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FINAL DEADLINE

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Today’s Premieres
CW: DC’s Stargirl at 8p
Discovery: Tales from the Explorer’s Club at 9p
Food Network: Guy’s Ultimate Game Night at 9p; No Recipe Road Trip With The Try Guys at 10p
Hulu/Peacock: The Croods: Family Tree
ID: In Pursuit With John Walsh: Captured at 10p
Netflix: Family Secrets; Club America vs. Club America

Today’s Finale
CW: Wellington Paranormal at 9:30p

IN THE NEWS

A&E Television Networks is suing is suing Reelz and producer Big Fish Entertainment for copyright infringement, over the similarities between Reelz’ “On Patrol: Live” and A&E’s canceled “Live PD.” “Without any authorization from AETN, Big Fish created a clone of ‘Live PD’ featuring the same primary hosts, content, format, segments, and more, and sold that virtually identical show to Reelz,” reads the complaint filed in federal court. AETN accuses the defendants of a “bad-faith strategy of capitalizing on AETN’s reputation, trading on AETN’s goodwill, and passing off ‘On Patrol: Live’ as the same product as ‘Live PD’.” A&E canceled “Live PD” in 2020 despite its ratings success in the wake of reaction to the killing of George Floyd.

The family patriarch played by Jeff Garlin on “The Goldbergs” will have died when the ABC comedy returns for season 10 on September 21. The season starts months after the character’s passing, so the family “has sort of moved on and has dealt with a lot of that,” co-showrunner Alex Barnow told EW. “So we’re starting with optimism about a baby coming and looking forward to the future.” Garlin left “The Goldbergs” in late 2021 following complaints about his on-set behavior.

Samsung announced the relaunch of its free ad-supported video streaming platform, Samsung TV Plus, with a bundle of exclusive content premieres and partnerships. “Our new look, programming and partnerships come at a time when many consumers are overwhelmed by a myriad of monthly bills and subscriptions,” said Sang Kim, SVP of Product and Marketing, Samsung Electronics. “We are proud not only to manufacture quality devices, but ones that provide additional value through instant and free access to entertainment.” The new Samsung TV Plus content and brand will roll out globally across 24 countries and 465 million Samsung devices.

Netflix is being sued for defamation by Rachel DeLoache Williams over her depiction in true crime limited series “Inventing Anna,” about con artist Anna Sorokin. “This action will show that Netflix made a deliberate decision for dramatic purposes to show Williams doing or saying things in the Series which portray her as a greedy, snobbish, disloyal, dishonest, cowardly, manipulative and opportunistic person,” reads the lawsuit. Williams wrote about Sorokin for Vanity Fair, and had struck a now-expired deal with HBO about her story. “The devastating damage to her reputation could have been avoided if only Netflix had used a fictitious name and different details. Why didn’t they do this for her, when they did for so many other characters in the Series?”, asked Williams’ lawyer, Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, in a statement to Deadline. “Perhaps the reason was that she had chosen to play for the other team, i.e., HBO.”

CNN is airing reruns of “Inside Politics” on Sundays at 11a in the time slot left vacant by the cancellation of “Reliable Sources.” The news net has not announced a replacement for “Reliable Sources,” which had been on the air for 30 years but suffered from low ratings.

Chris Rock confirmed that he turned down an offer to host the 2023 Academy Awards. Rock told an audience in Phoenix that following the slap from Will Smith at this year’s Oscars, he was invited to host (as he did in 2005 and 2016), but refused. Rock said he also declined an offer for a Super Bowl commercial.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Apple TV+ comedy series “Trying” has been renewed for a fourth season ahead of its third season finale on September 2. Season three finds Nikki and Jason’s relationship tested as they desperately try to navigate the ups and downs of parenthood.

Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions is co-producing “In the Shadows of Beirut,” filmed over four years in Lebanon, with Cyprus Avenue Films (“Gaza,” “Bobby Sands: 66 Days”). Production partners include Beirut’s Abbout Productions (“Costa Brava, Lebanon”), Republic of Ireland-based Real Films (“Gaza”) and Berlin-based Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion (“The Cleaners”).

Seni Tienabeso has been promoted to executive director of streaming service ABC News Live, tasked with overseeing the day-to-day editorial direction of the channel and developing live programming, live events and specials. Prior to joining ABC News Live in 2019, Seni was a senior producer for “World News Tonight with David Muir.”

Also scoring promotions are “Bob Hearts Abishola” co-creator/co-executive producer Gina Yashere and co-executive producer Matt Ross, who have been upped to EP and co-showrunners alongside co-creators Al Higgins and Chuck Lorre. “This has been such a creatively fulfilling partnership, and we’re so happy to see it continue and expand,” said Lorre and Higgins.

