Broadcasting & Cable News

Primetime Ratings: ABC, NBC, Univision Split Win on Repeats-Rich Night

January 05, 2020

ABC, NBC and Univision tied for the top spot in Wednesday prime ratings, each putting up a 0.4 rating in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 2 share. It was an extremely soft night for ratings, the networks putting up mostly repeats on New Year’s Day. ABC had repeated comedies before ...

NCTA Backs NAB Challenge to FCC Political Ad Clarification

January 05, 2020

Cable operators are on the same page as broadcasters when it comes to the FCC's approach to political ad disclosures. The National Association of Broadcasters joined with Hearst Television, Graham Media Group, Nexstar, Fox, Tegna and Scripps, to ask the FCC to narrow its definition of non-candidate ...

NFL Games Score Big With 5% Boost in Viewership

January 05, 2020

The National Football League had its most-watched season on TV since 2016, the league said citing statistics from Nielsen. During the regular season, NFL games average 16.7 million viewers on TV and digital, up 5% from last year. Nielsen-measured TV viewership was 16.5 million, up 5% from last ...

Apple TV+ Signs Former HBO Boss Plepler to 5-Year Production Deal

January 05, 2020

After a series of widely reported negotiations, former HBO CEO Richard Plepler has agreed to park his production company, Eden Productions, at Apple for the next five years. According to a statement released Thursday, Eden will supply original series, feature films and documentaries to Apple TV+, ...

‘Puppy Bowl’ on Animal Planet Feb. 2

January 05, 2020

Puppy Bowl XVI happens on Animal Planet Sunday, Feb. 2, at 3 p.m. ET. Team Ruff plays Team Puff for the Chewy “Lombarky” Trophy. The pre-game show starts at 2 p.m. ET. Animal Planet worked with 61 shelters and rescue organizations across 25 states to fill the rosters of the teams with 96 adoptable ...

Producer Berlanti Endows Northwestern Professorship

January 05, 2020

Producer Greg Berlanti has given a $2 million gift to Northwestern University’s School of Communication that will expand the school’s dramatic writing program. The endowment from the Berlanti Family Foundation, will create the Barbara Berlanti Professorship in Writing for the Stage and Screen. ...

Cadent Acquires 4Info to Bolster Ad Targeting

January 05, 2020

Cadent said it acquired 4Info in a move that enhances its ability to target over-the-top and connected TV audiences and measure the reach of cross-screen campaigns. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal continues a wave of merger and acquisition activity in the advanced advertising and ad ...

Gray Signs Expanded Renewal Deal with Comscore

January 05, 2020

Gray Television said it renewed and expanded its relationship with Comscore. Under the new agreement, Comscore will provide local TV currency data for selling advertising in 83 of the 93 markets where Gray runs stations. The footprint of those stations represents about 19% of all U.S. TV ...

ITU Backs ATSC 3.0 as International Standard

January 05, 2020

The International Telecommunications Union has recommended adopting ATSC 3.0 as its digital broadcast standard. The U.S.-backed standard allows broadcasters to deliver 4K video to mobile devices, deliver interactive advertising and alerts and much more. Related: Amplifying the ...