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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
OWN gave a straight to series order for unscripted comedy #LoveGoals , from Irwin Entertainment (Couples Therapy). Relationship show, following therapy challenges for celebrity couples, is slated to join the net’s Saturday night slate in March 2020.
Undone, co-produced by Amazon Studios and Tornante Productions , landed a second season order from Amazon Prime Video. The series’ co-creator, Kate Purdy, inked an overall deal with Amazon.
Travel series Cup of Joe, starring Jonas Brother Joe Jonas , got a green light from short-form platform Quibi, set to launch on April 6. Series will be exec produced by Jonas, Phil McIntyre, and John Taylor for Philymack, and Ben Winston for Fulwell73 Productions.
UPtv renewed Bringing Up Bates for a ninth season . As part of the launch, the net will have an updated version of the show’s opening – which will still include the family jumping on a trampoline.
Netflix ordered international animated series ONI , from animation studio Tonko House, based on Japanese folklore. Series will be a hybrid of stop-motion and computer-generated animation.
Daughter/father comedy Sydney to the Max nabbed a season three order from Disney Channel. Series follows a middle schooler who lives with her single dad and unconventional grandma. Disney Channel also commissioned a second season of animated The Owl House, ahead of its series premiere on January 10.
Kay Oyegun (This Is Us) inked an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. “It was evident very early to all of us at 20th that Kay was someone we wanted to be in business with for a long time,” said Carolyn Cassidy, 20th Century Fox Television President of Creative Affairs. “We are very pleased to have her continue to tell beautiful stories on This Is Us while also bringing us new bold ideas.”
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
Showtime picked up a second season of its first late-night talker, Desus & Mero. Sophomore run starts Monday, February 3 at 11p and will air Mondays and Thursdays.
ABC laid out its schedule for midseason premieres dates. New drama For Life, from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, debuts Tuesday, February 11 at 10p, while American Idol is back for its third season on the net on Sunday, February 16 at 8p. Thursday, January 23 brings a two-hour crossover event between Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 (which starts in its new time slot at 8p), as well as the return of A Million Little Things at 10p.
Season two of Investigation Discovery’s Body Cam launches Tuesday, December 3 at 10p. “As policing in America remains a hotly debated topic, Body Cam allows the public to witness the instantaneous decisions and high-stakes reactions that officers are forced to make in the line of duty,” said Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America. “Indeed, there is nothing ‘routine’ about the life-and-death scenarios that members of law enforcement often face in a day – and, in that regard, there is no other series on television that provides such an intimate and visceral portrayal of policing as ID does with Body Cam.”
No feet are too funky to fix on TLC’s new series My Feet Are Killing Me , premiering Thursday, January 2 at 10p, after the 9p return of Dr. Pimple Popper.
BET Networks has added new series We Own Homecoming to Viacom Digital Studios’ slate of original content exclusively for Facebook Watch. Hosted by actress and content creator Jasmine Luv, Homecoming explores the legacies of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through the lens of homecoming celebrations. New episodes launch on Facebook Watch every Thursday.
Four-episode French mini-series Iskander: Shadow of the River arrives on Shudder Thursday, December 9. Tropical thriller follows the case of a couple killed on their boat.
Universal Kids debuts the first linear premiere of Holly Hobbie on Thursday, December 5 at 8p. Show is presented by Hulu.
STREAMING
How high is too high? Streaming subscribers on average are willing to pay a maximum of $22.50/month for a single streaming service, according to Reach3 Insights. The analysis, which utilizes chat-based research, also found that if a favorite streaming service announced a free-of-charge option in exchange for commercials, over half (58%) of current streaming subscribers would be likely to switch. And good news for Peacock, HBO Max and the like – 80% of current subscribers plan to subscribe to multiple services, with some indicating up to 5.
Among the findings in Penthera’s new Latin America Research report that should catch the attention of TV networks and advertisers: while Latin American respondents are enthusiastic about streaming (65% stream daily and 23% stream weekly), they are less patient with their US counterparts when it comes to annoying ads and streaming glitches like video taking too long to start ( 52%), and the video re-buffering (52%). But it’s not necessarily bad news – Cynopsis talked to Penthera CMO Jodi Susman about why this actually offers a big opportunity for OTT providers, in Cynsiders .
Sports media brand Barstool Sports announced the launch of its OTT platform on Roku , FireTV and AndroidTV. Customers will find apps on these platforms for Barstool Sports, its flagship brand and Barstool Bets, its new sports gambling destination. “We have always had an audience with an insatiable appetite for long form video,” said Deirdre Lester, CRO at Barstool Sports.
Sling TV is now available on Google’s Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max smart displays, allowing Sling customers to use voice commands to tune in to shows, as well as pause, skip and stop play. New customers who sign up for Sling through the Google Home app will get a 3-day free trial.
Tubi is now available to stream on Amazon Echo Show devices . Users can ask Alexa to help them find and watch TV shows and movies; it’s the first AVOD service available on the device.
BET+ original stand-up special, Preacher Lawson:Get to Know Me , is now streaming. It’s BET+’s first comedy special.
