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| Thursday February 6, 2025 |
 IN THE NEWS |
 As requested, CBS News handed over the unedited video and transcript of its “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris to the FCC – and the FCC made it public. The interview is the source of a lawsuit by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, and its attendant FCC inquiry. Tweeted FCC chairman Brendan Carr, “CBS provided the FCC with unredacted video & a transcript of VP Harris’s ‘60 Minutes’ interview in response to the FCC’s review of a News Distortion complaint. CBS did not ask for confidential or non-public treatment of these materials. Given the value of transparency & the public interest here, the FCC is taking two actions. 1. The FCC is making these materials publicly available. 2. The FCC has concluded that establishing a docket and seeking comment on the issues raised in the complaint would serve the public interest. The people will have a chance to weigh in.”
“60 Minutes” also posted the video and transcript online. “As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president’s answers to 60 Minutes’ many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers,” said CBS News. “’60 Minutes’’ hard-hitting questions of the vice president speak for themselves.”
Far from being an encumbrance, Disney’s linear networks “are not a burden at all. They’re actually an asset,” CEO Bob Iger told analysts during an earnings call. “We are programming them and we are funding them at levels that actually give us the ability to enhance our overall television business.” That said, “I won’t rule out the possibility some of the smaller networks in some form or another being configured differently in terms of how we how we bring them to market – maybe even ownership – but we’re not right now,” added Iger. “We actually feel good about the hand that we have and the manner in which we’re managing both the linear and the streaming businesses across the board.”
On the earnings side, operations for Disney’s traditional entertainment networks were flat at $837 million. ESPN’s domestic operating income dipped 9%, to $231 million, due to higher programming costs. On the streaming side, Disney+ and Hulu reported a combined profit of $293 million versus an operating loss of $138 million a year ago, with revenue growing 6% to $6.07 billion.
TikTok’s (possible) loss is Snapchat’s gain. Speaking on the company’s earnings call, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said that while the fate of TikTok – unavailable on Apple and Google’s app stores – hangs in the balance in the US, “Advertisers are very focused on contingency planning and diversifying their spend. I think the same goes for creators who are really thinking hard about how they can build the most diversified engagement with their fanbase across various platforms, including Snapchat.” Snap reported Snapchat gained 10 million daily active users during 4Q24, to hit 463 million daily users globally.
Andrea Mitchell’s last day as host of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” will be tomorrow, February 7. Mitchell, who announced in October her intention to leave, will transition to a role as chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. |
 Fox News has signed POTUS daughter-in-law Lara Trump to host a new weekend primetime program. “My View with Lara Trump” premieres February 22, and will air Saturdays from 9-10p. “I’m thrilled to bring my voice back to Fox News, talk directly with the American people, and highlight what makes this country so great,” said Trump, who served as an FNC contributor from 2021-2022. “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” is moving to Sundays at 10p.
Self-help guru Tony Robbins and Paramount Global are launching a FAST channel, headed this summer to Pluto TV, Prime Video, Plex and Roku. The channel will offer access to Robbins’ seminars, along with vintage clips and live events.
Retail media was the most important major retail channel to 92% of respondents in a study in “The State of Retail Media” report from Skai and The Path to Purchase Institute, a double-digit increase from the previous year. And ninety-four percent identified significant opportunities in using CTV as part of their retail media mix. That’s despite one-fourth of marketers citing difficulties integrating retail media with other digital channels and 32% having concerns about ROI. |
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| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| “Murdoch Mysteries” returns Monday, February 10 in the US with new episodes dropping Mondays on Acorn TV. The new season consists of 22 episodes
Is blood thicker than water? That’s the question when Oxygen true crime series “Fatal Family Feuds” returns for season two on Sunday, February 16 at 7p.
NBC is joining forces with the National Wildlife Federation, LG Electronics USA, AllTrails and Parks Project to celebrate and conserve wildlife and ecosystems. The “Come Together for Nature” impact campaign supports the network’s 10-part nature docuseries “The Americas,” premiering Sunday, February 23 at 7p. |
Today’s Premieres
Hulu: The Kardashians
Max: The Takedown: American Aryans
Netflix: Cassandra; Apple Cider Vinegar; The Are Murders; Sweet Magnolia
Prime Video: Clean Slate; Invincible
Tubi: The Z-Suite |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
 HGTV is bringing back “Love It or List It” for a new season, with Page Turner (“Flip or Flop Nashville”) taking over the role as designer. Hilary Farr announced her exit from the series in 2023 after 19 seasons. Real estate agent David Visentin will return in the new run, slated to premiere in summer 2025.
The Global Fight League and Box to Box (“Formula 1: Drive to Survive”) are collaborating on MMA content creation and ideation, including a docuseries, digital features, live event broadcasts, and athlete profiles.
J Balvin will voice a role in English and Spanish in the current season of Crunchyroll’s “Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise From the Shadow-.” The Colombian artist will make his debut in anime later this season. |
| COMING UP |
| Hallmark Mystery’s movie “Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Movie” premieres tonight, February 6 at 8p. The film follows Hannah (Alison Sweeney, who also wrote the script) as she tracks down the producer of her favorite reality show.
Sports documentary “We Beat the Dream Team,” telling the story of the college basketball team that beat the 1992 Olympics “Dream Team” in a scrimmage, debuts Monday, February 17 at 9p on HBO.