Following word that he would not return for season five of ABC’s “The Conners,” Michael Fishman clarified that his exit was not his decision. “I was told I would not be returning,” Fishman said in a statement, adding, “Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop…..As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.”

TelevisaUnivision announced the start of production in Mexico City of “Una Noche” (One Night, working title), a thriller series for ViX+. Produced by The Immigrant, “Una Noche” is the first title to go in production as part of a deal between The Immigrant’s and ViX+ to develop original scripted content.

Comedian Tom Segura (“Ball Hog,” “Completely Natural”) has signed on for two more Netflix specials. The first is slated to premiere in 2023.

CNN senior political correspondent Abby Phillip will help keep it real as a consultant on HBO Max’s upcoming “The Girls on the Bus,” about reporters on a presidential campaign trail. In front of the camera, Brandon Scott (“Dead to Me”) has been cast as a series regular, and Griffin Dunne (“This Is Us”) will recur.

More casting notes: Jesse Lee Soffer, an original cast member on NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”, is leaving the series early in season ten. “I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead,” said Soffer in a statement….Keely Hawes (“Life of Duty”) will star opposite Krysten Ritter in spin-off “Orphan Black: Echoes,” slated to launch on AMC+ in 2023….Demetrius Grosse (“Heart of a Lion”) landed the lead opposite Neve Campbell in upcoming ABC drama “Avalon.”…Daniel Stern (“Shrill”) has joined the season four cast of Apple TV+’s “For All Mankind.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Fubo Sports Network has greenlit “Airing It Out with Housh and Scandrick,” a football-focused talk show hosted by former Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and NFL vet Orlando Scandrick. The new series will kick off with a 2022-23 NFL season preview episode on September 6 at 7p followed by the official series premiere on September 12 at noon. Also premiering: Season two of “Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. and Hatch” on September 8 at 7p, and new podcast and TV series “The Young Person Basketball Podcast with R.J. Hampton” on October 23 at 8p.

“Beat the Odds,” a 30-minute weekly syndicated sports betting and entertainment television series, will debut on more than 100 Gray Television stations starting September 2. The show will feature news, data, and analysis, mixed with sports and betting stories.

Turkish drama “El Fuego del Destino” (Fire’s Destiny) launches Tuesday, September 6 at 9p on Telemundo. The series follows three women who decide to take control of their lives after being on the verge of death.

“The Bridge,” adapted from the Danish-Swedish crime series, begins airing during Ovation TV’s Saturday night programming block starting October 15 at 7p.

COMING UP

Antenna TV will celebrate the official end of summer with a “Welcome Back to School Marathon” on Monday, September 5 featuring episodes of the 1970s comedy “Welcome Back Kotter.” Set your alarm – the binge starts at 5a.

The final performance of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra has been filmed for broadcast on PBS. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, comprised of recent Ukrainian refugees and other artists in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, embarked on a European and American tour on July 28 that culminated with a performance at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on August 20. The broadcast version of the performance premieres Friday, September 9 at 9p.

Six back-to-back episodes of the original “COPS” air Thursday, September 8 starting at 9p on Reelz.

SPORTS

Google signed on as FIBA’s first-ever Global Partner of Women’s Basketball and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, with the deal kicking in with this year’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney on Sept. 22 with Google becoming the Exclusive Presenter of the All-Star 5, recognizing the best players of the tournament. Additionally, Google and FIBA will collaborate with ESPN to distribute the entire Women’s World Cup. Six games will air exclusively in the United States on ESPN2 and ESPNU – the most Women’s World Cup games to ever air on live television in the U.S. The remaining games will be available on ESPN+.

ESPN re-signed Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young, Super Bowl Champions Booger McFarland and Jeff Saturday, and Pro Bowl Quarterback Alex Smith ahead of the 2022 NFL Season. The four analysts will continue to be showcased across ESPN’s studio programming on a regular basis.

The National Lacrosse League revealed the broadcast coverage plan for the 2022 NLL Entry Draft, which will be held on Sept. 10 beginning at 2p. This year’s first round will be available for the first time on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States, with additional rounds covered in real time on NLL social channels. Coverage will be hosted by Devan Kaney with TSN’s Teddy Jenner and Pat Gregoire providing analysis.

UFC announced that Project Rock, the performance brand created by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has launched its first ever co-branded footwear, the Project Rock x UFC BSR 2 and Project Rock Slides. The BSR 2 and Project Rock Slides are now the Official Footwear of all UFC athletes and corners.

