FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (WEDNESDAY 2/16/22)
BET: The Game (Premiere) at 10pm
HGTV: The House My Wedding Bought (Premiere) at 11pm
HISTORY: Modern Marvels (Premiere) at 9pm
ID: The Murder Tapes (Premiere) at 9pm
NETFLIX: Secrets of Summer (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Jenn-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Thirty-Nine (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Swap Shop (Premiere)
TLC: Dr. Pimple Popper (Premiere) at 9pm
TLC: Stuck (Premiere) at 10pm
ABC: The Chase (Finale) at 10pm
Hulu renewed “How I Met Your Father” for a second, 20-episode season. The “How I Met Your Father” sequel “has proven to be true appointment viewing,” said Jordan Helman, Head of Scripted Content, Hulu Originals.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Americans are more fearful of hacking than they are of having their houses broken into. A study from Lookout revealed “Someone hacking into my bank account” was cited by 30% of those polled about their highest concerns, followed by 15% for “someone hacking my social media.” Home break-ins ranked as top concern by 10% of respondents.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ViacomCBS has changed its corporate name to Paramount Gobal (“or, more simply, Paramount”), effective today. ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone and President/CEO Bob Bakish announced the news on Tuesday in a memo to staff, saying, “A global company deserved an iconic global name. One that reflects the power of our content; one that reflects our role as stewards of a rich heritage and as leaders in the future of entertainment.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Meanwhile on Tuesday, back when it was still ViacomCBS, the company fell short of projected earnings for the fourth quarter, but had a rosy report nonetheless. Total company revenue increased 16% year-over-year in 4Q22, while quarterly global streaming revenue surged 48%, to $1.3 billion, driven by strength in subscription and advertising. “Our success was evident across all lines of business, and spotlighted by streaming, where we achieved our best quarter ever in streaming subscription growth – more than doubling our subscriber additions from last quarter with a record 9.4M additions, expanding our total global streaming subscribers to over 56M,” said Bakish. “And, to top it off, we saw meaningful acceleration in our global Pluto TV MAUs, to reach over 64M and generate over $1 billion in revenue in the year. This sets us up well for 2022, where I’m tremendously excited to continue to build on this powerful momentum – investing in global content, distribution, and market expansion – to further drive scale.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
ABC is taking low-rated freshman drama “Promised Land” off its programming slate. The show’s fifth episode on Monday will be its final on the network, with the remaining four episodes airing weekly on Hulu. The midseason premiere of “The Good Doctor,” initially set for spring, will air February 28.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBCUniversal has unveiled NBCU Launch, an umbrella brand that will house DEI efforts across the company’s television portfolio. Led by Jeanne Mau, SVP, TV Programming Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, NBCU LAUNCH supports the company’s goal to produce authentic and compelling content. “We united the network and studio DEI efforts to accelerate our impact,” said Pearlena Igbokwe, Universal Studio Group Chairman and Susan Rovner, Entertainment Content Chairman. “Our new joint approach will create a clearer and more seamless pathway for meaningful and lasting change at our company, and hopefully, well beyond.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
A new “NCIS” will be produced for Paramount+ Australia and Network 10, and a new “SEAL Team” movie will be produced for the streaming service in the US. “NCIS: Sydney,” slated for 2023, will feature local stories with Aussie actors and producer. A “SEAL Team” stand-alone movie will come from the series creative team of David Boreanaz, Christopher Chulack and Spencer Hudnut. “These two projects represent two new ways we are expanding our studio footprint while supporting the company’s mission to drive streaming,” said George Cheeks, President and CEO of CBS. “We have the producing roster, production infrastructure and deep library to be creative and nimble with franchises and other IP for both domestic and international audiences.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple has ordered “The Dynasty,” a docuseries about the New England Patriots. Based on the bestselling book by author Jeff Benedict, the show will draw on never-before-seen video footage and audio files from the Patriots organization’s archive. The series is produced by Imagine Documentaries in association with NFL Films, and executive produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes and Jenna Millman (“The First Wave”), along with director Matthew Hamachek and Benedict. Miranda Johnson (“60 Days”) serves as the co-executive producer.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Peacock gave a straight-to-series order for true crime drama “A Friend of the Family,” from Nick Antosca (“The Act,” “Channel Zero”), who will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Under his production banner Eat the Cat, Antosca will produce via his overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. The series, based on Jan Broberg’s kidnapping story, stars Anna Paquin (“Flack”), Jake Lacy (“The White Lotus”), Colin Hanks (“The Offer”) and Lio Tipton (“Why Women Kill”).
(Source: Cynopsis)
BlackBox Multimedia is partnering with Janet Montgomery (“This Is Us”) and Tricia Small (“Salem”) to develop a series based on their concept, “Aqua Tofana.” The series will be written by “Dracula” creator Cole Haddon. Set in Seventeenth Century Italy and based on a true story, the female-led crime drama charts the story of three generations of women from the same family who were collectively responsible for the deaths of over 600 men.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, is teaming with Bunim/Murrah Productions on a docuseries. While the scam artist is the subject of Netflix’s “Inventing Anna,” the new project focuses on the next chapter of her life.
