ViacomCBS, Discovery Face Showdown in TV’s Upfront Ad Talks (EXCLUSIVE)

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarnerMedia said it posted a solid upfront, but, like its rivals this year, offered little evidence of whether it had notched volume gains in a market where advertisers were forced to capitulate to significant hikes in the rates they pay to reach large groups of viewers.In a statement, the AT&T-owned company said it had completed “the most successful Upfront marketplace in the company’s history,” in terms of securing advance ad commitments.

Been there, done that. Sharon Stone paid homage to one of her most iconic films on Instagram on June 28. The actress, 63, shared a photo of herself in nothing but a t-shirt of her character Catherine Tramell from the Basic Instinct film franchise. The black tee has an animated version of the antagonist in her signature white outfit with a cigarette in tow, depicting the police interrogation scene from the film.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAdvertisers’ continuing interest in live sports helped ViacomCBS close its upfront sales process even as the company met resistance from Madison Avenue over the rate increases it sought to bolster its business.ViacomCBS has come to the end of its sales effort, according to a person familiar with the matter, notching noticeable growth in sports, particularly the NFL.

Katherine Tulich Sydney, the capital of the Australian entertainment industry, has gone into a two-week lockdown after a surge of the highly-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.The city’s stay-at-home orders have firmly shuttered all cinemas, theaters, restaurants and amusement parks.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHBO has taken subscribers to mythical lands and the reality of upper-crust Manhattan. Now it’s going to take them to Pahrump, Nevada.“Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump,’ a six-part half-hour documentary, will launch with back-to-back episodes on Monday, August 2 at 9 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue has a lot to say about the current state of the TV industry — and more of it will need to be spoken in Spanish.Univision, the Spanish-language broadcaster that is operating under new ownership, has secured double-digit percentage increases in advance advertising commitments for its next programming cycle, the latest traditional broadcaster to benefit from an unusually speedy “upfront” market, when TV companies try to sell the bulk of their

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox saw increases in advance ad commitments for its primetime schedule and expanding digital venues as part of the industry’s annual “upfront” sales process, the latest of the nation’s big media companies to see robust activity as advertisers try to move forward as the coronavirus pandemic diminishes.The Fox Corporation unit saw advertising commitments rise across all areas of its portfolio, which includes the Fox broadcast network; Fox Sports and Fox News Media,

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNBC is working up a new play for the Super Bowl.Eager to generate millions of dollars in revenue from the Big Game, the Comcast-owned media conglomerate is talking to potential advertisers about a price tag of $6 million for a 30-second spot in the event, according to executives familiar with current negotiations, marking a new high-water mark in pricing for Super Bowl commercials. Super Bowl LVI is slated to be broadcast on Feb.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue’s interest in digital ads, sports and new concepts tied to bolstering messages of diversity helped Disney close a fast-paced upfront that saw more than 40% of total dollars committed to the company go to streaming and interactive venues, the latest sign of how advertisers are working differently with some of the nation’s most traditional media companies.“We led with streaming this year.

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.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe CEO of NBCUniversal said the company enjoyed robust demand in the TV industry’s upfront market, but offered no tangible detains on volume or pricing to help bolster his case.“It was the strongest upfront I think probably in the history of NBCUniversal,” said Jeff Shell, NBCU’s CEO, speaking during an investor conference with Credit Suisse Monday. “We saw results in this upfront far beyond what we thought we’d see.

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

, which dropped Thursday on Paramount+, the series ended with the blossoming editor turning over a new leaf in her career and romantic life. After briefly rekindling a relationship with Charles (Peter Hermann), the couple decided to end things once and for all — the lack of trust between them too much of a hurdle to bear.

Disney film Cruella, remarking that Stone’s take on Cruella “looks exactly like me when I was 20”.The Florence + The Machine artist contributed the original song ‘Call Me Cruella’ to Cruella, which was released last month.Speaking with Stone in a new Disney video to promote Cruella, Welch said that she “loved the film” and explained why she “felt such a kinship” with the titular character.“I just felt such a kinship towards her because, really weirdly, she looks exactly like me when I was 20,”

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.

British actress Anya Taylor-Joy has been having a bit of a hot streak lately with her massively popular Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” the Edgar Wright horror film “Last Night In Solo” coming out later this year, reunited with “The Witch” director Robert Eggers for his Viking epic “The Northman,” and was recently tapped to play a young Furiosa in George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel “Furiosa.” Now, Taylor-Joy is looking to join the comedic thriller “The Menu” for director Mark

Nicole Pajer On Saturday, Sharon Stone, U.S. Rep.