Wednesday December 1, 2021

Today’s Finale
USA: The Sinner at 10p

IN THE NEWS

No blackout here: Comcast and The Walt Disney Company have renewed their content carriage agreement. In addition to continuing to make Disney’s lineup available to Xfinity TV customers, the deal calls for Comcast to distribute the ACC Network, allowing followers of the Atlantic Coast Conference to access the multiplatform network in the coming weeks.

At least half of Covid misinformation “superspreader” accounts on Facebook and Twitter are still active over a year after they were flagged by fake news watchdog NewsGuard at the start of the pandemic. More than half have seen no visible action taken against them by the platforms, according to NewsGuard, and nearly a quarter of them have actually grown. “Of the 26 accounts NewsGuard flagged to Twitter, 13 were still active and 10 gained 358,927 new followers between them, an increase by over 23.7 percent on average,” noted NewsGuard’s November Misinformation Monitor. Of the 59 accounts NewsGuard flagged to Facebook, 31 were still active and nine gained 718,000 new “likes” between them, an increase of just under four percent on average.

For one night only, Jennifer Aniston will play Blair in a recreation of “The Facts of Life.” Also onboard are Gabrielle Union (“L.A.’s Finest”) as Tootie, Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision”) as Jo, and Allison Tolman (“Fargo”) as Natalie. The reenactment of the 1979-88 sitcom, part of Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” series, airs Tuesday, December 7 on ABC, where it will run with a previously announced “Diff’rent Strokes” episode (with John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond and Kevin Hart as Arnold).

Bucking the pay TV trend, there were 58 million sports TV viewing households in 3Q21, up 2.6 million from 3Q19. Which indicates premium streaming platforms that air sports are not necessarily prompting sports viewers to spurn pay TV packages. “The number of sports fans outside the linear ecosystem is rising, suggesting that sports on DTC services are driving incremental reach and viewership for the leagues,” said MoffettNathanson analysts.

AMC’s “Kevin Can F**k Himself” will end after its upcoming season two. The series, which premiered in June, was biggest new series launch in the history of AMC+ “and was particularly popular with young, upscale and female-skewing viewers,” noted AMC Networks.

Also coming to a close after its second season is Hulu comedy “PEN15.” The decision was made by series creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who play 13-year-old versions of themselves in the year 2000.

The ARF and the NYU School of Professional Studies are launching a co-developed academic program, the ARF Certificate of Marketing Optimization and Insights. The program, commencing in the spring 2022 semester, offers professionals examples of the real-world application of research and analytic methods needed to diagnose marketing problems, iterate solutions and evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns.

“Since media has the unique power to shape how we see ourselves and how we see others, it’s critical we ensure that all women and girls are represented and portrayed accurately,” says Jeannine Shao Collins, President of SeeHer. “As a movement, we are part of the solution.” You can read more about SeeHer’s mission in Cynsiders.

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ViacomCBS has entered into a definitive agreement to sell CBS Studio Center and its associated operating business to a partnership formed by Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management. Price tag: approximately $1.85 billion. ViacomCBS will lease back its existing office space at least through June 2022, as plans move forward for employees to relocate to the ViacomCBS office building near the corner of Sunset and Gower. “This sale is part of an ongoing optimization of ViacomCBS’ real estate and operations portfolio and will allow the company to re-deploy capital to strategic growth priorities, including streaming,” said Naveen Chopra, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, ViacomCBS.

“Outlander” stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish will hit the road again for a six-episode second season of the Starzplay travel docuseries “Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham” – this time in New Zealand. Developed by Heughan and McTavish, the original series is produced by Boardwalk Pictures, in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Roller skating coming-of-age comedy “Saturdays” scored a series order from Disney Channel. The show comes from Marsai Martin (“black-ish”) and her Genius Entertainment, and Norman Vance Jr. (“Girlfriends”).

INSP has made a significant investment in Blink Studios, a full-service independent studio based in Toronto. The investment is part of a commitment to expand INSP’s relationships in the international film and production community, said Dale Ardizzone, COO of INSP LLC, who added, “Blink Studios is on the cutting edge of entertainment content development with a management team of experienced, forward-thinking creative minds.”

Cardiac surgeon and host of “The Dr. Oz Show” Mehmet Oz has thrown his hat in the ring to take the seat of retiring Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. Oz announced his candidacy in an Op Ed in the Washington Examiner.

Sherri Saum has been elevated from recurring to series regular for season three of Netflix’s “Locke & Key,” arriving in 2022.

