Today’s Finale
DIY: Lakefront Bargain Hunt Renovation at 9p

Saturday’s Premieres
Awesomeness: Mystery Twin Bin
Nat Geo WILD: Photo Ark at 10p
Travel Channel: Ghost Nation at 9p

Saturday’s Finales
HGTV: Help! I Wrecked My House at 8p, Hidden Potential: Tricks of the Trade at 9p and 10p

Sunday’s Premieres
ABC: America’s Funniest Home Videos at 7p, Supermarket Sweep at 8p, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 9p, Card Sharks at 10p
BBC America: Top Gear at 8p
DIY: Building Alaska at 9p
Food Network: Halloween Freakshow Cakes at 10p
PBS: The Trouble With Maggie Cole at 8p
Starz: Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult at 9p

Sunday’s Finales
HBO: Lovecraft Country at 9p, The Vow at 10p
ID: Signs of a Psychopath at 10p
Nat Geo: Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks at 8:30p
TV One: Uncensored at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Season two of L.A.’s Finest will be the last for Spectrum. Season one of the police drama starring Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union is airing on Fox, which acquired the show during the COVID-19-caused production shutdown.

NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde responded to criticism over NBC’s decision to air a town hall with President Trump last night that overlapped with ABC’s event with Joe Biden. “Our decision is motivated only by fairness, not business considerations,” said Conde. “We aired a town hall with Vice President Biden on October 5 at 8 PM. If we were to move our town hall with President Trump to a later timeslot we would be violating our commitment to offer both campaigns access to the same audience and the same forum.” Biden and Trump had been scheduled to debate each other last night, but Trump backed out after his COVID-19 diagnosis prompted the Commission on Presidential Debates to change to a virtual format.

Meanwhile, C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully, who had been scheduled to moderate that canceled presidential debate, has been suspended indefinitely after lying about his Twitter account being hacked. “For several weeks, I was subjected to relentless criticism on social media and in conservative news outlets regarding my role as moderator for the second presidential debate, including attacks aimed directly at my family,” Scully said Thursday. “Out of frustration, I sent a brief tweet addressed to Anthony Scaramucci. The next morning when I saw that this tweet had created a new controversy, I falsely claimed my Twitter account had been hacked. These were both errors in judgment for which I am totally responsible for. I apologize.” C-SPAN told AP that while they don’t condone Scully’s actions, after some distance from the episode, “we believe in his ability to contribute to C-SPAN.”

Ad views in the first half of 2020 grew 32% compared to the same time last year, driven by a 17% year-over-year increase in video views, according to FreeWheel’s US Video Marketplace Report. Ad views on set-top box and CTV comprised 73% of total views during the six-month period; when compared to 2019, ad views on CTV increased by 42%. Live viewing grew +38% despite an absence of sports, a phenomenon fueled particularly by interest in news and the growth of free virtual channels. “Viewers are turning to premium video more than ever, and, when given the choice, they are choosing to watch it in a lean-back, engaged way on their television sets,” said David Dworin, Head of Advisory Services at FreeWheel, a Comcast company. “Despite a challenging year for the media industry, the power and popularity of premium TV is as clear as ever, and we expect this trend to continue even after the pandemic is behind us.”

YouTube has expanded its hate and harassment policies to prohibit content that targets an individual or group with conspiracy theories that have been used to justify real-world violence. “One example would be content that threatens or harasses someone by suggesting they are complicit in one of these harmful conspiracies, such as QAnon or Pizzagate,” said YouTube in a blog post, adding, “Due to the evolving nature and shifting tactics of groups promoting these conspiracy theories, we’ll continue to adapt our policies to stay current and remain committed to taking the steps needed to live up to this responsibility.”

Advertisers are taking evasive action due to the political effect on advertising, according to a study by Advertiser Perceptions. Of the 300+ advertisers surveyed, more than half (52%) have altered their fall media buys around election noise. Thirty-three percent have held back ads to avoid the political ad clutter, while 18% have added frequency buys in order to overcome the clutter effect.

In an open letter to Hollywood at the close of Hispanic Heritage Month, over 270 Latinx showrunners, creators and writers demanded change when it comes to Latinx representation. Signed by the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Steven Canals, John Leguizamo and Gloria Calderon-Kellett, the letter states, “By refusing to tell our stories AND by refusing to put us in charge of telling them — Hollywood power brokers are complicit in our exclusion.”

YouTube’s streaming TV inventory will be measured in Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings and Total Ad Ratings. The first phase of measurement will be enabled in the first half of 2021 with YouTube TV, then extend to the YouTube app on connected TVs in the US. “Because connected TV is addressable by nature, expanding our relationship with Google to measure YouTube audiences on connected devices is an important step to deliver cross media ad measurement and comparability between CTV and addressable on linear TV,” said Scott Brown, GM of Audience Measurement at Nielsen.

