PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Netflix ordered a French original series starring Omar Sy (The Intouchables) as gentleman thief and master of disguise Arsene Lupin. The project, produced by Gaumont Television, is being described as a “contemporary adaptation” of the novels written by Maurice LeBlanc, who created the character in 1905. Drama is slated to premiere globally in 2020.
YouTube greenlit a second season of Impulse to bow on YouTube Premium in 2019. The supernatural thriller’s pilot, which is available for free on YouTube, has drawn nearly 8 million viewers since its June 6 premiere.
Sundance Now and Shudder acquired A Discovery of Witches, based on the New York Times bestseller by Deborah Harkness. The eight-episode drama, produced by Bad Wolf, will star Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer and premiere simultaneously on the streaming services.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
The Dancing Dolls return to strut their stuff with back-to-back episodes of Bring It! on Thursday, August 16 at 9p on Lifetime.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced a trio of premiere dates. Mind Your Business with Mahisha, centering on business owner Mahisha Dellinger and her multi-million-dollar hair company Curls, bows Saturday, August 11 at 10p; Iyanla: Fix My Life returns on Saturday, August 11 at 9p; and Greenleaf makes its two-night season premiere on Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29 at 10p.
COMING UP
Oxygen Media debuts Golden State Killer: Main Suspect on Saturday, August 4 at 7p. Hosted by NBC News investigative journalist Stephanie Gosk, the two-hour special offers an intimate look into the life of Joe DeAngelo, the suspect in custody.
DISTRIBUTION
Sony Pictures Television struck a deal to bring over 200 Sony Pictures Entertainment movie titles and two Sony Pictures Television classic series to Pluto TV’s content library. New titles include The Blue Lagoon, So I Married An Axe Murderer, The Babysitters Club, Philadelphia, Charlie’s Angels and more.
Comedy Central is getting more animated, adding King of the Hill and The Cleveland Show to its lineup. The network has acquired all 13 seasons of King of the Hill, set to bow on Monday, July 23, as well as all four seasons of ensemble comedy The Cleveland Show, launching this fall.
ADVERTISING
Univision’s Premios Juventud 2018 secured major sponsors for multi-platform integrations and experiences. M&M’s and Neutrogena are back after a first run in 2017, joining longstanding partners McDonald’s, State Farm and T-Mobile.
With Discover Channel’s Shark Week about to begin on Sunday, July 22, Standard Media Index released the event’s advertising results for the last two years. Shark Week brought in $20.2 million in revenue in 2017 and $16.6 million in 2016 for the network. That’s versus an average weekly revenue of $12.7 million in 2017 and $12.1 million in 2016.
CASTING
Code Black’s Moon Bloodgood was tapped to co-star in Apple thriller drama Are You Sleeping. Also slated to recur in the series are Billy Miller (General Hospital, Suits), Brett Cullen (Narcos, Devious Maids) and Hunter Doohan (Westworld, Sound Wave).
Boris Kodjoe (Code Black) landed a recurring role on the sophomore season of ABC’s Station 19… Season 2 of Sony Crackle’s The Oath will feature recurring appearances by Dilshad Vadsaria (Revenge), Sebastian Zurita (Todo Mal, Si Yo Fuera Tu), Erik King (Dexter, Oz), J. Anthony Pena (Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., Lucifer), Richard Burgi (Desperate Housewives), Rich Paul (Cut Throat City) and Carlos Sanz (Stronger)… Jennifer Westfeldt (Younger) and Victoria Justice (Victorious) nabbed roles on Facebook Watch series Queen America.
DIGITAL DATA
Walmart is contemplating entering the streaming video game. According to The Information, the company could try to undercut Amazon and Netflix on price or launch an ad-supported video service to drive online retail sales. A survey of execs in the streaming video and programmatic video ad space offered skepticism regarding the plan. While Walmart does sell and rent digital copies of movies and TV shows through its Vudu service, taking the next step presents problems. The biggest? The company would need to build a content library big enough to support subscriptions or gain market share. And if Walmart chose to have ads, it would need to build an ad business.
Netflix unveiled a new TV interface to make things simpler for its members. “The new interface was based on rigorous research and testing around how we can make it easier to find titles on TVs, where navigation can feel a bit tougher when you restricted to just a few buttons on a remote control,” said Stephen Garcia, Director, Product Innovation. It’s now easier to search and view new content added to the service, and simpler to start browsing with either a series or movie. “Our research has shown us that while a member generally isn’t sure what exact title they want to watch, they have a pretty good sense of whether they are in the mood for a quick series episode or a longer movie experience,” said Garcia.
The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars is returning with 12 episodes on Disney’s streaming service. The series originally ran for six seasons between 2008 and 2013.
Facebook Watch’s interactive docuseries Help Us Get Married airs its season finale live on Friday, July 20 at 8p.
Food Matters TV acquired PVOD rights to Sick to Death! by Maggie Hadleigh-West. The documentary explores the filmmaker’s personal struggle with thyroid disease and the medical confusion and negligence that surrounds it. Available Tuesday, July 24.
GOING GLOBAL
TrueRoyalty.tv, the only on-demand TV service devoted to premium royal content, commissioned Meghan and Harry: The First 100 Days (wt). The project explores the first three months of the royal couple’s married life. It will be available exclusively to subscribers in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Docu-reality series Marry Me Now has been licensed by France’s TF1.
Keshet International confirmed two more scripted commissions from Televisa as part of a multi-project deal. Mythological Ex and The A Word are being adapted for Mexico.
Curiosity Ink Media joined forces with Visionworkz to advance promotional partnerships. The alliance starts with Lilly’s Monsters, an original series that helps kids confront fears and promote anti-bullying.
