Programming Insider

Did You Know?
When “All in the Family” spin-off “The Jeffersons” debuted in 1975, Sherman Hemsley at the time was 36 years old.  Isabel Sanford as beloved wife Louise (“Weezie”) was 57 and Mike Evans as son Lionel was 26, which would have made George 10 years old when Lionel was born.  No wonder why Mother Jefferson (Zara Cully) did not like “Weezie!”  She robbed the cradle!

Wednesday 10/19/16

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 5.7/ 9, ABC: 5.6/ 8, NBC: 5.5/ 8, Fox: 45.5/ 7, CW: 1.1/ 2

Note: Comparisons to the year-ago evening and the winners and losers listing are excluded due to the third live Presidential debate airing last night.

Only two-tenths of a household rating point separated the Big 3 nets, with another dominant performance for “Survivor” in the 8 p.m. hour (5.3 rating/8 share) lifting CBS to first overall for the evening.

Second in the 8 p.m. hour was Fox’s recently full season-renewed “Lethal Weapon” at a 4.5/ 7, which proves the action drama can stand on its own minus the pre-tune-in for lead-out “Empire.”  Comparably, “Lethal Weapon” increased from year-ago time period occupant “Rosewood” (3.9/ 6 on 10/21/15) by 15 percent.

Next were repeat animated holiday specials “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (4.4/ 7) and “Toy Story of Terror” (3.6/ 5) on ABC, followed by NBC’s relocated “Blindspot” at a fourth-place 3.6/ 5 in the household overnights.  Although “Blindspot” slipped by 22 percent from the 4.6/ 7 for year-ago time period occupant “The Mysteries of Laura,” but the audience composition is younger.

For more (including the breakdown by half-hour), click here

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Live + Same Day Data
-Monday 10/17/16: Click here
-Tuesday 10/18/16: Click here

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Eva Longoria Developing Comedy “940 Saturdays” Based on Parenting Book
Recent “Telenovela” star Eva Longoria is returning to the sitcom world, but behind the camera.  The former “Desperate Housewives” actress is developing a potential new comedy for ABC based on the 2014 book by Harley Rorbart, “940 Saturdays.”  The story is based on the “940 Saturdays from the day your child is born to the day they turn 18-years-old. The show would follow three families who band together to enjoy — and survive — those 940 weekends.”

The TV adaptation will be written by writers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein, who are reuniting with Longoria, after co-creating “Telenovela.”

Longoria and her producing partner Ben Spector will serve as executive producers via their UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, which is behind the project with Universal Television where the production company is under a deal.  Longoria and Spector are already in business with ABC as executive producers on the proposed “Magnum, P.I. reboot, which is in development at the network.

Ridley Scott to Develop New Legal Drama for CBS
Ridley Scott (“The Man in the High Castle”) is developing a new legal drama for CBS titled “Mrs. V. Mr.,” according to Variety.  The proposed series will follow a prominent, larger-than-life L.A. defense attorney and the chief prosecutor for the DA’s office who are constantly at odds in the courtroom, but are a happily married couple who have to leave their rivalries at the door when it comes to raising their three willful kids.

David Mahoney, an exec producer on CBS’s “MacGyver” and “Code Black,” will write the pilot script and serve as an executive producer with Scott and David Zucker, who are producing via their Scott Free Productions. CBS Television Studios is also producing.

Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Animated “The Loud House”
Nickelodeon has renewed animated “The Loud House” for a third season prior to the second season even beginning, with an order for 26 new half-hour episodes.  Debuting on May 2, “The Loud House” follows Lincoln Loud as he navigates his way through the chaos of being the only boy with 10 sisters. Created and executive produced by Chris Savino, season three is set to debut in 2017.

“The Loud House” has emerged as the number-one kids’ animated show on TV, posting double-digit gains over last year.  The series is averaging 985,000 kids 2-11 (up 38 percent over last year); and 585,000 kids 6-11 (up 48 percent).  The total audience, to-date, is 1.88 million, which is an increase of 29 percent over the year-ago time period average.

Creating One Unique Measurement for All TV Viewing Remains Elusive
From Promax BDA: Maintaining value in the legacy broadcast model for advertisers and broadcasters while recognizing the opportunities in emerging digital channels — and capitalizing on them — was the focus of “Measurement in Focus: How Close is the TV Business to Settling on a Universal Cross-Platform Currency?” during the Advanced Advertising track at NYC Television & Video Week on Wednesday.

Featured were Randy Cooke, vice president of Programmatic TV, SpotX; Colleen Fahey Rush, executive vice president and chief research officer, Viacom; Joan FitzGerald, vice president, product management and business development, TiVo; and Andrew Feigenson, managing director at Nielsen with Broadcasting & Cable Editor in Chief Dade Hayes moderating. Compatibility across platforms and comprehensive coverage in audience measurement was the theme.

At the discussion’s center was Nielsen’s Total Audience measurement system, which is now being rolled out live, according to Feigenson.  For more, click here

Why Branded Content Needs to Be Part of Your Overall Marketing Strategy
From Promax BDA: Content marketing is the new branding strategy, according to Thomas Punch, global executive creative director, Vice Media, one of six featured speakers at a session at Advanced Advertising at NYC Television & Video Week on Wednesday.

The panel, which focused on heightening marketing efforts via branded content, included Punch, Geoffrey Campbell, senior director of branded content at MediaCom; Mark Lewis, vice president, client and brand partnerships, Discovery Communications; Ofer Oved, chief strategy officer, HIRO Media; Babs Rangaiah, partner, global marketing solutions, IBM | ix; and Harry Brisson, director, Nielsen Media Lab.  For more, click here

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Join NBC Sports for Sprint Cup Commentary
NBC Sports announced on “NASCAR America” that Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, will join the NBC Sports broadcast booth for portions of two upcoming Sprint Cup broadcasts. Earnhardt, who has not raced since July as he recovers from a concussion, will lend his expertise as an analyst during NBCSN’s coverage this Sunday from Talladega Superspeedway, as well as the following Sunday from Martinsville Speedway.

Inside the NBCSN broadcast booth, Earnhardt will reunite with his former crew chief Steve Letarte, and work alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton. Sunday marks Earnhardt’s first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup broadcasting assignment.

Casting News
Christopher Lloyd (“Taxi,” “Back to the Future”) will guest star in season three of Syfy’s “12 Monkeys” as Zalmon Shaw, a charming but deadly cult leader who preys upon other’s tragedies and losses in order to recruit new members into the apocalyptic cult the “Army of the 12 Monkeys.”  Shaw is the father of villain Pallid Man…Alyssa Milano (“Mistresses”) will join the cast of season two of “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later” on Netflix.  There are no details on her role yet.

2016 MLB Postseason TV Schedule on Fox, FS1, TBS, ESPN and MLB Network
The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason has arrived.  Through Nov. 2, a champion will be determined among the 10 teams involved. The league’s broadcast partners this playoff season include Fox, FS1, TBS, ESPN and MLB Network.  For the dates of the games, click here

Television Series Arriving on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in October 2016
New original and off-network series titles for the month of October will appear on the streaming video services Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.  For the listing, click here