Tuesday December 21, 2021

IN THE NEWS

Disney and Google reached a carriage deal after a two-day blackout on YouTube TV. “We appreciate Google’s collaboration to reach fair terms that are consistent with the market,” said Disney in a statement. YouTube TV had lowered its monthly subscription price by $15 to reflect the loss of Disney networks, but gave affected users a one-time discount despite service being restored.

The Emmys are getting an update. The Television Academy has ruled that episode length is no longer a criteria for a show’s categorization as a comedy or drama – producers determine the category, though the Academy reserves the right to review the choice. Additionally, no movies placed on the viewing platform for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration will be eligible to make an Emmy run, and story arcs in a limited series must be completely resolved in one season, with subsequent seasons covering “completely new ground, requiring no knowledge of the events of the previous season.”

Consumers have been seeing more ads featuring diverse people, lifestyles, and cultures lately, according to a new Horowitz Research study, and half of those surveyed feel like they are seeing “more companies making a sincere effort towards diversity, equity, and inclusion in their business practices because they really want to do better.” That said, the “State of Consumer Engagement Study 2021” also notes that four in 10 consumers, including 41% of Black, 38% of Asians, and 37% of Latinx/Hispanics, say they are seeing more “companies that are insincere in their efforts towards DEI because they just want to get more business.”

A new ad from The Main Street Alliance urges Congress and the FTC to crack down on big tech. “Instead of supporting small businesses, big tech is harming them,” says the ad, accusing four companies – Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google – of nickel and diming them with fees, copying their ideas and “punishing those that speak out.”

The National Association of Broadcasters is objecting to the FCC’s attempt to mandate participation in the Disaster Information Reporting System. The system is currently voluntary. “Many smaller stations simply lack the bandwidth to log in, assess their operational status and complete DIRS reports in the midst of an emergency,” noted the NAB, adding new rules requiring stations to install generators and maintain fuel reserves would be unreasonable.

CNN is reportedly looking at March 2022 as a launch date for CNN+, at a price of $5.99/month. According to Bloomberg, CNN is pulling content like “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” from HBO Max and running it on the new streamer.

Women have a better chance (56%) than men at winning cooking competitions and have a slight edge in dating shows (51%), while men are more likely to win game shows (64%) and reality shows (69%), according to a study from Time2Play. The show with the most balanced list of winners is ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” with 29 contestants from each gender coming out ahead.

Total global content spend topped $220 billion in 2021, up 14% from the year prior but below 209 levels, according to Ampere Analysis. Overall investment by subscription OTT services rose 20%, to nearly $50 billion. And it’s only up from there. “In 2022, we expect content investment to exceed $230 billion, primarily driven by subscription streaming services, as the battle in the original content arena intensifies – both in the US, but also in the global markets which are increasingly key for growth,” said Hannah Walsh, Research Manager at Ampere Analysis.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is going big. Teaming with TBS to celebrate the season two premiere of “Go-Big-Show,” Six Flags launched the Go-Big Experience on the Texas SkyScreamer for the first time. “At TBS, we believe you have to Go-Big or go home and now, in partnership with Six Flags, fans can experience first-hand the daring world of ‘Go-Big Show,’” said Telmo Tabuas, SVP of Program Marketing at TBS, TNT, and truTV. Season two kicks off Thursday, January 6 at 9p.

Sarah Williamson has joined Newsmax as a New York correspondent, where her first assignment is covering the federal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. Previously, Williamson spent four years as a producer, anchor, and reporter for i24 News in Tel Aviv.

Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley will receive the WGA West’s 2021 Animation Writers Caucus Animation Writing Award, to be presented at a virtual awards ceremony in January. Among the pair’s numerous credits are “Kim Possible,” “Penguins of Madagascar,” and “Monsters vs. Aliens,” among others.

Congratulations to this year’s finalists for Best of the Best Awards! Categories include Best Lifestyle Reality Series, Best Podcast, Best Series for Kids 5-11, Best Diversity Awareness Campaign, Best Social Media Campaign and Best Use of an Influencer.

VIEW THIS YEAR’S BOB FINALISTS

“We Need to Talk About Cosby,” a docu-series from W. Kamau Bell (“United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell”), will screen at the Sundance Film Festival before its premiere Sunday, January 30 at 10p on Showtime. The four-parter sheds new light on Bill Cosby’s cultural contributions and impact at the height of his disgrace.

Unfortunate accident, or angry bride? The sixth edition of HLN’s “Vengeance” series, titled “Vengeance: Killer Newlyweds,” premieres Sunday, January 2 at 9p. Back-to-back episodes will air weekly.

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is back for season 12 on Tuesday, February 1 at 8p. Prepare for rumors, accusations, fractious friendships, and an eating disorder.

Live-action series “Warped!” launches Thursday, January 20 at 7:30p. The buddy comedy follows two employees of a comic book shop.

The treasure hunt resumes when “Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch” returns for a new season on Discovery on Friday, January 7 at 10p.

A new series from ID looks at the dangerous obsessions surrounding local high school football teams. Produced by Lion Television US, “Murder Under the Friday Night Lights” premieres Tuesday, January 4 at 10p.

“Highway Through Hell” returns to The Weather Channel for season ten on Sunday, January 9 at 8p. A “Hell Week” marathon leads up to the premiere, airing weeknights at 8p and weekends at 1p starting January 3.

COMING UP

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” launches Friday, December 24 on Disney+. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote eight original songs for the film, teams with the voice of Mirabel, Stephanie Beatriz, to share insights about several of the film’s songs.

