ABC-Hulu Chief Craig Erwich Adds Disney Branded TV Streaming Oversight, Shannon Ryan Upped to Disney General Entertainment Marketing President

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Alex vs America” has been renewed for a third season at Food Network, Variety has learned exclusively. Production is set to begin this month on Season 3 of the primetime cable series, with new episodes to debut next year.  “Alex vs America” Season 2, which aired July 31-Sept. 11, averaged more than 9.1 million total viewers, up 44% from Season 1, and a 0.6 rating with adults ages 18 and up, an increase of 17%, according to Nielsen’s Live + 3 Day ratings. Per Food Network’s description for “Alex v. America”:

Sam Smith has announced a pair of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall next month, marking their first headline gigs since 2019.Although the British pop star has appeared at numerous festivals and promotional events since 2019, their last tour concluded in Cape Town in April of that year.Smith will perform at the iconic London venue on October 21 and 22, with a setlist featuring some of their biggest hits and previewing material from their forthcoming new album. Fans can gain access to a special ticket pre-sale by pre-ordering the star’s new album directly from their online store before 4pm BST tomorrow (September 21).Those who gain access will receive codes at 6pm BST, with the pre-sale opening at 9am BST on Thursday (22).

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer NBCUniversal’s longtime executive vice president of unscripted current production, Shari Levine, is stepping down from her role and shifting to a non-exclusive consulting position, Variety has learned exclusively. Following her exit, Noah Samton will expand his purview as the new head of East Coast for unscripted lifestyle current production across all platforms, while Kathleen French and Ryan Flynn will divide up overseeing the West Coast current production team, with all three reporting directly to NBCU television and streaming’s head of unscripted content, Rod Aissa. With a focus on Bravo programming during her more than two decades at the Comcast-owned company, Levine has overseen franchises like “The Real Housewives,” “Below Deck and “Million Dollar Listing,” as well as the original run of “Project Runway.”

EXCLUSIVE: Banijay Rights is ramping up its FAST channel offering with the launch of the distributor’s debut dedicated general entertainment channel Horizons: Powered by Banijay.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer As a Sunday night series, the first episode of “House of the Dragon” was only available for streaming during the final three hours of Nielsen’s window for calculating its weekly SVOD ratings for Aug. 15-21. But in that brief period of time, the “Game of Thrones” prequel managed to be watched for 327 million minutes via HBO Max, according to the ratings currency company’s new rankings. “House of the Dragon” premiered Sunday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and was immediately available for streaming on HBO Max at that time. The Nielsen-provided figure here only counts streaming viewership, meaning anyone who watched “House of the Dragon” via HBO’s linear channel or any other platform is not included in the count.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Blumhouse Television has promoted Chris Dickie to executive vice president of development and programming, Variety has learned exclusively. A five-year veteran of the Jason Blum-founded company, Dickie oversees a team of eight working on current and development across ongoing and limited series, domestic and international, television movies and streaming features, animation and podcasts. “Chris Dickie has consistently proven to be a creative and strategic executive possessing great instincts for material and the EQ essential for being a leader at Blumhouse,” Chris McCumber, president of Blumhouse Television, said. “I have full confidence in his ability to lead the team as we steer towards an exciting television slate in 2023 and beyond.”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Ina Garten is bringing four new companions over to chat and eat on “Be My Guest With Ina Garten” Season 2, including Faith Hill, Nathan Lane, Emily Blunt and chef Marcus Samuelsson, Variety has learned exclusively. The second season of the Barefoot Contessa’s Food Network and Discovery+ series will debut Oct. 9 at 12 p.m. ET. Per the “Be My Guest” second season description, “In the season premiere, Ina greets Faith Hill with frozen palomas and fresh guacamole and they become fast friends while talking about family, love and music. Faith’s daughter Gracie joins the party to help bake her family’s cola cake recipe and they then take a drive to Topping Rose House to celebrate their new friendship.  In the following episode, Ina serves Nathan Lane a taste of nostalgia with her Rum Raisin Rice Pudding recipe, and they discuss his childhood, personal life and show business career from the early years to his prolific roles on stage and screen.  She also gives cooking-novice Nathan a lesson in making Mussels with Saffron Cream. 

