Good morning. It’s Thursday April 11, 2019 and this is your first early-morning briefing.

 

Tonight's Premieres:

Food Network: The Flay List at 10:30p

 

Tonight's Finales:

ID: Dead of Night at 9p

UPtv: Bringing Up Bates at 9p

 

 

IN THE NEWS

 

Discovery yesterday hosted its NY Upfront at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, with CEO David Zaslav, chief US advertising sales officer Jon Steinlauf, chief lifestyle brands officer Kathleen Finch and chief brand officer for Discovery & Factual Nancy Daniels touting the company’s premium ad solutions and 2019-20 content portfolio for Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Animal Planet, MotorTrend, Travel Channel and Science Channel. “TV remains the most powerful storytelling and brand-building medium, but consumers face an avalanche of content that’s not commercial friendly,” noted Steinlauf. “Sports is expensive, and news can be polarizing, but we’ve proven time and again that our compelling, real-life programming provides the safe and engaging environment that works for advertisers.” Check out more Discovery news throughout today’s edition.

 

Discovery and Magnolia, the lifestyle brand led by Chip and Joanna Gaines, made their joint media venture official. The company, to be named soon, will comprise a linear television network and TV Everywhere app to be unveiled in summer 2020, as well as a subscription streaming service to debut at a later date. The Gaineses will serve as chief creative officers of the company, and current HGTV president Allison Page will serve as president. Next summer, Discovery’s DIY Network, currently in more than 52 million US homes, will be renamed for the channel, which will feature primarily long-form programming around topics including community, home, garden, food, wellness, entrepreneurialism and design. The network also will be home to the complete library of Fixer Upper, which premiered on HGTV in 2013 and was one of the highest-rated series on the network during its four-year run.

  

ABC is going all-in on its Bachelor franchise this summer, extending the dating shows all summer long. The Bachelorette returns for season 15 on Monday, May 13 at 8p, one week after a reunion special airs in the time slot, then season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise kicks off in the block beginning July 29. The latter series initially had been set to launch Wednesday, August 7.

 

Additionally, ABC will expand its slate of game shows to three nights per week during the summer months: Press Your Luck and Card Sharks will debut back-to-back Wednesday, June 12 beginning at 8p, and mini golf competition Holey Moley and cooking competition Family Food Fight will bow in succession Thursday, June 20 beginning at 8p. Season 5 of Celebrity Family Feud and seasons 4 of both The $100,000 Pyramid and To Tell the Truth return Sunday, June 9, beginning at 8p, and season 4 of Match Game hits June 12 at 10p. The network will also debut new series Reef Break on June 20, and set July 10 for The 2019 ESPYs.

 

Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted will co-produce the 71st Emmy Awards, slated to air live Sunday, September 22 on Fox.

 

Long-running Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart, whose season 6 has been sidelined since March 17 when now-former star Lori Loughlin was first indicted in the college scandal, will return May 5 with a two-night back-to-back premiere event.

 

Corporations with women and minorities in leadership were more profitable, according to global management consultants McKinsey & Co. Tell us about the women leading your company forward. Nominate them for the Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards. And nominate your company for the Distinguished Companies category for championing women in leadership roles. See the wide range of categoriesand start your nomination today. Early rates end this Tuesday, April 16.

 

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

 

HBO ordered a third season of its Emmy-winning comedy series Barry, created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, who stars in the series. Barry debuted its eight-ep season 2 on March 31.

 

Timing is everything. Exactly one year after Fox Searchlight launched its TV division, the company has landed its first series order, for The Dropout, starring and exec-produced by Kate McKinnon and based on ABC News/ABC Radio’s podcast about disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos.

 

Investigation Discovery gave a green light to Twisted Love (wt), a new original series exec-produced by Khloe Kardashian and the production team behind ID’s current Twisted Sisters series. The new six-parter explores what happens when love and affection spiral into a web of obsession and jealousy. Series is produced by 44 Blue Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, and will premiere on ID in 2020.

 

The moment you’ve been waiting for… the agenda for That Big TV Conference has been announced! View it here.

