Tonight’s Finales
HGTV: Brother vs. Brother Tells All at 8p
Lifetime: Married at First Sight at 9p

IN THE NEWS

ViacomCBS International Studios announced a new unified structure, ViacomCBS International Studios Distribution, which will encompass all studio sales business including co-productions, presale, formats, tape sales and co-developments. The company’s former International Program Sales division is now combined with VIS’s sales division, which previously focused on VIS original content revenues only. Lauren Marriott has been appointed SVP of Sales & Business Operations and Distribution Lead for the UK, and Laura Burrell will serve as VP, International Formats.

CIVIC has launched a new cultural insights and strategy venture, Cultique, offering cultural insights for businesses. “We’re in a cultural ‘perfect storm’ of events right now. The pandemic, racial injustice and economic catastrophe, along with political chaos and climate change, are each undergoing paradigm shifts which in turn intensify the others,” said Linda Ong, CEO + Founder, Cultique. “Our unique and proven approach to culture separates the signal from the noise to help brands align with the rapid pace of change to pivot, respond and optimize their businesses.”

Call for Submissions: Cynopsis is producing its annual Holiday Programming Guide, which comes out on October 28 and will be sent to all Cynopsis subscribers. If your network has holiday programming airing from October 28 through January 1, please send your listing to [email protected] and [email protected] no later than Monday, October 19 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, A Christmas Kiss at 3p, A Very Country Christmas at 5p, Christmas on the Coast at 7p, A Christmas Cruise at 9p”. Holiday-related programs only! A confirmation email will be sent following each submission (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).

Fox News Media has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins Publishers. Fox News Books will feature titles from Fox News personalities, including Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth and Fox News @ Night anchor Shannon Bream, among others.

SCTE·ISBE, the cable industry’s association training organization, is launching a new learning management system. The LMS places increased focus on content, provides better data reporting and a more user-friendly interface, and supports innovative training methods. “We have always been focused on training and certifications for the cable industry, but this new platform makes the learner experience more engaging, more impactful and more about knowledge retention,” said Robin Fenton, VP, Membership and Learning Operations, SCTE·ISBE. “With a more robust and modern LMS, we are able to push forward with new developments in our learning and development strategies.”

November 17-18

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Original anime series Godzilla Singular Point is coming to Netflix, from director Atsushi Takahashi (Doraemon the Movie 2017: Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi). Anime studio bones (My Hero Academia) in partnership with studio Orange, (Beastars, Land of the Lustrous) will produce the series combining hand-drawn and CG animation styles.

Season three of CW’s will get an additional 13 episodes. The fantasy/adventure series follows the survivor of a race called the Blackbloods who must learn to harness her supernatural powers.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group is partnering with Underknown, creators of social media brand What If, to create a global television series. The What If franchise has amassed 25 million followers and five billion watched-minutes.

YouTube announced a slate of new and returning projects dedicated to amplifying Black voices, including new projects that have come directly out of the recently announced $100 million #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, including a documentary series from Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and a HBCU Homecoming livestream special. “YouTube is committed to spotlighting community-driven storytelling and the important issues that people of color and other marginalized communities face everyday,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube Originals. “Now more than ever, it’s essential that we develop, support, and elevate content that is created by and for the Black community.”

Topeka is teaming up with The Culinary Institute of America for a live cooking series, Around The Kitchen Table. CIA alumni Maneet Chauhan, Johnny Hernandez, Katianna Hong, and J J Johnson are inviting participants into their kitchens – virtually – and sharing their expertise. Participants have the option of making a donation to support scholarships for CIA students; Vale Fox Distillery will be matching those donations.

Natalie Zea (Dirty Sexy Money) rejoins her Justified co-star Walton Goggins as a recurring player during season two of The Unicorn. Zea appeared in the season one finale.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Britbox renewed topical satirical puppet show Spitting Image for a second season, after the series premiere of the reboot lifted subscribers ten-fold compared to the average daily sign-up rate. “The fantastic response to Spitting Image just goes to show how much the world needs public service satire,” said Reemah Sakaan, Group Director of ITV SVOD and Chief Creative and Brand Officer of BritBox. “Not only can subscribers look forward to another 9 weeks of anarchy but also now another series in 2021.”

Martha Stewart will dig into landscaping at her Bedford, NY property in season two of HGTV’s Martha Knows Best, as well as counsel fans and friends via video on their own projects. The new season launches Wednesday, October 28 at 8p and 8:30p.

UMC limited series Terror Lake Drive premieres Thanksgving Day, November 26. The drama starring Malik Yoba (Empire) centers on a single mom who relocates to Atlanta to escape a troubled past.

Coach Kev premieres on Snapchat on Saturday, October 10. Kevin Hart shares wisdom for people aspiring to live their best life in the unscripted Snap original.