(Source: Cynopsis)
An animated series based on the Berkeley Breathed comic strip Bloom County is in the works at Fox. Breathed will co-write and exec produce the project, from Fox Entertainment, Bento Box Entertainment, Miramax, Spyglass Media Group and Project X Entertainment.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Lifetime has inked a multi-year deal with Melissa Joan Hart to star in, direct, and executive produce several movies for the network. Hart will also star in the newly greenlight movie “Dirty Little Secret” (wt), as a mother hiding her extreme hoarding tendencies. As part of the new deal, Hart will continue with the network’s It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday movie slate as the star and executive producer of new movies for 2022 and 2023.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Three new “SpongeBob SquarePants” spinoff movies for Paramount+ are in the works at Nickelodeon Studios. The first one out of the gate will surface in 2023.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Paramount+ also ordered a new “Dora the Explorer” series, produced by Nickelodeon Animation. The new CG-animated preschool show is expected to launch in 2023.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Coming back to Paramount+ for a second season is “Halo.” David Wiener (“Fear the Walking Dead”) will serve as showrunner and EP.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Tyler Posey is among the actors set to reprise his “Teen Wolf” role for Paramount+’s upcoming movie sequel, “Teen Wolf The Movie.” Also returning for the reunion film are Crystal Reed, Holland Roden, Colton Haynes and Shelley Hennig. “Teen Wolf” aired on MTV from 2011-17.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Arthur Sarkissian (“The Foreigner”) is partnering up with CEO D.A. Chan and President Joshua Macciello to launch a new media and entertainment company, Global Ascension Studios. For starters, Global is teaming up with Wild7Films, 2B Films and Israeli filmmaker Danny A. Abeckaser to produce “Gemini Lounge”.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Hallmark has ordered a romantic comedy starring Melora Hardin (“The Office”) as a romance novelist attempting to reconnect with her family. Neal Dodson is producing.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Crytpo brand Coinbase had the biggest “Day-Two” success post-Super Bowl, according to Decision augmentation company Signal AI. Coinbase was followed by Amazon, FTX, Crypto.com and Toyota. “When it comes to spending on the Super Bowl, advertisers are not just attempting to win during the event, but have an impact that delivers sustained media visibility,” said David Benigson, CEO and co-founder of Signal AI. “And thanks to both mainstream buzz as well as some highly memorable slots – like Coinbase’s QR code ad – the cryptocurrency industry clearly won the overall media battle.” Planet Fitness received the smallest boost in Day Two coverage.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In the first 24 hours of release, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” teaser trailer scored 257 million online views across the globe, breaking the record for the most watched premiere of an entertainment trailer among those that have debuted during a Super Bowl telecast. That’s according to social analytics company WaveMetrix, whose CMO of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Ukonwa Ojo, noted, “The Super Bowl was always designed as the ultimate payoff for fans; a teaser of this magnitude deserved to be debuted during the biggest annual television and sports event of the year.” The series premieres Friday, September 2.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Dolly Parton drove the most search of any celebrity in a Super Bowl ad this year, driving 25.4x more engagement than the median performing in-game celebrity ad appearance, according to EDO. In a T-Mobile spot titled, “PSA,” the opening seconds of the ad featured Parton’s name on the screen. Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow”) came in second, for the Amazon Alexa spot co-starring her husband, “SNL” Weekend Updater Colin Jost (#5).
(Source: Cynopsis)
DISQO released its second annual ranking of Super Bowl ads by impact, looking at ad effectiveness in driving brand lift and action (search, site visits and shopping). Topping the list is TurboTax, followed by Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Crypto.com, Nissan, Toyota, Google Pixel, Coinbase, DraftKings, and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Categories with clear and easy calls to action, especially ones that could be accomplished digitally, saw the biggest behavioral impacts immediately after the game: streaming services, financial services, cryptocurrency, and telecommunications, notes the report. Other categories may not have had as large behavioral lifts right after the game, but they saw an average brand impact that likely delivered on their advertising investment thesis since the purchases will happen in physical environments sometime in the future (CPG, Movies).