 

MotorTrend Group and BBC Studios announced a multiyear agreement that ushers in a new era for the show Top Gear. The deal includes creating of a new Top Gear America (wt) original series to be co-produced by MotorTrend Group and BBC Studios. Additionally, the MotorTrend App will have the complete collection of classic Top Gear eps in the US and Canada, plus a commitment to future seasons. MotorTrend will also be the exclusive home to more than 60 compilations over the life of the agreement.

 

Cinedigm inked a development deal with former NFL star Trevor Pryce and his Baltimore-based multimedia organization Outlook Company. As part of the agreement, Cinedigm will serve as the development and distribution partner when Outlook’s digital-first network launches. Pryce is the author of young adult novel and comic series Kulipari: An Army Of Frogs, which was adapted into an animated series by Netflix in 2016.

 

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network ordered new eps of its Saturday-night unscripted series Ready to Love and Love & Marriage: Huntsville.

 

Tandem Productions and Bron Studios in coproduction with ZDF announced primary cast and creatives for the first chapter of their gritty dramatic thriller Shadowplay, created and written by Mans Marlind (The Bridge, Midnight Sun). the 16-ep series begins shooting at the end of April in Prague with Taylor Kitsch (Waco), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Nina Hoss (Phoenix) and Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others) toplining. Marlind has written the first eight eps and will direct all eps alongside his directing partner, Bjorn Stein (Underworld Awakening).

 

Filming is under way on Belgravia, the Julian Fellowes-penned six-part limited series for ITV and Epix from Carnival Films (Downton Abbey). Belgravia tells the story of secrets and scandals among the upper echelon of London society in the 19th Century, and reunites the creative team behind Downton Abbey, with Fellowes adapting his novel for the screen and Carnival’s Gareth Neame exec-producing alongside Nigel Marchant, Liz Trubridge and Fellowes.

 

Lots of news from upcoming streaming service Disney+, which is developing a limited adventure series based on the Marvel Hawkeye character, with Jeremy Renner attached to star. Renner has played the Marvel comics character since 2011.

 

Disney+ also inked a two-year overall exclusive deal with Supper Club, the production team behind Netflix’s Chef’s Table and Ava DuVernay’s 13^th, that includes culture-focused doc series Marvel’s 616 (wt), created in collaboration with Marvel New Media, plus doc Earthkeepers (wt), a joint venture from Supper Club and Wellworth Pictures, focused on conservationists and the planet’s most endangered species. Series will launch in late 2019; Supper Club will create additional nonfiction programming for Disney+ as well as other platforms and networks within The Walt Disney Co.

 

 

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

 

Smithsonian Channel will put viewers in the passenger seat of the journey toward a cutting-edge outer space discovery with Black Hole Hunters, premiering Friday, April 12 at 9p.

 

Veteran horror movie icon Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise) resurrects the creepiest stories ripped straight from the headlines of yesteryear in Travel Channel’s new series Shadows of History (wt). The six-ep series will air later this year.

 

From the producers of Animal Planet’s The Zoo and the upcoming The Aquarium comes The Zoo: San Diego (wt), a new series that goes behind the scenes at San Diego Zoo Global. Series features a range of animals including pandas, giraffes, Galapagos tortoises, koalas, elephants, mountain lions, two baby cheetahs that are learning how to be ambassadors for their species, as well as a flock of ostriches known as the “Spice Girls.”

 

 

COMING UP

 

BET Networks will broadcast and live-stream coverage of deceased LA rapper Nipsey Hussle’s funeral services today (April 11) at 1p. BET Remembers Nipsey Hussle will pay homage to the Grammy-nominated rapper, entrepreneur and advocate for his native South Los Angeles.

 

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme goes onstage and behind-the-scenes with music legend Neil Young to capture a two-night performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in Docs That Rock – Neil Young: Heart of Gold, premiering Tuesday, April 30 on AXS TV.

 

Worlds will collide once again when ABC airs a TGIT crossover promo on Thursday, May 2, featuring new eps of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 from 8-10p that includes a new episode of Grey’s Anatomy where Maggie treats one of Station 19’s own, and Jo learns a hard lesson. Meanwhile, when working with a family seeking asylum, Meredith makes a call that could jeopardize her career on Grey’s Anatomy.