Rainmaker Content has inked a first look deal with Caroline Roberts-Cherry and Sally Lindsay’s production company, Saffron Cherry Productions. The agreement will allow a first look at all new scripted drama from Saffron Cherry.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Ladies Who List: Atlanta” joins OWN’s Friday night unscripted block on January 7 at 9p. The series follows six Black women working in luxury real estate in the Atlanta area.

“Out of Stock: Supply Chain Crisis” premieres Saturday, December 18 at 8p. The Discovery three-parter looks at how the shipping system has broken down, and what it means for consumers.

UK drama “The Larkins” premieres on Acorn TV on Monday, December 13. The series follows stories of family and village life.

Crackle original series “Outbreak” centers on a public health director racing the clock to isolate a virus in a Montreal homeless population before it turns into pandemic. Premiere date: Wednesday, December 15.

Netflix shared premiere dates for genre series, including thriller “Archive 81,” inspired by the podcast, on Friday, January 14; “In From the Cold,” centered on a single mom who was once a Russian spy, on Friday, January 28; “Vikings: Valhalla,” set over 100 years after the end of the original series, on Friday, February 25; and season two of “Raising Dion” on Tuesday, February 1. “In my ten years at Netflix, it’s been thrilling to see the dropped jaws, the all-caps tweets/the hilarious memes and the passionate theories inspired by these once-in-a-lifetime moments,” wrote Peter Friedlander, head of scripted series, in a blog post.

The season four premiere of Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” lands February 18. Episodes will drop two at a time over four Fridays.

MTV spinoff specials “Teen Mom: Family Reunion” and “Teen Mom: Girls’ Night In” premiere back-to-back on Tuesday, January 11 at 8p.

HGTV’s “Home Town” returns for a new season Sunday, December 26 at 8p. In the renovation series, Ben and Erin Napier use their artistic vision and passion for restoration to turn worn properties into treasured homes for their fellow residents in Laurel, Mississippi.

COMING UP

Discovery special “When Buildings Collapse: Disaster in Surfside,” premiering Saturday, December 4 at 8p, sheds light on what happened when a Florida condominium suddenly fell down last June.

Peacock acquired rights to documentary short “Right to Try,” about HIV survivor and activist Jeffrey Drew’s search for a cure for HIV. The film is produced by Octavia Spencer and directed by Zeberiah Newman (“The Late Late Show With James Corden”).

Dateline NBC special “Murder in the House of Gucci” premieres Friday, December 3 at 9p, examining the Gucci family’s fashion business, as well as the murder that was portrayed in Ridley Scott movie “House of Gucci.”

Kim Kardashian West will receive “The Fashion Icon” award at the 2021 “People’s Choice Awards,” simulcast on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 7 at 9p.

TECH TALK

Future plc, the global platform for specialist media, announced its 2021 financial results. The company reached $808.5 million in revenue, up 79% year-over-year. Additionally, Future’s digital advertising and eCommerce areas saw revenue growth of 27% and 36%, respectively.

STREAMING

Vizio has expanded its WatchFree+ free streaming service to include AVOD. “Today’s audiences want quality on demand movies and TV shows on their own terms,” said Mike O’Donnell, Chief Revenue Officer at VIZIO. “With the evolution of WatchFree+ on demand programming, SmartCast users can now browse through hundreds of shows and movies to watch at any time, for free, and without any subscriptions or logins required.”

SOCIAL GOOD

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, in partnership with Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and the Hispanic Heritage Foundations, is giving over 2,000 laptops and free internet service for a year to young people, students, and seniors across the country. “From virtual learning to online job applications, helping our community with technology tools and resources is more important than ever,” said Christina Kolbjornsen, SVP of Corporate and External Affairs at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

TEGNA Foundation, the charitable foundation sponsored by TEGNA Inc. in partnership with local stations, has awarded 234 Community Grants. The majority of 2021’s support UN Sustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being (42%); Quality Education (22%); and Zero Hunger (20%). “Our stations’ continued commitment to empowering their local communities through fundraising and grantmaking is invaluable and inspiring,” said Dave Lougee, President and CEO, TEGNA.

GOING GLOBAL

VIS, a division of ViacomCBS International Studios, announced five First Look Deals with emerging talent from the U.K. The deals are part of a new program in to provide opportunities for diverse creators. The writers will have the opportunity to pitch five ideas to VIS over two years. VIS has committed to commissioning at least two projects to the treatment stage of development, and of those at least one will be taken to script.

