Friday February 9, 2024

Today’s Finales
History: The UnBelievable With Dan Aykroyd at 10p
NBC: Transplant at 8p
Starz: Power Book III: Raising Kanan at 8p

Saturday’s Premieres
Adult Swim: Ninja Kamui at midnight
Max: The Accidental Influencer

Sunday’s Premieres
CBS: Tracker at 10p
TBS: Stupid Pet Tricks at 5p

Sunday’s Finale
PBS: Miss Scarlet and the Duke at 8p; Funny Woman at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Disney is investing $1.5 billion for an equity stake in gaming studio Epic Games, home of Fortnite. The companies aim to create an expansive and open games and entertainment universe in which consumers can “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more,” said Disney in a statement. “We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways,” said Epic’s founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. “We’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open, and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”

“Crucial negotiations are at an advanced stage” between News Corp and AI firms to license the use of New Corp’s news content, reports News Corp-owned New York Post, quoting CEO Robert Thomson. “We are wooing, not suing,” said Thomson during an earnings call. “But let’s be clear: in my view, those who are repurposing our content without approval are stealing, they are undermining creativity. Counterfeiting is not creating, and the AI world is replete with content counterfeiters.”

How is National Geographic Channel faring in declining linear TV ecosystem? “I think no one is immune to the marketplace. But we are very well positioned,” said Courteney Monroe, Nat Geo’s President of Global Television Networks, at the TCA Winter Press Tour. “Number one, we are a globally distributed network. We reach over 300 million households around the world, which is pretty staggering. It is a declining business but the linear channels around the world still account for a large part of our viewership.”

Monroe also said the network will remain focused mainly on premium documentary storytelling. To that end, National Geographic has renewed “A Real Bug’s Life” and “Limitless With Chris Hemsworth” for second seasons. “A Bug’s Life,” which debuted last month, will return in the fall. “Limitless” will take Hemsworth to Nepal, Italy, Australia, and the UK for a health and wellness odyssey.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Media Rating Council released a set of measurement guidelines for calculating the audiences of advertising in augmented reality. “The Augmented Reality advertising market is projected to generate $1.2 billion in revenue in the U.S. this year,” said IAB Vice President-Experience Center Zoe Soon. “As an industry, we need to establish a greater consistency on how we define and measure AR advertising to foster fairness and transparency for buyers and sellers.” The guidelines set parameters for new augmented reality advertising experiences, including:
· Rewarded AR ads
· Virtual try-ons
· Dynamic experiences masks
· Interactive world views
· Interactive 3D objects
· Portals/gateways
· Static filters

The guidelines are open for public comment until March 9.

BritBox has expanded its deal with BAFTA to continue its broadcast of the EE BAFTA Film Awards on February 18, while also expanding its agreement to include coverage of the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, taking place on May 12. The deal covers exclusive simulcast streaming for both awards ceremonies in 2024 and 2025 for BritBox audiences.

CBS News Digital writers and editors have unionized with the Writers Guild of America East, and has asked CBS News management to voluntarily recognize their union. “We are seeing unprecedented mergers, consolidation and layoffs in the news industry,” said Kathy McGee, WGAE Vice President of Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and a writer/producer at CBS News New York, in a statement. “Journalists are telling stories and lifting voices in communities that are often ignored. The most responsible thing media workers can do is to form a union to win critical workplace protection.”

Hallmark Media is staying in business with Nielsen. “Our renewal extends our partnership with Nielsen to continue to utilize their authoritative suite of services to provide analytics and insights for our company,” said Hallmark Media’s SVP of Revenue and Strategic Research, Tom Ziangas. “As viewing patterns continue to evolve and fractionalize across the industry, this partnership will allow us to understand the interaction of our widely beloved brand of content across platforms and meet the needs of our advertisers and viewers alike.”

Beat the deadline – nominate before the clock strikes midnight!

In Nectar HR’s latest study, 83.6% of employees feel that recognition affects their motivation to succeed at work. Who in your company went above and beyond this past quarter? Give recognition where recognition is due and nominate a Standout today. Entries close tonight at 11:59PM EST!

