CNBC is moving to research firm Cogent Reports to measure its Business Day programming, a switch from Nielsen expected to take place by 4Q15 to monitor an audience that’s not watching from home.“Throughout our 25 year history, traditional measurement companies have struggled to capture CNBC’s audience of business executives, decision makers and affluent investors who watch our network from their corner offices, trading floors, five-star hotel rooms, country clubs, restaurants and health clubs,” said Mark Hoffman, President, CNBC. “We are excited to begin to provide our marketing partners with a more complete understanding of the power and quality of our prestigious audience.”

John Travolta (Welcome Back Kotter)returns to the small screen with a starring role in Ryan Murphy anthology miniseries American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson. Travolta plays defense Robert Shapiro, joining Cuba Gooding as Simpson, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark. Production for FX begins this spring in LA.

Little Charmers, a new animated show for preschoolers, launches Monday, January 12 at 12p on Nickelodeon and 8p on Nick Jr.  The half-hour weekday series from Nelvana Enterprises and Spin Master Entertainment rolls out on Treehouse in Canada on Saturdays at 6:30p starting January 31, and Nickelodeon channels internationally in spring 2015.

George Pyne, former President of Sports & Entertainment at IMG Worldwide, offered a peek into the next step of his career, announcing the launch of Bruin Sports Capital as well as the conclusion of a $250 million equity round, providing $500 million in buying power. The new venture will serve as a privately held media, sports, marketing and branded lifestyle company and “leverage Pyne’s 25-year track record of building businesses and creating shareholder value.”

“This is an unprecedented capital raising milestone for Bruin Sports Capital, which we reached in a very short time,” said Pyne. “Our partnership with WPP, whose global resources and record of accomplishments for delivering results, along with the capabilities and influence of the other global investors, provides Bruin Sports Capital with unmatchable reach and the ability to execute. Sir Martin Sorrell and WPP are builders of global businesses, which will benefit Bruin Sports Capital greatly. I am thrilled to be partnering with Sorrell, WPP and a truly global syndicate of investors. These relationships will allow us to maximize the opportunities we have identified throughout the sports and entertainment spaces and create exceptional value for our investors.”

The first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T will see ESPN deliver a CFP Megacast with over a dozen ways to follow the big game across its platforms. In addition to the traditional telecast on Monday, Jan. 12, at 8:30p on ESPN,  the initiative will include a different telecast across ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Goal Line; ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio broadcasts; five variations on ESPN3.

ESPN2 will deliver a Film Room option, with analysts Chris Spielman and Tom Luginbill joining coaches for in-depth X and O analysis of the game. The ESPNU telecast will take fans into a specially-created viewing theatre with a “cross-section of ESPN on-air personalities from outside college football responsibilities as they watch and discuss the game,” including Jay Bilas, Aaron Boone, Julie Foudy, Barry Melrose, Mark Schlereth and Michael Wilbon. ESPNEWS will be Off the Ball and give viewers an inside look at the way current ESPN analysts Kevin Carter, Matt Millen, Jason Sehorn and Matt Stinchcomb, as well as Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Amani Toomer, study and dissect the game by focusing on the plays away from the ball. Meanwhile, ESPN Classic will have a Sounds of the Game theme. Of course, ESPN Deportes will provide a traditional telecast of the game with Eduardo Varela and analyst Pablo Viruega providing a Spanish language call of the action.

 

Dish Network unveiled its new subscription streaming service, Sling TV, at CES yesterday. Set to debut in the first quarter of the year, the product will offer channels from Disney and ESPN,Turner Broadcasting and Scripps Networks Interactive and exclusive content from YouTube and Maker Studios for $20/per month. The cheaper bundles are meant to capture the millennials who wouldn’t subscribe to a pay TV service otherwise, Dish President and CEO Joe Clayton said at a press event on Monday.