Thursday August 12, 2021

Today’s Finales
CW: Walker at 8p
History: Mountain Men at 8p

IN THE NEWS

“Jeopardy!” producer Mike Richards has been named permanent host of the syndicated game show, with Mayim Bialik (“Call Me Kat”) on tap to host primetime and spin-off series. “We took this decision incredibly seriously,” said Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development for Sony Pictures. “A tremendous amount of work and deliberation has gone into it, perhaps more than has ever gone into the selection of hosts for a show – deservedly so because it’s ‘Jeopardy!’ and we are following the incomparable Alex Trebek.”

ABC handed a series order to drama pilot “Promised Land,” centered on two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in Sonoma Valley. Matt Lopez (“Race to Witch Mountain”) exec produces with Adam Kolbrenner (“The Tomorrow War”), Maggie Malina (“Hit the Floor”) and Michael Cuesta (“Homeland”). The studio is ABC Signature.

ViacomCBS chairman Shari Redstone is reportedly holding off on discussions of a potential partnership with ViacomCBS and Comcast, according to the New York Post. Sources told the paper Redstone, who was considering a merger or joint domestic streaming venture, took the advice of her company’s directors to wait in the hopes of attracting multiple suitors next year, and focus on building out existing business.

Concern about rising COVID-19 cases has prompted CBS and the Television Academy to move all Emmys ceremonies to the Event Deck at L.A. Live, behind the original site, the Microsoft Theater. The number of nominees is also being further limited – teams of three or more will have no more than four tickets per nomination. The Creative Arts ceremonies take place on September 11 and 12, followed on September 19 by the 73rd Emmys.

Media outlets are being asked by a group of doctors and experts to remove or retract a story based on a public safety video from the San Diego Sheriff’s Office that showed a deputy trainee overdosing after being exposed to fentanyl. It’s not possible to overdose from mere contact with synthetic opioids, say the experts, who are concerned first responders will hesitate to treat overdose patients if they are misinformed.

The latest non-core asset AT&T looks to be selling is WarnerMedia’s TMZ. The company is in talks with Fox for the gossip site, which has a syndicated show, “TMZ On TV,” airing on Fox stations. Earlier in the week, AT&T closed the sale of Crunchyroll to Sony’s Funimation Group.

Nate Burleson will join Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil as co-host of “CBS This Morning” next month. The former NFL player guest hosted in May. Anthony Mason, a co-host since 2019, will transition to a role as culture reporter.

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COMPLETE YOUR ENTRY BY 8/17

Bikini Bottom keeps stretching. Nickelodeon is expanding its SpongeBob franchise with 52 episodes across three series: Nick has greenlit additional episodes of “The Patrick Star Show” and season 13 of the original series, while Paramount+ has renewed” Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years” for a second season and added additional episodes to season one. All are currently in production at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank.

Cineflix Media is partnering with Jacqueline Bynon on her new Toronto-based production company, More to the Story Media, focused on true crime series, documentaries, movies, and podcasts. Cineflix Media will have the first option to develop and co-produce original content with Bynon, while her projects will have access to services and development support from Cineflix. Cineflix Rights has the exclusive first-look to distribute More to the Story Media content internationally.

That Big TV Virtual Conference on September 21-23 offers senior agency, programming, tech, and brand executives access to the latest information and strategies to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing TV and media ecosystem. The program features relevant sessions and industry thought leaders from American Express, dentsu, Group M, Havas Media, KFC, Lowes, Spotify and more! Don’t wait—secure your spot at the lowest prices yet!

Casting notes: Tituss Burgess (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) will play Rooster Hannigan on NBC’s “Annie Live!”. The musical event is slated for Thursday, December 2 at 8p….Britne Oldford (“The Umbrella Academy”) will star opposite Rachel Wiesz in Amazon’s “Dead Ringers.”

DISTRIBUTION

Fndly TV and country music and lifestyle network Circle struck a deal to bring Circle’s programming to Frndly TV subscribers. Circle’s linear network, including past episodes of familiar classics like “The Jeff Foxworthy Show” and “Larry the Cable Guy,” will appear on Frndly TV, with its VOD library becoming available to Frndly TV customers within the next few weeks.

Law&Crime is now available on TDS and TDS TV. “TDS offers a very impressive feature set and functionality for its video subscribers” said Alex Kopacz, Head of Content Distribution and Licensing at Law&Crime. “We’re confident that Law&Crime will add great value to the TDS channel lineups while highlighting a programming genre that continues to drive consistent viewership growth.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Fiasco” makes its debut on Epix Sunday, September 19 at 10p. The docu-series, adapted from the podcast of the same name, brings to life forgotten twists and turns of the past, while shedding light on the present.

Amazon Prime series “I Know What You Did Last Summer” kicks off Friday, October 15. The eight-parter is based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, which was also the basis for the 1997 film.

Season two of “Selling the Big Easy” launches Friday, September 10 at 9p and 9:30p on HGTV. New Orleans real estate expert Brittanny Picolo-Ramos returns to help clients buy and sell NOLA properties.

Get actionable insights from the biggest brands & agencies in media at That Big TV Virtual Conference on September 21-23. This year’s program is stacking up to be our best year yet, with content featuring some of the world’s biggest brands like American Express, Dentsu, GroupM, Havas Media, KFC, Lowes, Spotify, and more! Lock in the lowest rates available by registering now.

