Skip a newsletter last week? “In Case You Missed It” rounds up 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!
All four of CBS’s new dramas – NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, Madam Secretary and Stalker – got full season orders. The NCIS spinoff is the season’s top new series, averaging 16.16 viewers and a 2.8 rating among A18-49; Scorpion is second. “These four shows have had an immediate impact on our schedule by improving nights, winning time periods and adding more hours of success across our primetime lineup,” said Nina Tassler, chairman, CBS Entertainment.
Rich Ross has been named president of Discovery Channel, effective January 2015. Ross had been CEO of Shine America. “On top of being just a great guy, Rich also is mission driven, with a commitment to quality, blue-chip programming and is a terrific fit with Discovery,” said Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav, to whom he will report. Ross replaces interim president Marjorie Kaplan, who will continue to serve as group president of TLC and Animal Planet, with the addition of Velocity.
Game 7 of the World Series was a blowout for FOX Sports on Wednesday, marking the second Game 7 in the Fall Classic since 2002, and reeling in a Series-high 13.7/23 with 23.5 million viewers tuning in, according to Nielsen. That is up 69% in rating and 76% in audience compared to Game 6. The contest was also up 22% in rating and 23% in audience over last year’s Series-clinching Game 6. FOX Deportes’ telecast of Game 7 was the most-watched MLB game ever in the network’s history with 373,000 total viewers, up 90% from Game 7 in 2011. Overall, the seven games of the Series averaged an 8.2/14 with 13.8 million viewers.
Meanwhile, here are TiVo’s Top 5 Moments from the 2014 World Series:
1. Game 7: 11:21pm – As the tying run stood ninety feet away from home plate, Madison Bumgarner threw his 185th pitch in four days, inducing Perez to pop out to Sandoval for the final out of the series.
2. Game 7: 11:18pm – What should have been a routine single to center off the bat of Gordon gets by the centerfielder Blanco and the Royals have the tying run at third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
3. Game 4: 11:02pm – Knotted up in a 4-4 tie the Giants load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 6th and Pablo Sandoval singles over the outstretched arm of Infante to score Blanco and Posey giving the Giants their first lead since the 3rd inning.
4. Game 3: 11:25pm – With the Royals clinging to a tenuous one run lead in the bottom of the ninth and every pitch carrying the weight of game three on its stitches, Royals pitcher Greg Holland has a 1-2-3 inning, inducing Hunter Pence to hit a comebacker to the mound for the final out.
5. Game 2: 10:31pm – Omar Infante crushes a pitch from Giants rookie Hunter Strickland for a two run homer, giving the Royals a 7-2 lead, but then it got interesting. Strickland begins screaming on the mound, apparently yelling at himself, Salvador Perez who was at second for the Royals begins yelling back at Strickland as he crosses home plate. Both benches clear, order is restored and Strickland apologized the next day.
And, of course, TiVo’s Most Engaging Spots from the 2014 World Series determined by looking for spots with the biggest bump in viewership relative to the surrounding 15 minutes of programming:
1. Game 2 10:19p AT&T with James Van Der Beek spot
2. Game 5 10:25p Chevrolet with Mo’ne Davis
3. Game 6 9:52p New Line Cinema with Dumb and Dumber To
4. Game 7 10:43p FOX with Exodus: Gods and Kings
5. Game 2 9:49p Sony Pictures with Fury
Multi-channel networks still prove a hot commodity: European broadcasting company RTL Group is close to acquiring beauty and fashion MCN StyleHaul. Variety reports the deal is expected to close within the next two weeks, for an undisclosed price tag. RTL already owns a stake in the MCN, previously investing $6 million in the company. StyleHaul has more than 199 million subscribers, 17 billion video views and 4,900 channels.
YouTube may be headed toward a subscription-based ad-free model, according to CEO Susan Wojcicki. At the Code/Mobile conference she discussed the possibility and said, “Right now [YT] is ad-supported, which is great because it has enabled us to scale to a billion users, but there’s going to be a point where people don’t want to see the ads.” YT added a service for content creators to offer premium content behind a pay wall, but was reported unpopular and earned little profit.
Launched only three months ago, KidQuest, the app providing interactive children’s crafts, experiments, and activities, notched partnerships with four established kids brands: Garfield, Jim Henson’s Doozers, Peep and the Big Wide World, and Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman. Activities based on these brands will be featured on the KidQuest platform, including:
* Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman: Discover engineering by building your own catapult
* Peep and the Big Wide World: Learn about water lilies by making your own in a science craft
* Interactive drawing games where you learn how to sketch Garfield like a pro
* Build a solar cooker to help the Doozers make s’mores
Jelly Jam Entertainment worked with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to create the curriculum for new brand The Moodsters, designed to help kids learn how to understand and handle their emotions. The property, slated to launch in 2015 via apps, books, toys and other digital content, features five characters, each depicting a different emotion. “The Moodsters prepares children for success in the real world by giving them tools and simple strategies they can use to manage their thoughts, feelings and behavior,” says Jelly Jam principal and child development expert Denise Daniels. “For parents, The Moodsters are learning tools which help teach children the fundamentals of feelings.”
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