Two Senior CW Execs Depart In Wake Of Nexstar Takeover

Naman Ramachandran Indian media and entertainment company Shemaroo Entertainment is collaborating with Indian Media Entertainment Network (IMEN) to reimagine 1990 Bollywood hit “Jamai Raja,” that starred Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Hema Malini. The news was revealed on Oct. 19, the 32nd anniversary of the film’s theatrical release. The film, which revolves around a mother-in-law and son-in-law conflict, was originally made in the Telugu language in 1989 by writer-director A. Kodandarami Reddy as “Attaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu,” starring Chiranjeevi and Vijayshanti. It was remade in Tamil the same year as “Mappillai,” starring Rajinikanth, and another Tamil-language remake of the same name, starring Dhanush, released in 2011. Reddy also directed “Jamai Raja.” A Bengali-language remake “Sasurbari Zindabad,” starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, released in 2000.

An unexpected Bravo love story? After Luke Gulbranson revealed his interest in newly single Ashley Darby at the Summer House BravoCon 2022 panel, it seems there may be a spark brewing.

Summer fun is over! Summer House‘s Paige DeSorbo sounded off on Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke’s engagement — and why it caused her some drama — during BravoCon 2022.

Marta Balaga Winter is coming, but not at Netflix, as the streamer will be launching its reality show “Summer Job” – produced by Banijay Italia – before the end of the year. “I am proud, because it’s an original show made for Italy,” said Tinny Andreatta, VP of content for Italy, at MIA Market on Wednesday. Netflix has been eager to expand its unscripted content. “We know our members love it. It’s a really exciting and growing area for us,” added Larry Tanz, VP of content for EMEA. Mentioning some recent successes from “Young, Famous & African” to “I Am Georgina,” both coming back for a second season, as well as new Spanish offering “Who Likes My Follower?”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Discovery Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics chief marketing officer Tricia Melton is departing the company, along with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim senior VP of marketing and partnerships Jill King. Their exits rep the latest high-profile departures at the conglom as it continues to cut costs and downsize following the April acquisition of Warner Bros. by Discovery. Melton’s and King’s exits come just days after Warner Bros. TV Group’s animation division was hit hard by cuts — including the merger of development and main production teams for Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. Both shingles remain, but with a smaller, merged headcount.  

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Trevor Noah’s days at Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” are numbered. The comedian, who is in his seventh year of hosting the signature program of the Paramount Global network, is set to depart after a final appearance on the program on Thursday, December 8th. The timeline gives Noah a chance to anchor the program as its cast makes its way to Atlanta for a midterm-election special, and to look back at his tenure on the series. Comedy Central will place the show on hiatus after Noah’s farewell, and plans to bring it back on Tuesday, January 17 as part of what the network called a “reinvention.” Comedy Central did not name a successor for Noah, but is believed to be considering some of the show’s correspondents as part of its deliberations.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent After more than a decade ago on “The Voice,” Blake Shelton is preparing to say goodbye. NBC has announced that the next season of the singing competition will be Shelton’s last. Shelton has served as a coach on “The Voice” for all of its 22 seasons. Season 22 is currently airing on NBC, and Season 23, which airs in the spring of 2023, will be his last. “I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from ‘The Voice’ after season 23,” Shelton said in a statement. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Feeling like you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the new music that’s coming out? You’re not alone — even if you are, say, a computer and not just a mere mortal. Stats now show that an average of more than 100,000 songs are being uploaded to digital service providers every day. So don’t feel bad about not staying on top of things. If each of those 100K tunes lasted just three minutes (a conservative estimate by most standards), it would take over 30 years for one person to listen through all of the music released to and through DSPs in a day. New Music Friday? It’s more like New Music Nanosecond. The 100,000 daily figure was cited by the CEOs for both Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group at industry events in September, according to Music Business Worldwide, which used the staggering number as its Stat of the Week on Thursday.

Naman Ramachandran After its world premiere in Toronto, Nandita Das’ “Zwigato” has its Asian premiere in Busan’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand. An acclaimed actor with credits including “Fire,” “Kannathil Muthamittal” and “Kamli,” Das made her directorial debut with “Firaaq” (2008), which debuted at Toronto. Her next film as director, “Manto” (2018), bowed at Cannes. “Zwigato,” her third outing in the director’s seat, also bowed at Toronto. It began life as a short film that was to be part of an anthology produced by India’s Applause Entertainment. That project didn’t come to fruition, but Applause chief Sameer Nair convinced Das to expand the idea into a feature, which she did during the course of India’s first two COVID-19 lockdowns. The film, a satire on the gig economy, follows a factory manager, who after losing his job, becomes a courier for the food delivery app Zwigato.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After spending several years setting the pace of “The Flash” and other hard-racing TV superheroes on the CW network, Mark Pedowitz has reached the end of his current adventure. The longtime TV executive, who has run the one-time joint venture between CBS and Time Warner since 2011, is leaving the network as Nexstar Media Group prepares to acquire the outlet, which has its roots in two antecedent networks, UPN and The WB, that both catered to younger viewers. Nexstar is expected to close the deal at some point in the third quarter of 2022, but has already begun to run the network’s operations. Dennis Miller, a longtime TV executive who eventually moved into the world of venture capital, will take the reins as president of CW. Miller has served on Nexstar’s board of directors for the past few years.

Mark Pedowitz, who has served as chairman and CEO of The CW for the past 11 years, will be exiting the network as Nexstar completes its acquisition of a 75% controlling stake, the company announced Monday. Dennis Miller, who has held senior executive positions at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate Television and Turner Network Television, will take over as The CW’s new president, effective immediately.

Mark Pedowitz is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of the CW after eleven and a half years at the helm of the broadcast network, one of the longest tenures in network television. The move comes as local TV giant Nexstar Media Group is taking over the CW, with its acquisition of 75% stake in the 16-year-old broadcast operation now completed. He will be replaced by Dennis Miller who was named President, confirming new owners’ intention to take the CW in a different direction. 

Nexstar Media Group has formally closed a deal to acquire 75% interest in the broadcast network. Mark Pedowitz, the longtime CEO of the network and its face to the industry for the past 11 years, is stepping down after a brief transition period.

New Music Friday! It's every audiophile's favorite day of the week, and some of our favorite artists from all different genres have blessed us with new tunes.Paramore made their triumphant return, debuting their new sound on «This Is Why.» Shawn Mendes shared «Heartbeat» from his upcoming film,.

EXCLUSIVE: R&CPMK is widening its London team with the hiring of public relations vet MK Crooke. She joins the firm’s London Senior Director Anna Thackeray.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer MoviePass was founded on a lie, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in a complaint filed on Monday night. The company introduced its $9.95-a-month, all-you-can-watch subscription plan in August 2017. According to the complaint, executives Theodore Farnsworth and Mitch Lowe knew that the offer was just a “marketing gimmick” and that the price was unsustainably low. But in public, they claimed that they had done rigorous market testing and determined they could turn a profit. In fact, they had done no testing, the SEC said. Asked by Variety if the company would eventually have to raise its prices, Farnsworth said, “The answer is no.” Critics, he went on, “don’t understand our business model.”

EXCLUSIVE: Ready Or Not and Scream 6 actress Samara Weaving is attached to star in action-horror movie Azrael, which is being eyed by producers as a franchise.