Warner Bros. Discovery Expected To Shut Down CNN+

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Schlesinger, who was previously President, Warner Bros Worldwide Television Distribution, has set up his own consultancy shingle.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor“Good Morning America” eked out a victory on a different battlefield in TV’s ongoing morning-news wars.The ABC News program typically wins the biggest audience among morning-news programs, while NBC News rival “Today” typically dominated in the critical category of viewers between 25 and 54 — the demographic that governs how much advertisers pay for each show. Last week, however, “GMA” prevailed in both, the first time in more than four months that it has done so.“It’s an incredible win as we deal with the challenges of still broadcasting and working during a pandemic,” says Simone Swink, executive producer of “Good Morning America.” “Our team remains laser-focused on delivering the best straightforward, relevant and engaging news.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter buying WarnerMedia from AT&T, the company now known as Warner Bros. Discovery has a new acquisition target: primetime ad dollars that have been going to ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.The new entertainment giant has been talking to big media-buying agencies about an enhanced package of commercial inventory in top programs that encompass not only lifestyle shows from Discovery outlets like Food Network and TLC, but also sports properties from Turner Sports; movies that might turn up on TNT and TBS; and tentpole events at CNN.Traditional hits in broadcast primetime “are hard to find” in the streaming era, says Jon Steinlauf, chief U.S. advertising officer for Warner Bros.

RTS London Unveils Lineup & Warner Bros Discovery’s Priya Dogra As Chair

Warner Bros International Television Production Australia, in partnership with Speech & Drama Pictures, has acquired exclusive international rights to develop holiday-themed ballad “How To Make Gravy” into a Christmas film.

Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

The newly-formed Warner Bros Discovery Sports is launching The Power Of Sport, a cross-platform magazine show that will run for 18 weeks in Europe. Premiering May 4 on Eurosport 1, discovery+ and Eurosport’s digital platform, the show looks to take fans deeper into human stories and issues in a “bold and powerful” take on the sporting week.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhen United Talent Agency revives its annual party this evening around the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., expected guests will hail from the worlds of journalism, politics, entertainment and sports. The tableau might just contain members of the next big set of TV anchors, too.UTA has in recent months been working to convince some of the nation’s biggest TV-news outlets to consider correspondents and contributors to whom they might not have given a serious look in the past.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorComcast said first-quarter profit rose due to NBCUniversal’s telecasts of both Super Bowl LVI and the Winter Olympics, as well as a surge in broadband customers at its cable operations.The Philadelphia cable and media giant saw overall revenue increase 14% to slightly more than $31 billion, compared with $27.2 billion in the year-earlier period, with a whopping 46.6% increase in revenue at its NBCU operations due in part to $1.5 billion in cash generated by the two big sports events. But even without those two landmark broadcasts, Comcast said, NBCU revenue would have increased.Overall, Comcast reported net income of $3.55 billion in the first quarter, or 78 cents a share, compared with $3.32 billion, or 71 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA new film created with Toyota sounds the turning of the ignition on a new venture from TelevisaUnivision aimed at generating more interest from advertisers for the company’s Spanish-language media offerings.Así Studios aims to produce inspirational films that speak to Spanish-speaking viewers and can appear across TelevisaUnivision’s linear, streaming, digital and audio properties. The entity’s first creation, “Imparable: Ismael Guzmán, tells the story of a Texas man who has dedicated two decades of his life to helping the youth of East Austin play soccer.

EXCLUSIVE: Kill the Orange-Faced Bear starring Damon Wayans Jr. will not be going forward at TBS. The cast and crew were just told about the decision, which comes a week before the comedy series was scheduled to begin production on its 10-episode order in Vancouver. I hear the project, which has a filmed pilot, will be shopped to other outlets by the producers.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery said profit rose in the first quarter despite declines in traditional TV audiences, as revenue from advertising and distribution rose thanks in part to the company’s streaming inititiatives.Warner Bros.

Disruption will continue to weigh on the international theatrical system as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on and well over half of China’s theaters are shuttered in the latest Covid crackdown.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterJ.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot has signed on to produce the live-action adaptation of the iconic toy “Hot Wheels,” Mattel and Warner Bros.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and other top execs are meeting with employees in a town hall this morning on the Warner lot in Burbank. It’s the first large-scale staff meeting since last Friday’s close of the $43 billion merger.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav brought out the big guns during his address to the new company at its first global town hall for employees Thursday.The newly merged company brought out its most famous employee, Oprah Winfrey, to moderate the event and to help introduce Zaslav to Hollywood.Winfrey is a longtime supporter of the media mogul, who has championed the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) — a cable channel jointly jointed by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studio — alongside her since its launch in 2011.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery wants to interest Madison Avenue in everything from “Full Frontal” to “90 Day Fiancé.”The newly merged media conglomerate will fold what we’re once two separate upfront presentations into one, the company said Monday, reserving May 18 for a.showcase of both the Warner and Discovery properties as part of a unified portfolio.The new event essentially takes over the spot in May’s upfront week preciously occupied by WarnerMedia.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new contender in the arena.As Discovery begins its new era of operating Warner Bros., HBO and Turner, all eyes are on how the new company will navigate the media sector’s streaming wars with thousands of hours of content from popular TV brands like TLC, TBS, TNT, CNN and HBO. Behind that effort, however, could look a new sports giant that is poised to add another deep-pocketed player vying for major league negotiations that it previously ignored.Warner Bros.