Permanent damage. That’s how Wall Street sees the impact of coronavirus-related disruptions to the media and entertainment marketplace. The scope of the economic losses is still hard to measure. Analysts are predicting a steep 19%-20% immediate drop in TV advertising revenue in the second quarter and a drop of more than 10% for the full
Television
“One Day at a Time” returned to the screen on Tuesday night and scored decent numbers across the trio of networks it now calls home. The season 4 premiere was watched by 607,000 total viewers when you add together Pop TV, TV Land and Logo. Interestingly enough, the large majority of that number, 457,000 to
Floyd Cardoz, the winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” Season 3, died on Wednesday after testing positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson for his Hunger Inc. Hospitality confirmed to Variety. He was 59. “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you of the passing away of Chef Floyd Cardoz (59 years), Co-Founder, Hunger Inc. Hospitality,
Some late-night hosts have, in recent days, taken their shows to a front porch, back patio or basement. Samantha Bee lit out for the woods. When fans of Bee’s “Full Frontal” tune in to the TBS program Wednesday evening, they will see the comedian surrounded by nature, the latest effort by a member of the
The leaders of broadcasters BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have united to apply pressure on the U.K. government for expansive economic measures for the self-employed — a highly anticipated directive due Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed during his daily press briefing Wednesday that Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer would reveal these measures on
It takes almost no time at all when talking with Michael Chabon to realize that the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” is a die-hard “Star Trek” fan. Given that he’s the showrunner of the latest “Trek” iteration, “Star Trek: Picard,” the 56-year-old has found it particularly satisfying to engage
Elton John is set to host a live concert special on Fox that aims to raise money for groups fighting to stop the spread of coronavirus in the United States. The iHeart Living Room Concert for America hails from Fox and iHeartMedia. In addition to John hosting, the event will feature performances by Alicia Keys,
With the world taking a seemingly dystopian turn due to the Cover-19 pandemic, “My First Family,” a high-concept series project set in an alternate world created by Maya Zaydman (“Our Boys”) and Ori Sivan (“In Treatment”), will likely strike a chord with audiences. “My First Family,” which is being pitched as part of Series Mania’s
Add James Corden to the list of late-night hosts experimenting with new formats as TV networks grapple with the spread of coronavirus. CBS said it will air a new primetime special from its “Late Late Show” host on Monday, March 30 at 10 p.m. eastern. “Homefest: James Corden’s Late Late Show Special,” will feature the
March 25, 2020 9:00AM PT Angry Birds are preparing to launch themselves in the direction of Netflix. The streamer has issued a 40-episode series order for animated series “Angry Birds: Summer Madness,” based on the irate avian video game characters. Each episode of the series, which is slated to launch sometime in 2021, will last 11
The dramatic season 4 finale of “This Is Us” delivered plenty of surprises as well as strong ratings numbers for NBC. Tuesday night’s episode scored a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49, its highest mark since Oct. 2019, and 7.9 million total viewers, matching the premiere for a season high. That represents a 21% ratings bump
March 25, 2020 8:22AM PT U.K. broadcaster the BBC has temporarily put on hold a restructuring plan that would have axed 450 jobs in its news division and saved the corporation £80 million ($94 million) by 2022. The restructuring plan was announced in January. On Wednesday, BBC director general Tony Hall informed staff that this
TV commercials have long been the surest bet on Madison Avenue. Suddenly, they’re looking more like a risky gambit. One ad recently making the rounds in these uncertain days of coronavirus was a spot from Mint Mobile, a wireless carrier that aims for young customers and is partially owned by actor Ryan Reynolds. The commercial,
Mediapro, one of Spain’s most prolific production entities, will temporarily lay off 1,200 employees and implement the country’s ERTE program, which was put in place to cover salaries for citizens unable to work during the country’s now two-week-old lockdown. The announcement came in an internal memo to employees and was later confirmed to Variety by
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Strangers: Part Two,” the finale episode of the fourth season of “This Is Us.” As Season 4 of “This Is Us” comes to an end with another shocking (and tear-jerking) finale, Sterling K. Brown is reflecting on his character Randall Pearson’s struggle with mental health
