Welcome to “In Case You Missed It,” which is a quick roundup of the top stories of the previous week in each of our four daily editions. So if you skipped a newsletter, this is where you want to go to make sure you’re up on the latest news, Cynopsis-style, in the worlds of linear, digital, sports, and kids television. Enjoy!
Flagship
Fox TV Studios president David Madden was named president of entertainment at Fox, replacing Kevin Reilly. “Over his nearly 15-year tenure at Fox Television Studios, David helped transform FTS into one of the premier brands in cable programming, and we are elated to bring his stellar experience and reputation to the Fox network,” said Fox Television Group chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman. Fox COO Joe Earley has been promoted to COO of Fox Television Group, also reporting to Walden and Newman.
Actor and comedian Robin Williams died Monday August 11th at the age of 63. He first became nationally known from TV’s Mork & Mindy, which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1982. He won an Oscar for his role in the film Good Will Hunting. The cause of death was suicide via asphyxiation. Williams was found in his bedroom. The New York Times quoted Susan Schneider, Williams’ wife, saying, “This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one if its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope that the focus will not be on Robin’s death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”
Sports
MLB COO Rob Manfred was been elected the 10th Commissioner in MLB history on Thursday August 14, and will replace the outgoing Bud Selig next year. Manfred emerged victorious after squaring off against Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner in the vote count throughout the day. MLB’s EVP of Business Tim Brosnan reportedly withdrew before the first vote. “In the end, the vote was unanimous,” said Selig, whose term runs through Jan. 24, to reporters.
“I am truly honored to have been elected by the Clubs of Major League Baseball, and I will work every day to honor their faith and support,” said Manfred in a statement. “I humbly extend my gratitude to all of our Clubs. I also thank Bud Selig for his mentorship, friendship and his record of accomplishment as our sport’s Commissioner. We have the greatest game in the world, and together, all of the contributors to our sport can make its future even brighter.”
A battle to the end between Rory and Phil was a hit for CBS Sports, as coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship was watched by an estimated 30.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That is up 30% over last year’s numbers and 42% from 2012. In fact, the 30.9 million was the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Network’s weekend coverage in five years. Sunday’s coverage saw 26.3 million tune in for all or part of the broadcast, up 48% over last year and drew an average household rating/share of 6.0/13, up 36% from last year’s 4.4/10 in the Nielsen metered markets. It also ranked as the highest-rated final round in five years.
Digital
BuzzFeed is about to get much bigger…$50 million bigger. In a funding round led by the VC Andreessen Horowitz, The New York Times reports the company will use the new resources to heavily invest in its renamed video arm, BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. BF’s video business debuted in 2012 after the company hired Ze Frank as EVP of Video; the site’s videos have since hit a combined one billion views. Veering away from its reliance on social media shares, BF wants to eventually direct its video arm toward Hollywood. “The results speak for themselves: BuzzFeed will generate triple digital millions in revenue this year,” early BF investor and Andreessen Horowitz General Partner, Chris Dixon, wrote in a blog yesterday. “I believe the future of BuzzFeed…will only get brighter as the internet solidifies its place as the central communication medium of our time.” NYT estimates BF is now worth $850 million.
Twitter began testing Promoted Video with a pay-per-view buying model. When it officially launches, advertisers will have to pony up only when a user starts playing the video. They will also be able to better gauge reach and effectiveness with a new set of video tools. Rival Facebook launched video ads in 2013.
Kids
History is extending its brand to the younger demo with a new line of apps for kids, ages 7-11. They will fill the void of “premium, historically-inspired content, ” Evan Silverman, SVP, digital, A+E Networks, tells CynKids. Under the umbrella Planet H, the first two titles, just released, are Empire Run a race through several of the world’s great empires and Frontier Heroes a series of games set in different eras of American history. Both are available on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire. A third game will follow later this year, exploring the earth’s seas and other bodies of water. The network hopes the apps will serve as an incubator for future History viewers. “We see an opportunity to reach new customers and introduce them to the History brand,” Silverman says. He adds that though the network tends to skew more male than female, the games are being developed to appeal to both genders. History developed Empire Run and Frontier Heroes in partnership with RED Games.
Fifteen years after she first debuted on Nickelodeon, Dora is growing up. Nick debuts new series Dora and Friends: Into the City! on Monday, Aug. 18, at 8p; the show will run weekdays at noon during the preschool block alongside the original Dora the Explorer and feature the iconic Latina living in a city, attending school, spending time with her peer group and giving back to the community. CynKids sat down with creators Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!) to get the scoop.
Double duty Dora
Gifford: The fact that the shows were running [simultaneously] was a big concern of ours, so we did a lot of research to see how kids would feel about Dora being older and younger at the same time. We found they don’t think about the logic of it – they see the shows as entirely separate. Even though she’s a little older, Dora is a peer to them. When we asked how old she is, kids usually said, “She’s my age.”
Cross-over possibilities
Gifford: Will Dora’s rain forest friends come visit her in the city? It may happen. We expected kids to say, “Where’s Boots and Swiper?” but they’re very interested in the new story and they know they can watch the other show, too. But I don’t think Dora has left those friends behind. We have a lot of shows to write and I can’t imagine we aren’t going to have one or two with some crossover.
New show, new angle?
Valdes: We actually have a lot of the same curriculum, but one thing we did was add a lot of emotional intelligence into the stories. How you relate to your friends and family is such a hot button these days. We get to see her interact with them and put herself in others’ place, in addition to the ABCs and 123s that are part of a preschool curriculum. The other piece that’s big is community service. We’ve always thought about who Dora would be if she were a little bit older, and community service seemed like something she would gravitate to.
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