Fox Sports Makes Early Pitch to Woo Advertisers

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNews and sports will definitely have a place in the world of streaming, but may require new formats and programming concepts to make them fit the needs of modern audiences, according to the executive who oversees WarnerMedia’s HBO Max.News and sports programming are a significant factor in keeping consumers tethered to cable and satellite subscriptions in an era rife with cord-cutting, said Andy Forssell, general manager of HBO Max, while speaking Thursday at an

The United States Football League, which challenged the NFL’s dominance in the 1980s before collapsing after just three seasons, will attempt a comeback in the spring of 2022.

AMC Entertainment, which has been surfing a wave of retail enthusiasm over its meme-worthy stock, has decided to cash in and sell 11.6 million shares.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe United States Football League, that mid-1980s counterpart to NFL play, is returning.The league will relaunch in the spring of 2022, with Fox Sports signing on as a broadcast partner and minority stakeholder in the company that owns the new sports entity.Longtime sports fans may recall an era when the New York Generals, Memphis Showboats and Houston Gamblers took to the field for three seasons between 1983 and 1985.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAt least three of the nation’s big media companies are writing deals in an upfront ad-sales market that is moving more rapidly than in years past.Disney, NBCUniversal and Fox have all begun to sell advance advertising commitments as part of TV’s annual upfront market, according to five people familiar with the pace of negotiations.

The Droughtlander is finally going to end — but not for a while. Production on “Outlander” Season 6 will wrap this week, but you won’t get to see it until “early 2022,” Starz said on Tuesday.Sorry, that’s as specific as we’re getting right now in terms of timing.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWho will Greg Gutfeld yell at now?Juan Williams, the resident liberal member of the popular Fox News panel show, “The Five,” is leaving the program for which he has worked since 2011.“COVID taught me a lot of lessons. As the show goes back to the New York studio, I’ll be staying in DC.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel said it would make its lineup of primetime opinion programs available on its Fox Nation streaming-video service just one day after they air on cable, a significant distribution element that underscores the allure of streaming for the entire media sector.Starting Wednesday, June 2, episodes of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “Hannity” and “The Ingraham Angle” will all be made available the day after they air for on-demand viewing.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorRob Master loves the idea of putting commercials into new Hollywood streaming hubs like Peacock, HBO Max and Paramount Plus. But he’s not so enchanted with the costs being demanded by the media companies that own the sites.NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia and others are seeking a premium from sponsors eager to attach their ads to streaming shows.

Things are starting to return to normal, in late-night, it seems.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorRachel Campos-Duffy, a commentator who is also known from her time on MTV’s “Real World” series, was named a co-host at “Fox & Friends Weekend,” replacing Jedediah Blia. She is slated to start on June 12.Placing Campos-Duffy in the role means Fox News has a more stalwart conservative on the program than her predecessor.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJedediah Bila, a popular anchor who billed herself as holding libertarian perspectives and who was once a co-host at ABC’s “The View,” is leaving the weekend edition of “Fox & Friends,” the anchor and network announced Friday.“We have mutually and amicably parted ways with Jedediah Bila and wish her all the best,” Fox News said in a statement.

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album is here, which also means we just got a whole bunch of lyrics from SOUR for Instagram captions. At 18, the Disney Channel alum is proving she’s a lot more than just a one-hit-wonder after the viral success of her 2021 single, “drivers license.” Her lyrics on SOUR range from topics of self-empowerment to self-doubt that anyone who has ever been a teenager (or, TBH, a struggling twenty-something) can relate to.

Henry Cavill is in early talks to star in one of the two lead roles in Chad Stahelski’s “Highlander” reboot, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.Neal H.

John Krasinski is celebrating a return to the theaters.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV ratings are down. But the networks aren’t letting that get in the way of demanding big price hikes in their annual negotiations with Madison Avenue.Even as advertisers express concern about declines in the live audiences tuning in for TV staples like “Young Sheldon,” “This Is Us” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” they appear to be on the verge of capitulating to marketplace pressure.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox Weather unveiled its senior executive structure ahead of a launch of its ad-supported streaming service devoted to all things meteorological in the third quarter of 2021.The leadership team will include: David Clark, senior vice president and head of programming; Steve Baron.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News filed a motion Tuesday to dismiss a massive $1.6 billion lawsuit from by voting-technology firm Dominion Voting Systems, citing concerns about freedom of speech and introducing a new development to the closely-watched case.In the motion, Fox News said Dominion failed to identify “any actionable defamation” by Fox News and did not stipulate facts that Fox News presented the items Dominion challenges “with actual malice.”“The freedoms of speech and press

Although it had been in the works for a while, today’s virtual upfront presentation by Fox Sports packed uncanny punch after Thursday’s big mask news.