TV Networks Line Up Behind Open AP’s New Audience-Segment ID in Weeks Before TV Upfront

Charlotte Crosby has celebrated turning 31 and she invited her fans along on Instagram stories for a look at what she got up to. The Geordie Shore star told her 7.1 million followers that she was having the “most relaxing birthday ever” as she told her fans she was heading to a spa.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe largest TV networks are getting ready to snare billions of dollars from Madison Avenue. And lose them, all at the same time.Expectations are high for the industry’s annual upfront, when TV networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory for the upcoming season.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDon Lemon is getting his name above the title on his late-night program on CNN.The WarnerMedia cable-news outlet will rename the two late-evening hours he has hosted for the past several years “Don Lemon Tonight,” replacing “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.” CNN spokespersons did not respond immediately to queries seeking comment, but the new show moniker reflects something that has been evident in the program for months — the anchor’s personality and emotional

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJimmy Fallon, host of “The Tonight Show,” and NBCU are expanding their programming together under a new development deal.“The Kids Tonight Show,” a late-night program hosted by young people, is among the projects being developed under a new pact struck between NBCUniversal and Fallon’s production outlet, Electric Hot Dog.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel, which has been reworking large parts of its programming schedule in the aftermath of the 2020 election, said it would launch new weekend programs hosted by conservative firebrand Dan Bongino and former South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy.Gowdy will host a 7 p.m. program on Sundays while Bongino will lead a 10 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter devoting constant chatter to the 2020 election and the coronavirus pandemic, Fox News wants to make sure to talk about other subjects, including sports and weather.During an upfront presentation to ad buyers and clients Tuesday, executives from Fox News Media told Madison Avenue they intended to expand programming beyond the news of the day.

DMX is set to air as a two-part special, in what is being billed as his final interview. The artist, real name Earl Simmons, died on 9 April, having spent several days on life support at a New York hospital following a catastrophic cardiac arrest.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNielsen’s TV yardstick has been found wanting.A review of recent Nielsen efforts to map out TV audience activity determined the company likely undercounted TV audiences in February of this year, a development that is expected to intensify a growing rift between the measurement giant and the TV networks who depend on it to set discussions with advertisers that help undergird billions of dollars in advertising.The Media Rating Council, an industry organization that

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNielsen, the company that measures TV audiences every day says it still needs a few weeks to get its counting procedures back to normal.In a May 6 letter to TV networks, media-measurement giant Nielsen said it is still working to “resolve outstanding maintenance needs” in approximately 2700 homes that serve in its panel of consumers, and will likely not complete that work until the end of May.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAMC Networks said first quarter profit rose even as it navigated declines in revenue and operating income in the midst of a challenging environment.The New York owner of the AMC, IFC and Sundance cable networks said net income came to $87 million, or $2.02 per share, compared with $68.7 million, or $1.22 per share in the year-earlier period.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorViacomCBS said first-quarter profit surged as the company enjoyed the benefits of ad sales associated with Super Bowl LV and lured 6 million new subscribers to streaming outlets such as Paramount Plus.The New York owner of CBS, Showtime and Nickelodeon said revenue increased 14% to $7.41 billion, up from nearly $6.5 billion in the year-earlier quarter.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorYou don’t have to be perpetually “live, from New York” to flourish these days at “Saturday Night Live.”In years past, the show’s cast members focused their all on the venerable late-night program and, when outside opportunity knocked or contracts ran out or media economics forced a tightening of the group, they left.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWalter Cronkite held forth from New York and Washington for CBS News. His heirs at a new ViacomCBS unit will do the same, while also monitoring Sacramento, Minneapolis and Dallas.The two executives named to head a newly fashioned division that combines the CBS local stations with CBS News and the team that manages the CBSN live-streaming news service offered their early vision for how the operation will function.

In the hours leading up to the much-anticipated series finale of the popular crime drama Line of Duty, co-star Vicky McClure shared a hilarious video with her fans on Sunday.The actress, who plays Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the hit BBC show, shared the behind-the-scenes footage of her friendly banter with co-stars Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar.The video showed the trio enjoying a sing-along together while on set featuring the famous subway covered in graffiti behind them – a popular

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNielsen and the networks it serves have long been at odds, like a student might be with a particularly tough college professor who always offers a B- but never an A.

Charlotte Crosby has spoken out about how the UK lockdown has dampened her “wild sex life”.The former Geordie Shore star admitting that the couple used to create “fireworks” in the bedroom, but after moving in with her beau Liam Beaumont, their sex life has lost its sparkle. On her latest episode of her podcast, the 31-year-old former caught up with gal pals Holly Hagan and Sophie Kasaei, and opened up about her their intimacy issues.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDiscovery revealed the big challenge behind getting involved in the media industry’s streaming wars: A new broadband hub can bring in millions of new customers — but it also requires millions of dollars in investment.The New York owner of Food Network, HGTV, TLC and its flagship Discovery cable outlet said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit slumped after it ramped up spending for content and marketing related to Discovery Plus, the streaming-video outlet it

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN examined the 1990s Chicago Bulls in a celebrated documentary series and probed the fortunes of the 1970s New York Yankees in a serialized drama. Now the sports-media giant has big plans for the New York Mets.ESPN Films plans to release “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” a four-part series on the 1986 Mets, later this year on both ESPN and ESPN Plus.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN recently tested a “BetCast” for NBA fans interested in sports wagering and a “KidsCast” of a Little League championship game aimed at the younger set.