Thursday February 4, 2021

Today’s Finale
CBS: “Star Trek: Discovery” at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Nominees were announced for the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, and Netflix’s “The Crown” topped TV series with six. Across film and television, the streamer landed a record 42 nominations, with 20 TV nods (but no “Bridgerton”), followed by seven for HBO, six for Hulu, five for Pop TV and Showtime, three for Amazon Studios, two for Apple TV+ and HBO Max, and one each for AMC, BBC America, Disney+, FX Networks and NBC. The Globes will air live on both coasts on Sunday, February 28 at 8p on NBC, with Tina Fey hosting from NYC’s Rainbow Room, and Amy Poehler hosting from LA’s Beverly Hilton.

Another batch of nominees was announced yesterday, for the WGA Awards. Up for writing for Drama Series are AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” “Amazon’s “The Boys,” Netflix’s “The Crown” and “Ozark,” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.” Comedy Series nods went to HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Hulu’s “The Great” and “PEN15,” Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”

In a fresh iteration of big tech company developer conferences, NBCUniversal introduced “ONE21,” an annual gathering of marketers, developers, technologies and creative professionals to explore the consumer experience and NBCU’s “development roadmap.” “The last year taught us that, in order to rebuild this economy, radical transformation is both necessary and completely possible,” said Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Global Advertising Partners, NBCU. “For any brand and every business, we hope ONE21 will spark meaningful transformation, empower their entrepreneurship, and show them what’s possible using all our resources.” The inaugural event is scheduled for March 22.

Only 46% of people are planning to watch the entire Super Bowl this year, according to a survey from insights platform DISQO. More findings include:
· 31.8% of people are less excited about the Super Bowl this year than in previous years due to the pandemic.
· Nearly 23% will watch the Super Bowl with a smaller group this year due to the pandemic, and 17.3% will watch at home when they normally go out.
· The smallest percentage of people (15.9%) want to see Super Bowl ads discussing social issues, while the vast majority (83.2%) want ads to be funny/entertaining.
· 35.1% of consumers want to see ads before the big game, but 84.5% of consumers haven’t come across any Super Bowl ads beforehand.

Speaking of, if it feels like you haven’t seen as many previews of new Super Bowl ads ahead of the game as you have in past years, you’re not mistaken. As of February 1, there was a 73% decrease in online releases of Super Bowl spots versus last year, according to iSpot.tv, with 48 pieces of creative from 25 brands generating 19.8 million views. In the same period last year, there were 182 creative pieces from twice as many brands, with 46.4 million views.

Seven out of 10 Americans had a more favorable view of AB InBev after watching its “Bigger Picture” spot, which explains that Budweiser is sitting out the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years so it can redirect ad dollars to promote awareness of COVID-19 vaccines. That’s according to UnrulyEQ data, which also revealed:
· The ad achieved an EQ score of 8/10 – higher than any Super Bowl ad has managed since Unruly’s rankings were first launched.
· The ad generated an intense emotional response from 58% of viewers – almost 2X the US average (32%).
· 63% of viewers were also likely to buy the product – verus the 40% average purchase intent.

The CW handed renewals to a whopping 12 series: “All American,” “Batwoman,” “Charmed,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Dynasty,” “The Flash,” “In the Dark,” “Legacies,” “Nancy Drew,” “Riverdale,” “Roswell, New Mexico” and freshman “Walker,” which also got an order for five more episodes this season. The net also upped its order for “Superman & Lois,” launching Tuesday, February 23, from 13 to 15 episodes.

Voluntary salary cuts made in 2020 by Publicis Groupe leaders, aimed at protecting jobs in the midst of the pandemic, will be fully reimbursed, CEO and Chairman Arthur Sadoun told employees in an internal video. The company’s net revenue for 2020 was $11.7 billion, down 0.9% versus 2019, while full-year organic revenue was down 6.3%. While in normal times the numbers would be “nothing to celebrate,” said Sadoun, in a challenging climate they reflect the Groupe’s ability to “stay strong.”

Fox News Media has signed The Federalist Publisher & Co-Founder Ben Domenech as a contributor, to provide political commentary across all Fox News Media platforms. Domenech will also host a weekly podcast for Fox News Audio. “As a frequent guest, Ben’s insightful opinions have added depth to our coverage and engendered trust from our viewers,” said Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media.