With a bit more than a year left before Disney can buy out Comcast’s financial stake in Hulu, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts pushed back on Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s suggestion that Hulu’s value has declined amid public market skepticism about streaming.

Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and contributor to Fox News, said in a segment on the network Monday that Americans were too smart to fall for the Jan. 6 committee and the messages created by their “Hollywood producer” as the panel meets again in advance of more hearings this month.Only the consultant Gingrich was referring to, whether mistaken or purposely misleading Fox News viewers, is in fact not a Hollywood producer but instead a former longtime broadcast journalist. The topic was broached when show host Brian Kilmeade asked Gingrich whether the committee had reached out for his potential testimony, as a former adviser to Donald Trump during his presidency.“Well, my attorneys are working all that out.

Endeavor Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel says the pledges by many media execs to rein in content spending amid a broader streaming rethink have yet to have an impact on his company.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Magnolia Network’s top PR exec John Marsicano has been tapped as Endeavor’s new vice president of internal communications, Variety has learned exclusively. Beginning in the New York-based position Monday, Marsicano will be leading internal communications efforts across Endeavor’s network of more than 7,000 employees and supporting engagement with the company’s subsidiaries. He will report directly to Kim Ulrich, senior vice president of corporate communications at the Ari Emanuel-run company. Marsicano has worked with the Gaineses since 2017, when he began at the “Fixer Upper” couple’s national home and lifestyle brand by overseeing all communications efforts, both internal and external, for the company and its portfolio of businesses. He exited that role to join Magnolia Network, the Gaineses’ joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery (previously Discovery, Inc., ahead of the April merger with WarnerMedia), in the comms chief role under network president Allison Page.

Kate Beckinsale walks the runway during the Naeem Khan fashion show in the midst of 2022 New York Fashion Week at Sony Hall in New York City.

Celia Cruz’s musical and historical legacy continues to impact the Hispanic and Latino community. Although Cruz was born in Cuba, Colombia adopted the salsa singer as a native; therefore, to honor her contributions, the Salsa Museum of Cali will showcase a dress donated to the institution by her representative, Omer Pardillo.On September 9 at 6:00 p.m., the director of the Salsa Museum, Carlos Molina Jr., will officially present one of Celia’s iconic outfits as a cultural exchange.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Better Call Saul” actor Michael Mando has signed on to star opposite Brian Tyree Henry in Peter Craig and Ridley Scott’s upcoming Apple TV+ series “Sinking Spring,” Variety has learned. Based on the book “Dope Thief” by Dennis Tafoya, Apple’s eight-episode series “Sinking Spring” follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern seaboard. Mando will play the co-lead role of Manny Cespedes, a good-hearted friend of Ray’s (Henry), who he first met when they did time together in the Youth Authority, per the official character description.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Desperate Housewives” and “Devious Maids” creator Marc Cherry is developing a new female-fronted drama at Fox. Titled “Jenny Is a Weapon,” the one-hour series follows the story of a sheltered Maryland housewife who, at the moment her marriage falls apart, discovers she has special psychic powers and is recruited by a secret government agency where she will have to juggle her broken family and save the world, per its official logline. The drama has received a script commitment from Fox Entertainment and is being eyed for a potential straight-to-series order at the broadcaster under a direct deal with Cherry.

Studio Ramsay Global, the production company founded by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and Fox, has made its first key executive hire.

A town hall chief has hit out after coming under fire following a decision to put a long-term housing plan on hold for a second time. Stockport council leader Mark Hunter says the decision to ‘pause’ a public consultation on the borough’s emerging Local Plan was taken after ‘considerable thought’ and cross-party discussions.

Christina Hall and her husband Josh have thrown a second wedding ceremony to celebrate with friends and family at a lavish resort in Maui, Hawaii. The couple tied the knot in secret with the news being reported back in April and they celebrated their nuptials at an intimate oceanfront ceremony for friends and family at Merriman's Kapalua resort in Maui over the weekend (03. 09.