Time’s almost up: 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).

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he plans to move forward with a rulemaking clarifying the meaning of Section 230, the provision which immunizes websites from legal liability for the comments of their users. “Throughout my tenure at the Federal Communications Commission, I have favored regulatory parity, transparency, and free expression. Social media companies have a First Amendment right to free speech,” said Pai. “But they do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity denied to other media outlets, such as newspapers and broadcasters.” In May, President Trump issued an executive order to modify Section 230, which was passed in 1996 as part of the Communications Act.

Estrella Media has launched a campaign to encourage Latinos to vote in the upcoming November 3 elections. “Vota Por Nosotros” (Vote for Us) is airing on Estrella Media’s television, radio and digital properties, featuring a coalition of some of Latin music’s top recording artists. The campaign encourages Latino voters to get out and vote on behalf of the US Hispanic community, including essential workers, dreamers, farmworkers, students, and parents.

Fullscreen has signed cultural content publisher All Def in a partnership aimed at amplifying All Def’s network of next-gen Black creators by providing strategic guidance on their digital growth. Fullscreen will also help scale All Def’s growing communities and bring on advertisers to the publisher and for creators.

Universal Television Alternative Studios has been folded into Universal Studio Group, joining Universal Television, UCP and NBCUniversal International Studios, a group run by Pearlena Igbokwe. The change follows the departure this week of Meredith Ahr, who was President of NBC Entertainment’s Alternative and Reality Group. “Now, with UTV, UCP, NBCUniversal International Studios and UTAS under the same umbrella we can further support our creators’ ambitions to develop and produce great television – no matter the format,” said Igbokwe in a note to staff.

YA vampire drama First Kill, exec produced by Emma Roberts through her Belletrist Productions, landed an order from Netflix. The series is based on a short story by Victoria “V.E.” Schwab, who is creator, writer and executive producer.

Americanah, which landed a straight-to-series order from HBO Max last year, is not moving forward at the streamer. Lupita Nyong’o had been set to executive produce and star in the drama.

Bridge and Tunnel has been greenlit to series by Epix. The dramedy, following recent college grads setting out to pursue their dreams in Manhattan, directed and produced by Ed Burns (Public Morals), will premiere January 24, 2021.

The Detroit Youth Choir, runners-up on season 14 of America’s Got Talent, will be the focus of scripted and non-scripted series in development with Blumhouse Television, Michael Seitzman (Code Black) and Campfire. Anthony Sparks (Queen Sugar) is attached to write the scripted series, while Campfire is producing the non-scripted show.

TBS ordered season four of The Last O.G., and tapped Owen Smith (black-ish) to serve as the comedy’s showrunner (its fourth). “The Last O.G. has become more powerfully poignant with each season while always remaining incredibly funny,” said Sam Linsky and Adrienne O’Riain, Co-heads of Scripted Original Programming for TBS, TNT and truTV. “Tracy Morgan embraces the world with his humor while Owen Smith tackles real-life conversations head-on through hilarity.”

Warner Bros. Television Group has signed an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with artist, author, and Black Lives Matter Co-Founder & Executive Director Patrisse Cullors. Under terms of the content partnership, Cullors will develop and produce original programming for all platforms, including but not limited to live-action scripted drama and comedy series; longform/event series; unscripted docuseries; animated programming for co-viewing among kids, young adults and families; and original digital content.

Showtime has picked up Black Monday for season three. A co-production between Showtime and Sony Pictures Television, the comedy starring Don Cheadle will resume production on ten episodes next year for a 2021 debut.

World of Wonder has formed a new documentary division, WOW Docs. The division will be spearheaded by Jim Fraenkel, who has been with the company since 2018; his new title will be SVP of Documentary and Current.

All good things must come to an end. This afternoon is our last installment of our 2020 Virtual Top Women in Media Awards. It’s been a really great week hearing from tremendous female trailblazers. ICYMI: all past videos are archived on our website for on-demand viewing, so you can watch all of them at your leisure. Now, set a reminder for 2pm ET today to hear from our honorees in the following categories: Marketing Trailblazers, Operations Front Runners, Production Pacesetters, Public Relations Gurus, Social Media Groundbreakers, Tech Leaders.

CBC has greenlit new original comedy Sort Of, from Sienna Films. Created by Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me) and starring Baig, Sort Of focuses on a fluid millennial who straddles various identities from sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family.

COMING UP

Netflix’s Bridgerton starts streaming Christmas Day, December 25. The drama, created by Shonda Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen, follows a young heiress looking for love in Regency London high society.

Jersey Shore Family Vacation returns to MTV (in a resort, in a bubble) for season four on Thursday, November 19 at 8p. The season three finale of the reality show was its highest-rated since 2018.

Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line follows world class chefs who, with the help of friends and family, documented the challenges their restaurants faced during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The documentary from executive producer Guy Fieiri premieres on Food Network on Sunday, December 27 at 9p.