Bill Shine, former Co-President of Fox News and White House Director of Communications from June 2018-August 2019, is consulting for Nextstar’s new NewsNation. “Consistent with our commitment to deliver unbiased news to our viewers, we’ve hired a number of employees and consultants with diverse news production and reporting backgrounds from CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CBS, NBC and ABC, amongst others,” said a spokesperson for NewsNation, which Shine joined ahead of its launch in September 2020.

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The Scripps Howard Foundation, with support from Scripps employees across the country, gave $9 million in charitable gifts during 2020, reports the company. Efforts focused on advancing COVID-19 relief and related food insecurity programs in communities in which Scripps does business and supporting Scripps employees through financial hardships caused by the pandemic.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, “The Dr. Oz Show” host Dr. Mehmet Oz, “Today” host Savannah Guthrie and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta make up the newest round of guest hosts for “Jeopardy!”. Ken Jennings is currently hosting, and will be followed by the show’s executive producer, Mike Richards; Katie Couric; Aaron Rodgers; Bill Whitaker; and Mayim Bialik, to help fill the massive hole left by the death of Alex Trebek.

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Science brand Seeker has partnered with TikTok to produce video content

as part of the platform’s Creating Learning Fund. “Seeker embraced TikTok during the platform’s earliest days, enjoying 125% audience growth since December 2019,” said Seeker’s Chief Content Officer, Caroline Smith. “We are so encouraged to see fans invested in our planet and eager to understand the science shaping our world.”

Last year, it took incredible resilience, ingenuity, and hard work for professionals to deliver the best content in sports media. This award program acknowledges the elite players across production, executive suites, and sponsorships alike who brought their A-game in extraordinarily challenging circumstances. Enter by Wednesday February 10 at 11:59 PM ET.

“Reversed,” focused on diet and fasting as a way to help treat people with underlying diseases, starts production this month. The series comes from filmmaker Charles Matlocks, who has been creating health-related content since 2017.

Casting notes: Sarayi Blue (“I Feel Bad”) landed a recurring role in Apple’s “The Shrink Next Door.”…Sebastian Roche (“Fringe”) will recur on NBC sci-fi drama “Debris.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Design Star: Next Gen,” a new competition series inspired by “HGTV Design Star” – the most successful and highest-rated franchise in the network’s history – premieres on discovery+ with a special 90-minute episode on Wednesday, February 24. The episode also will air on HGTV that night at 9p.

Turkish drama “Madre” makes its Pasiones debut on Monday, February 8 at 7p. The show, an adaptation of a Japanese scripted series, became an immediate hit with Turkish and international audiences.

Season three of Snap’s “VS the World” focuses on Colin Kaepernick’s fight against racial inequality and police brutality, starting Saturday, February 6. The sophomore debut of Snap romantic drama “Two Sides” launches Sunday, February 14.

Podcast “The Food That Built America,” based on the History Channel docu-series that tells the stories of industry titans like Henry Heinz and Milton Hershey, launches today. First up: the origins of Coca-Cola.

COMING UP

“OWN Spotlight: Cicely Tyson,” featuring a never-before-seen conversation with the legendary actress and Oprah Winfrey, premieres Saturday, February 6 at 10p. The interview was captured in 2012 at the taping of “Oprah and The Legendary Cast of Roots 35 Years Later.” Tyson died January 28 at age 96.

Nickelodeon and CBS Sports are teaming again for multiplatform content to get kids and families excited in the lead up to Super Bowl LV on CBS. “Nickelodeon Super Duper Super Bowl Pregame Spectacular,” hosted by Nick stars Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin, premieres Friday, February 5 at 8p and will re-air multiple times over the weekend. CBS and Nick’s NFL Wild Card game content last month drew the highest viewership of Super Wild Card Weekend across both networks and gave Nickelodeon its biggest audience in nearly four years.

MAVTV Motorsports Network will serve as the exclusive broadcast home of the inaugural Winter Heat Series on NASCAR Heat 5, the official licensed video game of the stock car racing series. The Winter Heat Series will see eNASCAR Heat Pro League’s top teams and drivers compete against a group of eNHPL hopefuls for their share of $47,000, starting Sunday, February 7 at 9:30p.

