Katie Phang Joins MSNBC’s Weekend, Streaming Lineups

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAt first bite, Cookie Monster seems like a harmless creature whose only flaw is acting on the needs of his stomach over the recommendations of his brain. In reality, this is a battle-hardened veteran who is set to play a bigger role in one of the media industry’s most intense brawls.The furry, azure creature, known for his time on “Sesame Street” and even in a commercial for Apple, will soon boost WarnerMedia’s efforts to win new fans of its kids programming, and to keep those who already have a connection from breaking it.

EXCLUSIVE: Katie Aselton (The Morning Show) has signed on to star alongside Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine in the comedy Old Dads, which Burr wrote and is directing for Miramax and his company All Things Comedy.

Katie Holmes continues to cement her fashion icon status. The actress and director looked striking in an all-white suit as she attended the opening of RiseNY, an experience that connects you with New York’s most famous locations and moments.Suri Cruise and Katie Holmes prove it’s cool to match with your momKatie Holmes stuns in all-white ensemble after Alice + Olivia runway show in NYCHolmes wore a white suit that she paired with neon pink heels.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe showrunner is leaving, but the show must go on.Staffers at CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” aren’t sure who the next top producer will be at the program, according to three people familiar with the matter, with top producers ready to take their time to examine the needs of the show after the departure of Chris Licht, who has been executive producer of the late-night mainstay since 2016. Licht’s decision to take a new role as the CEO of CNN once Discovery closes its acquisition of WarnerMedia leaked this weekend, well before the executive was able to formally inform George Cheeks, CEO of Paramount Global’s CBS operations, or Shari Redstone, chairman of the company, according to one of these people.

It’s a daunting task to crack jokes during wartime, especially days after Russia has bombarded the Ukraine, however, SNL Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che were fearless and eloquent in their approach to the topic.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDiscovery said profit tumbled in the fourth quarter as the owner of Food Network, Discovery Channel and Eurosport contended with expenses related to the Discovery Plus streaming hub and a group of one-time items related to expenses. Even so, the company saw revenue increase as its streaming efforts helped boost advertising and distribution revenue.Discovery said fourth quarter net income fell to $38 million, or 8 cents a share, compared with $271 million, or 42 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.The company released details of its performance as it prepares to acquire WarnerMedia, a move that will elevate its standing in the media sector.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNielsen is poised to release another batch of new data about TV viewers as it battles with TV networks over which yardstick will be paramount in the industry’s coming upfront marketplace.The media measurement giant is expected as soon as Wednesday to announce it will issue streaming data from connected TV sets, according to two people familiar with the matter. The information, Nielsen is expected to tell clients, will give advertisers, media buyers and media companies more information in their efforts to understand how audiences are behaving across a range of different screens.

Katie Price pulled out all the stops for her fiance’s birthday this weekend.The mum-of-five, who’s just revealed more cosmetic surgery on her face, whisked Carl Woods away to the New Forest for his 33rd birthday.The pair kept safe from the wrath of storm Eunice during their rural break, visiting the seafront, enjoying tea together and having a soak in a gorgeous spa! Carl - who appeared on Love Island back in 2016 - shared snaps of the romantic weekend on his Instagram stories. From balloons to bucketfuls of sweets and chocolate, Katie made sure Carl had everything he loved at their retreat. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter .

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor“Reliable Sources” has been a Sunday fixture on CNN for three decades. Now it’s expanding to the working week.The media-analysis program will launch a weekday edition on CNN Plus, the subscription-video service set to launch over the next few weeks.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe hunt for an elusive South American flower is at the heart of the latest addition to the Peacock streaming service, but the creators of the new show aren’t from the typical Hollywood studio.“Unlocked,” a short film that debuts Friday on the NBCUniversal broadband outlet, is the creation of tech giant Hewlett-Packard and the agency Giant Spoon. The mini-movie tells the story of data scientists hoping to track down a rare plant that might just offer a cure to a mysterious neurological disease that ails the world, but it might solve some other problems as well, like how to get ad messages in front of consumers who are increasingly accustomed to avoid such things when they hunker down for a new bingeworthy session.

EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA Award-nominee Tahar Rahim is set to co-star alongside Academy Award-winner Joaquin Phoenix and Academy Award-nominee Vanessa Kirby in Napoleon, the latest film from esteemed director Ridley Scott, who is directing.

Katie Phang, longtime legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, will host a weekend show on MSNBC as well as a program for the network’s streaming channel.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNBC News has a lot of stories to tell during the Olympics and the Super Bowl. One of them is about itself.The large NBCUniversal news division is using both events to get the word out about its growing package of streaming news programming at a time when the battle for broadband info junkies appears to be reaching a new apex.NBC News will tout its streaming-news outlet NBC News Now with a 20 second promo in the first quarter during NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI this Sunday, as well as with a 15-second promo during the pre-game.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMSNBC’s “Morning Joe” will soon become a mid-morning affair when the cable-news outlet expands it to four hours starting April 4.MSNBC plans to air the program from its usual starting point at 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. now, pre-empting a 9 o’clock hour that had previously been earmarked for more traditional news coverage.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAlex Wagner is returning to MSNBC.Wagner, who anchored a noontime hour on MSNBC before moving out as the network placed new emphasis on covering breaking news in daytime hours, will work as a senior political analyst adn guest anchor for the NBCUniversal-backed outlet. She joins as many big TV-news organizations are gearing up for coverage of the U.S.

Alex Wagner is returning to MSNBC, where she will serve as senior political analyst and guest anchor.