TECH TALK

Google notified Truth Social of violations of standard policies in their app submission, “and reiterated that having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google play,” said Google in a statement, adding that Truth Social “wrote back acknowledging our feedback and saying that they are working on addressing these issues.”

ID5, the identity provider for digital advertising, in partnership with Amobee announced that they enabled UK wine brand Gusbourne to expand its reach by 76% and increase the likelihood an exposed person or device would engage with ad by 95%, while reducing CPA by 23% for a recent direct-response, cross-device display campaign. “Our partnership with ID5 has illustrated the advantages of cookieless targeting and how it can positively impact campaign performance even before third-party cookies fully phase out,” said Isabelle Bagge, Director, Client Services at Amobee EMEA.

STREAMING

Firstlight Media is rebranding the company as Quickplay, as it previews a new generation of cloud-native capabilities. “As we’ve extended our leadership in cloud-native streaming, it’s become clear to the market that the platform we’ve created is truly differentiated from anything that has come before it,” said Andre Christensen, CEO and Co-Founder of Quickplay. “Just as it did more than a decade ago, Quickplay today is making huge technology leaps that are enabling operators to capture leadership positions in an increasingly crowded streaming environment.”

Cinedigm Corp announced that RetroCrush, a digital channel devoted to classic anime, has launched on Philo, and will be included as part of the base package for Philo subscribers. The new agreement marks Cinedigm’s first distribution deal with the virtual MVPD.

MuxIP, provider of automated solutions for ad-supported streaming, has partnered with Dooya Media Group, an OTT services company offering a network of FAST channels, to deliver a single, customized interface for Dooya channels. The integration of MuxIP’s FASTHub solution will help expand distribution and centralize management of Dooya’s premium FAST channels, which can now be created in just a few days.

GOING GLOBAL

Insight TV has partnered with streaming service SportsTribal to add INTROUBLE, Insight TV’s FAST channel, to the platform across Europe.

ITV Studios has expanded its production partnership with Jake Vision, producers of fiction and entertainment content in Poland. The partnership gives Jake Vision the exclusive production rights to all non-scripted ITV Studios formats newly commissioned in the territory.

Pineapple Entertainment, part of Banijay Nordic, announced a new reality series for Warner Bros. Discovery set in the Grand Canyon. The series will air in Denmark on Channel 5 and discovery+.

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RATINGS

Last Thursday night, Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” posted a .8 Live+3 rating among W18+ (.6 P18+ Live+3), marking the series highest-rated episode since August 2020. Versus year-ago timeslot benchmarks, ratings were up +114% W18+; +121% P18+. The show ranked as a Top 5 non-news/sports cable program in its timeslot among W18+(#4) and P18+ (#5).

Throughout the month of August, Spectrum News averaged more than 2.3 million daily viewing households across its linear and digital platforms. In Spectrum News’ Nielsen-rated markets, Austin recorded an 18% month-over-month increase in viewership. Orlando was also among markets recording month-over-month ratings growth (9%).

FOX Sports reports that Saturday’s matchup between Nebraska and Northwestern scored was the most-watched sports telecast of the day on any network, averaging 4,419,000 viewers. That is up 35% from 2021’s matchup.

Elsewhere in ratings, USA Network, since becoming the new cable network home for NBC Sports programming on January 1, reports viewership milestones for its sports properties. Among the highlights are Premier League nabbing two of the four most-watched Premier League matches on cable on record; NASCAR’s race at Watkins Glen on August 21, marking the sixth consecutive USA Network Cup Series race to deliver year-over-year viewership gains; and Round 2 of the 2022 U.S. Open averaging a TAD of 1.17 million viewers, resulting in USA Network’s best weekday afternoon viewership since January 2017 (excluding Holidays).

Rounding out the theme, CBS Sports delivered the most-watched NFL ON CBS preseason game in nine years as Sunday’s Lions/Steelers game averaged 5.821 million viewers, up 65% vs. last year. The game also marked the most-watched NFL preseason game on any network this year and was the most-watched sports program of the week. Lions/Steelers was the most-streamed NFL preseason game ever on Paramount+ and delivered triple-digit year-over-year growth in average minute audience.

Twitter reported a 5x year-over-year increase in #VMAStanMail conversation volume, and a nearly 6x increase in unique authors Tweeting about #VMAStanMail for Sunday’s show on MTV, and 34% of fans who Tweeted about #VMAStanmail were new to the conversation.

In syndication, “Judge Judy” (10-week high 4.5 Live+SD national Nielsen, up 7% from the week before) jumped to its biggest rating since early June in the week ending August 21. The session’s other big movers included “Extra” (0.6, up 20%), which scored the strongest percentage increase among magazines.

