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B+C Hall of Fame 2025: Sheryl Lee Ralph

Sheryl Lee Ralph has already had quite a momentous year. Along with her upcoming induction into the B+C Hall of Fame, this past April she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrating her six decades in show business. In July, she garnered a fourth-straight Emmy nomination for her role as teacher Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit comedy Abbott Elementary.

Not too bad for the Emmy, Peabody, Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Award-winning actress, producer, write...

B+C Hall of Fame 2025: A, Smith & Co. Productions' Arthur Smith

By R. Thomas Umstead

Few television producers have been more successful and prolific over the past quarter century than Arthur Smith. Since launching his A. Smith & Co. Productions in 2000, the Canadian-born producer has put his fingerprints on more than 200 reality and documentary shows, including successful and long-running series such as American Ninja Warrior, Trading Spaces, Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen.

Smith’s keen attention to viewing trends and quality entertainment has attracted such...
Black Viewers Turning to Streaming For their TV Vi •

Black Viewers Turning to Streaming For their TV Viewing - Star of Zion

Black viewers are subscribing to cable, satellite, and streaming services at higher percentages than the general population, with streaming services dominating overall subscription trends, according to a recent report from Horowitz Research.
Nearly half (46%) of Black consumers subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite service, compared to 44% of the total population, according to the FOCUS Black Volume 1: Subscriptions 2025 Horowitz Research survey in February of 587 Black consumers 18+ who...

B+C Hall of Fame 2025: ESPN's Jimmy Pitaro

By R. Thomas Umstead

When Jimmy Pitaro took over as ESPN president in 2018, the once-unquestioned TV sports leader was struggling. The network, along with the rest of the cable industry, was losing subscribers to emerging streaming platforms while fighting off competitors bidding for rights to upcoming, high-profile live sports content such as the NBA, NFL and UFC.

Now, as ESPN chairman, Pitaro — a self-proclaimed sports aficionado and lifelong New York Yankees fan — has clearly secured ESPN’...
T.D. Jakes Extends Footprint, Impact With Media Pr •

T.D. Jakes Extends Footprint, Impact With Media Projects - Star of Zion

T.D. Jakes in April announced that he is stepping down from his leadership role as senior pastor of the Dallas-based church, The Potter’s House, that he founded in 1996, but he’s not stepping out of the public’s eye.
Along with continuing to serve as Chairman of the T.D. Jakes Group, Jakes will look to expand his global footprint in the media business, according to a company press release. 
The faith leader and cultural influencer announced this past April that he will soon launch a new podcast,...
TVTechnology •

How Cord-Cutting Is Changing the TV Sports Distribution Game

The rise of streaming services in the TV sports distribution arena has ignited a fierce battle for rights, reshaping how sports content is produced, delivered and viewed across multiple platforms.As the NAB Show Sports Summit gets started today, the acquisition and distribution of live TV sports content remains fluid as traditional TV distributors and streamers continue to volley for valuable properties.“The projections are that more than $12 billion is going to be spent this year on sports righ...
Multichannel News •

B+C Hall of Fame 2024: Dick Vitale

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro stepped to the microphone at May’s Dick Vitale Gala in Sarasota with the task of introducing the broadcaster, coach, teacher and humanitarian. Pitaro could have run off a litany of accolades for Vitale, including a decorated four-decade career as the unmistakable voice of ESPN’s college basketball coverage. Instead, he set the stage for Vitale’s entrance, which raised more than $24 million for pediatric cancer research, by summing up what Vitale’s presence and voice —...
Multichannel News •

‘Actors Love When You Can Play Characters That Provoke Conversation’: Blair Underwood on His ‘Three Women’ Role as Unconventional Husband

Veteran actor Blair Underwood has played many complex characters over his entertainment career of nearly 40 years, but the L.A. Law and Sex and the City star said his latest role in Starz’s provocative drama Three Women as a husband in an open marriage was among his most challenging.Based on Lisa Taddeo’s best-selling nonfiction book of the same name, the series, which premieres September 13, follows a reporter who documents the stories of three women from different walks of life seeking to expl...
NextTV •

