NETworks News

Katz Networks, part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), announced three major off-network series licensing agreements today.

Smithsonian Channel is set to revisit the life of one of the silver screen's most iconic legends by way of her most personal possessions. At Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles, more than 1,000 lots sold for a total of over $11 million at a show-stopping auction of Marilyn Monroe belongings. Telling the story of this definitive Hollywood movie star and sex symbol via some of her most recognizable costumes, letters and clothes, the new documentary MARILYN MONROE FOR SALE premieres Sunday, December 23 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

Propelled by record demand for Hallmark-branded content, Crown Media Family Networks' subscription on-demand streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now, surpassed 500,000 subscribers, the company reported today. The news comes as the service rolls out its annual programming event, 'Movies & Mistletoe', which has become the premiere streaming destination for holiday entertainment. Since the event launched on October 29, Hallmark Movies Now has recorded a 93% surge in viewership and an 11% increase in subscribers versus the corresponding period in 2017. 'Movies & Mistletoe' - the SVOD counterpart to sister linear networks' top-rated seasonal franchises, 'Countdown to Christmas' on Hallmark Channel and 'Miracles of Christmas' on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries - features a robust slate of 180 hours of fan-favorite holiday movies that can only be seen on Hallmark Movies Now.

Dive deep into the virtual world of social media with a mystery-thriller for the digital age, SEARCHING, debuting on Digital and redeemable via the Movies Anywhere App. on November 13, coming to Blu-ray and DVD November 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. A unique take on society's pervasive use of technology, SEARCHING is the feature film debut for writer-director Aneesh Chaganty, and writer-producer Sev Ohanian. Chaganty and Ohanian's script constructs a new form of cinema inspired by the connection between parent and child in the Internet age. Stopping at no lengths to find his missing daughter, a determined father, played by John Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar), explores her social media accounts, emails, pictures, videos and more to aid in the police investigation. Cho is joined by an impressive cast including Emmy Award® winner Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”), Joseph Lee (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) and Michelle La in her feature film debut. 

Celebrating her third year of holiday magic, drag artist Doris Dear, known as 'America's Perfect Housewife', announces that the all new 'Doris Dear Christmas Special', will be raising funds through 'The Longest Day' initiative with The Alzheimer's Association. The character of Doris Dear that Ray DeForest created 4 years ago, was inspired by his mother, Taffy, who passed away from Alzheimer's. With this year's show being performed over 3 evenings, it was time to give back, and what better partner than The Alzheimer's Association. A portion of the show's proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter's Longest Day campaign.

The recipients of NATPE's 16th Annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards are comedian and media mogul Byron Allen, producer and writer, Mara Brock Akil, former Chairman of NBC EntertainmentRobert Greenblatt, actress, singer and dancer Rita Moreno, award winning actress and comedian Betty White and actor Henry Winkler. They will receive the prestigious award at a special reception on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, at the Eden Roc in Miami Beach. The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award is presented each year during the annual NATPE Miami Marketplace & Conference, which will take place from January 22 to 24, 2019, at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

The Commercial Theater Institute (CTI) and Executive Director Tom Viertel have announced speakers for the upcoming 2-day Marketing Seminar, taking place on Thursday, November 29th and Friday, November 30th, 2018.  CTI is the theater industry's leading training and professional development program and features over 100 of the most distinguished industry professionals as lecturers and panelists including many Tony Award- winning producers.

Today, SYFY announced its first original late night animated series, ALIEN NEWS DESK. Set to debut early 2019, ALIEN NEWS DESK is a weekly, half-hour topical animated series set in an extraterrestrial newsroom. Voiced by Emmy(R) nominated comedian Will Forte (alien news anchor 'Drexx Drudlarr') and 'Saturday Night Live's' Heidi Gardner (alien co-anchor 'Tuva Van Void'), the 12-episode series will cover up-to-the-minute news and commentary about the universe's most baffling species - the inscrutable Humans of Planet Earth.

