FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 1/30/20)
HISTORY: Alone: The Beast (Premiere) at 10pm
CBS: Evil (Finale) at 10pm
HGTV: Chrisina On The Coast (Finale) at 9pm
NBC: The Good Place (Finale) at 8:30pm
TNT and TBS will pivot to more unscripted content, AT&T COO and WarnerMedia Chairman John Stankey told investors on Wednesday. General entertainment content “will show up on HBO Max going forward,” said Stankey, while the cable nets will be more focused on sports and programming that sparks “water cooler” conversation. HBO Max will offer “something for everyone in the family,” said Stankey, with the highest-quality premium SVOD in the market delivering “a higher percentage of culturally relevant offerings.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
There has been talk at NBC News about adding a fifth hour to Today, according to Variety. While there “are no imminent plans” for the move, said NBC News President Noah Oppenheim in an interview, if it happened, the show would likely add an hour at the end of the 7a-11a block rather than at the beginning.
(Source: Cynopsis)
SAG-AFTRA outlined new guidelines for “intimacy coordinators” who oversee sex scenes in films and TV shows, to address the problem of sexual harassment on sets. “This is a home run for our members and the entire industry,” said David White, the union’s national executive director. “Having intimacy coordinators on sets where simulated sex and other forms of intimacy are present better protects SAG-AFTRA members and all other professionals involved in such scenes.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Bloomberg Television is now available to Verizon Fios TV customers, giving viewers in cities across the East Coast access to Bloomberg TV’s global business and finance news, analysis and commentary on channel 605.
(Source: Cynopsis)
During its panel at the Realscreen summit, Disney+ announced new nonfiction projects, including the next generation of the series The Quest, a 2014 reality competition that aired on ABC that will now feature teen participants. Also greenlit was brainteaser competition series The Maze, National Geographic’s Meet the Chimps and an untitled docuseries that follows Pixar’s SparkShorts program as they discover talented new storytellers. “These projects take people on epic adventures, immerse them in fantastical worlds and shine a light on extraordinary people and creatures, which are all important benchmarks of our Disney+ nonfiction content philosophy,” said Agnes Chu, SVP, Content, Disney+.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Terry Bradshaw scored a reality show. E! greenlit The Bradshaw Bunch (wt), starring the NFL legend, his wife and three daughters. “I thought winning four Super Bowls was hard, but it’s nothing compared to having three girls,” said Bradshaw. Comedic docu-series is slated to launch this summer.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC ordered a pilot for Langdon, a drama based on Dan Brown bestseller The Lost Sympbol. Project comes from Imagine Television, CBS TV Studios and Universal Television.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple’s Iron Ocean Productions inked a first-look deal with Paramount Television Studios. “Iron Ocean’s commitment to authenticity in their storytelling and ability to attract top-notch talent is something we’re very excited about,” said Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount Television Studios. The deal is for scripted TV projects.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Insight TV Studios, the newly launched production and content sales division of Insight TV, has formed a co-production partnership with Webedia, a digital and influencer-focused agency based in France, and its production entity X-Treme Video. The first co-production under the new partnership is Full Circle, scheduled to premiere on Insight TV in Spring 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)
National Geographic, with Fox 21 Studios and Imagine Television Studios, announced that musician Raphael Saadiq will serve as executive music producer on Genius: Aretha. Saadiq is responsible for producing, arranging and recording all of the original song elements within the series featuring live performances. The score will be written and produced Terence Blanchard (Harriet, BlacKkKlansman).
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix ordered live-action series One Piece, based on the manga title. Ten-parter comes from Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha; Steven Maeda (Lost) is showrunner and executive producer and Matt Owens (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is writer/EP.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Amazon gave a two-season order to animated comedy Fairfax, from Matt Hausfater (Undateable), Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley, Serious Business, Titmouse and Amazon Studios, centered on four middle school best friends. “This show is a love letter to kids today – the generation that will most definitely save the world from global warming, if they don’t die from eating Tide Pods first,” said Hausfater, Buchsbaum and Riley.
