FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 3/28/24)
HULU: We Were the Lucky Ones (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Bad Dinosaurs (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Ronja the Robber’s Daughter (Premiere)
PRIME VIDEO: The Baxters (Premiere)
PRIME VIDEO: Hope on the Street (Premiere)
A&E: Taking the Stand (Finale) at 9pm
FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade is restructuring the company’screative and business operations into three primary business segments: FOX Entertainment Studios, the FOX Television Network and FOX Entertainment Global. Fernando Szew has been named Head of FOX Entertainment Studios and Michael Thorn, President of the FOX Television Network. “Under this new structure, every division of FOX Entertainment is now poised for growth and creative excellence as we super-serve our audiences everywhere. Now the work begins,” said Wade.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Credit rating service S&P Global cut Paramount Global’s rating to BB-plus from BBB-minus, citing continuing cord cutting and ongoing challenges with free cash flow generation relative to the company’s debt. “Paramount will need to execute its plan to substantially improve streaming losses over the next two years to mitigate further downside ratings pressure,” said S&P, adding that Paramount’s credit metrics are weak even for the BB-plus rating. On the bright side, noted S&P, “Streaming losses will improve by more than $700 million due to strong average revenue per user (ARPU) growth from price increases enacted in mid-2023 and ongoing, albeit more modest, subscriber growth.” And linear could stabilize with next year’s Super Bowl and this year’s political advertising revenue, added the service.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The explosion of interest in women’s sports hasn’t been lost on GroupM. The media buyer plans to double its media spend commitment to women’s sports, and create a standalone women’s sports marketplace. “With heightened demand for women’s sports, and a responsibility to enhance the women’s sports marketplace, our team is committed to delivering our advertisers with bespoke and bountiful opportunities that will drive brand impact, increase ad effectiveness and optimize business outcomes,” said Denise Ocasio, Executive Director of Investment, GroupM. “Fast-growing audiences are watching at a high clip, and subsequently, women’s sports programming is in the ranks with some of the highest rated broadcasts overall. Advertising alongside women’s sports works.” Clients that already have committed to raise their women’s sports spend during the spring/summer upfront include Adidas, Unilever, Google, Discover, Mars, Nationwide and Universal Pictures.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC’s decision to oust Ronna McDaniel on Tuesday, just four days after announcing her hire as a paid political analyst, is likely to be a costly one. According to Politico, the former RNC chair expects to be paid in full for her $300,000, two-year contract, which involved all of a 20-minute interview on “Meet the Press.” After NBC and MSNBC journalists publicly denounced the hire of McDaniel, who was involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, NBCUniversal News Group President Cesar Conde told staffers McDaniel was cut loose. “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down,” wrote Conde in a memo. “While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Darren Star (“Sex and the City,” “Beverly Hills, 90210”) has inked a multi-year overall deal with Universal Television, calling for him to develop and produce new series projects for broadcast and streaming through his Darren Star Productions. He will continue as creator/EP/showrunner of Netflix’s “Emily in Paris.” “I am thrilled to embark on this new creative partnership with NBCUniversal, where I will have the unique ability to develop shows for the internal portfolio, including Peacock, as well as outside platforms and networks,” said Star. Star was previously housed at Paramount Global.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Point Grey Pictures (“The Boys”), headed by Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, has extended its agreement with Lionsgate Television. “Seth, Evan and James are the masters of subversive, renegade humor who make coming to work both fun and funny every single day,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chair & Chief Creative Officer Kevin Beggs. “From The Boys to Sausage Party, they are true trendsetters with their fingers on the pulse of what’s funny in entertainment.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
FOX Nation has signed a deal for a partnership with filmmaker Martin Scorsese for an eight-part docudrama series. Slated for November 2024, “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” will explore the stories of eight men and women who risked everything for faith. Developed by Scorsese for Lionsgate Alternative Television, the series was created by Matti Leshem and written by frequent Scorsese collaborator Kent Jones. Additional executive producers alongside Scorsese and Leshem include Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn, Christopher Donnelly, Yoshi Stone and Craig Piligian. Along with Lionsgate, the series was produced by Sikelia Productions, Weimaraner Republic Pictures, LBI Entertainment and Halcyon.
(Source: Cynopsis)
John Leguizamo will star along with Taron Egerton in Apple TV+’s “Firebug.” The drama series from Apple Studios and creator Dennis Lehane follows a troubled detective and enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue serial arsonists.
