Microsoft Poised to Sit Out TV’s Upfront Market (EXCLUSIVE)

Margot Robbie is back at work on the set of Barbie.

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie have been pictured in character on the set of the new Barbie movie in Los Angeles.The pair have joined up for the first time since filming began, with a photograph from the set showing Barbie alongside Ken now being made public. In the photo, the pair were wearing Western-themed outfits, with both Ryan, 41, and Margot, 31, having matching white cowboy hats and pink neckerchiefs on.The actor had a classic black and white Western-style shirt, with embroidered flowers, fringe edging, and pearl snap fasteners. Meanwhile Margot had a bright pink matching vest and trouser combo on.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue’s growing interest in sports and streaming video helped Fox Corp. nab new ad dollars amid a softening market.The owner of the Fox broadcast network, Fox Sports and Fox News Channel expects an uptick in advertising commitments made in advance of its next programming schedule, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the company becomes the latest media outlet to wrap negotiations in the industry’s annual “upfront.”Advertisers were interested in Tubi, Fox’s ad-supported streaming hub; the company’s sports events; and its Fox News programming, this person said, among other offerings.The company could see an uptick of volume committed to its primetime broadcast schedule in the mid-single-digit percentage range.

Mel B is set as a judge for Season 2 of Paramount+’s drag queen singing competition Queen of the Universe. She joins returning judges Michelle Visage, Vanessa Williams and Trixie Mattel, along with Graham Norton, who returns as host. The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and World of Wonder, producers of the Emmy-winning RuPauls Drag Race franchise. Mel B takes over the spot held by Leona Lewis, who served as judge on the first season.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV’s dollars are migrating to digital, just like its viewers.The CW has wrapped upfront negotiations, according to a person familiar with the matter, and expects a rise in advance ad commitments for its digital venues, but sees its primetime broadcast schedule take in similar volume to last year’s market.Variety estimates that CW may have seen primetime volume come in between $440.8 million and $626.9 million, in 2021, compared with $440.8 million and $$597.1 million in 2020More to come….

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA documentary about kids’ holiday letters to Santa that was originally created as a promotional effort for the United States Post Office is set to become a new miniseries aimed at inspiring consumers around holiday time.“Dear Santa” was released in 2020 and put a spotlight on “Operation Santa,” a USPS initiative that has people “adopt” letters sent by kids to Santa Claus and help to fulfill their wishes. The film, directed by Dana Nachman, examined various “Operation Santa” centers around the U.S.

Sony is racing out with its adaptation of the PlayStation video game franchise “Gran Turismo.” The studio has set an August 11, 2023 release date for the “Gran Turismo” movie and has locked in “District 9” filmmaker Neill Blomkamp to direct the film.A logline has also been released for the film, which is surprisingly based on a true story. The film follows the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage “Gran Turismo” player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions that led him to become an actual professional race car driver.Jason Hall wrote the screenplay, and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan are producing the film alongside Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti.Sony and PlayStation are working on several other films and series inspired by their video game franchises, including projects based on “Ghosts of Tsushima,” “Horizon Zero Dawn” and “God of War” that are all in early, early stages of development.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV’s upfront market is starting to close and ad dollars seem harder to collect.NBCUniversal expects the volume of advance advertising commitments secured in the annual haggle to be “in the same range as last year,” according to Jeff Shell, CEO of the Comcast owned unit. He said that declines due to “cord cutting were offset by pricing and Peacock for us,” during remarks made at an investor conference organized by Credit Suisse.