COMING UP

History will mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with a slate of specials. On the way are “9/11: The Legacy” on Friday, September 10 at 7p, followed at 8p by “Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center.” “9/11: Four Flights” airs Saturday, September 11 at 8p, followed by “9/11: I Was There.”

“Detainee 001” premieres on Showtime Friday, September 10 at 9p. The documentary feature centers on the young American man, John Walker Lindh, found on the battlefield in Afghanistan alongside the people who were supposed to be his enemy.

Shudder has acquired the period horror feature “The Last Thing Mary Saw” ahead of its August 15 world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. Shudder will release the film, set in Southold, NY in 1843, in early 2022.

TECH TALK

A new version of Mozilla’s Firefox Strict Mode will make it easier for users to delete cookies stored in their computer by a web site or by any trackers embedded in it. “When you decide to tell Firefox to forget about a website, Firefox will automatically throw away all cookies, supercookies and other data stored in that website’s ‘cookie jar,’” said Mozilla. “This ‘Enhanced Cookie Clearing’ makes it easy to delete all traces of a website in your browser without the possibility of sneaky third-party cookies sticking around.” To access the new feature, users must opt in by enabling the “strict tracking protection setting” released in February.

Internet fraud rose by 16.5% globally in 2Q21, according to TransUnion’s quarterly analysis. The most frequent targets are Gen Z (47%) and Millennials (43%). Cyber criminals are also changing tactics, moving from government assistance scams to attacks on consumer accounts.

Samba TV has launched SambaID, an identity system aimed at enabling marketers to accurately attribute their media investment across all channels. The ID uses a hybrid model built on “a large deterministic truth set that is scaled by probabilistic algorithms.”

STREAMING

NBCU is as proud as a you-know-what over the success of its streaming Olympics coverage. While linear ratings suffered steep losses versus prior Games, a Hub Entertainment Research study found that NBCUniversal’s strategy of placing key Olympic coverage on its Peacock streaming service appears to have paid off. Half of Peacock Olympic viewers said they thought that ads during coverage added to their enjoyment of the Games, compared with just 36% of NBCU Olympic viewers overall, and Peacock Olympic viewers reported that ads shown during the Olympics were more interesting than ads in regular programming (71%), compared to 55% of NBCU Olympic viewers overall. By Hub’s measure, Peacock-only viewers (6% of Olympic viewers) accounted for almost one tenth of NBCU’s total cumulative audience.

FuboTV had its strongest advertising quarter ever, with advertising revenue up 281% year-over-year to $16.5 million. The streamer also saw 138% year-over-year growth in total paid subscribers (to 681,721). “fuboTV delivered a strong second quarter of 2021 across all of our key financial and operational metrics: subscribers, total revenue and advertising revenue,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV. “Engagement also reached record highs as we added exclusive sports streaming rights with CONMEBOL and began beta testing predictive, free-to-play gaming integrated into our streaming platform ahead of our expected launch this fall.”

Redbox has signed an agreement with DMR, an aggregator and distributor of content, that includes the launch of a new free streaming channel, “RetroCrush,” offering classic anime TV and movies.

SOCIAL GOOD

Sesame Workshop, in partnership with the PSEG Foundation, has released new “Little Neighbors: Building a Better World Together” content focused on six core community values: safety, the environment, compassion, volunteerism, continuous self-improvement, and being a good neighbor.

OWN and its health initiative “Own Your Health” have partnered with Hologic’s Project Health Equality public health initiative to bring awareness to the disparity of healthcare Black women receive in the areas of breast, cervical, and uterine fibroids; provide access to education and preventative tools using Hologic’s comprehensive research and resources; and share original content from celebrated OWN creative visionaries highlighting the authentic stories and voices of Black women.

GOING GLOBAL

Flame Distribution has sold a package of 163 hours of unscripted programming to All3Media’s digital content agency and media network, Little Dot Studios. Titles include “A Stitch in Time,” “The Greatest Air Race,” “Future Food,” “1900 Island,” “The Secret Life of Death,” and “WWII: The Price of Empire.” The content will air across Little Dot’s AVOD channels.

In partnership with Discovery, the Diversity and Inclusion virtual event on September 13 takes a deep dive into how to deliver a message that embraces diversity and shares your business values in a way that resonates with consumers. The best part? It’s FREE to join.

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EXECUTIVE MOVES

BET has promoted Keith Lawson to Senior Vice President of Brand Solutions and Tavia Pitts to Senior Vice President of Ad Sales. Lawson most recently led the team tasked with supporting all productions for Ad Sales, while Pitts was instrumental in driving revenue and building innovative solutions for BET’s biggest advertisers.

Jennifer Suozzo is stepping down as executive producer of “NBC Nightly News.” “After 22 years with NBC I’ve decided to try a new adventure,” she wrote in a note to staff. Meghan Rafferty will serve as interim EP.

Finding and 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.

Metro Public Relations has upped current Partner, President & COO, Laura Michael to CEO.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played Aristotle Onassis in 1988 made-for-TV movie “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World”? Raul Julia. Kudos to: Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Carl Mayer-Active International/Pearl River, NY; Charles Lore/NYC; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Randall Bosley-Studio Talent Group/Santa Monica, CA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
No Googling Theme Week: The Bundys on “Married … with Children” (1987-97) lived in a suburb of which city? (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.)