TV Faces Tumult in Upfronts, With Advertisers Making New Push for ‘Rollbacks’

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Cynthia McFadden, the TV-news veteran whose career has taken her from co-anchoring ABC News‘ “Nightline” to a senior perch on NBC News‘ investigations team, is stepping away from broadcast journalism. “It is hard to leave a job you love but this is the right time — I have a list of things I have often said I wanted to do ‘someday’. Well, someday is now, while I am still raring to go — and playing with a relatively full deck,” McFadden said in a note to colleagues Friday.

David Gilmour has announced additional shows in Los Angeles and New York for his ‘Luck And Strange‘ shows.The soloist and former Pink Floyd guitarist took to his official social media accounts to announce a third show at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on October 31, and a fourth show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on November 9.The new dates follow the previously announced dates in Los Angeles on October 29 and 30 and in New York on November 4, 5, and 6. Gilmour’s US dates will take place after his six-night residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall and his six-night residency at Rome’s historic chariot-racing stadium Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Netflix may be a new-tech company, but it approached advertisers Wednesday with old-school TV talk: The company aims to make dozens of shows and movies that people like to watch and talk about. During an upfront presentation, executives from the streaming giant showcased a msssuve pipeline of content that included two Christmas Day games from the NFL, a year of WWE matches and a new movie that features the return of Cameron Diaz, who will come-star with Jamie Foxx in “Back in Action.” “At a time when the competition is pulling back, we are investing,” said Bela Bajaria, the company’s chief content officer.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The television industry’s annual “upfront” is usually a place where advertisers get to preview new series and specials, not blockbuster movies, so NBC raised eyebrows Monday when one of the first previews it showed to an audience at Radio City Music Hall was of the coming Universal film “Wicked.” NBCUniversal, chief content officer Donna Langley told the crowd, was “excited to build up our story legacy across film, TV and streaming.” Movies and premium cable series from HBO and Showtime used to be something traditional TV advertisers got their hands on only after they had made their way through theaters and pay-TV windows. Now, as a batch of this year’s upfront showcases reveal, they are increasingly being dangled before Madison Avenue as a major reason to support TV companies.

In a big deal that closed in the days leading into this week’s Cannes market, Apple Original Films has landed worldwide rights to Tenzing, the new package we told you about last week starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The turmoil in TV and advertising has been reflected in a high level of turnover among top TV ad sales executives, so media buyers will be doing business with a number of new faces in this year’s upfront advertising sales market. Madison Avenue’s growing reliance on streaming video has given rise to a new array of top sales honchos. Jeff Collins is leading Fox Corp.’s efforts this year following the retirement of sales stalwart Marianne Gambelli.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After nearly 35 years with CNN, longtime Washington bureau chief Sam Feist has been named CEO of C-SPAN. Feist will remain at CNN through June and take the reins of C-SPAN later in the summer, succeeding co-CEOs Rob Kennedy and Susan Swain. Founded in 1979 by a group of cable operators, C-SPAN is devoted to televising the activity in the chambers of the U.S.

William Earl UPDATED: The network upfronts are once again front-and-center for the television industry as major players gather in New York May 13-16 for the springtime ritual of courting advertisers and media buyers and presenting programming plans for the upcoming TV season. The industry is looking forward to a return to form after the disruption of last year’s writers and actors strikes.

Chrissy Teigen, Andy Cohen, the cast of The Valley and numerous Real Housewives will be celebrating today after Bravo unveiled its latest programming slate.

Camila Cabello is teasing new visuals for her upcoming album, getting fans excited about her new songs, and new aesthetic for her latest hyperpop era. After going platinum blonde and showing off her new looks, Camila is preparing for the release of her album on June 28, which has been described as a love letter to Miami, and includes edgy outfits and incredible choreography.Karol G wore the highest heels ever worn at the Met GalaCamila Cabello was all smiles with Charles Leclerc at the Miami Grand PrixCamila Cabello was holding a real block of ice as a purse during the 2024 Met Gala“Constant change is the solution,” Camila previously said during an interview with Nylon, when asked about her new transformation for her new era.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Mark Marshall has been given a lot of time to prepare for NBC Universal’s annual presentation to advertisers. Last year, he only had 72 hours.

The 14th series of Call The Midwife is currently in the works, and one character has undergone a makeover for the new series. Actress Helen George has given fans a peek behind the scenes, revealing her character Trixie has a new hairstyle. Helen, who has played Trixie since Call the Midwife began, posted a stunning mirror selfie on social media as she got ready to film new scenes.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dale Earnhardt Jr. is changing vehicles. The legendary racer will leave NBC Sports’ NASCAR team, where he has held forth as a color commentator since 2018, in favor of lending his expertise to both Warner Bros.

The 2024 Met Gala was one star-studded affair, and the celebrities all partied well into the early morning!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Disney doesn’t think it’s going to foul in its drive to score a new pact with the NBA. Speaking to investors Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company was “optimistic or confident” that Disney would renew its agreement with the basketball league that would keep a sizable package of its games on ESPN and other Disney properties. Disney has also served as home to the NBA Finals, which typically air on the ABC broadcast network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Amazon wants to break down the barriers between watching TV and driving to the mall. The streaming giant on Tuesday unveiled a new suite of interactive ad formats it is making available for sponsors of its Prime Video subscription-video service.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Godwin hoped to build ABC News‘ future by cutting out some of its past. Tasked, ostensibly, with shaking up a culture of the Disney-backed news organization that pit anchors against one another and led to claims of intolerable behavior behind the scenes, Godwin was supposed to revamp a storied journalism hub without losing any of the impetus that spurred employees to make shows such as “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America” the most-watched in their category.

Manchester United will look to move back up to sixth in the Premier League when they travel to Crystal Palace on Monday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dan Abrams is taking a deeper gulp of liquor media. The media entrepreneur, who has built businesses such as the TV-news-obsessed Mediaite and the Law & Crime network, which was recently sold to the creator-fueled media company Jellysmack, is acquiring two specialized event businesses tied to liquor tasting in a bid to grow Bottle Raiders, a collection of sites that offer reviews of whiskey, tequila, gin and rum.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Godwin, the ABC News president who was the first Black woman to run a broadcast network news operation, is leaving the Disney unit amid increasing concern about the way she was managing the home of shows like “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight.” Godwin told staffers in a memo Sunday that she planned to “retire from broadcast journalism.” Her command had come under increasing scrutiny since a restructuring of ABC News and Disney’s ABC stations had her reporting directly to Debra OConnell, a Disney business veteran who is seen as a valued operator at the company. OConnell will lead ABC News for the foreseeable future, she told employees Sunday evening.