Wednesday October 5, 2022

Today’s Finale
BET: Haus of Vicious at 9p

IN THE NEWS

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell confirmed reports that the company is considering giving the 10p hour back to affiliates but said no final decisions have been made. During an interview on CNBC, Shell also said Peacock has reached 15 million paying subscribers and 30 million monthly active accounts. Pre-launch, guidance had been 30-35 million by 2025.

Former president Donald Trump has filed a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN. The lawsuit alleges a “campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander” that has caused Trump to suffer “embarrassment, pain, humiliation and mental anguish.” Trump suggested similar lawsuits will be filed against other news organizations, adding he may bring “appropriate action” against the House committee investigating the January 6 attack as well. No comment, said CNN.

It’s back on: Elon Musk has offered to match the terms of the $44 billion deal to buy Twitter that he has tried for months to squirm out of. Musk notified Twitter via a letter that he was prepared to pay his original offer price of $54.20/share, pending financing and a stay of the trial set to begin October 17. Twitter had sued Musk over his refusal to honor the contract he signed in April. “We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the SEC,” said Twitter in a statement. “The intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share.”

Booted from major US pay-TV services, far-right cable channel One America News Network is now distributing itself as a broadcast subchannel, reports Bloomberg. OAN owner Herring Networks, which lost distribution after OAN reported that the 2020 election was rigged, is facing threats from voting machine companies.

Is “Moonlighting” coming back? “Disney and I have put our heads together and come up with a plan,” tweeted Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of the 1984-89 dramedy starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. “Big announcement Wednesday!”. No word on whether Caron is referring to reruns or a reboot, but so far the popular show hasn’t hit syndication because of music licensing issues.

When it comes to Gen Z, “subcultures are the new demographics,” according to Horizon Media’s “Gen Z Field Guide: A Marketer’s Manual for Following the Niche Over the Norm.” Reaching Gen Zers meaningfully requires marketers to follow them through the “labyrinth of personalized worlds they discover through their unique interests,” notes the report. “As Gen Z’s influence on commerce and culture continues to grow, brands that learn to connect with these subcultures will thrive,” said Maxine Gurevich, SVP, Cultural Intelligence of WHY Group, Horizon Media’s intelligence center of excellence. “To drive critical mass and conversion, niche and relevancy at scale will trump traditional reach and frequency tactics. Capturing Gen Z’s attention requires breaking conventions to develop brand experiences that authentically suit their algorithms.”

Call for Submissions: Cynopsis is producing our annual Holiday Programming Guide, which comes out on November 2 and will be sent to all Cynopsis subscribers. If your network has holiday programming airing from November 2 through January 1, please send your listing to [email protected] and [email protected] no later October 15 with the subject line: Holiday Guide. To be included, programs must be listed by date, title of program, and start times, in the following format: “Thursday, November 19: Network Name: My One Christmas Wish at 9a, Paper Angels at 11a, 12 Days of Giving at 1p”. Holiday-related programs only! A confirmation email will be sent following each submission (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).

Yep, she’s gay. Scenes from the new “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!” direct-to-home film confirm the character of Velma is a lesbian. Series creatives have long acknowledged Velma’s sexuality, but were unable to depict it on-screen. In the new movie, Velma is smitten with costume designer Coco Diablo.

The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy, which monitors channels offered over set-top boxes to end unauthorized use of clients’ content, has signed E.W. Scripps as its first US client. IBCAP will provide anti-piracy protection for Scripps’ Bounce, Bounce XL, Court TV, Defy, Grit, Grit Extra, Ion, Ion Mystery, Ion Plus, Laff, Newsy (rebranding as Scripps News in January) and True Real. “By joining IBCAP, we are enhancing our content protection strategy by leveraging IBCAP’s lab and know-how to shut down unauthorized providers of our content,” said Dave Giles, SVP and Deputy General Counsel for Scripps.

National Geographic topped the field with eight trophies on night two of the 43rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. HBO and CNN tied for second with four wins apiece; CNN and Netflix each brought home two.

GLAAD is adding Outstanding Reality Competition, Outstanding Live TV and Outstanding Podcast to its 34th annual awards event. Deadline for application is November 11.

HBO Max is betting on “How to Be Bookie,” ordering eight episodes of the new comedy from Chuck Lorre (“The Big Bang Theory”), Nick Bakay (“Young Sheldon”), and Warner Bros. Television. Actor/comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (“The Irishman) is set to star as a veteran bookie faced with the impending legalization of sports gambling.

