Keely's Korner

NBC News plans to go 24/7 with its NBC News Now streaming service.The move involves hiring more than 70 staffers to bolster digital operations, while a vertical devoted to science and climate reporting will get cut and become daily coverage, and “Left Field,” a unit devoted to experimental video, will be phased out. The OTT service has been running Monday-Friday between 3p-11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sony is planning to shut down its PlayStation Vue skinny-bundle TV service and hone in on its videogame business. The move goes into effect on January 30. Films and TV programs will still be accessible via the PlayStatonStore and partner apps. “Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.” Sony will launch the fifth-generation PlayStation during the 2020 holiday season.
(Source: Cynopsis)

WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max will launch in May 2020, and the company plans “to use the enormous AT&T footprint” to scale it quickly, said WarnerMedia Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt at WarnerMedia’s investor day. After the launch of an HBO Max subscription offering next year, an ad-supported version will debut in 2021.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Among the highlights at Univision’s “Leading the Change” forum for marketers in NYC on Tuesday was a presentation by Stacie de Armas, VP, Strategic Initiatives & Consumer Engagement at Nielsen, who shared findings from Nielsen’s Latinx research study that should have advertisers on alert: US Hispanic GDP is the eighth largest, over India, Italy, Brazil and Canada; 28 is the median age for US Hispanics, versus 44 for non-Hispanic White homes; and 72% will pay more for brands they trust. Tech entrepreneur/author Josh Linkner offered 5 pieces of advice on spurring growth, among them “break the rules to get the jewels,” and “fail seven times, stand eight.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

P!nk will be honored with The People’s Champion of 2019 award at the E! People’s Choice Awards. The philanthropist /musician will be recognized for work for No Kid Hungry, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Planned Parenthood, REVERB, Autism Speaks and Human Rights Campaign, as well as an ambassador for UNICEF. P!nk is also nominated for Female Artist of 2019 and Concert Tour of 2019. The awards show will be broadcast live on Sunday, November 10 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The 53^rd Annual CMA Awards announced additional performances and collaborations for its upcoming show. Joining the talent pool will be Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn with Brothers Osborne, Garth Brooks with Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson, Lady Antebellum and Halsey, Old Dominion, Blake Shelton, and Thomas Rhett. The ceremony airs Wednesday, November 13 at 8p on ABC.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sony Pictures Television picked up The Good Dish, a new syndicated daytime series from The Dr. Oz Show producers. The spinoff, which grew out of weekly cooking segments on The Dr. Oz Show, will be hosted by Daphne Oz (MasterChef Junior), Vanessa Williams, Gail Simmons (Top Chef) and Jamika Pessoa (The Next Food Star).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Potty Talk, hosted by fashion designer Alexander Wang, has been set at Quibi. The traditional talk show format is flushed in the new project, which has Wang dishing it out with some of the biggest celebrities inside restrooms of the most sought-after events in entertainment, fashion and pop culture.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BBC Two greenlit a five-part series about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s political party. New Labour (wt), produced by BBC Studios, will examine how Blair and his colleagues took control of the party before being elected and chart their leadership of the country through a tumultuous period.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Game of Thrones prequel written by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts is no longer happening. Showrunner Goldman has been emailing cast and crew alerting them that show won’t go on, reports Deadline.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ovation TV announced airdates for upcoming episodes of Inside the Actors Studio. LaTanya Richardson Jackson (A Raisin in the Sun) interviewing Alfre Woodard airs Sunday, November 10 at 10p; Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) interviewing Laura Dern airs Sunday, November 17 at 10p; and  Kelsey Grammer interviewing James Burrows (Cheers) airs Sunday, December 1 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Tony award-winner Jeffrey Mays guests stars on NBC’s The Blacklist on Friday, November 1… Lynn Chen (Saving Face, Go Back To China) and Idar Victor (Rizzoli & Isles) will recur on Showtime’s upcoming 10^th season of Shameless.
(Source: Cynopsis

Producer Dick Wolf is taking his brand of storytelling to the podcast medium with Wolf Entertainment’s Hunted, headlined by Parker Posey. Produced in partnership with Endeavor Audio, project follows a Deputy U.S. Marshal (Posey) charged with leading one of the most treacherous manhunts in U.S. history.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ryan ToysReview, one of YouTube’s largest kids’ channels, was renamed Ryan’s World. The channel stars 8-year-old Ryan Kaji.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Judge Judy (6.3, Live+SD national rating/steady week before) made it 12 weeks in a row as syndications #1 show, and was the dominant court show for 1,204 weeks in a row, despite preemptions for the California wildfires and coverage of the Columbus Day parade in NY. Although the week ending October 20 featured few programs in the plus column, Access Hollywood (88-week high 1.5, up 7%) was the sole magazine on the upswing, drawing nearly 2 million daily viewers on average.
(Source: Cynopsis)