FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (TUESDAY 6/23/26)
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Disney is going directly to viewers in its fight against the Trump administration’s FCC challenge to ABC’s broadcast licenses. On Monday, ABC O&Os began running on-air spotsalerting audiences to the license proceedings and directing them to scan a QR code linking to the FCC’s public comments page.
· The FCC has linked its license review to an investigation into Disney’s DEI programs and is separately examining whether “The View” breached equal-time requirements for political candidates. ABC argues both actions pose a threat to free speech.
· The campaign leans on local legacy as its hook. A WABC spot reminds New York audiences that the station has been a community fixture for more than 75 years, framing the FCC inquiry as a challenge to that commitment. “The View” is also cited specifically amid the broader license dispute.
· The Upshot: The strategy marks a notable escalation: rather than keeping a regulatory fight inside the Beltway, Disney is making it a kitchen-table issue.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Food Network goes whole hog with “Pitmasters,” a new series making its debut Monday, July 13, at 9 p.m. The competition follows live-fire cooks in a week-long battle.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Elin Hilderbrand is hosting a video podcast companion to Peacock’s “The Five Star Weekend,” based on her best-selling novel. “The Five Star Weekend Official Podcast” launches in tandem with the series premiere on Thursday, July 9.
(Source: Cynopsis)
It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? Netflix has taken on the “Hot Ones” interview format with a spinoff called “Hot Ones: Extra Heat,” bringing Sean Evans and his infamous wings out of the studio and into locations tied to significant Netflix moments. The first installment features Will Ferrell, Fortune Feimster, and Jimmy Tatro — stars of the upcoming golf comedy “The Hawk” — sweating through 10 rounds of spicy chicken wings following Major League Baseball’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13. More specials are expected to be announced down the line. Evans framed the partnership as a natural evolution of the format. As someone deeply invested in the craft of the celebrity interview, he said these conversations sometimes demand a bigger stage than a studio can offer, and that teaming up with Netflix lets him push the concept further while preserving everything fans already love about the hit YouTube show.
(Source: Cynopsis)
At Cannes, ESPN took the wraps off Fan House, a Flowcode-powered engagement platform designed to bring fans closer to college sports coverage and brand partners as the 2026 college football season approaches. Publicis Sports will serve as the inaugural agency partner on the initiative via Disney Advertising.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Meta has launched Instagram for TV on Samsung TVs across the U.S., with more changes coming soon. New features currently in testing include:
· Longer-form creator content – videos that go beyond Instagram’s traditional short clips
· Episodic series – serialized content from creators, bringing a TV-native storytelling format
· Live creator experiences – real-time broadcasts streamed directly to the big screen
· Horizontal video hub – a dedicated space built for widescreen viewing
· The Big Picture: Meta is making a serious push into the living room, transforming Instagram from a phone-first app into a full TV content platform — putting it in more direct competition with YouTube and streaming services.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Tinder and TikTok are making it official. The two cultural juggernauts are joining forces to drop “Double Date Island,” Tinder’s flagship reality dating franchise, on TikTok this summer. The European first pairs the dating giant with TikTok’s cultural reach, ITV Studios’ Studio 55, and digital content shop Cowshed Studios (“Sidemen XIX Inside”) to deliver a reality series built for the platform where young adults actually spend their time. The bottom line: The deal marks a new blueprint for how dating apps, media brands, and social platforms can converge to court Gen Z audiences.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix ordered a competition series inspired by “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” Laila Lockhart Kraner, who voices Gabby in the streamer’s animated preschool series and portrayed the character in the live-action sequences of the movie, will host, overseeing young bakers and crafters.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee has locked in a major expanded deal with BET to develop, produce, write, and star in original content across BET’s platforms, Paramount’s broader ecosystem, and third-party studios. On the TV front, her scripted comedy “The Ms. Pat Show” was renewed for a sixth season, and courtroom series “Ms. Pat Settles it” returns for the back half of season three on Tuesday, June 30 at 9 p.m.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Brown Bag Films is going grown-up. The kids’ animation house behind “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” has launched Brown Pencil Animation, a new adult-skewing label focused on service work for global creators, studios, and platforms — targeting more genre-forward, cinematic fare.
(Source: Cynopsis)
FOX News Channel (FNC) has signed Natalie Chuck as an LA-based correspondent. Chuck’s last beat was in Denver, as an investigative reporter for ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Warner Bros. International Television Production is bringing its airport-set documentary format “Hello Goodbye” to Belgian broadcaster VRT. The BlazHoffski-created series — which captures the emotional stories behind arrivals and departures — has now spawned 14 international versions and topped 500 episodes worldwide.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Utopai Studios and Huace Film & TV Co. announced a new co-production deal for “Journey to the West: The Lost Five Hundred Years,” a fully AI-generated animated series created using PAI, Utopai Studios’ cinematic storytelling AI system. Huace will produce the series, with Utopai Studios holding distribution rights.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Go Button Media has gone into production on history series “Secrets of Cold War Ruins.” Greenlit by Autentic and Canadian broadcaster Super Channel, “Secrets of Cold War Ruins” will be the fourth series from the previously announced 36-hour slate deal between the three collaborators.
(Source: Cynopsis)
LoliRock is making its TV comeback. France Télévisions has ordered a third season of the beloved kids’ series, nearly a decade after Season 2 wrapped in 2017. Original creator and director Jean-Louis Vandestoc returns to the helm, with Banijay Kids & Family, Zodiak Kids & Family France, and Xentrix Studios producing.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) docuseries “ACES: The ATP No. 1 Club,” chronicling the journeys of the 29 men in history who have reached the top spot in men’s professional tennis, premiered Monday on Prime Video in the U.S. and Channel 5 in the U.K., with an international rollout across additional broadcasters and streaming platforms to follow in the coming months. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
(Source: Cynopsis)
During “The 2026 ESPYS,” airing Wednesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. on ABC, Jason Collinswill posthumously receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, Jim Abbott will take home the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and Scott Ruskan will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
(Source: Cynopsis)
FloSports and The Athletic are teaming to co-produce a live NHL Draft Show. “The Athletic Hockey Show x FloHockey NHL Draft Live” is set to stream live on Friday, June 26 from 7:00-11:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 27 from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In more FloSports news, the platform is bringing 32 off-road motorcycle racing events to FloRacing with a weeklong showcase to crown 36 AMA National Champions, August 3-8.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Amazon and Boardroom — the sports media brand co-founded by NBA star Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman — struck a deal granting Amazon’s Wondery exclusive distribution and ad-sales rights to Boardroom’s digital series lineup. The agreement also created new brand and fan engagement opportunities for Boardroom’s live events and annual Twitch livestreams featuring Durant.(Source: Cynopsis)
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