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17 articles
‘Supergirl,’ ‘American Crime Story,’ More Named Critics Choice Most Exciting New Series
29 minutes ago
The buzz is building for new shows — and now several can claim they even have an award to prove it.
The upcoming Critics’ Choice Television Awards has unveiled its honorees for its “Most Exciting New Series”: “American Crime Story” (FX), “Aquarius” (NBC), “Blindspot” (NBC), “Minority Report” (Fox), “The Muppets” (ABC), “Scream Queens” (Fox), “Supergirl” (CBS) and “UnREAL” (Lifetime).
The honorees were chosen by Broadcast Television Journalist Association members from pilots and trailers from series premiering after May 1.
The organization also revealed presenters for the CCTAs, including nominees Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”), Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story: Freak Show”) and Allison Janney (“Mom”), who was the only actor to take home two awards last year.
Charlize Theron will present the Critics’ Choice Genius Award to two-time Emmy Award winner Seth MacFarlane (“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” “Family Guy” and “American Dad”).
The CCTAs »
- Debra Birnbaum
Patti Labelle to Appear on Mick Rock’s Ovation Series
29 minutes ago
Ovation is about to get a mega dose of soul.
Patti Labelle is set to appear on “On the Record with Mick Rock,” the channel’s new travel-style profile series.
The Godmother of Soul will take Rock on a tour of Philadelphia on the August 23 episode. They’ll visit the theater that launched her career and stop by her childhood home where she found her voice with the aid of a broomstick microphone. After grabbing a bite at her favorite soul food spot, she also invites the cameras into her living room for an intimate performance of “What Can I Do For You?”
“On the Record with Mick Rock” premieres August 2 on Ovation. Previously announced episode subjects include Josh Groban, Kings of Leon and Flaming Lips.
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- Whitney Friedlander
Ryan Seacrest to Host Fox Summer Series ‘Knock Knock Live’
44 minutes ago
Ryan Seacrest is set to make someone’s dreams come true this summer.
The “American Idol” host has signed onto host and exec produce “Knock Knock Live.” Fox’s upcoming summer reality series enlists friends, families, neighbors and celebrities as it knocks on participants’ doors to surprise them with anything from a chance to play basketball with an NBA great to a cash windfall.
We’re launching a new show called #KnockKnock Live on @Foxtv and urs truly is hosting :) pic.twitter.com/L4nRMdiAsO
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) May 26, 2015
basically its live tv and we’re gonna surprise unexpecting people at their front door w/ opps to win cash, meet celebs and more #knockknock
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) May 26, 2015
In addition to “Idol,” Seacrest is also host and executive producer of ABC’s annual “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” His credits also include “Million Second Quiz,” the »
- Whitney Friedlander
Charter To Offer Dodgers TV Network To Subscribers
1 hour ago
Charter Communications intends to make SportsNet La, the regional sports network that offers Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games, to its subscribers in a few weeks’ time, potentially ending a year-long showdown that has left nearly 70% of Los Angeles-vicinity TV subscribers without access to the team.
Time Warner Cable, acquired by Charter for over $56 billion on Tuesday, was the backer of SportsNet, and had been the only cable distributor of the team’s privately-owned channel. Rivals like Charter, DirecTV and Cox all resisted airing the network, saying the price sought by Time Warner Cable for carriage rights was too high.
“All I can say is that Charter expects to launch the Dodgers channel to its customers in the coming weeks,” said Justin Venech, a spokesman for Charter, via email. ” I can’t provide any more detail at this time.”
News of the decision was reported first by The Los Angeles Times. »
- Brian Steinberg
Charter-tw Cable: Broadband Will Be Focal Point of Deal Approval
2 hours ago
The biggest regulatory hurdle Charter Communications likely will face in its mega-bid for Time Warner Cable is the question of control over the U.S.’s broadband pipes — the issue that prompted Comcast to abandon its own bid for Tw Cable.
The Charter’s $78.7 billion takeover of Tw Cable, together with its acquisition of Bright House Networks, would yield an entity with about 20 million broadband subscribers. That’s still less than Comcast, which had 22.4 million at the end of Q1.