AXS TV is partnering with Artists Den to showcase select episodes of the performance series “Live From The Artists Den,” making its network premiere on Wednesday, January 12 at 8p. The series joins AXS TV’s story-centered Wednesday night music lineup.

MeTV is celebrating Betty White’s 100th birthday with four episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” featuring White in her Emmy-winning role of Sue Ann Nivens, on Sunday, January 16 at 2p. White turns 100 on January 17.

Two new “Wrong” films starring and executive produced by Vivica A. Fox are headed to LMN. “The Wrong Blind Date” premieres Friday, January 14 at 8p, followed by “The Wrong High School Sweetheart” on Friday, February 4 at 8p.

“Earth Emergency,” exploring how environmental feedback loops are amplifying global warming, premieres Wednesday, December 29 at 8p on PBS stations (check local listings). Richard Gere narrates the doc, which features the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg.

STREAMING

Cinedigm has signed a rights-in and rights-out streaming deal with Shout! Factory. Cinedigm will provide Shout with over 40 films and TV series for Shout! Factory TV including “The English Teacher,” “22 Bullets,” and “Wolfblood.” In addition, Cinedigm will receive over 120 Shout Factory film and TV series to use across streaming channels such as Fandor, Screambox and Bloody Disgusting TV.

FAST service rlaxx TV is launching both its web application and an app for Android devices, making it available on all major OTT devices by the end of 2021. Currently, rlaxx TV is available in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Turkey, and Australia.

GOING GLOBAL

Boat Rocker announced that its Hong Kong office has secured deals with broadcasters across Asia for three series co-produced Industrial Brothers: “Dino Ranch,” “Kingdom Force” and “Remy and Boo”, as well as the Boat Rocker BBC, UYoung co-production “Love Monster.” Within the Unscripted division “Mary’s Kitchen Crush” (Proper Television) and “Anna’s Occasions” (Triton HQ) have joined Boat Rocker’s content menu.

Pixellot, a provider of AI-automated sports video and analytics solutions, is now operating in the UAE. The company has partnered with Dubai-based CAM Plus Sport to enable amateur sports clubs and schools to create broadcast quality livestreams and on-demand recordings of sports matches.

The Global Measurement Alliance, a coalition spearheaded by Tubular Labs, announced LADbible Group from the UK and ZDF from Germany as new members. These additions continue a global expansion of collaboration aimed to unite brands, agencies and publishers around the world to establish standards for video measurement across social media platforms.

“A Mother’s Love” premieres today, December 21 on UNA TV, broadcasting to the regions of Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The series will air Mondays through Fridays at 2p.

Congratulations to this year’s Rising Stars, due to be crowned and celebrated this February at the Best of the Best Awards ceremony in NYC. Companies represented include New York Jets, PepsiCo, Google, Fox, MTV Entertainment Group, TLC, CNBC and Mindshare. Tickets will go on sale in January.

VIEW THIS YEAR’S RISING STARS

The December 9 live ceremony for “The Game Awards” scored 85 million global livestreams. The ceremony streamed on more than 30 platforms, including Facebook, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube.

Shareablee Top 10 Streaming Shows for the week of December 13
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
The Witcher (Netflix), 2m, 51, 38,556, 2m
Cobra Kai (Netflix), 842k, 16, 52,630, 3.3m
Hawkeye (Disney+), 636k, 28, 22,716, 400k
The Grand Tour (Prime Video), 499k, 19, 26,242, 6m
Nanatsu No Taizai (Netflix), 431k, 97, 4,441, 1m
Gossip Girl (HBO Max),340k, 17, 20,024, 16.2m
Get Organized With The Home Edit (Netflix), 288k, 26, 11,075, 5.9m
Trailer Park Boys (Netflix), 209k, 62, 3,372, 3.1m
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch), 192k, 25, 7,679, 6.1m
Netflix is a Joke (YouTube), 189k, 38, 4,969, 2.5m

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Friday, December 17
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Shark Tank 3.67 (0.5), 20/20 2.32 (0.3)
CBS: The Greatest #AtHome Videos 2.81 (0.2), The Greatest #AtHome Videos 2.37 (0.2) Blue Bloods 3.13 (0.2)
CW: Hollywood Christmas Parade 0.66 (0.1)
FOX: WWE Friday Night Smackdown 2.30 (0.5)
NBC: NBC Movie Special 2.34 (0.4), Dateline NBC 2.46(0.3)
Telemundo: Hercal: Amor 1.04 (0.3), Malverde: Santo 0.81 (0.3)

Univision: Rosa de Guadelupe 1.36 (0.4), Vencer El Pasado 1.51 (0.5), Desalamada 1.58 (0.5)

Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

INSP has promoted Doug Butts to EVP of Programming. Butts joined the network in 1994. “Doug has been a highly valued member of our management team and a colleague who has earned the respect of people throughout the network and the industry,” said David Cerullo, INSP Chairman and CEO. “His hard work and credibility are central reasons for the growth and programming success of INSP.”

Lartease Tiffith has been named EVP, Public Policy, IAB. Most recently, Tiffith served as Senior Manager, Public Policy, Amazon.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In which series’ Christmas episode did a robot Santa flying on his sleigh shoot people with a machine gun? “Futurama” (1999-2003). Kudos to: Charles Lore/NYC; David Kohlberg-NAF Digital/NJ; Jim Whaley-Gracenote/Queensbury, NY; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Isabel Garcia-Illumination Entertainment/Santa Monica, CA; Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
The season nine Christmas episode of “The Office” (2005-13) ended with which two characters kissing? (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.)