Dougal Wilson has been named as the director of Paddington 3, which is now officially titled Paddington in Peru, Deadline can confirm. Wilson joins the franchise following the exit of director Paul King, who mounted both past installments to huge success, and is now focused on on the Timothée Chalamet starrer, Wonka.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian playwright Stefano Massini’s “The Lehman Trilogy,” which just won five Tony Awards including the prize for best play, is set to become a high-end TV series to be produced by Italy’s Fandango and The Apartment, the outfits behind HBO’s Elena Ferrante adaptation “My Brilliant Friend.”The TV project, originated by Italian producer Domenico Procacci’s Fandango, to adapt into a series the epic drama written by Massini that charts the history of one of the financial institutions that helped spark the 2008 recession, has now been boarded by producer Lorenzo Mieli’s shingle The Apartment, the Fremantle-owned company behind Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated “The Hand of God” and his “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope” shows. Fandango and Mieli previously collaborated on “My Brilliant Friend” for HBO and Italy’s RAI.Having Fremantle’s The Apartment on board gives “The Lehman Trilogy” TV series adaptation considerably more heft, though a commissioning broadcaster or streamer remains to be found.Mieli in a statement called “Lehman Trilogy” – which besides best play won Tony Awards for Sam Mendes’ direction and for the lead performance of Simon Russell Beale, among other prizes – “a marvelous and contemporary text” on the “intrinsic failures of a certain form of capitalism.”The chief of the Fremantle-owned company also noted that it’s rare for an Italian play to be celebrated outside national borders.

Thania Garcia Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., better known by his stage name Roddy Ricch, was arrested Saturday before his scheduled Governors Ball performance for attempting to enter the festival with a loaded weapon.On his way into Citi Field, where the fest was being held, Moore’s vehicle was stopped at a security checkpoint where law enforcement officials found a loaded firearm inside his vehicle.As of early Sunday morning, Moore Jr. was still in custody but a source close to the rapper has confirmed to Variety that he has now been released.The New York police department told Variety that they responded to a call at approximately 6:20 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAdam Verdugo, a news producer who has worked for years with anchor Norah O’Donnell, has been named executive producer of “CBS Evening News,” just weeks after O’Donnell and CBS extended a contract to keep her at the helm of the show.Verdugo will start his new duties June 13, and brings the executive producer position for the program back to Washington, D.C. For the past several months, CBS News veteran Al Ortiz supervised the evening newscast out of New York.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV’s streaming wars aren’t just about TV.Microsoft’s Xbox will bring cloud gaming to Samsung 2022 smart TVs starting June 30 — in a bid to bring videogaming to a broader audience, who won’t have to rely on a console — and eke out share in the battle for consumer attention on the connected TV screen. The company expects the Xbox app on Samsung Gaming Hub will be available in 27 countries.“We are bringing the Xbox app to Samsung Smart TVs first, and our intent is to explore other TV partnerships as part of the next evolution in our vision,” Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president, gaming experiences and platforms for Xbox, said in a statement.Announced ahead of CES 2022, Samsung Gaming Hub includes partnerships with game streaming services including Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now and Utomik.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBefore finalizing Discovery’s purchase of WarnerMedia from AT&T, David Zaslav spent months holding friendly conversations with Hollywood moguls and influential agents. Now he’s locked in contentious discussions with Madison Avenue.Warner Bros. Discovery is making what media buyers and other executives say are  severe demands on advertisers in the course of discussions around the industry’s annual “upfront” market, when TV networks try to sell the bulk of their advertising inventory.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhen James Corden cuts ties with CBS’ “Late Late Show” next year, he may leave with more than people expected.CBS is considering replacing Corden’s distinct program with a multi-host panel, according to three people familiar with the matter, a sign of how late-night is changing as viewers sample the best of the programs via social media rather than watching them in their wee-hours’ time slot. Corden has decided to leave “The Late Late Show” in the spring of 2023.  A panel format could encompass a wide range of concepts, such as the news-roundtable program “Politically Incorrect,” which Bill Maher led on ABC late-nights between 1997 and 2002, or even the frenetic game-show stylings of “@midnight,” which aired in late night on Comedy Central between 2013 and 2017.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox Corp. and NBCUniversal have started to write early deals in TV’s upfront market, a sign that networks and at least one large media buyer have started to come to terms on pricing that could govern the flow of millions of dollars of investment from Madison Avenue.Publicis Media, part of France’s Publicis Groupe, has started to wrap some business in this year’s market for advance advertising commitments, according to four executives with knowledge of current negotiations. These people noted that Publicis, which recently won the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon is in final negotiations to pre-buy rights to in-demand Cannes market package Saltburn, the next film from Oscar winner Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV’s “upfront” ad-sales market is starting to move — and earlier than expected.Just days after the networks wrapped glitzy programming presentations to Madison Avenue executives, Walt Disney Co. is said to have written some business with at least one major media buying agency, according to three executives familiar with recent discussions.