Charter-twc-Bright House would own about 30% share of broadband as defined by the Federal Communications Commission as providing 25 megabits per second of bandwidth downstream. By comparison, Comcast-tw Cable would have controlled roughly 57%.
Still, there’s regulatory risk. Simply being smaller than Comcast may not be a guarantee that Charter’s tie-up with Tw Cable and Bright House will be approved, analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a research note Tuesday.
“Ultimately, the »
- Todd Spangler
Ratings: NBC’s ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Returns Strong
3 hours ago
NBC was the broadcast leader in key demos Monday thanks to a nice return for “American Ninja Warrior” and an Ok start for another alternative series, “The Island.”
Early ratings weren’t available for History’s miniseries “Texas Rising,” which launched last night. Over at Espn, Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between Houston and Golden State averaged a 6.0 overnight household rating, which should translate into more than 7 million viewers in the nationals.
According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, “American Ninja Warrior” averaged a 1.8 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall to stand as the night’s No. 1 series in both categories. It was up 12% (0.2) from the show’s year-ago premiere, which aired from 9 to 11, and matched the show’s season finale of last summer. “Ninja” was followed by the series premiere of Bear Grylls’ latest show for the network, “The Island” (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers »
- Rick Kissell
Digital Audience Ratings: Bieber Boosts ‘Corden’ Over ‘Letterman’ Finale
3 hours ago
Provided by ListenFirst Media, Dar – TV measures what entertainment content is resonating most across Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube and Wikipedia combined. For more on the methodology behind Dar – TV, scroll to the bottom of the article.
Digital Audience Ratings (Dar) – TV Broadcast Monday May 18, 2015 – Sunday May 24, 2015 Rank Last Week Program Rating(000) 1 1 The Voice 32,042 2 5 America’s Got Talent 7,927 3 7 Dancing With The Stars 5,644 4 4 Glee 4,385 5 – America’s Funniest Home Videos 4,272 6 3 American Idol 3,155 7 2 Supergirl 3,091 8 8 Empire 3,067 9 10 The Simpsons 2,682 10 9 The Flash 2,264 –
Cable/Streaming Monday May 18, 2015 – Sunday May 24, 2015 Rank Last Week Program Rating(000) 1 1 Lip Sync Battle 6,337 2 4 Game of Thrones 4,709 3 3 Top Gear 4,459 4 6 Pretty Little Liars 4,306 5 – WWE Raw 4,180 6 8 Key and Peele 3,564 7 5 Inside Amy Schumer 3,564 8 9 Fake Off 2,607 9 10 Dance Moms 1,881 10 – Impact Wrestling 1,606 –
Late Night Monday May 18, 2015 – Sunday May 24, 2015 Rank Last Week Program Rating(000) 1 1 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 51,097 2 5 The Late Late Show With James Corden 27,515 3 4 Late Show With David Letterman 23,091 4 3 Jimmy Kimmel Live! 19,733 5 2 Conan 15,555 –
Trending Monday May 18, 2015 – Sunday »
- Jason Klein
U.K. Broadcaster ITV Calls Off Pursuit of TV Arm of The Weinstein Company: Report
3 hours ago
London — U.K. network ITV has ruled out a bid for the TV division of The Weinstein Co., according to a report in Broadcast magazine.
It had previously been reported by several outlets that the U.K. commercial channel was lining up an offer of $970 million for TWC’s TV arm.
ITV has been on a buying spree in the U.S. and Europe over the past five years, acquiring major stakes in producers of both scripted and unscripted shows. In 2013, for example, ITV took a controlling stake in Thinkfactory Media, the U.S. producer of reality, entertainment and drama shows, including the Emmy award-winning “Hatfields & McCoys,” and “Texas Rising,” which premiered Monday on History.
TWC has ramped up its TV activity in the past few years both in the scripted and unscripted arenas. The company’s roster includes Lifetime’s “Project Runway,” VH1’s “Mob Wives,” National Geographic TV »
- Leo Barraclough
Two Traveling Cats Journey To Sprout For ‘Ollie & Moon Show’ In 2017
4 hours ago
Two traveling cats are about to set on a path that will bring another original series to Sprout, the kid-focused cable network operated by NBCUniversal.
