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!
FLAGSHIP
Longtime 60 Minutes producer Jeff Fager is stepping down as chairman of CBS News. Fager will return to the newsmagazine, with a contract through 2019. “When Leslie Moonves asked me to take the job of chairman, we agreed that when the time was right I would be able to return to 60 Minutes full-time,” said Fager. “I can’t imagine a better time for that than right now.” David Rhodes, president of CBS News since 2011, will assume leadership of the division. Said CBS CEO Les Moonves, “Jeff has convinced me that the time has arrived for the next step in the plan we implemented almost four years ago – for Jeff to return to an exclusive focus on a broadcast that defines the greatness of CBS, and for David to assume the sole leadership of CBS News.”
Amid revived allegations of multiple sexual assaults, Netflix postponed a Bill Cosby special that was to premiere the day after Thanksgiving, and NBC scrapped a Cosby comedy in development, TV Land stopped airing reruns of The Cosby Show.
SPORTS
Sports fans with Dish Network were able to exhale a sigh of relief after CBS and Dish agreed to a temporary extension to continue programming amid a rough carriage fee dispute that threatens to yank SEC and NFL games from their channels. The companies avoided a potential blackout of local CBS stations in some of the country’s biggest markets. The deal was set to end Thursday.
The NCAA fleshed out its men’s basketball tournament plans over the next few years. The University of Dayton will continue to be the beneficiary of the First Four games through 2018, extending its tradition for the games since the NCAA altered the format in 2011. Meanwhile, the next two rounds of games will revert to being known as the first- and second-rounds respectively.
The committee also unveiled preliminary round hosts for the 2016-18 championships. The 2016 tournament offers two brand new hosts as Brooklyn and Des Moines join the fray along with Providence, St. Louis, Raleigh, Oklahoma City, Denver and Spokane as first- and second-round sites. The East Regional will be played in Philadelphia, the Midwest Regional will take place in Chicago, the South Regional in Louisville and the West Regional in Anaheim. Houston will host the 2016 Final Four. 2017 will see Salt Lake City as a first- and second-round site for the 2017 championship, joining Buffalo, Greensboro, Milwaukee, Orlando, Tulsa, Sacramento and Indianapolis, Kansas City hosts the Midwest Regional, San Jose the West, Memphis the South and Madison Square Garden the East. Charlotte will host first- and second-round games of the 2018 championship with Pittsburgh, Detroit, Nashville, Dallas, Boise, San Diego and Wichita. The committee opted for Boston as the East Regional host, while Omaha was selected to host the Midwest Regional, Los Angeles was selected to host in the West and Atlanta was chosen in the South.
DIGITAL
Mystery no more: Nielsen will begin measuring subscription web streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Price, according to the Wall Street Journal. Both platforms have kept ratings under wraps, but Nielsen plans to identify viewership, but will not include streaming on mobile devices at first. The data will be provided to clients, media companies like TV networks and studios, to see how their acquired content is performing on the services. “Our clients will be able to look at their programs and understand: Is putting content on Netflix impacting the viewership on linear and traditional VOD?” Nielsen Senior Vice President Brian Fuhrer told WSJ.
Despite previous reports, Facebook is not listed as a presenter on the preliminary schedule for the 2015 Digital Content NewFronts this year. The IAB released the program for the NewFronts yesterday, a showcase similar to the annual TV Upfronts, to take place between April 27 and May 6, 2015. Newcomers include Discovery Digital Networks and the multichannel networks Fullscreen and Machinima. The schedule, includes:
Week 1:
– Monday 4/27: The New York Times (9-11a), BuzzFeed (12-2p), Microsoft (3-5p), Yahoo (6-8p).
– Tuesday 4/28: Maker Studios (9-11a), Mode Media (12-2p), Conde Nast Entertainment (3-5p), AOL (6-8p)
– Wednesday 4/29: Hulu (9-11a), Sony Crackle (12-2p), Refinery29 (3-5p), Google/YouTube (6-8p)
– Thursday 4/30: Time Inc. (9-11a), DigitasLBi (2-5p), PopSugar and Vevo (6-8p)
– Friday 5/1: Wall Street Journal (9-11a), Time Warner Cable (12-2p), VICE (3-5p)
Week 2:
– Monday 5/4: Fullscreen (12-2p), Machinima (3-5p)
– Tuesday 5/5: Discovery Digital Networks (9-11a), National Geographic (3-5p), HalthiNation (6-8p)
– Wednesday 5/6: IAB NewFronts Research Lunch (12-2p)
KIDS
Cupcake Digital continues to sweeten its pot with the acquisition of Little Bit Studio, developer of the popular Bugs and Buttons app series. This is Cupcake’s second acquisition this year, following the purchase of iStoryTime in March. Little Bit Studio will fold into Cupcake Digital’s broader structure of technology and marketing resources; new Bugs and Buttons and other product will be introduced as early as Q1 2015. Additionally, Little Bit Studio founders Scott Vann and Jason Luber will hold senior positions at Cupcake Digital. “The acquisition of Little Bit Studio allows us to strategically build our growing IP portfolio with this highly original, creative company,” said Cupcake Digital CEO Brad Powers.
Looks like Shrek and My Little Pony are not destined to become siblings after all.
Hasbro has called off its probe into possibly acquiring DreamWorks Animation. As previously reported, the Jeffrey Katzenberg-helmed studio was seeking $30 a share, a jump from the original trading price of $22 a share. The toy maker and DreamWorks previously collaborated on the Shrek and Kung Fu Panda movies and merchandise. Katzenberg and company reportedly are in discussions about selling a 25 percent stake DreamWorks Animations’ YouTube channel AwesomenessTV to Hearst.
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