(Source: Cynopsis)
HGTV Canada’s Island of Bryan is back for season two on Sunday, February 23 at 10p, continuing the adventures of Bryan and Sarah Baemler’s family in the Bahamas.
(Source: Cynopsis)
New ABC drama The Baker and the Beauty will now premiere Monday, April 13, after the series premiere of The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart. The Baker and the Beauty had been slated to debut on April 6.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nat Geo special The Hidden Kingdoms of China premieres Saturday, February 22 at 9p. Hosted by Michalle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), two-parter focuses on creatures like the snub-nosed monkey, Tibetan fox and giant panda.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Usher has been tapped to host and perform during the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which will also feature live performances from Halsey and Lizzo, as well as previously announced performer, Justin Bieber. Two-hour event will air live from LA on Sunday, March 29 at 8p on Fox.
(Source: Cynopsis)
SiriusXM and Hallmark Channel are teaming again for Hallmark Channel Radio’s “Love Ever After,” pairing popular love songs with tales of love by Hallmark Channel stars, beginning tomorrow, January 31 at 9a on SiriusXM channel 70 and through the SiriusXM app. The channel kicks off in conjunction with Hallmark Channel’s February “Love Ever After” programming.
(Source: Cynopsis)
To celebrate the upcoming ninth chapter of the Fast & Furious franchise, Telemundo is presenting Concierto: El Camino a Fast and Furious 9 (Concert: The Road to), a one-hour global event hosted by TV personalities Jorge Bernal and Ana Jurka featuring and Cardi B, Ludacris and Ozuna. Concert airs tomorrow, January 31 at 11:35p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Microsoft announced a $40 million program, AI for Health. The program aims to accelerate medical research; increase understanding of mortality and longevity; and reduce health inequity. AI for Health “is underpinned with a strong foundation of privacy, security, and ethics, and was developed in collaboration with leading health experts who are driving important medical initiatives,” wrote Microsoft President Brad Smith in a blog post. “Through AI for Health, we will support specific nonprofits and academic collaboration with Microsoft’s leading data scientists, access to best-in-class AI tools and cloud computing, and select cash grants.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Roku is launching a software update that gives its line of Roku Smart Soundbars the ability to offer surround sound when paired with Roku TV Wireless Speakers. “We want to simplify home theater the same way we simplified streaming and we’re taking a big step towards that vision by expanding our Roku Smart Soundbars to support surround sound capabilities,” said Mark Ely, VP, Retail Product Strategy at Roku. “We want customers to be able to expand their system over time without having to spend a lot of money or run wires throughout the home.” Roku Wireless Surround Speakers will be available at Walmart.com and in stores for $149 next month.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix’s The Witcher and Disney+’s The Mandalorian top the list of streaming debuts for 4Q19, but Apple TV+ held six of the top ten spots, reports Parrot Analytics. Apple TV+ Originals delivered strong audience demand, with its sixth best-performing debut series, The Morning Show, showing 16.5x more demand over its 30 day premiere period than the average TV series with US audiences.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix is reportedly planning to tweak its marketing strategy to include more marketing of its brand, in addition to individual titles, according to the Hollywood Reporter, a change that could result in at least 15 layoffs. The streamer employs about 6900 people.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Kerri Medders (Alexa & Katie) will recur on Amazon’s upcoming drama Panic…TV personality/model Tyler Cameron and interior designer Delia Kenza are set to host Quibi dog lifestyle series Barkitecture…Newcomer Tireni Oyenusi has joined the cast of HBO Max’s upcoming limited series Americanah as a series regular.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Entertainment One is partnering with the national tourism agency VisitEngland for a Peppa Pig promotional campaign that aims to get more families with young children to take short breaks in England. Launching this week, the effort drives visitors to an online hub on VisitEngland’s website, and features 25 experiences for pre-schoolers and their families inspired by Peppa’s adventures in the show.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Keely's Korner 