TV Networks Hope New Ads Can Build Scattered Binge-Viewers Into Big Crowds

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAccelerating climate change and its far-flung effects have  fast become the most important story in the news cycle. But that isn’t always the stuff that gets talked about or tweeted — or the biggest ratings.Part of the issue? Shifts in the environment happen gradually over time, not usually in a violent, shocking moment that can be captured by cameras.

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Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA new lineup of Saturday programming and a surge of post-pandemic spending by Madison Avenue helped the CW boost its volume of advertising commitments in TV’s annual “upfront” market, a sign that advertisers continue to make the medium a central part of their plans even as they are showing new interest in chasing viewers to new streaming venues.The network, jointly owned by ViacomCBS and AT&T’s WarnerMedia, has wrapped its upfront negotiations, according to a

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN said it would bring legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin back to its roster of contributors after he was suspended from his main place of employment after exposing himself during a Zoom call with colleagues.“I hope to be a better person off camera as well as on camera,” Toobin told anchor Alisyn Camerota in one of the more bizarre segments CNN has broadcast in recent memory.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA coterie of 20 big advertisers — General Mills, L’Oreal and Nestle among them — has vowed to spend between 2% and 5% of their annual media budgets on Black-owned media outlets, part of a growing effort on Madison Avenue to raise ad dollars in support of multicultural media venues.The group of marketers, which also includes AARP, Mars, Pernod Ricard, Danone, DoorDash, Target and Tyson Foods, is working through GroupM, the large WPP media investment unit that

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHyundai didn’t go to the Super Bowl this year, but it’s taking a trip to Disneyland.The large automaker has struck a broad advertising pact with The Walt Disney Company that will have characters from ABC’s “Black-ish,” announcers from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and even characters from Marvel tout the benefits of the new Tucson compact SUV in on-screen appearances set to roll out over the next few months.

After more than four decades performing around the world in New Zealand bands Split Enz and Crowded House, solo ventures, family projects and with Fleetwood Mac, there’s one concert that will forever stand out to Neil Finn – playing Christchurch Arena in his homeland following pandemic setbacks in March.

New Order and Pet Shop Boys have rescheduled their joint North American tour for the third time due to the coronavirus pandemic – this time with dates set for autumn 2022.The revised tour dates now include guest DJ Paul Oakenfold and take in an additional date at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in New York.

Exodus” — which drops on Friday — was supposed to be the start of a big comeback for the late rapper.“We did the whole album — the album was done — before he passed,” said Swizz, 42, who served as both executive producer and producer. “It’s not an album that was pieced together after he passed.

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.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterWill Mr. Big return for HBO Max’s “And Just Like That…”? Abso-fucking-lutely.Despite early reports to the contrary, Chris Noth will indeed be reprising his role as Carrie Bradshaw’s beau in the 10-episode “Sex and the City” revival, which is scheduled to begin production in New York this summer.“I’m thrilled to be working with Chris again on ‘And Just Like That…’ How could we ever do a new chapter of the ‘Sex And The City’ story without our Mr.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHockey great Wayne Gretzky was made an analyst for Turner Sports’ new NHL coverage, part of a quick ramp-up in talent as the WarnerMedia unit prepares to handle a new seven-year deal with the league it hopes will expand its professional-sports presence and draw new viewers to cable outlets like TNT and TBS.Gretzky is slated to offer studio analysis during key moments of the NHL regular season and throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, under terms of a new contract.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDiscovery’s CEO feels a combination of WarnerMedia and his company will create a new media company that is “uniquely competitive with Netflix and Disney,” and articulated the need to have a global footprint in the future in order to compete in the entertainment industry’s streaming wars.Discovery last week stuck a pact with AT&T to take over WarnerMedia operations in a deal that executives hope will pass regulatory muster by mid 2022.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJeff Zucker, chairman of news and sports at WarnerMedia, held a company town hall on Tuesday in which he addressed the recent Chris Cuomo-CNN controversy and answered questions regarding return-to-office plans.Zucker suggested CNN staffers who were vaccinated and wished to return to the outlet’s New York offices would likely be able to do so starting in June, according to a person familiar with the event.

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.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorStephen Colbert will break free of his coronavirus-imposed restrictions and return to doing CBS’ “Late Show” in front of live audiences starting June 14.Colbert has led 205 episodes of the late-night program without an in-studio crowd, usually from his home or, in recent weeks, from a room at the Ed Sullivan Theater, which has housed the program for years.

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 EditorIt’s just the latest salvo in TV’s never-ending morning-news wars: CBS’ Gayle King is about to stroll into territory long dominated by ABC’s Robin Roberts.Starting this fall, “CBS This Morning” will hold forth from a new studio in New York’s Times Square.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN is trying to stay out of anchor Chris Cuomo’s latest family affair.CNN said it had no plans to discipline its top primetime anchor, despite the fact that he provided counsel and aid during staff meetings to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, while he was in the midst of fending off sexual harassment accusations.A report Thursday in The Washington Post revealed that Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m.

Warner Bros. Games has released a brand new Back 4 Blood trailer that highlights each member of the in-game crew known as ‘The Cleaners’.The ‘Meet the Cleaners‘ video introduces a diverse range of eight playable characters and details their background, characteristics, and in-game abilities.The first character to be introduced is Holly, who also narrates the video, She’s described as a college student, armed with her nail spiked baseball bat called Dottie.