 

Couple of new specials from CBS News are on the way in May. CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King will anchor Meghan and Harry Plus One, marking the one-year anniversary of the marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, along with the birth of their first baby, to be broadcast Friday, May 17 at 8p… Following on May 17 at 9p, CBS News’ Jane Pauley will anchor No Exit!, a one-hour primetime special exploring America’s love/hate relationship with our highways and byways, and how millions cope with an increasingly difficult daily commute.

 

On July 20, 1969, the world watched Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind. Two-hour special Apollo: The Forgotten Films, which will premiere this summer on Discovery and Science Channel, tells the unseen story behind the iconic images 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing. Special uses footage from a resources including NASA Research Centers, The National Archives, and news reports of the time.

 

 

DIGITAL DATA

 

Discovery and YouTube entered a multiyear distribution agreement that will extend Discovery’s portfolio of real-life passion brands to YouTube TV’s live TV and on-demand subscription service. Launching on YT this week are Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and MotorTrend. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will launch by year’s end.

 

MGM-owned premium net Epix launched on YouTube TV with a content mix including four live TV channels and on-demand access to the network’s roster of original series including Get Shorty, Berlin Station and Deep State, and catalog of more than 2,000 movies. YouTube TV will offer Epix as an add-on for $6 per month. The announcement comes on the heels of a number of new launches where consumers can watch EPIX content, including its new streaming service Epix Now and availability on The Roku Channel.

 

CLEO TV content will now be carried on Philo's streaming service via a new deal that marks the first vMVPD launch for the lifestyle and entertainment cable network serving Millennial and Gen X women of color. The deal comprises short- and long-form scripted and unscripted programming centered on cooking, home design, docu-series, relationships and movies.

 

Royal on-demand channel True Royalty TV will debut two original documentaries focused on the life of Meghan Markle. Meghan Markle: Inside the Wardrobe of a Princess, premiering May 1, focuses on Markle’s status as a fashion icon. Meghan Markle: Inside the Home of a Princess, premiering May 21, peeks inside the royal abodes.

 

Sports streaming service FuboTV will feature additional premium sports action in ultra high definition 4K video this spring. During the next few weeks, fuboTV will include MLB action, one to two English Premier League soccer matches per week and for the first time next month, NASCAR coverage, in 4K.

 

 

TECH TALK

 

The House yesterday voted to approve the Save the Internet Act, a bill that would restore net neutrality, which became law under President Obama and then was repealed by the Republican-controlled FCC of Donald Trump. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House by a vote of 232-190, with only one Republican voting in favor. The legislation now will move to the Senate for final approval, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) already vowing it will be “dead on arrival in the Senate.”

 

T-Mobile unwrapped its new home TV service, now be known as TVision Home, the rebranding of Layer3 TV, a company T-Mobile acquired in 2017. The service, which first will be available in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, LA, NY, Philadelphia, San Francisco, DC and Longmont, CO - all areas Layer3 had been serving -  debuts at $100 per month for more than 150 channels, minus a $9.99/month discount for T-Mobile customers.

 

Instagram is working to “reduce the spread of posts that are inappropriate but do not go against Instagram’s Community Guidelines,” according to a company statement. Instagram says this kind of content will be demoted, and may not appear for the broader community in Explore or hashtag pages, which could limit the ability of creators to gain new followers.

 

AI media platform Vilynx at NAB announced the launch of two new video AI products, Explore, which enables discovery of precisely where in an archive a person, place, or object appears or is mentioned, as well as duration and frequency, and Real-Time Tagging.

 

Viacom selected Google Cloud as its cloud provider. Google Cloud will now power Viacom's Intelligent Content Discovery Platform and infuse machine learning intelligence into Viacom's legacy workflows to help evolve its business in the digital media ecosystem, among other services.

 

2019 UPFRONT/NEWFRONTS NAVIGATOR

[Sponsored by] The Weather Channel Television Network

 

The ultimate guide & research tool for the media buying community looking for the who-what-where-when of the Upfronts and NewFronts.