Universal Kids is expanding its TV Everywhere app with a relaunch on iOS, Android and Apple TV. The app has a new look and feel, and features full episodes, digital shorts, library content and more. The app will also soon be available on Roku and FireTV.
Carsey-Werner is looking for new SVOD deals for a robust library of shows including That ’70s Show, Roseanne and A Different World. “We have begun conversations. Because Netflix is the incumbent for That ’70s Show, we will give them plenty of opportunity to renew it,” Jim Kraus, President of Carsey-Warner TV Distribution, told Deadline. “I think they would like to keep the show, but there are at least 3-4 other places interested.”
TECH TALK
Users of opt-in app Facebook Dating can now add their Facebook or Instagram Stories to show potential dates their everyday interests and activities – and what they currently, really look like. Users have control over what Stories are shared.
In YouTube’s quarterly letter, CEO Susan Wojcicki said the company is responding to concerns over policies around violent gaming videos . “We’ve heard loud and clear that our policies need to differentiate between real-world violence and gaming violence,” Wojcicki said. “We have a policy update coming soon that will do just that. The new policy will have fewer restrictions for violence in gaming, but maintain our high bar to protect audiences from real-world violence.”
Wojcicki’s letter also said YouTube is working to identify advertisers who are interested in edgier content, “like a marketer looking to promote an R-rated movie,” so they can be matched with creators whose content fits their ads.
Applicaster teamed with WGN America to build its first mobile experience . The app enables users to experience WGN America content outside of traditional linear environments with enhanced capabilities to easily browse and view programming, as well as explore widgets like the WGN trivia game. “Media consumption is continually changing, and our work with Applicaster has enabled us to extend viewership and interaction beyond the historical viewing experience,” said WGN America CMO Brian Dollenmayer.
Twitter tweeted that it is experimenting with the ability to schedule tweets from Twitter’s web app, in addition to the Tweetdeck app.
ADVERTISING
Advertising organization coalition Privacy for America has asked Congress to pass a privacy law that would not let companies collect sensitive personal information without express consent, but would give the ad industry room to collect other data. The request comes ahead of the January 1 deadline for compliance to California’s strict Consumer Privacy Act. “Policy affecting the entire consumer economy and consumers nationwide is being shaped by Europe and a single state,” said the coalition in a letter to lawmakers. “This fragmented regulatory environment is untenable, creating a disparate set of privacy protections for American consumers depending on where they live, as well as significant disruption, costs and uncertainty for American businesses.”
US Local advertiser OTT campaigns grew 158% year over year , according to ZypMedia. Among the highlights from the company’s data:
- Top categories remained consistent from Q2 to Q3 2019 with Automotive,Home & Garden and Health & Fitness dominating at the local-level when it comes to CTV ads.
- Advertisers are executing campaigns with multiple creatives and targeting optimizations, instead of one long single creative campaign.
- 60% of all campaigns ran for a duration of 1 month or less.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick and Google Chromecast are still battling for popularity, while Roku remains the most common device viewers are using to access streaming content.
COMING UP
Smithsonian Channel and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have collaborated on a virtual reality experience for panda lovers, deploying specially designed, “panda proof” 360-degree cameras to capture the first time that four giant pandas were being cared for at the National Zoo. Pandamonium: A Virtual Experience will be available at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo beginning Friday, November 29.
Three-day event HISTORYCon explores America’s history through interactive exhibits, speaker sessions and a marketplace at Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA from April 3-5. Event will feature History series talent, historians, authors and experts exploring and celebrating cultural, societal, and political milestones, all helping to mark the net’s 25th anniversary.
Where you lead: Carole King will present the Artist of the Decade award to Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards. “She is an extraordinary songwriter who has cultivated a unique and personal relationship with her audience,” said King of the “Shake It Off” singer. “As a woman songwriter who also got into the music world at a young age, I know the kind of determination, struggle and single-minded perseverance it has taken for her to reach such heights.” Show airs Sunday, November 24 at 8p on ABC.
Two festive special shows are on the way on Cleo TV. A Thanksgiving episode of Heart of the Batter, starring American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, airs November 23 at 1p, while Adrienne Houghton shares her #HiLow hacks in a Christmas episode of All Things Adrienne on November 30 at 1:30p.
Bounce has to two new original holiday movies on tap: Every Day But Christmas, debuting Sunday, December 1 at 9p, and Greyson Family Christmas airing Sunday, December 8 at 9p.
The 97th National Christmas Tree Lighting in D.C. will air Monday, December 9 at 8p on Reelz and 9p on Ovation. Country music star Jessie James Decker will host and perform.
EPIX premieres drama series War of the Worlds , starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern, to US audiences on February 16, 2020 at 9p. Eight-parter, based on the H.G. Wells classic, is set in present-day Europe.
Mexican film 3 Idiotas (3 Idiots) premieres on Cinelatino on Thursday, November 28 at 9p, following a family-friendly lineup of box office hits in celebration of Thanksgiving.
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