Fox News Channel finished August as the third highest-rated network in all of television, while FNC’s “Gutfeld!” became the first late-night cable program to finish the month as the most-watched late-night show in all of broadcast and cable.

Fox Business Network’s full daytime lineup in August saw double digit year-over-year gains this month with total viewers. The network also scored 10 of the top 20 programs in business news.

The season two premiere of HGTV’s “Farmhouse Fixer” attracted more than 5.6 million total viewers when it premiered on August 24. The episode garnered a .54 Live+3 rating among P25-54 and a .64 among W25-54, reflecting an increase of 29% and 20% respectively over the prior six weeks.

Basic Cable Top 10 Nielsen Ratings for the week of August 22
Network, P2+ AA (000)
Prime Time
Fox News 2206
MSNBC 1310
ESPN 1047
HGTV 944
NFL Network 769
TBS 745
Hallmark Channel 743
TLC 734
INSP 722
USA 685
Total Day
Fox News 1440
MSNBC 820
CNN 5264
HGTV 499
ESPN 466
Hallmark Channel 440
Food Network 406
INSP 401
TV Land 355
USA 349

Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of August 15 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Family Feud (CMV) 5.1 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.5 AA
Jeopardy! (CMV) 4.1 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 4.1 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.0 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 1.9 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 1.8 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.5 AA
Dr. Phil (CMV) 1.3 AA
Hot Bench (AT) 1.2 AA

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, August 29
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Bachelorette Men Tell All 3.31 (0.8), Claim to Fame 1.64 (0.3)
CBS: The Neighborhood 3.20 (0.3), Bob Hearts Abishola 2.45 (0.3), NCIS 3.07 (0.2), NCIS: Hawai’i 2.52 (0.2)
CW: Roswell: New Mexico 0.46 (0.1), In the Dark 0.35 (0.0)
FOX: Don’t Forget the Lyrics (0.3), Beat Shazam 1.86 (0.4)
NBC: American Ninja Warrior 3.14 (0.5), Weakest Link 2.09 (0.3)
Telemundo: Top Chef VIP 0.90 (0.3), Infiel: Historia de un Engano 0.87 (0.2)
Univision: La Mexicana Y El Guero 0.91 (0.3), Herencia Legado Amor 1.24 (0.4), Mujer de Nadie 1.09 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Podcast studio Cadence13 (“Once Upon a Time in the Valley”) has hired Patton Valentine as VP, Film & Television Development, to boost TV and film adaptations. Valentine had previously been Head of Television Content & Production at Ley Line Entertainment.

Showtime Networks has promoted Zoe Rogovin to the position of Senior Vice President, Programming. Rogovin joined SHOWTIME in 2019 and oversees the development and production of the network’s original non-fiction storytelling.

Wendy Rubin has been named Chief Financial Officer of Great Point Studios. Rubin was previously SVP at WarnerMedia.

Riff Raff Entertainment, co-founded by actor Jude Law and creative partner Ben Jackson, has filled the role of Head of Development with Katie Sinclair. Sinclair joins from Blueprint Pictures.

FX has tapped Chika Chukudebelu Igwilo to serve as Senior Vice President of Development. Chukudebelu Igwilo had been a VP of Original Programming, drama at HBO Max.

Jim Iovino has joined The E.W. Scripps Company to lead the new Google-backed Scripps Journalism Journey Initiative, designed to transition experienced journalists with primarily print news backgrounds into video-driven news careers. Iovino most recently as visiting assistant professor of media innovation at West Virginia University.

REELZ has tapped Steve McGowan to serve as Senior Vice President of Research. McGowan has held roles at Discovery Communications, PBS, Univision and Sinclair. The network also announced that advertising sales executives Christine Georgakakis and Michele Van Nostrand have been promoted to SVP.

David H. Gardner has joined Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University as a full-time Communications/PR professor. His recent PR clients include the SXSW Gaming Awards 2022, DreamHack gaming festivals (U.S.), and the upcoming TV series “GameMaster.”

Christine “Chrissy” Maiorano has joined UP Entertainment as Vice President, Pricing & Planning. Prior to joining UP Entertainment, Maiorano worked at Provide Media/leadHOOP.

This Day in History
1888 – The body of Jack the Ripper’s first victim was found.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On “Jane the Virgin” (2014-19), where had Petra’s long-lost twin grown up? A Czech orphanage. Kudos to: Sandy Spiegel/Chicago; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Which ABC series was canceled after one episode, after replacing a comedy that had been axed after five episodes? (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.)

Cynopsis Team