I’M READY TO NOMINATE

Food Network serves up a fresh take on cooking competitions with “Wildcard Kitchen,” featuring fan-favorite chefs who create dishes based on poker games. “’Wildcard Kitchen’ makes viewers feel like they are behind-the-scenes for an exclusive late-night poker game with their favorite chefs,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “The competition and good-natured trash talk is fierce, funny and unlike anything Food Network has offered.” The series premieres Tuesday, March 12 at 9p.

Netflix is developing a series about the life of Julio Iglesias, with collaboration from the singer – and all it took was a letter from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “After many speculations, books and documentaries in which I have not been involved, for the first time I have decided to tell the truth about my life to a universal company like Netflix,” said Iglesias. “After much deliberation, finally, a very touching letter sent to me by Bela Bajaria was enough to convince me that Netflix was the ideal company to develop this project.”

Kevin Willliamson has four projects in development with Universal Television via his Outerbanks Entertainment, reports Deadline. In the works are a reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock film “Rear Window”; “The It Girl,” based on the book by Ruth Ware; “The Game,” based on the David Fincher film; and original concept “On the Waterfront.”

Asylum Entertainment Group is making a strategic investment in Soho Studios Entertainment. Asylum’s stake in the production house, established in 2022, is aimed at accelerating Asylum’s international strategy and fuel the growth and evolution of both businesses.

Banijay announced Banijay Bootcamp, a program for scripted talent. Led by Steve Matthews, Content Executive at Banijay, Banijay Bootcamp starts this week in Prague, with two residencies across three months. Five Banijay development executives from Mexico, Spain, France, Israel, and the Netherlands, will each be mentored with a writer to develop an idea, storyline, plot and script.

Casting notes: Beau Bridges (“Lessons in Chemistry”) has taken a major recurring role opposite Kathy Baker in CBS’ upcoming reimagined “Matlock.” Bridges replaces Jamey Sheridan, who played the role in the pilot…. James Marsden (“Jury Duty”) landed the lead opposite Sterling K. Brown Hulu’s upcoming drama from “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman. Also joining the show as series regulars are Julianne Nicholson (“Mare of Easttown”) and Sarah Sahi (“Sex/Life”)….Season three of Prime Video’s “Reacher” will include Anthony Michael Hall (“Bosch: Legacy”) and Sonya Cassidy (“The Man Who Fell to Earth”) as series regulars….Luke Hemsworth (“Westworld”) has joined the cast of Prime Video’s “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” in a recurring role.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Netflix’s “The Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” launches Tuesday, March 12, exploring how the Cold War impacted world history. The series expands on the streamer’s 2021 series, “The Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror.”

A trailer for ID’S “Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” includes allegations of a toxic environment – including child pornography and child sexual abuse –on the sets of Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon shows. Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider in 2018 amid reports of abusive behavior. The four-parter kicks off Sunday, March 17 at 9p.

Season four of HBO’s “We’re Here” launches Friday, April 26 at 9p. This go-round, drag queens Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale work with participants in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Tulsa, Oklahoma, to look at recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and the effect it has had on the community.

The back half of season six of “The Chi” kicks off Friday, May 10 on Paramount+ with Showtime, landing on linear on Sunday, May 12 at 9p. The drama’s season six debut was one of the Showtime premieres ever in streaming viewership.

All six episodes of “Sonic the Hedgehog” spinoff “Knuckles” drop Friday, April 26 on Paramount+. Idris Elba (“Hijack”) stars in the title role.

Season four of “Blown Away” premieres Friday, March 8 on Netflix. Hunter March (“Sugar Rush”) joins as the new host of the glassblowing competition series.

STREAMING

Cineverse unveiled a new FAST channel, EntrepreneurTV. The live channel is initially available on Sling Freestream, with additional distribution coming soon.