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the sixth episode of “Better Call Saul” Season 5, titled “Wexler v. Goodman.” Selling the dramatic cliffhanger at the end of Monday night’s episode of “Better Call Saul,” titled “Wexler v. Goodman,” proved a challenge for even star Bob Odenkirk. In a lively chat on
March 24, 2020 4:59PM PT It’s the season finale of NBC’s “This Is Us” and Sterling K. Brown is hopping on live with Variety’s Angelique Jackson to discuss tonight’s emotional episode. Watch the interview at 5 p.m. PT on our Instagram account,. Brown will also be taking fan questions. The season finale of “This Is
March 24, 2020 4:00PM PT After a brief hiatus, HBO’s late-night series “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and “Real Time with Bill Maher” are planning their returns next week. Both hosts will tape their shows from their respective homes. “Last Week Tonight” will be back with a new episode on Sunday, March 29, at
Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have told members that they may need to extend to current contract beyond its current May 1 expiration due to the coronavirus pandemic. Members received the message on Tuesday afternoon, a day after Variety reported that the WGA was evaluating its options for conducting contract talks with Hollywood’s major
March 24, 2020 3:29PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Quibi released the trailer for “The Most Dangerous Game,” and Netflix dropped the trailer for “The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show.” FIRST LOOKS Quibi has released the trailer of “The Most Dangerous Game.” The action-thriller stars Liam Hemsworth as Dodge Maynard who accepts an offer to
March 24, 2020 3:12PM PT Discovery will borrow $500 million under its credit facility to boost its cash position the latest media company to scramble to deal the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The parent of Food Network, TLC and HGTV also withdrew its previous outlook for its fiscal year. “On March 12, 2020, the Company drew
Responding to the coronavirus pandemic, the Producers Guild of America has created the Producers Guild of America Members Relief Fund with a lead gift of $100,000 from former PGA president Mark Gordon. The trade group, which has more than 8,000 members, announced the fund Tuesday. It’s being administered by The Actors Fund. PGA members who
During this time of state-mandated social distancing due to the spread of coronavirus, the ex-convicts from We TV’s hit reality show “Life After Lockup” are offering advice from their very specialized field of expertise: How to keep yourself occupied while staying inside. The show, a spinoff of “Love After Lockup,” follows the lives of couples,
HBO is seeing a burst of viewing as millions of Americans are shut indoors during the coronavirus pandemic. Time spent with the HBO Now streaming service since Saturday, March 14, was up over 40% from the previous four-week average, according to WarnerMedia. The media conglomerate said it’s the highest engagement rates for HBO Now since
March 24, 2020 2:15PM PT “The Walking Dead” Season 10 finale will not air on April 12 as planned due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production of ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 10 finale, so the current season will end with its 15th episode on April 5,” AMC
Imagine if your birthday, wedding and college graduation, all scheduled to take place over a two-week period, were suddenly pushed back by a year. That’s how companies that were depending on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to take place this summer must be feeling today. A decision to postpone the athletic extravaganza to 2021 due to
Netflix has gone renewal happy. The streamer has handed out a whole bunch of renewals to its alternative series, namely two more season of “Love Is Blind” and “The Circle,” one more season of “Rhythm + Flow,” and another Marie Kondo series titled “Sparking Joy.” “It’s been incredible to see Netflix members everywhere respond to
Monday night saw yet more strong numbers for the broadcast networks, most notably for ABC’s medical procedural “The Good Doctor.” The Freddie Highmore series scored a season high 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 and 6.8 million total viewers, a full 1 million more pairs of eyeballs than the previous episode. Earlier on “American Idol” posted
Four upcoming premium drama series from German production companies—“Deutschland89,” “Wild Republic,” “Algiers Confidential” and “MaPa”—have been selected for Coming Next, a section that forms part of Series Mania’s Forum program. German Films, an agency that promotes Teutonic film and TV productions, compiled the selection. “Wild Republic” takes place at an institution at the foot of
March 24, 2020 8:06AM PT The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 ceremony has been rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, with the live broadcast from the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio kicking off at 8:00 p.m. ET on HBO. This marks the first time the ceremony will be broadcast live on the network. The