Skip a newsletter last week? Then here’s a roundup of the top stories in each of our four daily editions, so you can be up on the latest news, Cynopsis-style, in the worlds of linear, digital, sports and kids television. Enjoy!
A carriage dispute left Dish’s 14 million subscribers without Turner channels. “Despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an agreement with Dish Network, and they have unilaterally decided to pull CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM, HLN, CNN en Espanol and Boomerang off the air upon the expiration of our current deal,” said Turner, adding it has “worked diligently for months to come to a fair agreement including multiple extensions and compromises, and it’s unfortunate that Dish is once again operating in a disruptive manner that takes away networks and programming from their customers.” Countered Warren Schlichting, Dish SVP of programming, “We are confident that we have offered a deal to Turner that reflects an appropriate value for our customers.” Both sides say they hope to reach an agreement. TNT and TBS were not affected by the blackout.
CBS set an arrival date for Late Late Show with James Corden: Monday, March 9. Corden succeeds Craig Ferguson as host.Ben Winston, currently an exec producer on UK’s The X Factor, is onboard as exec producer for his long-time friend and collaborator’s new gig; Nina Tassler, chairman, CBS Entertainment, promises “a creatively dynamic and very energetic host/producer combination.” Rotating guest hosts will fill in after Ferguson signs off December 19.
Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski got a promotion, with NBC Sports naming the pair as part of the company’s new lead figure skating broadcast team, joining Terry Gannon. Scott Hamilton will remain with the network as a special contributor. The trio will make their fall debut, joining analyst Tracy Wilson and reporter Andrea Joyce on Sunday at 4p on NBC’s two-hour telecast of the 2014 Hilton HHonors Skate America.
Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer are partnering with IMG to market and distribute global media rights for the two soccer organizations for the next eight years. The deal starts in 2015 and runs through 2022 and includes MLS and U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team matches played on American soil, as well as qualifying games for two World Cup cycles. It excludes media rights within the U.S. and Canada. IMG will also market the rights across all platforms including digital and gaming.
Nielsen and Adobe Systems are partnering to build a cross-platform system to measure viewership of digital videos across all Internet-connected platforms. Nielsen Digital Content Ratings will integrate Nielsen’s digital audience measurement products with Adobe Analytics and the Adobe Primetime platform for “currency grade content metrics,” said the companies. Among those participating in the digital ratings system, expected to launch in 2015, are ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, Univision and Viacom.
Netflix ordered a new animated series based on comedy from Bill Burr, called F is for Family. Co-created by Burr and Vince Vaughn, the deal with Gaumont International Television and Wild West Television consists of six half-hour episodes, to debut in 2015. Burr will voice the patriarch of a 1970s family; he’ll be assisted by Laura Dern playing his wife, and Justin Long (The Break-Up) as his son. The streaming service will debut Burr’s special I’m Sorry You Feel That Way on Dec. 5.
Nickelodeon and WWE are getting in the ring together, bringing WWE’s kids property WWE Slam City to the new NickSports block that airs Wednesdays 9-11p on Nicktoons. The short-form series, comprised of two-minute shorts featuring WWE superstars John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, The Miz, Rey Mysterio in an animated world, debuts tonight and will air every Wednesday. WWE Slam City is a key component of WWE’s larger strategy to expand its reach to kids. In 2013, the company’s national TV programming reached nearly 3 million kids each week, representing more than 20 percent of its average weekly TV audience. Since its launch earlier this year, the series nabbed nearly 20 million views across platforms including WWEslamcity.com, Cartoonium, WWE Network, Hulu, Kabillion, Nintendo and AOL.
Digital games are making inroads in the classroom, according to a new national teacher survey conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, and the Games and Learning Publishing Council. The study, of nearly 700 U.S. K-8 teachers, shows growing receptivity to the use of games and video case studies to teach children. Among findings from respondents:
* 75 percent use digital games for instruction
* Four of five teachers report their students play games at school at least once a month.
* 42 percent say games have improved students’ science learning (compared to 71 percent in math), despite research suggesting that games are well suited for teaching complex scientific concepts.
* 37% of game-using teachers report digital games as being effective in improving students’ social skills (which is low compared to other skills queried). Teachers whose students primarily play together (in pairs, small groups, as a whole class) were more likely to report improvements in social skills than teachers whose students play alone.
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