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Barry” is coming back – finally. The season two finale of HBO’s dark comedy, starring Bill Hader as a contract killer turned actor, aired back in May 2019. Delayed due to Covid-19, season three premieres Sunday, April 24 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Reality sitcom “Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?” kicks off Sunday, May 1 at 11p on E!. The series follows comedian Glaser as she navigates friends, family and romance in her hometown of St. Louis, MO.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Murdoch Mysteries” returns with 24 new episodes starting Monday, February 28 on Acorn TV. Installments air weekly through August 8.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple TV+ documentary series “Lincoln’s Dilemma” will be available to stream in its entirety on Friday, February 18. The four-parter about Abraham Lincoln examines a complicated man in the context of his times, and shines a light on a side of Lincoln rarely seen. The series is narrated by Jeffrey Wright and features the voices of Bill Camp as Abraham Lincoln and Leslie Odom, Jr. as Frederick Douglass.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Temptation Island” is back for season four with a quartet of new couples at a crossroads, beginning Wednesday, March 16 at 10p on USA.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season two of Peacock’s “The Amber Ruffin Show” returns with new episodes on Friday, February 25. “Each new show is a new reason to be grateful and have a margarita,” said Ruffin of the topical late night talk show.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The sixth and final season of “Peaky Blinders” premieres on BBC One on Sunday, February 27 at 9p in the UK. The drama’s premiere date on Netflix has not been announced.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Black voices should be celebrated 365 days a year,” says Lisa Holme, Group SVP of Content and Commercial Strategy for Discovery, about discovery+’s new “Black Voices Hub.” The hub will live on the platform year-round, with curated series, documentaries, and specials.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Anthem Awards, recognizing social impact work, will recognize Nat Geo, Sandy Hook Promise, LIFEWTR, Forbes, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Google, Daymond John’s Black Entrepreneurs Day, Planned Parenthood, GLAAD, Color of Change, Morgan Stanley, Stanford University, American Red Cross, ViacomCBS, CNN, Participant Media’s Judas and The Black Messiah, Freeform, charity: water, NAACP, Disney’s The Lion King, Mark Ruffalo’s Solutions Project, and World Economic Forum as winners of the Inaugural awards. Winners will be honored on Monday, February 28 in a virtual experience.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Barry Levinson film “The Survivor,” based on Alan Haft’s book, Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano, will premiere Wednesday, April 27 at 8p on HBO.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Alexandra Daddario (“True Detective”) and Ross Butler (“13 Reasons Why”) have been named Ambassadors for the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Ambassadors are actors who “exemplify the values of the profession and are positive role models for the next generation of performers.” The Ambassadors will also participate in various SAG Awards pre-show events, including an inaugural private dinner hosted by presenting sponsor Campari. The awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27 at 8p, and available the following day on HBO Max.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Sinclair Broadcast Group’s News Reporter Academy, an interactive workshop for college students interested in pursuing a career in news reporting, will hold its next virtual session on March 30 from noon-3p. In the three-hour interactive session, students will learn the basics of news reporting and investigative storytelling, managing a social media presence, how to look and sound their best on-camera and how to package a resume and reel.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Onyx Collective and ABC News have acquired documentary “Aftershock,” detailing how Black women continue to be failed by the US maternal health system. The film will stream as an original from Onyx Collective on Hulu in the US, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Today, February 16 from 1-3p, Yahoo Finance is live streaming the virtual Daily Journal Annual Shareholders’ meeting. The meeting will feature Charlie Munger, Daily Journal Chairman and Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman and Jerry Salzman, DJCO President and CEO.
(Source: Cynopsis)
All new Paramount movies will move right to Paramount+ after their theatrical run, starting in 2024. The news broke during the compony’s investor day.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fifty-six percent of US. Households tuned into the Super Bowl telecast on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock, reaching a total audience of 149.9 million people who watched all or some of the broadcast, according to iSpot.tv. The total linear average minute viewership was 98.1 million, including 2.9 million average minute viewers on Telemundo, which contributed to a total in-home reached of 134.5 million people on NBCU networks. The total Out-of-Home audience was 12.5 million.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In syndication, “Tamron Hall” hit a new season high among W25-54, rising 50% in the demo, and jumped 14% in Live+SD Nielsen households to reach 0.8 the week of January 31. “Tamron Hall” and “The Rachael Ray Show” (new season high 0.9, up 13%) were the only two of the 15 talk shows able to move up amid the onset of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Newcomer “The Good Dish” slid 20%, to 0.4 its third week on the air.
(Source: Cynopsis)
For the second year in a row, PBS dramas on “Masterpiece” were second on average between 8-11p compared to the Super Bowl on NBC. “All Creatures Great and Small” was the second most-watched show on broadcast (2.1 million P2+) between 8-11p on Super Bowl Sunday.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Also faring well against Super Bowl sized competition was HBO’s “Euphoria,” which hit a series high 5.1 million viewers, up 20% from the week prior.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The season one finale of “The Book of Boba Fett” on Disney+ drew 1.5 million US households during its Wednesday to Sunday run. That beats the season two finale of “The Mandalorian,” which delivered 1.1 million households.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Hallmark Channel’s first Loveuary original movie premiere, “The Wedding Veil Unveiled,” became the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program of the week among Households, W18+ and Total Viewers, elevating the network to be the #1 most-watched in Weekend Primetime among Households, Women 18+ and Total Viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)
POWERBALL
Today’s Jackpot is $20 million.
Powerball is played in 43 states.
Keely's Korner 