Netflix has ordered a spin-off of LA-set “Bling Empire.” “Bling Empire: New York” will include Dorothy Wang, a cast member in season two of the mother ship.

Anchor Entertainment (“Rebel Hearts”) is joining forces with filmmaker Errol Morris (“A Brief History of Time”) to adapt “End of Sentence,” based on Barbara Bradley Hagerty’s reporting for The Atlantic, to the screen. Zo Wesson (“Shoot This Not That”) will direct the story of Benjamine Spencer, a Black man who served 34 years of a life-prison sentence for a murder he did not commit.

Amazon Studios is collaborating on two initiatives to support the US Latino community: Sponsoring the Latino Film Institute’s Youth Cinema Project Alumni Program for the 2022-23 school year, and funding the YCP Fellowship, which provides 15 college-bound students with the resources to make a short film. “As we strive to be a global entertainment destination, we acknowledge the power and importance of Latino audiences. In order to tell their rich and dynamic stories authentically, we need their skills and creative power both in front of and behind the camera,” said Latasha Gillespie, Global Head of DEIA for Amazon Studios, Freevee and IMDb. “Partnering with LFI and LA Collab is not a charitable endeavor, it is an equitable endeavor.”

Jennifer Hillier’s 2020 mystery thriller, Little Secrets, is being adapted as a series for Peacock by HopeTown Entertainment, Melissa Scrivner Love and Universal Television. The story follows a mother desperate for revenge after her child goes missing.

Monica Macer (“Queen Sugar,” “Station Eleven”) has signed a multi-year overall deal with MGM Television to create, develop and produce original scripted programming. “Monica Macer is a dynamic storyteller who has written for and produced some of the most popular and acclaimed series of the last 15 years,” said Michael Wright, President of Scripted Television at MGM. “We are thrilled she’s chosen MGM to be her new creative home.”

Deborah Roberts has more on her plate at ABC News. A reporter for “20/20” since 1995, Roberts will become a contributing anchor for the show, in addition to her job as senior national affairs correspondent at ABC News.

Casting notes: Emily Watson (“All God’s Creatures”) and Shirley Henderson (“Harry Potter”) will star in HBO Max’s “Dune: The Sisterhood” (wt)…Added to the cast of Peacock’s upcoming mystery drama “Poker Face” are Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Chelsea Frei (“Dollface”) and Rowan Blanchard (“Crush”).

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Season four of HLN’s “Real Life Nightmares” kicks off Sunday, November 13 at 9p with a new host, former cold-case investigator Paul Holes. The season opens with a two-hour special event investigating Gary Hilton, aka the National Forest Serial Killer.

Nicole Curtis returns to her hometown of Lake Orion, Michigan to complete the massive renovation of a waterfront cottage on HGTV’s new “Rehab Addict Lake House Rescue,” premiering Thursday, November 3 at 9p.

“I Am Shauna Rae” is back for season two on Tuesday, November 1 at 10p. The TLC reality show follows a 22-year-old whose growth was stunted after a childhood battle with brain cancer, who is determined to live a normal life.

COMING UP

Universal Pictures’ “Beast” begins streaming October 7 exclusively on Peacock. The thriller follows recently a widowed doctor (Idris Elba) and his daughters as they travel to a South African game reserve, where a journey of healing turns into a fight for survival when a lion begins stalking them.

“Stephen King: A Necessary Evil” has its US premiere on MagellanTV on Thursday, October 6. The doc includes archival footage and interviews with the best-selling author about the horror genre.

To celebrate Raphael‘s 60th anniversary in the world of music, streamer ViX+ is presenting “Raphaelismo” on October 6. The four-parter is the only documentary with the direct involvement of Raphael and his family.

TECH TALK

Social media users are regularly seeing out of home advertising creative in photos across their feeds, led by TikTok users, who report that they frequently notice OOH ads while on the platform (82%). Users of Instagram and Facebook are close behind (81% and 80%, respectively), while 78% of Snapchat users and 76% of Tweeters also report often seeing OOH ads in their feeds, according to “OOH Consumer Insights & Opportunities Q4 2022: Social Media” a new research report from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America. “It is impressive to see how organically-shared OOH ads on social platforms prompt brand engagement from users,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO, OAAA. “This research underscores the deep connection between great out of home creative and social media – a connection that can supercharge a marketer’s OOH investment.”