Global Screen has sold event drama “Dark Woods” to the UK. Produced by ConradFilm and Bavaria Fiction, the series will air on Walter Presents, the VOD service for Channel 4. A new pan-Scandinavian sales deal has also been announced, with Walter Presents via C More.

Keshet International has signed a multi-territory deal with streaming platform Viaplay for three scripted titles: Monster Scripted and X-Filme Creative Pool’s “Furia” and Monster Scripted’s “Pørni,” and FLX’s “Fallet.”

Banijay Rights announced a new adaptation for competition reality format “LEGO Masters.” TV Markíza in Slovakia and TV Nova in the Czech Republic will co-produce and broadcast a first season of the format.

Fremantle announced a new deal for finished content with Legend Media in China. The deal is Legend Media’s first factual package acquisition so far. Legend Media has acquired digital rights for China and will be placing the factual programs across top VOD platforms.

BossaNova has unveiled its second slate of Original productions, consisting of five new and returning factual strands: “Mysteries of the Ancient Dead,” “Extreme Tow Truckers,” “Hidden Histories,” “Murder: First on Scene,” and “Secrets of the Lost Liners.” The announcement marks the London-based company’s first creative investment since its acquisition last July by Herbert Kloiber’s Night Train Media.

Dynamic Television and Finnish production house Kaiho Republic have partnered with C More on the Finnish series “The Reindeer Mafia.” The crime saga tells the story of a power struggle between members of a family that control the local businesses and own vast areas of surrounding land.

All3Media International has signed deals for the feature length drama “Help” across Europe, Australasia, and Asia. In Europe, the show will broadcast on Telefonica (Spain), NPO (Netherlands), Estonia TV (Estonia) and COSMOTE TV (Greece), while HBO Europe has acquired rights across multiple territories, covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Kosovo and Slovenia.

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With an average audience of 37.84 million viewers, CBS’s Thanksgiving football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys ranks as the most-watched NFL season regular season game since 1993.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, November 29
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: CMA Country Christmas 3.81 (0.4), The Great Christmas Light Fight 2.57 (0.4), The Great Christmas Light Fight 2.04 (0.4)
CBS: The Neighborhood 5.41 (0.6), Bob Hearts Abishola 4.97 (0.5), NCIS 7.17 (0.6), NCIS: Hawai’i 4.91 90.40
CW: The Black Pack: We Three Kings 0.40 (0.1), 4400 0.34 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1 1.99 (0.3), 9-1-1 1.76 (0.3)
ION: Hawaii Five-0 1.44 (0.2), Hawaii Five-0 1.20 (0.2), Hawaii Five-0 1.05 (0.2)
NBC: The Voice 6.28 (0.7), That’s My Jam 4.15 (0.6)
Telemundo: Por Amor o por Dinero 0.63 (0.1), Hercai: Amor y Venganza 0.88 (0.2), Malverde: el Santo Patron 0.74 (0.2)
Univision: La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.60 (0.40, Vencer el Pasado 1.49 (0.4), La Desalmada 1.67 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Kelly Day has joined Amazon in the newly-created role of VP, Prime Video International, overseeing streaming outside the US. She joins Amazon from ViacomCBS, where she was President, International Streaming Services.

Whip Media announced two additions to its team. Joanna Wise has joined the company as SVP of People, and Patrick Kilkelly as VP of Customer Success. Wise joins from EPIX, where she served as the VP of Human Resources. Kilkelly was most recently SVP of Product Opdrations and Partner Integration at Warner Media/HBO.

CBS News Washington bureau chief Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews will now have oversight over all domestic and international bureaus, as EVP of Newsgathering. Ciprian-Matthews joined CBS in 1993.

Software platform Kubient has added Mitchell Berg as Chief Technology Officer. Most recently, Berg served as CTO for Koddi.

Entertainment studio Mighty Coconut has hired Don Carson as Senior Art Director; Michèle Martell as Licensing & Legal Counsel; and David Wyatt as Head of Communications & Business Strategy.

Among new appointments at Clinch are Charel MacIntosh, Head of Business Development & Partnerships, and Jackie Sunderland, Senior Director of Business Development & Partnerships. MacIntosh was previously SVP, Platform Sales & Partnerships at martech platform Compulse, and Sunderland was most recently Director of Product at Premion.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the first sitcom to use a laugh track? “The Hank McCune Show” (1950-51). Kudos to: Mark Selby-Melbar Entertainment Group/Toronto; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbnank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Charles Lore/NYC; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta

Today’s Trivia Question
What was Andy Griffith’s first TV series after “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960-69)? (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.)