Academy Award winners Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone will present at the 97th Oscars, after winning last year in their respective acting categories. The awards show airs Sunday, March 2 at 7p on ABC. |
 Great American Media will air an encore of its “Great American Rescue Bowl.” In addition to its premiere on Sunday, February 9 at 12p, the annual special will encore at 2p. |
 Sinclair’s TBD TV will celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” with a 50-episode marathon kicking off Friday, February 14 at 6p and running through Sunday, February 16 and wrapping up at 8p, ahead of NBC’s “SNL50: The Anniversary Special.”
Two-part Secrets of the Dead doc “Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief” premieres Wednesday, February 19 at 9p on PBS (check local listings). |
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| CTV CONNECT 2025
Panel Highlight: From Rookie to MVP – The Future of Streaming Sports
Streaming is revolutionizing live sports. As CTV takes center stage and linear TV nears retirement, the game is changing. With top-tier events now streaming, the industry is navigating technical challenges, unlocking addressable advertising, and transforming how sports are delivered.
Join industry leaders as they discuss the next big plays in sports streaming:
– Sara Fischer – Media Correspondent, Axios
– Denise Ocasio – Executive Director, Investment, Mindshare
– Michael Worden – SVP, Creative Partnerships, NBCUniversal
– Dina Roman – SVP, Global Ad Sales and Operations, Fubo
– Wendell Scott – SVP, Sales, Disney
Register now to explore the future of sports streaming! |
| SPORTS REPORT |
 The NFL is replacing the words “End Racism” with “Choose Love” at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl. Pro-diversity slogans have been stenciled on the fields at NFL stadiums since 2020; Sunday’s game will be the first Super Bowl since February 2021 at which “End Racism” will not be the phrase selected. “The Super Bowl is often a snapshot in time and the NFL is in a unique position to capture and lift the imagination of the country,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. A White House official said President Donald Trump be attending the game.
Fox Sports announced its 2025 LIV Golf schedule featuring nearly 210 hours of competition carried live across Fox Sports platforms, with more than 60% of the League’s schedule on Fox or FS1. The 2025 LIV Golf schedule tees off from Riyadh Golf Club this Thursday, February 6 at 10a on FS2. The League makes its first appearance stateside from Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami on Friday, April 4. Coverage begins on the Fox Sports App at 12p before shifting to Fox 2p. The weekend’s competition continues on FS1 and the Fox Sports App before concluding Sunday, April 6 at 1p on Fox. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Three of Blue Ant Medias FAST channels are now available on My Free DirecTV: Love Nature, Total Crime and Declassified.
Rugged Entertainment (“Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life”) has acquired worldwide distribution rights to musical feature documentary “Cuba My Soul.” The film, produced by Sensation Records in collaboration with the Cuban music community, is slated for release in April across major platforms, including Amazon.
Showdog Studio has optioned new sci-fi thriller series “Wunderland,” an original screenplay from Christopher DeWan, who is attached as the writer for the pilot. James Thorpe (“Wild Cards”) is onboard as showrunner and executive producer. |
| DOOH |
| Broadsign unveiled a preview of an AI-powered creative categorization and approval feature coming to its OOH advertising platform this spring. The Broadsign AI Assistant is a patent-pending tool designed to substantially reduce the time media owners spend on tasks such as reviewing, categorizing, and approving incoming ad creative from programmatic bids sent via demand-side platforms. “Automating OOH workflows is pivotal to the medium’s continued growth, and OOH categorization and approval is a great starting point,” said Broadsign VP of Products, Francois Hechme. “The Broadsign AI Assistant can process and categorize vast volumes of creative simultaneously to help teams keep up with programmatic demand, so they can spend more time building and nurturing media buyer relationships and improving reporting.” |
 Clear Channel Outdoor is celebrating Black History Month in 2025 with a new DOOH month-long campaign. “Celebrating Visionaries” highlights barrier-breaking African Americans from various professions in the modern era. |
| GOING GLOBAL |
| Titan OS has partnered with Zee Entertainment UK to launch the ZEE ONE channel, featuring localized feeds in German, French, and English for 13 European territories. The partnership introduces ZEE ONE’s Bollywood to a wide European audience.
All3Media International has signed new SVOD and AVOD deals in the US and Canada, including 20+ hours of factual content heading to BBC Select, premium factual features to Documentary+ and Curiosity Stream, and adventure series to Earth X. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Jeff Greenspoon has been promoted to Chief Global Client Officer at Dentsu. Greenspoon has previously served the company as CEO Dentsu Canada, Chief Business Officer, Dentsu Americas and global practice president, integrated solutions.
Revry has appointed Daniel Schnider as Head of Business Development & Distribution Partnerships. Most recently, Schnider served as Director of Distribution & Strategic Partnerships at TelevisaUnivision. |
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This Day in History
1958 – Twenty-three people, including eight players from the Manchester United soccer team, which had just qualified for the semifinals of the European Cup, died in a plane crash in Munich.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which actress starred as a doctor in a short-lived sitcom; was nominated for an Emmy for her guest role as a doctor’s mother in a medical drama; then guested as a doctor on another medical drama? Mary McDonnell, on “E/R” (1984-85), “ER” (19994-2009) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (2205-).
Today’s Trivia Question
Who did Ted pass “The Blitz” curse to on “How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)? (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.) |
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