MTV Documentary Films’ “Each and Every Day” speaks with young people who have attempted suicide or had suicidal ideations, as they share their experiences and the ways they have sought help. Created in partnership with The Jed Foundation and executive produced by Sheila Nevins, the film will air commercial-free on MTV Tuesday, February 16 at 9p.

STREAMING

Comcast-owned AVOD Xumo announced the launch of three curated channels from Telemundo: Telemundo Al Día, Telemundo Realities and Telemundo Novelas. “As Latinos continue to drive non-linear video consumption across the US, we are thrilled to partner with Xumo to expand our multiplatform approach to feed the streaming appetite of this young, vibrant and multilingual demographic,” said Peter Blacker, EVP, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of DTC Licensing, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.”

YouTube’s live-action preschool series “Vlad & Niki” now counts over 62 million subscribers on its English channel, and over 152 million worldwide, with 80+ billion total views. The show, focused on two young brothers, is written and produced by their parents.

TECH TALK

The Video Call Center has been issued a patent for its solution that makes it possible to manage large numbers of participants, each using IP-based video calling from their smartphone or other devices, in the production of video shows. The approach enables the creation of television shows and other video productions that feature massive numbers of filtered and pre-screened smartphone participants.

GOING GLOBAL

About Premium Content secured a deal for Australian spy thriller “Operation Buffalo” to stream on Netflix across the APAC region, excluding China. The drama series will be available on the streaming service starting February 28, and is also heading to RTBF in Belgium.

Thriller “Blinded” (aknown as “Fartblinda” in Swedish) has been commissioned for a second season. The drama will begin filming in 2021, with the premiere planned on C More in 2022.

Factual distributor Flame Distribution has licensed the psychological/social format “The Love Experiment” to Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The format was developed by Australian prodco Media Stockade and Dublin-born filmmaker Sinéad McDevitt (Alchemy Productions) from McDevitt’s r short film, “How to Fall in Love with a Stranger.”

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HGTV’s series premiere of “Rehab Addict Rescue” garnered a .63 Live+3 rating among P25-54 and a .81 among W25-54 on Thursday, January 28, a respective 18% and 27% increase over the prior six weeks in the demos.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, February 2
Show, P2+ (millions), (A18-49)
ABC: “To Tell the Truth” 4.31 (0.6), “black-ish” 2.66 (0.5), “mixed-ish” 2/25 (0.5), “Big Sky” 3.66 (0.6)
CBS: “NCIS” 5.08 (0.4), “FBI: Most Wanted” 3.69 (0.4), “FBI” 4.74 (0.4)
CW: “Two Second Horror Stories” 0.50 (0.1), “Two Second Horror Stories” 0.31 (0.04), “Trickster” 0.32 (0.1)
FOX: “The Resident” 4.09 (0.6), “Prodigal Son” 2.47 (0.5)
NBC: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” 2.24 (0.4), “This Is Us” 1.99 (0.3), “Nurses” 1.68 (0.3)
Telemundo: “Exatlon Estados Unidos” 1.16 (0.3), “La Suerte de Loli” 1.17 (0.4), “Buscando a Frida” 1.07 (0.4)
Univision: “Vencer al Desamor” 1.64 (0.5), “Imperio de Mentiras” 1.53 (0.4), “Dulce Ambicion” 1.26 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Walt Disney Television promoted Rob Mills to EVP, Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment. Mills was previously SVP, Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night Programming at ABC Entertainment.

Nexstar announced the appointment of Jeff Moriarty as EVP and Chief Product Officer, Digital Division. Most recently, Moriarty served as SVP, Consumer Products, at Gannett/USA Today Network,

Jessica Hindlian has joined TransUnion as VP of Channel Partnership and Sales Implementation. Hindlian was previously SVPof Product Management at Nielsen.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which “Friends” star had roles in two other series where the last names of her characters rhymed? Courteney Cox played Lauren Miller in “Family Ties” (1982-89), and Lucy Spiller in “Dirt” (2007-08). Kudos to: David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Matt Satter-WideOrbit/York, PA

Today’s Trivia Question
Who was the first “Friends” (1994-2004) cast member to win an Emmy? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)