Three-part docudrama Rise of the Nazis examines how Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party seized power in the 1930s. Mixing archival footage with dramatic reconstruction, the series premieres on PBS on Tuesday, November 10 at 9p (check local listings).

The Canadian Film Centre is presenting CFC BLOCKO!, a seven-part series and call to action piece from Charles Officer (Akilla’s Escape), produced by Canesugar Mediaworks. Premiering on CFC’s YouTube chnnel on Wednesday, October 14 at 4 p, this short documentary series features personal conversations with six Black CFC alumni, as well as CFC Founder Norman Jewison.

Estrella Media signed a co-production deal with Mexican movie star Omar Chaparro to host a one-hour, weekday talk show on EstrellaTV. Chaparro will co-produce and host Tu Night con Omar Chaparro, debuting October 22 at 10p.

STREAMING SCOOP

Netflix had the biggest share of streams in 3Q20 with 25%, but that’s a 22% drop versus the second quarter, according to Reelgood. Amazon Prime Video inched up to 21% of streams from 20%, Hulu dipped from 19% to 15%, Disney+ held steady at 6%, and HBO Max jumped from 3% to 9%. Reelgood also noted SVOD as a whole saw a 9% drop in streaming share compared to 2Q20, and AVOD was up by 23%.

On the FAST track: Sony Canal, the new free, ad-supported streaming television destination from Sony Pictures Television for Spanish speaking viewers in the US, is now available to consumers via Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Plex and VIZIO SmartCast. The Sony Canal channels feature Spanish-language dramas, comedies and reality competition shows.

COMING UP

The cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series perform Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s songs and share holiday memories in High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special. The 45-minute special premieres on Friday, December 11 on Disney+, and will also feature a sneak peek performance from the season two of the series.

Madness in the Hills, documenting the devastating mudslides in Southern California in 2018, premieres on Peacock Friday, October 9. The film marks the documentary directorial debut of Rob Lowe.

Chelsea Handler returns to stand-up after six years with Chelsea Handler: Evolution, premiering Thursday, October 22 on HBO Max. The special was films this summer in front a live, socially distanced audience.

TECH TALK

Why has Twitter become such a significant hub for parents? Twitter offered some new stats about its community of moms who use the platform during a panel at Advertising Week. Kunur Patel, Industry Manager, CPG at Twitter spoke with Maya McDonald, Brand Activations Lead for Easy Meals at Kraft Heinz Company about how Kraft Heinz utilized Twitter to connect with its audience during the pandemic. Insights = on how brands can build an authentic voice within that community include:
· 50% of Moms are on Twitter daily
· 78% of Twitter moms feel their voice as a mom will be heard on Twitter
· 78% of Twitter moms report using the platform as a vital source of news
· Moms on Twitter are receptive to brands – 64% of US moms follow brands
· Moms are in a discovery mindset on Twitter – 83% of moms often look for further product information after seeing an ad on Twitter

GOING GLOBAL

Anthology drama Small Axe, from Steve McQueen, premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on November 15. The five-parter makes its Amazon Prime debut in the US on Nocember 20.

Channel 5 announced an increase in its year-over-year regional spend with indies, to 35.5% of its total UK origination budget in 2019 versus 21.6% in 2018, exceeding its Ofcom target quota of 10%. In terms of hours, regionally produced content made up 20.7% (380 hours) of the schedule in 2019, against 16.4% (289 hours) in 2018, an increase of 27% year-on-year, also exceeding its Ofcom quota of 10% and reflecting the channels continued commitment to the nations and regions.

MTV International is expanding its digital slate with two new remotely filmed short form shows made for YouTube and Facebook: Celebrity Bumps Mike + Perri, and MTV’s Living the Dream. MTVI is partnering with BET International to amplify the stories across digital platforms. “

UK AVOD service W4free has closed licensing deals with Trinity Creative Partnership, 101 Films and Central City Media that will bring over 100 additional titles to the platform.

InWild, the nature and wildlife channel that is a joint venture between Insight TV and Off the Fence, has launched on Samsung TV Plus in the UK.

Jellyfish has acquired Latin American digital media companies Reamp and San Pancho, further expanding its presence in the region. The data-driven marketing players serve as tech partners and advisors to clients.

There’s never been a more important time for a holistic advertising approach to get your candidate’s message out. Join us & experts from Crossroads Media, Media Fortitude, New York Interconnect, and Sage Media to learn about the must-haves of political advertising.

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Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who was drunk Abbi’s alter ego on Broad City (2014-19)? Val. Kudos to: Allyson Haas-Babiekins Magazine/LA, Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Joe Cruse-Diesel Labs/Boston, Alee Petrucelli-BBC Studios/NYC, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA

Today’s Trivia Question
On which sitcoms starring former Friends (1994-2004) co-stars did Matthew Perry guest star? (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.)