Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, May 5th, 2021
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, May 5th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by a Culver's pot roast sandwich and a root beer.
DISCOVERY, HULU LIVE REACH NEW CARRIAGE AGREEMENT
Bloomberg is reporting that Discovery Inc. has reached a new carriage agreement with Hulu Live TV that will keep the major Discovery-owned channels on the live TV service. It all also add OWN to the Hulu Live lineup for the first time and according to Bloomberg's reporting, Discovery also obtained a rate increase.
The most interesting part of the news to me is that a number of popular titles from the various Discovery networks will be leaving the Hulu Live on-demand offerings and moving forward will only be available on the streaming service Discovery+. As I mentioned before, one of the most underappreciated streaming stories is how aggressive Discovery has been with moving its most popular programming to Discovery+. It's not just that nearly every series is available same-day or next-day on Discovery+. In a number of cases, you can watch episodes ahead of their linear premiere. And a number of shows have already had their older seasons slowly moving off of on-demand and onto Discovery+.
More than most older media companies, Discovery is well-positioned to shift much of its viewer base to streaming for at least some of their media consumption. While several of Discovery Inc.'s cable channels are among the most popular on television, much of their programming is also not time-sensitive. House Hunters is an extremely popular franchise. But you'd be hard-pressed to find many fans of the show who care whether they watch a specific episode today or next week. And that plays perfectly into the time-shifting nature of a streaming service.
Discovery has also used Discovery+ as a place to build out niche audiences that aren't large enough to support an entire cable channel. Documentaries, sports specials, and spiritual programming have all been prominently featured on the service and none of those are obvious fits for Discovery's linear business. And when you add the growing number of content partnerships with other networks, Discovery+ continues to be the sleeper choice of all the second wave of streamers.
TWITTER UNVEILS NEW PROGRAMMING DEALS WITH NBC, BILLBOARD
During Wednesday's presentation at the NewFronts, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced several new content deals, including an expanded relationship with NBC Universal and a new deal with Billboard:
Perhaps the most notable announcement Thursday was the creation of a new real-time Billboard chart, “The Billboard Hot Trending powered by Twitter.” The chart will track music-related trends and he songs being discussed on the platform. The chart will be supported by advertising on both Twitter and Billboard, with exclusive editorial and video content tied to the chart. Twitter also announced content deals with Genius, Tastemade, and Refinery29, and expanded agreements with MLB and the NHL, which includes real-time highlights and live look-ins at games.
SNAP EXPANDS IT'S ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING
Snap unveiled new reality programming with Megan Thee Stallion and the D’Amelio Sisters, the sibling digital influencers who rose to fame on rival app TikTok during its Wednesday presentation at the NewFronts:
In “Off Thee Leash With Megan Thee Stallion,” the multi-Grammy-winning artist will be joined by celebrity friends and their pets. “Charli vs. Dixie,” meanwhile, is a competition series that will give Snapchatters a different look at the internet-famous sisters as they go head-to-head in “epic challenges that test their bravery, athleticism and ingenuity, while their squad of famous friends judge from the sidelines,” according to Snap. Both shows are set to premiere later in 2021 and are being produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Media.
Other new shows in the star-power category are “Meme Mom,” a docuseries from Maven, following Nicole TV — who has one of the fastest-growing accounts on Snapchat — as she navigates life with a newborn, a live-in mother and skyrocketing career; and “Twinning Out,” a docuseries from Bunim/Murray Productions, following twins and internet superstars Niki and Gabi DeMartino, as they “risk their boyfriends, besties, and inseparable sisterhood to make some of the biggest decisions of their lives,” according to the show’s description.
ODDS AND SODS
* Amazon Prime’s fashion competition series Making the Cut will return for Season two on Friday, July 16th.
* Pluto is more doubling its Hispanic contest today, expanding the number of Spanish-language channels to nearly 50, including a number of new movie channels.
* Disney+ has moved up the premiere of its newest Marvel series Loki to Wednesday, June 8th. No reason was given for the change, but part of the decision likely was an effort to move out of the way of the release of Netflix's In The Heights, which is set for release on Friday, June 11th.
* Tubi has secured deals with Cox and Scripps to show live local news feeds.
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TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Crank Yankers Season Six Premiere (Comedy Central)
Season 6 will feature beloved characters such as Spoonie Luv, Elmer Higgins, Niles Standish, Bobby Fletcher, Terrence Catheter, Mr. Birchum and more, with voice talent including, but not limited to, Kathy Griffin, Bobby Moynihan, Adam Carolla, Paul Scheer, Iliza Shlesinger, Chelsea Peretti, Brian Posehn, Jim Florentine, Punkie Johnson, Kevin Nealon, Desus & Mero, Tracy Morgan, Bobby Brown, Kyle Dunnigan, Trixie Mattel, JB Smoove, Sam Jay, Annie Murphy, Wanda Sykes, Tiffany Haddish, Natasha Leggero, Jimmy Kimmel and more.
2) Human: The World Within (PBS)
Explore the incredible universe inside each and every one of us. An examination of diverse personal stories from around the world reveals how our lives, passions and goals are powered by the amazing systems that define our biology as a species.
3) Kids Say The Darndest Things Season Two Premiere (CBS)
Tiffany Haddish finds kids "wigging| out when they realize one of her wigs on a shelf can communicate only with them. Plus, Tiffany and the kids make a special visit to the iconic CBS game show The Price Is Right where they take turns playing some fun pricing games with host Drew Carey
4) Lava Ka Dhaava Series Premiere (Netflix)
Actor Jaavaed Jaafferi brings his signature humor to this Hindi dubbing of Lava Is Floor
5) Million Dollar Listing Season Nine Premiere (Bravo)
Josh Flagg is willing to travel far and wide for a shot at a record-breaking sale, even if it means teaming up and road tripping with his mortal enemy...Josh Altman. It's not all a buddy comedy as this duo ends up on opposite sides of the negotiating table.
6) The Sons Of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness (Netflix)
The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maury Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.
I'll be back with another one tomorrow. If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.