“The Ollie & Moon Show” has been greenlit by Sprout for a 2017 debut. In the series, two animated cats travel around the world. teaching viewers about “the joy of unlikely friendships and global citizenship,” the network said in a statement. The series will use art that blends live-action with 2D designs.
Announcement of the series shows Sprout continuing to launch original series rather than increasing its dependence on older programming from other sources. Before NBCU bought control of the network from partners, Sprout relied heavily on old PBS Kids series like “Sesame Street” and “Caillou,” which continue to appear on its schedule. PBS and Sesame Workshop were partners in Sprout when the network began.
In the recent past, Sprout has unveiled new originals like “Nina’s World, »
- Brian Steinberg
TV Review: ‘Aquarius’
4 hours ago
Using the Manson Family two years before the Tate-labianca murders as a portal into 1960s counterculture, “Aquarius” is actually pretty groovy — a bit like a poor man’s “La Confidential” in its revisionist look at the Lapd in a tumultuous earlier time. That makes NBC’s handling of this David Duchovny vehicle puzzling: In making all the episodes available online after its premier, it’s either an interesting experiment, charitably speaking, or an unceremonious dumping of a project whose prospects are, admittedly, uncertain. While the dawning of “Aquarius” is hardly revolutionary, the show does kick off summer with a provocative, cable-like gamble.
Duchovny plays Sam Hodiak, a World War II vet and Lapd homicide detective, asked by a former girlfriend (Michaela McManus) to help find her missing 16-year-old daughter, Emma (Emma Dumont). The girl, it turns out, has been taken by, and soon falls under the spell of, Charles Manson »
- Brian Lowry
Time Warner Cable Stock Soars On Charter Bid
4 hours ago
Shares of Time Warner Cable rose noticeably in early trading Tuesday in the wake of an announcement that the New York company had agreed to be purchased by Charter Communications in a deal that makes the smaller company, controlled by media executive John Malone, a more substantial rival to Comcast Corp.
Shares in Time Warner Cable rose $7.42, or 4.33%, in earlier trading, to $178.60 on volume of about 7.94 million. Average daily volume is 4.74 million.
Meanwhile, shares of Charter dipped slightly, falling 24 cents a share, or .14%, to $175.09 on volume of about 4.52 million. Average daily volume is 1.5 million.
The deal, like a scuttled one by Comcast to acquire Time Warner Cable that was prepared and debated over much of 2014 and this year, raises the stakes in the media sector, where distribution of content has become as important as the TV shows and streaming-video vignettes that occupy so much of the nation’s free time. »
- Brian Steinberg
Dumbledore Actor Michael Gambon to Play Winston Churchill in ITV-Masterpiece Film
6 hours ago
London — Michael Gambon, who was Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, is to play Winston Churchill in ITV and Masterpiece’s feature-length film “Churchill’s Secret.” Lindsay Duncan co-stars as Clementine Churchill.
Set during the summer months of 1953, Churchill — now British Prime Minister for the second time and in his late 70s — suffers a life-threatening stroke, which is kept secret from the world. Told from the viewpoint of his young nurse, Millie Appleyard, the drama follows his battle to recover as his long-suffering wife, Clemmie, desperately hopes the stroke will force Winston to retire, while his political friends and foes plot to determine who will succeed him. Meanwhile, his adult children descend on his home, Chartwell, unsure if he will pull through, as tensions within his family begin to surface.
Filming will begin next month in London, and at Chartwell in Kent. The film will air in the U. »
- Leo Barraclough
Charter CEO: Tw Cable Acquisition Will Lead to ‘Better Industry’ Overall
6 hours ago
Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge predicted the union of Charter and Time Warner Cable will benefit the cable industry overall as the enlarged company will be able to invest in upgraded services and innovative products.
“I think there’s a better industry as a result of this combination,” Rutledge said in a conference call Tuesday morning to discuss details of the $78.7 billion transaction with Wall Streeters. Rutledge specifically referred to the potential for expanding the cooperation among cable giants to offer public wifi networks to subscribers. That model of inter-operable systems can be a template for other products and services, he said.
