Broadcasting & Cable News

IFC Films Launches Its Own SVOD Platform

May 19, 2019

IFC Films has announced the launch of its subscription video on demand (SVOD) platform, IFC Films Unlimited. The streaming service will have a $5.99-a-month price tag and feature all-you-can-watch access to IFC’s indie and documentary film catalog, which includes titles such as Y Tu Mamá También, ...

Amazon Claims 34M Active Users for Fire TV

May 19, 2019

Amazon said it now has 34 million users of its Fire TV devices, which would make it the top OTT streaming player in the world. Roku said it had 29 million active users as of the end of the first quarter. Amazon said that Fire TV is the “No. 1 streaming media player family in the U.S., UK, Germany, ...

Must-Win TV

May 19, 2019

Up until Thursday night they were the only five husband-and-wife teams to win a Nobel Prize. Add Sheldon and Amy, at least in the Big Bang Universe, to that list with the pair winning the physics prize on the hour finale on CBS Thursday night, only the second married couple to win that particular ...

Google Fiber Seeks More Time for Accessible Interfaces

May 19, 2019

The Google Fiber rabbit did not win the race to comply with a Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) requirement before an FCC deadline. Google Fiber, the search engine giant's high-speed broadband service play, has told the FCC it needs more time to make ...

The CW Prepares for Life After Netflix Deal

May 19, 2019

The CW’s distribution deal with Netflix is set to conclude, but The CW president Mark Pedowitz said the broadcast net is in good shape to thrive without the viewership boost Netflix gives its series. The CW-Netflix deal was inked in 2011 and re-upped in 2016. It ends this spring. The CW unveiled ...

Primetime Ratings: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Goes Out With a Bang on CBS

May 19, 2019

CBS easily won the Thursday ratings race, with the series finale of hit comedy The Big Bang Theory pacing the network. CBS had a 2.0 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 10 share. In second was ABC at 0.8/4. Big Bang Theory got a 3.1, up 63% from last week, with nearly 18 million ...

How Many Will Watch ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale?

May 19, 2019

As you may have heard, it is the series finale of Game of Thrones on HBO May 19. The show will set a new viewership record for HBO, something it’s been doing for some time. The April 28 episode, “The Long Night,” drew 17.8 million viewers, which the network said was, for the moment, a series high ...

'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' to Conclude After This Season

May 19, 2019

Disney’s veteran game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, will end its run after this season, a spokesperson confirmed Friday. “After a successful 17-year run, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will not return in national syndication for the 2019-20 season,” said the spokesperson. While it’s unclear ...

NESN Adds Connecticut Sun WNBA Games

May 19, 2019

Boston-based regional sports network NESN will televise 23 Connecticut Sun WNBA games in 2019 on NESN and NESNplus, the team and network said. First up is the Sun vs Indiana Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Tuesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. on NESNPlus. Bob Heussler will handle ...