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) today announced it has selected two new African American majority owned independent networks to be broadly distributed on Comcast Cable systems beginning in January 2019.  After a thorough evaluation of dozens of proposals, Comcast selected AFRO and CLEO TV, both of which will provide quality entertainment that highlights and features TV and movie content about African American and black communities.

Glenn Tilbrook will be supporting local charity, Merseyside Youth Association (MYA), by encouraging donations for the charity's food bank when he visits The Epstein Theatre on Tue 20 November as part of his upcoming solo tour.

A year and a half after submitting his initial application and driver design idea, Evan Hoffman (San Diego, Calif.) and his driver concept – Cortex – was named the winner on Tuesday's finale of Driver vs. Driver 2 presented by Wilson. Hoffman takes home the $250,000 grand prize and the Cortex driver becomes Wilson's newest driver on the market. The driver is officially on sale at more than 1,000 golf retail stores around the world and online at Wilson.com/Cortex.

Mitchell Trubisky and the first-place Chicago Bears (6-3) host Kirk Cousins and the second-place Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1) in a battle for the NFC North top spot on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by SNF kickoff time of 8:20 p.m. ET, from Soldier Field in Chicago.

WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder (40–0, 39 KOs) will defend his title against lineal champion Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) in a blockbuster matchup on Saturday, December 1. Boxing fans will want to catch all the action, larger-than-life on the big screen, at their local cinemas as these undefeated warriors battle it out LIVE from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.    

NBC, the undisputed television leader for holiday programming, once again has scheduled a robust slate of specials ranging from beloved perennials (including “Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,” “It's a Wonderful Life,” “National Dog Show”) to telecast premieres (including “Timeless” finale, holiday edition of “America's Got Talent,” “Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas Special”) and everything in between.

Along with the unveiling of Citizen's newly branded in-park clocks at Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort as well as the latest launch of their new Mickey Mouse timepieces, Citizen continues to emphasize time in its latest song choice for its first-ever commercial using iconic Disney music.

MTV today announced it will bring back its legendary 'MTV Spring Break' in 2019, expanding its fast-growing live events business on the heels of its acquisition of SnowGlobe Music Festival. The all-new 'MTV Spring Break' will be held March 19th-21st at the Grand Oasis Hotel in Cancún, Mexico featuring its signature mix of high-energy performances, surprise celebrity guests, and thousands of young people from around the U.S. For the first time, MTV will also concurrently host alternative Spring Break events for the rising tide of young activists who use their free time to give back.

Performance Space New York presents the No Series (January-May, 2019), unleashing the powerful artistic and political tool of refusal. The institution's third themed series under Executive Artistic Director Jenny Schlenzka (following the 2018's Posthuman and East Village Series) foregrounds projects that reflect on oppression and the task of building worlds from modes of survival outside the dominant culture, which seeks to dehumanize, destroy, erase, and exploit. Often reflecting the community and care fostered in the margins of colonial, ableist, hetero-patriarchal, and capitalist societies, the artists in the No Series engage modes of being beyond the individualism and alienation on which these structures thrive. Hopelessness and invisibility can provide the foundations for vibrant, self-determined worlds.

When people say dreams don't come true, tell them about Rudy. CineConcerts announces a once-in-a-lifetime live concert event: the 25th anniversary celebration of Rudy In Concert, live at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on March 30, 2019. Conducted by Justin Freer, the 80-piece Hollywood Chamber Orchestra will perform Oscar? and Emmy?-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith's complete score live while the entire film is projected on a massive 40-foot HD screen. This 1993 American biographical sports film's first live concert premiere will help raise funds for The University of Notre Dame and regional Southern California high schools with support from The CineConcerts Foundation. Special guests including Sean Astin, Rudy Ruettiger, director David Anspaugh, writer Angelo Pizzo, producer Cary Woods and more will take part in a pre-show on-stage panel to discuss the film, music, and the magic of the film and story 25 years later.  Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov 16 at 10A PST at AXS.COM.

Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will go on sale November 14, 2018 at 10A for the triumphant return Providence engagement at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC). This national tour of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA began at PPAC in November 2013 and has since gone on to play in over 70 cities across the country to date. With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour in North America.