Apple TV+ doc Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You, following the Boss and the E Street Band during the making of their latest album, premieres on the streamer on Friday, October 23.

On October 29th, we’ll be hosting a free, live webinar on where we are as an industry in addressing the issue of systemic racism. “I want everybody to succeed,” says Byron Allen. “African American consumers are no different from other audience groups. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘We won’t survive as two Americas.’ We need one America.’” Register to attend and receive actionable takeaways on how we can collectively effect change in our business… like how to introduce the conversation to management & stakeholders, how to overcome the common obstacles to accessing capital, and how to improve awareness on a short-term and long-term basis.

UPtv will air its annual GilMORE the Merrier marathon of Gilmore Girls, starting Sunday, November 22 at 11p, and culminating with the cable premiere of the four Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life movies starting Sunday, November 29 at 11a.

CASTING

Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels will be reprising their roles in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, set to air Tuesday, November 17 on Disney+…Onboard the voice cast for CBS All Access adult animated comedy The Harper House are Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Lance Krall (Shameless), Gabourney Sidibe (Precious) and Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley).

STREAMING SCOOP

A+E Networks has inked a digital content deal with Kanopy, the educational content streamer. Kanopy makes educational content available to public and academic library partners, and will now feature select docuseries from A&E and HISTORY’s content library, per the agreement.

Hopster has acquired Curious World, the early learning children’s app powered by children’s brand Curious George. The acquisition adds 140 original short-form videos, 150+ original interactive games and 100+ book titles to Hopster’s portfolio.

ATTN:, Twitch, the University of Southern California, the USC Race and Equity Center, the USC Safe Communities Institute, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his USC Schwarzenegger Institute and Reverend Al Sharpton announced Unfinished Business: Race and Equity in America, a live summit takeover of Twitch happening today, October 16 to Sunday, October 18. The goal of the event is to foster dynamic conversations about race, policing, education, environmental justice, voting rights, healthcare, and the economy.

Digital media and advertising company DMR has reached a licensing agreement which will provide Crackle with seven films and a television series, among them 93 Days, Children of Mud, and King Invincible. The deal marks the first of its kind between the companies.

TECH TALK

Gen Z app and desktop platform Squad announced its partnership with Snap Inc. for Camera Kit, enabling the integration of Snap’s Lens carousel user experience and AR creation and technology platform into the Squad camera. “We’re incredibly excited to bring lenses to Squad’s audio and video rooms,” said Esther Crawford, Squad CEO and Co-Founder. “Snap’s Camera Kit platform gives our team and community a suite of tools for bringing AR experiences to life. This partnership unlocks a new mode for creating, sharing, and expressing individuality while hanging out and watching videos together.”

GOING GLOBAL

WarnerMedia is closing its linear HBO and WB TV channels India, Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh on December 15. “This was a difficult decision to make,” said Siddharth Jain, SVP and Managing Director of WarnerMedia’s entertainment network in South Asia. “The pay-TV industry landscape and the market dynamics have shifted dramatically, and the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for further change.”

HBO will expand its international programming offering with Spain’s 30 Coins and Sweden’s Beartown, two new drama series from HBO Europe. Both series will be available in 2021 on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

FOX News Media’s international streaming platform FOX News International has expanded its distribution across Europe. The direct to consumer service is now available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden will have access to FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network programming through FOX News International. The platform is targeting a reach of more than 20 countries by early 2021.

Sony Pictures Television has plans for a US series based on Italian hit drama Doc – Nelle Tue Mani, about a doctor whose head injury erases 12 years from his memory. “At its core, Doc is a human story with truly universal appeal and the success and acclaim it received in Italy, in this most unprecedented of years, is a testament to its uniqueness and quality,” said Mike Wald, EVP, Distribution and Networks, SPT. “We can’t wait to bring this Italian original to the global marketplace, as well as to work with partners around the world, including here in the US, to develop local adaptations.”

Moonbug is bringing 3D educational show CoComelon to South Korea via a partnership with South Korea’s KT Corporation, offering access to over 170 episodes of the show across all KT platforms, including Olleh TV and Seezn.

Dynamic Television has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for SYFY’s upcoming Day of the Dead. Dynamic also inked its first sales deal for the horror series with NBC Universal Networks Germany.

Star Stable Entertainment is partnering with Animation Studio Ferly for a short-form series adaptation of Mistfall. Alice Prodanou (Hotel Transylvania) will write.

Friday Fun Fact
A snail can sleep for three years.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On which short-lived 1970s sitcom did the main character have a girlfriend with the same name as a famous male comedian? On Busting Loose (1977), Alan Arkin’s character had a girlfriend named Jackie Gleason.

Today’s Trivia Question
The title character in which short-lived 1990s sitcom worked for the electric company by day, and was a hotel doorman at night? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four.)