What you’ll find…

-calendar of the Upfront schedule

-network resource guides detailing programs, demo info, and more

-regular updates from the presentations, road shows, and meetings

 

www.cynopsis.com/upfronts

RATINGS

 

Q1 2019 was another record-setting quarter for INSP, which established several all-time ratings highs. According to Nielsen data, INSP’s HH ratings were 5% higher than the previous quarterly high (set in Q1 2018). Total Entertainment Day Household Ratings also were 5% higher than the previous quarterly high (set in Q1 2018).  The Q1 numbers were up 17% from Q4 2018, and the net also set records in other demographic categories, and achieved the highest-rated month in network history in February 2019.

 

SHAREABLEE TOP 10 Primetime VPI Shows for the week of April 1, 2019
Program, Network, VPI, Video Actions, Video Views, Total Actions

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) 852, 1.5M, 4.6M, 2.2M

Shadow Hunters (Freeform) 467, 1.2M, 552K, 2M

Supernatural (CW) 455, 403K, 1.5M, 1M

World of Dance (NBC) 434, 1.1M, 764K, 1.2M

E! News (E!) 346, 1.9M, 2.5M, 10.8M

American Idol (ABC) 303, 1.6M, 37M, 2.1M

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (Freeform) 273, 1.1M, 2M, 2.9M

America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) 218, 482K, 32.7M, 486K

Ridiculousness (MTV) 205, 168K, 10.8M, 202K

Jane the Virgin (CW) 203, 295K, 459K, 469K

Source: Based on Shareablee’s Video Power Index (VPI) which combines viewing, consumer interactions and audience scale across all active platforms and includes the video performance of primetime TV shows

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions): Tuesday, April 9, 2019 time period averages

Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD

NBC: 5.34 million

The Voice 7.20, The Village 4.18, New Amsterdam 4.63

ABC: 3.17 million

American Housewife 3.61, the Kids Are Alright 2.91, Black-ish 2.85, Splitting Up Together 2.49, The Rookie 3.60

CBS: 8.83 million

NCIS 11.59, FBI 6.19, NCIS: New Orleans 6.74

FOX: 2.29 million

MasterChef Junior 2.66, Mental Samurai 1.92

Telemundo: 840,000

Exatlon 823,000, Betty en NY 884,000, La Reina del Sur 830,000

Univision: 1 million

Jesus 1.02, Mi Marido Tie Ma Fam 1.01, Por Amar sin Ley 835,000

CW: 700,000

The Flash 0.60, Roswell, New Mexico 0.82

 

Monday A18-49 Rating: ABC .6/3, FOX .6/3, NBC .9/4, CBS .8/4, UNI .4/2, TELE .3/2, CW .2/1

 

 

EXECUTIVE MOVES

 

Crown Media Family Networks elevated Kathleen Charapata from VP to SVP, legal, based in the company’s Denver office.

 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting promoted Stephanie Aaronson as SVP, engagement. Aaronson joined CPB in 2012 as VP, education and community impact.

 

Refinery29 appointed Jessica Andrews as Deputy Fashion Director. Andrews was most recently Fashion Features Editor at Teen Vogue.

 

This Day in History: 1689 - William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain. 

 

Answer to our last trivia question: Milk was the drink of choice for which 1970s TV detective? The title character in Barnaby Jones (1973-1980). Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NY; John Carlo-UPtv/NY; Andrew Goldman-Fathom Events/NY; Claire Hambrick-A+E Networks/NY; Mike May-PHIT America/Wellington, FL; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NY; Cathy Russo-Viacom/NY; Evan Williams-Roger Wilco Productions/New Canaan, CT; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Jim Katz-Radcliffe Road Pictures/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

 

Today's Trivia Question: What business did Frank DeFazio, Laverne’s father, own on Laverne & Shirley? (1976-83) (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: A limit of four correct answers from each time zone will be selected.).