TECH

FreeWheel announced the launch of its Beeswax Inventory Desk, providing buyers using FreeWheel’s Beeswax technology with a simpler and more efficient way to access premium video ad inventory. The Beeswax Inventory Desk, which functions as an inventory curation service, is designed to better match buyer demand with premium video ad inventory supply. “We know that friction, complexity and fragmentation are key challenges that buyers and sellers across the TV advertising ecosystem face today,” said Matt Clark, VP, Strategic Partnerships, FreeWheel. “And so, one of the ah ha moments behind this service was, ‘How can we make the TV ad buying process simpler, better and with fewer headaches for all so that advertisers’ dollars can work harder and viewers can enjoy a more improved ad experience?’ It is our hope that this new offering will help create a win-win across the TV ad ecosystem.”

Google’s Bard technology has been rebranded as Gemini. And Google has introduced two new experiences, Gemini Advanced and a mobile app, to enable users to easily collaborate with Google AI. Gemini Advanced – more capable at highly complex tasks like coding, logical reasoning, following nuanced instructions and collaborating on creative projects – is available as part of the new Google One AI Premium Plan for $19.99/month.

As it forges ahead with AI, Google is also joining an effort to develop credentials for digital content that identifies when and how it was produced or altered. Adobe, the BBC, Microsoft and Sony are also onboard to improve standards.

Innovid announced industry-wide availability of the latest self-service feature within its CTV Composer authoring tool, enabling brands and publishers to create interactive CTV experiences in-house, at scale, for live streaming events. Innovid’s advanced creative technology is built on the Innovid platform, which delivers over 1.3 billion ads per day and is designed to handle high-quality video at scale. “High-value live content, like sports and awards, have historically been pillars of linear – but that’s changing,” said Dan Mouradian, SVP, Global Client Solutions at Innovid. “As live events move to CTV, and TV becomes 100% digital, advertisers have a unique opportunity to engage audiences at scale with personalized, interactive formats. They now have the technology to accomplish it on their own.”

Goodway Group announced its first, video-only partnership for premium video ad inventory with FreeWheel. “As the TV advertising ecosystem continues to fragment and evolve, we sought a partner with a steady commitment to infusing simplicity, transparency and innovation,” said Andrea Kwiatek, Director, Partnerships, Goodway Group.

OUT-OF-HOME

Marketing organization Moving Out of Home Association has been formed to increase the visibility of the moving OOH advertising sector. Part of DPAA’s Collective, MOOHA will feature a self-governing member base that includes media owners and measurement. “Technology, measurement and attribution for ads on moving vehicles has increased to the point where advertisers are taking notice and investing significantly,” said Barry Frey, President, and CEO of DPAA.

OOH ad platform AdQuick has signed an agreement with Crackle Connex to add Redbox and Crackle advertising inventory to its of over 1,600 partners. Redbox’s supply is also now available for auction-based and reservation buying, as well as inclusion within multichannel measurement through AdQuick’s integrations with omnichannel platforms, including a previously announced partnership with TransUnion.

COMING UP

Paul Rudd (“Only Murders in the Building”) will narrate Nat Geo’s “Secrets of the Octopus,” the third installment of the “Secrets Of…” franchise from James Cameron.

Comedy special “Rory Scovel: Religion, Sex and a Few Things In Between” debuts Thursday, February 22 on Max. The special is executive produced by Conan O’Brien and Conaco.

“Great American Rescue Bowl” airs Super Bowl Sunday, February 11 at 12p on Great American Family. While all 102 furry participants have been adopted (yay!), North Shore Animal League America will be conducting shelter watch parties with their shelter partners throughout all weekend leading into the Big Game.

The Africa Channel is celebrating Black History Month with two curated collections, “Topical & Trending on TAC,” a collection of documentaries exploring modern Black legends, and “Viewer Favorite Classic Series.” Series “History of Africa,” diving into pivotal moments in Africa’s history, airs Mondays and Fridays from 8p-10p.

