FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 3/16/20)
CW: Roswell, New Mexico (Premiere) at 9pm
HBO: The Plot Against America (Premiere) at 9pm
HBO: My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name (Premiere) at 10pm
HLN: Sex & Murder (Premiere) at 9pm
ID: Torn From The Headlines: New York Post Reports (Premiere) at 10pm
VH1: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (Premiere) at 8pm
ID: Twisted Love (Finale) at 9pm
The spread of COVID-19 has led to the suspension of production on most TV series. NBCUniversal halted production across Universal Television, UCP, Universal Alternative Studios and First Run Syndication Productions. “The safety and health of our cast, crew and employees is our top priority,” NBCU said in a statement that reflected the sentiments of Disney, ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In addition to halts on broadcast and cable shows, Amazon’s Carnival Row, filming on Prague, is on hold. All Apple TV+’s shows are taking a break, while Netflix has halted production on all shows in the US and Canada.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Internet providers including AT&T, Comcast, Charter, Verizon and others have agreed to keep customers connected even if they can’t pay their bills due to COVID-19 disruptions. “I don’t want any American consumers to experiencing hardships because of the pandemic to lose connectivity,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai of the pledge.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NATAS has postponed the 41st Annual Sports Emmy Awards and the 71st Annual Technology & Engineering Awards, which had been scheduled for April 28 and April 19, respectively, but the June Daytime Emmy Awards and September News & Documentary Awards are still on. For now.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox Business News put two shows on break. “Trish Regan Primetime and Kennedy will both be on hiatus until further notice,” said an FBN spokesperson. “Due to the demands of the evolving pandemic crisis coverage, we are deploying all resources from both shows for staffing needs during critical market hours.” Regan had drawn criticism last week for calling the reaction to COVID-19 “melodrama on an agitated scale.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Four CBS News employees tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the order for most staffers to work from home….Fox News also limited the number of employees in the office. And in a memo to staff, CEO Suzanne Scott and President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace wrote, “Please keep in mind that viewers rely on us to stay informed during a crisis of this magnitude and we are providing an important public service to our audience by functioning as a resource for all Americans.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
On the sports front, Fox Sports said production on all FS1 live daily shows will be suspended until at least March 30….The 2020 Masters Golf Tournament, the August National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals have all been postponed. The Masters was set to start on April 9….With the NCAA basketball tournament canceled, CBS is filling the holes in its schedule with encores and original episodes of series, including originals of Hawaii Five-0 on Friday, March 27 at 9p, followed the next week with the series finale.
(Source: Cynopsis)
COVID-19-induced canceled live sports events could cost networks a 9% to 25% decrease in viewership, while streaming TV viewership is expected to have a 15% lift, according to an internal document from Magna Global. The document looked at the cancellations of the NCAA March Madness tournament, and NBA games which were to take place on TBS, TNT, truTV, CBS and ESPN. “We are fully supportive of the NCAA’s decision to cancel this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship,” CBS Sports and Turner Sports said in a joint statement. “We’ll continue to work closely with the NCAA and all of our partners as we prioritize the health and well-being of everyone involved.“ Said ESPN, “This is an unprecedented situation. We have great relationships with our league partners and are confident we can address all issues constructively going forward. Our immediate focus is on everyone’s safety and well-being.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Cartoon Network launched global PSAs focused on the importance of good hygiene practices, to help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The short videos are rolling out across multiple platforms including on-air, the CN app, CN’s social channels and YouTube in their respective regions around the world.
(Source: Cynopsis)
FOX News Channel added Johns Hopkins health policy expert and surgeon Dr. Martin Makary, M.D., M.P.H. as a contributor, part of the cable net’s expanded coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to analysis and information across FNC’s daytime and primetime programming on COVID-19, Dr. Makary will offer updates on the latest in health care and medical research.
(Source: Cynopsis)
A nearly 25% increase in cable news viewership can be traced to coronavirus news and political news coverage, according to data and measurement company Alphonso. The increase started with COVID-19 news and got a further boost from political events. According to Alphonso’s data, viewership on CNN, FOX News and MSNBC for the Iowa caucus/Trump Acquittal news cycle and the Super Tuesday coverage, for example, was nearly as much as Super Bowl Sunday.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Amazon Prime Video ordered a docu-series following French soccer team Paris Saint-Germain. Four-parter is being produced by PSG TV and CAPA, for launch on Amazon this year.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Essential Media Group (Texas Flip N Move) CEO Greg Quail and President Jesse Fawcett have acquired 100% of the company, in a buyout from fallen Kew Media Group. “I am gutted by the collapse of Kew, they’re good people…but we will take this moment to buy back, consolidate our resources and rebuild,” said Quail.
(Source: Cynopsis)
New Orleans is the setting for new HGTV series, Selling the Big Easy, launching Friday, April 10 at 9p. Real estate show follows expert Brittay Picolo-Ramos and her agency as they help clients find the homes of their dreams, and stage properties they’re selling to get top dollar.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The first three episodes of Apple TV+’s Home Before Dark drop Friday, April 3. Mystery series is inspired by the real-life reporting of young investigative journalist Hilde Lysiak.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children explores the abduction and murder of at least 30 young African Americans over a two-year period in Atlanta in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. HBO docu-series bringing new evidence to light premieres Sunday, April 5 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney+ has made Frozen 2 available three months early, to surprise families “with some fun and joy during this challenging period.” The #1 animated movie of all time, Frozen 2 dropped on the service on Sunday. And Disney made Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker available for purchase on Friday, March 13, ahead of its scheduled March 17 date.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Subscribers of Big Bad Boo family streaming Oznoz can now view all of its content free of charge for the next two months. “As COVID-19 forces families to stay indoors, we wanted to help parents entertain their kids responsibly,” said Oznoz co-founder, Shabnam Rezaei. “We hope that families will be able to make the best of what can be a stressful and confusing time for most.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Niall Ferguson’s Networld premieres on PBS on Tuesday, March 17from 8p-11p (check local listings). Three-part, one-night event examines how human behavior, disruptive technology and the desire for profit motivates ideation and energizes communication.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Popular Wondery podcast Dr. Death focuses on a former neurosurgeon, Christopher Duntsch, accused in the maiming and deaths of 33 patients. Duntsch was ultimately taken down by Texas personal injury lawyer Kay Van Wey.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple has closed all stores outside Greater China until March 27, and committed $15 million to help battle COVID-19, “both to help treat those who are sick and to help lessen the economic and community impacts of the pandemic,” said CEO Tim Cook on Saturday. A new section of Apple News is dedicated to the virus, offering updates from “trusted news sites.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
The two-hour episode of Animal Planet’s Pit Bulls and Parolees on Saturday, March 7 broke into ad supported cable’s Top 10 among W25-54 (#6), W18-34 (#6), P18-34 (#9), and W18-49 (#10).
(Source: Cynopsis)
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Onward – $10.5 million
I Still Believe – $9.5 million
Bloodshot – $9.3 million
The Invisible Man – $6 million
The Hunt – $5.3 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
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