(Source: Cynopsis)
OWN has renewed “Ready to Love” for a tenth season. No surprise there – the dating show ranks as Friday night’s number one non-sports series on cable among African American Persons & Women 18+ and P2+, per Nielsen.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Coming back for season 18 is nationally syndicated “The Steve Wilkos Show,” from NBCUniversal Syndication Studios. “For 17 seasons, Steve Wilkos has not only evolved as a host, but also has the unique ability to relate to people from all walks of life,” said Tracie Wilson, EVP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Power Book III: Raising Kanan” scored an early renewal for a fifth season on Starz. The third installment in the “Power” franchise, “Raising Kanan” recently concluded season three and is currently filming season four in New York.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Prime Video’s “Harlem” is gearing up for season three. Added to the cast in recurring roles are Kofi Siriboe (“Queen Sugar”), Logan Browning (“Dear White People”), Robin Givens (“Batwoman”) and Gail Bean (“Snowfall”).
(Source: Cynopsis)
New series “Mud Madness,” following the off-road subculture of extreme Big-Tire UTV mud racing, debuts Tuesday, April 9 at 9p on Discovery Channel.
(Source: Cynopsis)
E! competition elimination series “House of Villains” is back for season two this fall and among the new crew of scheming reality stars are Teresa Giudice (“The Real Housewives of New Jersey”), Richard Hatch (“Survivor”) and Larissa Lima (“90 Day Fiancé”).
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix’s “Good Times” reboot – this time in animated form – drops Friday, April 12. The original aired from 1974-79.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season two of Fuse’s “Bollywed” kicks off Tuesday, April 9 at 9:30p.The docuseries is centered around a family that has been operating a bridal shop in Toronto’s Little India for the past 37 years.
(Source: Cynopsis)
New Food Network competition “Next Baking Master: Paris” premieresMonday, May 6. Look for the show to make the most of its locale. “As the world’s attention turns to the city of lights leading up to this summer’s Olympic games, Paris is not only a location in ‘Next Baking Master: Paris,’ it’s a main character,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season three of HGTV’s “Farmhouse Fixer” kicks off Tuesday, April 23 at 9p. Restoration expert and New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight takes on new risky renovations, starting with an infamous house tied to the Salem Witch Trials.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) will take another turn – her third – at hosting the Tony Awards. The 77th annual show airs Sunday, June 16 at 8p on CBS.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Lifetime announced a greenlight for a new addition to its Ripped from the Headlines slate. “One Tree Hill” stars Jana Kramer and Austin Nichols reunite for original movie, “Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story,” filming this month for a summer debut.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Bye-bye, beta. Yesterday was the official launch of Hulu on Disney+ in the US for Disney Bundle subscribers. The new experience allows Bundle subscribers (or those who hold subscriptions to both standalone apps) to stream extensive Hulu content, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Poor Things” and “The Bear,” directly in the Disney+ app. Bundle plans are available starting at $9.99/month, while Disney+ and Hulu each remain available as standalone offerings. “This marks the most significant technical, operational, and product evolution for Disney+ since its launch – one that reflects a wider technology transformation that we have been undertaking,” said Aaron LaBerge, President & CTO, Disney Entertainment & ESPN. “That work is going to drive an enhanced, more engaging user experience with Disney+ and lays the foundation for the innovations and enhancements we are planning for the future.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Bill Maher (“Real Time with Bill Maher”) is launching a podcast network, an expansion of his podcast, “Club Random.” First out of the gate is “The Sage Steele Show,” starring the former ESPN anchor Maher calls “the perfect choice to be our first new host because, like me, she pissed off Disney.” The network is described as spanning “a wide variety of personalities and interests.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Add another feather to the cap of sports broadcaster James Brown,who will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 45th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 21 in NYC. “James is a world-class talent who has had a profound impact on sports media,” said Adam Sharp, President, NATAS. “From his Super Bowl and championship game coverage to his work on CBS Sports’ ‘The NFL Today,’ ‘Inside the NFL’ and as a correspondent for CBS News, he has been a significant influence and a consistent presence in sports broadcasting.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
It’s opening day for Major League Baseball, and MLB Network will air an unprecedented number of live games this season, starting with a “Showcase” telecast of the Dodgers and Cardinals today, March 28 at 4p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In its first five days, March Madness averaged 9.0 million viewers across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, according to Nielsen. That’s the best the tournament has ever done during that period, reports the NCAA.
(Source: Cynopsis)
For the fourth consecutive week, Telemundo ranked as the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast network for the week of March 18 (Monday-Sunday 7-11p). The network delivered and average of 383,000 viewers A18-49, 131,000 A18-34 and 1.2 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Keely's Korner 