NOT COMING UP

DJ Tiësto, who was scheduled to perform during breaks in the Super Bowl in the 3-3:30p timeslot, has canceled. “Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning,” Tiësto posted on social. “It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first.” The Dutch DJ would have been the first in-game DJ at the Super Bowl.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

The joint venture from Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery for a sports-only streaming service has “undoubtedly captured our attention,” said sports-first streamer Fubo in a statement. “We have already seen that a consortium born of historical competitors is a difficult undertaking, and streaming joint ventures rarely work. As well, we know sports-only programming is highly challenged.” Not to mention Fubo’s concerns about the JV’s impact on fair market competition. “This joint venture spotlights a concerning trend where an alliance with significant market share, reportedly controlling 60-85% of all sports content, could dictate market terms in a manner that may not serve the broader interests of consumers. We believe our robust programming and quality product experience cannot be duplicated by what is likely to emerge from this joint venture.”

DAZN Group, the International Basketball Federation, FIBA and Two Circles announced a long-term strategic partnership that sees DAZN become a global distributor of Courtside 1891, home of FIBA live streaming, with a focus on national team basketball. Courtside 1891 will be available as a standalone offering on DAZN, with both premium paid-for and free-to-access content available to registered users, similar to NFL Game Pass, which was launched globally on DAZN in 2023.

Telemundo’s coverage of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024 Dubai™ kicks off Thursday, February 15 at 6a with a pregame show and matches airing live on Telemundo, Universo and the Telemundo app.

GOING GLOBAL

ITV Studios in partnership with Samsung TV Plus has launched a new and dedicated channel featuring back-to-back episodes of “The Graham Norton Show,” streaming exclusively on Samsung TV Plus in the UK, Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands.

Keshet International is partnering with impact studio Ritual Arts and Orlando Bloom’s production company Amazing Owl to bring the docuseries “Earthbound “to international audiences. The series explores the lives and contributions of seemingly ordinary people who have become extraordinary change-makers by turning environmental challenges into opportunities.

Comedy-thriller “Dead Hot” will launch on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland on March 1. The six-part series is created and written by Charlotte Coben and produced by Quay Street Productions.

Grab the moment!

Historical political campaign spending is taking place, including $250M from one super PAC alone. To learn how to take advantage of this singular moment, join us virtually on February 15th from 1-3 PM ET.

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Who needs Christmas? Hallmark Channel’s “Paging Mr. Darcy,” the first of the net’s four Jane Austen-inspired films for its Loveuary stunt, reached 2.3 million unduplicated total viewers. It was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Total Viewers, Women 18-49, and Women/Persons 18+, helping elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 entertainment cable network in Weekend Prime among Households, Total Viewers, and Women and Persons 18+

The US cable premiere episodes of the “Hudson & Rex” have more than tripled the network’s Th 8p hour average and hit new highs on February 1, ranking # 17 in HH coverage ratings among all cable networks in the time period.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Jeff Rossi has joined Yahoo as VP, Global Agency Partnerships. Rossi most recently held the position of Senior Director, Agency Development at Twitch.

Cécile Frot-Coutaz has been promoted to CEO Sky Studios and Chief Content Officer. Frot-Coutaz joined Sky three years ago.

SponsorUnited announced the appointment of Debbie Colella as SVP of Customer Success and the promotion of Rajiv Khanna to Chief Sales Officer.

Protagonist Pictures revealed a new leadership structure for its sales and marketing divisions. Janina Vilsmaier and Mounia Wissinger have been promoted to SVP Sales and Distribution and VP Global Marketing and Publicity, respectively. Lina Marrone, will remain at Protagonist (after initially joining as maternity sub), taking up the permanent position of Head of Sales.

Friday Fun Fact
Online searches for the 1989 film “Dead Poets Society” leaped 588% after Taylor Swift’s announcement at the Grammys of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played the partners in “Partners in Crime” (1984)? Lynda Carter and Loni Anderson. Kudos to: James Maxim-Disney/NYC; Bill Kopac-Evergreen Trading/NYC; Anne Thomason-Canvas Worldwide/Atlanta; Mark A. Prince-dentsu/NYC; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee; John Kukla-KDFW Fox 4/Dallas; Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago; Anne Wettig-Fox Corp./LA; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Kevin Moran-Blarney Productions/Pasadena, CA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
In which series did Ed O’Neill play a character who talked to birds? (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.)

Cynopsis Team