Facebook is shuttering its newsletter to support creators, Bulletin, in early 2023. “Bulletin has allowed us to learn about the relationship between creators and their audiences and how to better support them in building their community on Facebook,” said a Meta spokesperson. “While this off-platform product itself is ending, we remain committed to supporting these and other creators’ success and growth on our platform.”

Connected TV is the most promising development for 2022 elections digital marketers, according to a report from Basis Technologies. Findings include:
· 92% of political marketers say that programmatic advertising will be important for their campaigns.
· There are more respondents in 2022 saying “Voter file data” is promising than in 2020.
· A majority of respondents allocate between 25 to 55 percent of budgets to digital.
· The overwhelming majority of professionals (92%) affirm that programmatic advertising is important.
· For two election cycles in a row, the most concerning factor for digital campaigns is “digital platforms shifting policies and restrictions on political ads.”
“Clearly, digital buyers have inventory and premium media on their radars. Actual voter issues are not the main concern for marketers,” concluded the report. “However, ultimately, they want voter turnout because elections have only two outcomes—you win or you lose.”

STREAMING

Disney+ Original movie “Hocus Pocus 2” is the #1 film premiere on Disney+ domestically to date, based on hours streamed in the first three days of its release. Arriving 29 years after the original, the movie brings back Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy to wreak a new kind of havoc on Salem.

Netflix is also having a killer week. Ryan Murphy’s “Dahmer: Monster -The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” delivered 299.84 million hours viewed its second week, on top of the 196.2 million for week #1. That makes it the ninth most-popular series on Netflix after just nine days.

Libsyn will be a Presenting Sponsor of the BIPOC Podcast Creators initiative, a program designed to build a talent pipeline of multicultural creators and professionals in podcasting. The goal of BPC is to offer diverse voices opportunities to learn, network and grow.

SPORTS STATS

FOX Sports revealed its broadcast team anchoring the network’s tournament coverage of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with coverage launching November 20. John Strong and Stu Holden anchor the lead broadcast booth for FOX Sports, while JP Dellacamera pairs with Cobi Jones, while Aly Wagner partners with Derek Rae. Ian Darke makes his FOX Sports play-by-play debut alongside Landon Donovan and Warren Barton joins Jacqui Oatley to round out the announcer pairings. Rob Stone returns as lead host for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

When the 2022 ESPN NBA preseason schedule tips off Thursday, ESPN will unveil a new, global creative brand identity for NBA for its NBA coverage across all screens and platforms. The brand identity also includes WNBA and G-League, making it the first time the collection of NBA brands will feature a cohesive look across properties.

GOING GLOBAL

BAFTA has changed the rules for some of its TV categories to expand the participation of UK’s female directors. The top three male and top three female directors from round one in BAFTA Craft Director categories in Factual, Fiction and Multi-Camera will now automatically go through to jury consideration. “This new intervention, a first for the TV Craft Awards, will increase the visibility of women at longlisting stage, with the longer-term aim to encourage a greater representation of women considered,” said BAFTA.

Banijay’s acquisition of Sony Productions Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH Germany (Sony Pictures Television Germany) from Sony Pictures is complete. The label has been rebranded Noisy Pictures GmbH, with Astrid Quentell and Mirek Nitsch remaining in position.

ASPIRE has secured multi-territory rights for the British heritage brand Lyle & Scott. Under the deal, ASPIRE will represent Lyle & Scott in the UK and Eire, Europe, MENA, the US, Canada and Australia, with scope to explore additional territories.

Armoza Formats unveiled its new slate for Fall 2022 with formats that highlight different members of the family in each format: “The Fittest Pensioner”; “Parents Unfiltered”; “Pet Detective”; and “The Extra Mile.”

Among the offerings from Mediaset Distribution are “Back to School”; “Justice for All”; “My Dear Brother”; and “The Good Family,” among others.

Acamar Films has extended its partnership with Prime Video for the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain for its animated series “Bing” with a multi-year deal. Prime Video has also acquired Bing’s latest season.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who was the first actress to play “The Honeymooners” character, Trixie? Elaine Stritch. Kudos to: JoAnn DiNapoli-DeSales Media Group/Brooklyn, NY; Mark Selby-Melbar Entertainment Group/Toronto; Jim Kelly-Jim Kelly Consulting/Central Islip, NY; Roger Furman-Sports Marketing Communication/Greentown, PA; Rick Rosenfelt-New York Red Bulls/Harrison, NJ; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Mike Coughlin-Disney Television Animation/LA; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Who was the second host of “Family Feud”? (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.)