landscape.
Join thought leaders from Vevo, Beachfront, Triplelift & Zype on September 23, as they share insights on programming strategies, and customization tools designed to deliver a bespoke viewer journey.

REGISTER NOW

HBO temporarily pulled the plug on production of Watergate limited series “The White House Plumbers” after a report of alleged unprofessional behavior on set. “We take very seriously our responsibility to ensure a respectful work environment on all our productions, and we are investigating the matter fully,” said HBO. The altercation involved director/EP David Mandel and a member of the prop department, according to Deadline.

Among Hulu’s TCA announcements: The streamer is diving deeper into true crime with doc “Dead Asleep,” following the case of a Florida man convicted of a murder he says he committed while sleepwalking in 2017. Produced by Pulse Films, the film is a co-production with Sky. Also on the docket is “Captive Audience,” a docu-series from Wonderburst and High Five Content about the life of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner after the 1989 miniseries about his life, “I Know My Name Is Steven,” aired.

Hulu also gave a series order to “This Fool,” a comedy from comedian Chris Estrada, who exec produces with Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop with Fred Arminsen and Jonathan Groff (“black-ish”) also exec producing.

Casting Notes: Luiz Guzman (“Traffic”) will guest star as Gomez Addams in Netflix series “Wednesday”…Wyatt McClure has been upped to series regular for season five of CBS’ “Young Sheldon.”…Minka Kelly (“Friday Night Lights”), musician Dominic Fike and Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. (“Black Mafia Family”) have joined the season two cast of HBO’s “Euphoria.”

The Olympics may be over but you can still win a gold for your team. Enter now for Cynopsis’ Digital Model D + It List Awards individual and team categories. Show how your work excels in digital, ad tech, marketing, advertising, social media and video and audio content. Choose multiple categories and save. Sprint to the finish. Deadline is tomorrow 8/10. Enter now>>

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Hulu’s fall slate includes”Dopesick,” which makes its debut October 13. Period dramedy “The Great” drops Friday, November 19, with Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”) onboard as the mother of Elle Fanning’s character, and “Animaniacs” returns Friday, November 5. Hulu beefs up its cooking content with “Bakers Dozen” (Thursday, October 7), “The Next Thing You Eat” (Tuesday, October 12) and Padma Lakshi in “Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition” (Thursday, November 4).

New investigative series “I Will Find You” premieres on discovery+ Tuesday, August 17, with the story of best friends in Louisiana searching for a killer. One week later comes “Cold Blooded Alaska,” showing the lengths law enforcement must go to bring murderers to justice in the Last Frontier.

COMING UP

COMET, Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s multicast channel network specializing in sci-fi programming, will celebrate Gillian Anderson’s birthday today with The Best of Scully Birthday Marathon featuring 16 episodes of Agent Scully on The X-Files, starting today at 9a.

STREAMING

Cinedigm has entered a partnership with El Rey Network and FactoryMade Ventures to take what was a cable brand and turn it completely from linear to streaming. Launched in 2013, El Rey Network is home to action and inclusive programming. The network will be made available to all distribution platforms across the OTT landscape, on connected TVs, digital set-top boxes, media-streaming devices, as well as on the web.

BY THE NUMBERS

E.W. Scripps beat analysts’ forecasts for 2Q21, with higher than expected core advertising and retrans revenue. Local Media revenue hit $325 million, up $ 22% from the prior-year quarter, while core advertising rose 48%, to $161 million. Retransmission revenue increased 11%, following renegotiation of three consent contracts in 2020.

TV revenue for Entravision Communications in the most recent quarter increased 26% to $34 million.Television revenue was driven by increases in local and national ad revenue. Digital segment revenue leaped by 1,045%, to $130, primarily due to the acquisition of a majority interest in Cisneros Interactive during 4Q20.

AMC Networks was another winner for the quarter, reporting revenue of $771.4 million, up 19% year-over-year. Distribution revenues increased 14% domestically, to $427 million, whiles subscription revenue rose 21%, driven by higher streaming revenues.

GOING GLOBAL

UKTV has commissioned “Rochelle Humes: Interior Designer in the Making” for channel W. The ten-part UKTV original is produced by Outline Productions, and part-funded by home improvement business Wickes. The series will be distributed worldwide by Blue Ant International and is available for pre-sales. Entertainment business The Story Lab and AFP specialist Clik facilitated the AFP.

START YOUR ENTRY

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, August 5
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Holey Moley 1.64 (0.2), When Nature Calls With Helen Mirren 1.02 (0.1), The Hustler 0.94 (0.1)
CBS: Big Brother 3.64 (0.9), Love Island 1.73 (0.4), Bull 1.46 (0.2)
CW: William & Kate’s Royal Anniversary 0.55 (0.1), The Outpost 0.34 (0.0)
FOX: NFL Football 6.27 (1.7)
ION: Chicago PD 0.97 (0.1), Chicago PD 0.99 (0.1), Chicago PD 0.89 (0.1)
NBC: Tokyo Olympics 8.63 (1.9)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos .69 (0.3), Hercal: Armor y Venganza 1.31 (0.4), Cafe Aroma du Mujer 0.99 (0.3)
Univision: Disenando tu Amor 1.40 (0.5), Si Nos Dejan 1.52 (0.5), La Hija del Embajador 1.54 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVE

Matt Naham has been named Editor-in-Chief of Law&Crime. He was previously Managing Editor.

IN MEMORIAM

Former NBC executive Herbert Schlosser, a force behind such shows as “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “Saturday Night Live,” died August 6. He was 95. “His ingenuity, creativity and integrity as president and CEO of NBC during the ’70s made an indelible mark on the network and its legacy,” said the network.

Emmy-winning sports producer Gareth Hughes died July 30 of cancer. He was 41. Hughes specialized in short videos that preceded major events.

Actress Markie Post died August 7 following a battle with cancer. She was 70. Post’s numerous TV credits include roles on “The Fall Guy,” “Night Court” and “Hearts Afire,” among others.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the series cliffhanger that was never solved when “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (1993-97) was canceled, despite an earlier season five renewal announcement? Whether an infant left in their home was theirs. Kudos to: Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Pete Hazell-Discovery/London; Charles Lore/NYC; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Jess Dallow/NYC; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldbeg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
No Googling Week: On “The Simpsons,” what is Bart’s full name? (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.)