 

STRATEGIST VIDEO MONETIZATION/History/NYC: Oversee all rev driven AVOD content creation & release strategy across YouTube, Daily Motion, FB watch, Twitter & Snapchat. Partner w/Preditor to strategically greenlight content to max rev & support linear priorities. 4-6 yrs exp working w/digital video strategies at brand/publishing level. Full info HERE (4/25)

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/Nickelodeon/NY: Review scripts & provide copywriting direction to writer/producers. Must have 5+ years of experience writing on-air promotional/brand content. Must be proficient creating brand content for social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Full info HERE (4/25)

SALES RESEARCH ANALYST/Ion Media/NYC: responsible for supporting Sales organization. 3-8 yrs work exp in media or advertising analytics, i.e. TV network, advertising agency or client experience positioning data for ad sales teams and clients; ability to "tell a story" with data. Full info HERE (4/25)

DIRECTOR, MARKETING/Viacom/NYC: Join the Marketing & Media Insights team for Viacom group Strategic Insights & Research dept. Conceptualize and conduct proprietary quantitative and qualitative studies resulting in strategic reports and actionable insights for key stakeholders. 5-7 yrs exp. Full info HERE (4/25)

ACCOUNT SERVICE REP/Crown Media Family Networks/NY: Train/mentor sales planners & sales assts. Present new prgrmng & mktg opps to clients & new bus. prospects. Negotiate scatter deals & build targeted sales pitches. Min 2 yrs sales plan’g or buying exp. Ability to create flowcharts & PP pres. BA/BS req. Full info/apply HERE (4/18)

SALES PLANNER/Crown Media Family Networks/ATL: Provide sales and support to the Ad Sales team for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries & Hallmark Drama. Maintain media schedules, build sales plans, manage added value. BA/BS & min 1 yr exp. req. Apply HERE (4/18)  

DIGITAL RESEARCH ANALYST/Crown Media Family Networks/LA: Analyze subscriber behavior for SVOD, Hallmark Movies Now.  Create, maintain & present daily, wkly &monthly reports. Track/analyze Hallmark Channel Podcast data. BA/BS & min 1 yr exp. translating complex data into bus. insights req. Apply HERE (4/18)

MGR, AD SALES PARTNERSHIPS/A+E Networks/NY: Serve as ad sales partnerships resource & thought leader in the sales dept, managing ideation & response to RFPs, creating prod knwldg one sheets based on assigned network & disciplines, knowledgeable in digital/social mktg products & tools, effectively demonstrating how they can be leveraged in strategic 360 campaigns. Full info HERE (4/18)

 

SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCER/Fox News Channel/NYC: Help produce content for all of our social media platforms. Team player with a positive attitude a must & comfortable working under pressure in a fast-paced envir. Your passion for news is bar none! Exc writing skills & 3+ yrs of exp in news, TV or web. Full info HERE (4/17)

ACCOUNT SERVICES REP /Weigel NTWRKS/CHI - Responsible for maintaining all aspects of account management for the Chicago advertising sales team and providing timely and accurate info to the sales team and to the client. BA deg or previous media exp pref’d.  MS PP, Excel, word exp a must. Full info HERE (4/16)

ACCT EXEC, SALES DEVELOPMENT (Consumer Tech)/ION MEDIA/NY: Seeking sales professional to generate new advrtg accts and revenue for ION’s linear television platform.  Dedicated category focus on companies which specialize in consumer technology, social media, e-commerce and OTT. Self-starter with 8-10yrs of TV selling or related adv sales exp. Full info HERE (4/13)

SALES-MARKETING COORD/AMERICAN TARGET NETWORK/NY: Ideal Candidate will work closely with sales managing client relationships and processing requests, inputting order and traffic. Be able to create mktg sales decks and promotional materials. Manage internal process for credit applications, monthly billing and weekly budget reports. Full info HERE Send resume and salary requirements to info@americantargetnetwork.com (4/13)

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT - THURSDAY APRIL 11

ABC: Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, For the People

CBS: The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, Fam, S.W.A.T.

CW: Supernatural, In the Dark

FOX: Gotham, The Orville  

NBC: Superstore, A.P. Bio, Brooklyn-Nine Nine, Abby’s, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

PBS: This Old House Hour, Mrs. Wilson on Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow

Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos, Betty en NY, La Reina del Sur

Univision: Jesus, Mi Marido Tiene Mas Familia, Por Amar Sin Ley