“In this structure we’ll be able to make those kinds of opportunities work better and easier,” Rutledge said. “There will be less people to coordinate (with) to make those new products work.”
In talking up the benefits of the complex transaction to buy Tw Cable and Bright House Networks, »
- Cynthia Littleton
Charter Communications to Buy Time Warner Cable in $78.7 Billion Deal
8 hours ago
Charter Communications has confirmed that it will buy Time Warner Cable in a deal that valued at $78.7 billion. The mega merger sets Charter up as a formidable rival to Comcast Corp. in the cable and broadband service arena.
The agreement hammered out in the four weeks since Comcast withdrew its $45 billion acquisition offer for Tw Cable works out to a pricetag of $195.71 per share for Tw Cable shareholders, based on Charter’s market closing price on May 20.
The combination will give the enlarged Charter a footprint of 23.9 million subscribers in 41 states, notably the prime markets of New York City and Los Angeles where Tw Cable is entrenched. The company projects that after the deal closes, it would have 17.3 million video subscribers and 19.4 million broadband subs. By comparison, Comcast has 27.2 million subscribers, nearly 23 million of which are traditional video subs and 22 million are broadband customers.
Charter CEO Tom Rutledge said Tuesday »
- Leo Barraclough and Cynthia Littleton
‘American Horror Story': ‘New Girl’ Star Max Greenfield Joins ‘Hotel’
25 May 2015 10:50 AM, PDT
Add Max Greenfield to the list of those checking into “American Horror Story: Hotel.”
The “New Girl” star is joining the cast of the fifth season of the horror anthology, creator Ryan Murphy announced on Twitter on Monday.
This October, Max Greenfield (like you've never seen him) is checking in to the hotel….but not checking out. #AHSHotel
— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) May 25, 2015
While Murphy did not indicate any plot details or how many episodes Greenfield has been booked for, he does hint in the tweet that things might not go so well for his character.
Greenfield joins previously announced cast members Lady Gaga, Matt Bomer, Wes Bentley, Cheyenne Jackson, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Chloe Sevigny, Evan Peters and Angela Bassett.
“American Horror Story: Hotel” comes from 20th Century Fox and production will begin this summer. It’s set to debut on FX in October.
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- Alex Stedman
Charter Nears Deal to Acquire Time Warner Cable for $55.1 Billion
25 May 2015 9:22 AM, PDT
Charter Communications is closing in on an agreement to acquire Time Warner Cable in a deal valued at $55.1 billion in cash and stock, sources confirm.
The deal comes a month almost to the day that Comcast abandoned its bid to acquire Tw Cable, the nation’s second-largest cable operator. And it comes nearly two years after Charter initiated an unsolicited takeover bid for Tw Cable that quickly turned hostile, with Charter going so far as to propose an independent slate of directors for election at Tw Cable’s 2014 board meeting.
Comcast’s stealth bid for Tw Cable, unveiled in February 2014, thwarted Charter’s aggressive efforts. But from the moment Comcast withdrew its $45 billion bid on April 24, all eyes were on Charter’s next move. The St. Louis-based cable operator has the backing of John Malone’s Liberty Broadband, which owns a minority interest but is known to be the driving »
- Alex Stedman and Cynthia Littleton
Czech Television’s Nazi Era Reality Show Accused of Insensitivity
25 May 2015 6:40 AM, PDT
London — Criticism is mounting of a reality show on air on public broadcaster Czech Television that purports to recreate life under the Nazis in a mountainous region in the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from 1939 to 1945.
“Holiday in the Protectorate,” which runs over eight episodes until June 13, takes ordinary Czech folk and asks them to play the part of a three-generation family living in a farm during the Nazi occupation. The family, which will receive 1 million Czech Koruna ($40,000) for their two-month “holiday,” have to contend with such challenges as intimidation from Nazi soldiers, interrogation by the Gestapo, fear of informers and blackmailers, food shortages and Allied bombing raids.
To ensure authenticity, the program-makers employed historians and a psychologist to advise on the recreation of events.
The show’s director Zora Cejnkova told the Ctk news agency: “The authors are aware that it is controversial to return to so turbulent a period. »
- Leo Barraclough
17 articles