Next TV Summit: Why Sports Teams Are Changing the TV Play to Streaming

As the regional sports network business continues to evolve, pro teams are looking to maximize local TV revenue by making a play to offer fans live game content across multiple platforms, according to executives speaking at the “TV Sports: Checking In on the Post-RSN Revolution” panel at the Next TV Summit on Tuesday.As viewers continue to migrate from cable TV bundles to digital platforms, panelists said more teams are extending their reach beyond the traditional regional sports networks by mov...
Multichannel News •

The Five Spot: Charley Humbard, CEO, UP Entertainment

UP Entertainment celebrates its 20th anniversary in October with a large footprint for its family-friendly content across cable (UPtv, which launched in 2004, and Aspire TV), subscription streaming (UP Faith & Family and AspireTV Plus) and free, ad-supported TV (FAST) services (Aspire TV Life and Cine Romantico). In addition, the brand has recently expanded to include acquisitions GaitherTV Plus, featuring country, gospel, bluegrass and Christian-music content, as well as a partnership with Chri...
Multichannel News •

Women Fighters Are Packing a Punch on TV

Women pro combat-sports fighters are punching their way to the top of high-profile pay-per-view and televised fight cards as the familiarity of top female athletes in boxing and mixed martial arts, along with the quality of their fights, clicks with both distributors and fans.Once considered a novelty, industry observers said female fighters are now garnering an unprecedented level of acceptance and respect. “Women fighters used to be a big joke, but now people look at them and say they actually...
Multichannel News •

‘There’s Really Nothing Like It:’ ‘The Challenge’ EP Julie Pizzi Gears Up for Series’ 40th Season (Content Spotlight Podcast)

MTV’s long-running competition series The Challenge will launch its 40th season on Wednesday (August 14) by reaching back into its past to bring back iconic personalities to compete again in the landmark series. The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras, which debuts August 14, will pit 40 veterans from past seasons against each other in new, physical challenges to pursue a million dollar grand prize, MTV said. The Bunim/Murray-produced series, which first debuted in 1998, is the longest-running real...
Multichannel News •

That’s All Folks: Warner Bros. Discovery to Shut Down Boomerang Streaming Service

Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down its Boomerang subscription streaming service in September, shifting most of the service's classic animated content to Max. WBD, in an email sent Thursday to Boomerang consumers, confirmed the shutdown of the service’s app and website as of September 30. Boomerang, which launched in 2017 and retailed at $39.99 per year, offers classic animation from the Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. catalog as well as other family-friendly programming.Also Read: Less for M...
Multichannel News •

Sports Executive of the Year: Game On, Says Luis Silberwasser, TNT Sports Chief

When Warner Bros. Discovery-owned TNT Sports last November announced it had reached a seven-year media rights deal with NASCAR beginning in 2025, the company was preparing to telecast the final rounds of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament while producing its weekly Wednesday-night NHL doubleheaders  — not long after the division produced 14 Major League Baseball postseason games.Many TV sports executives would find managing the above scenario daunting at
best. For Luis Silberwasser, chairm...
Multichannel News •

Producer of the Year: Matt Sharp Hones Reality Hits That Last

In 2023, Sharp Entertainment, a part of Sony Pictures Television, marked its 20th anniversary by producing episodes for an eye-popping 22 new and returning nonfiction shows for multiple television networks including TLC, MTV and Bravo — a noteworthy achievement in an otherwise turbulent and unpredictable business environment.New York-based Sharp Entertainment, under the leadership of founder and CEO Matt Sharp, has found the right formula for memorable, genre-shaping reality content for more tha...
Multichannel News •

FAST Channels Quickly Find Favor With African-American Viewers

Black viewers have always been at the forefront of new media consumption, and the emerging free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) environment is no exception. As more Black viewers tune into FAST channels, though, industry observers are concerned the platform won’t keep up with an increasing demand for content that reflects the images and stories of that audience segment across all platforms. That’s because big media companies are gobbling up bandwidth by launching multiple channels based...
Multichannel News •

Black Women Artists Hit The Right Notes for TV

Singer-songwriter Lizzo in February won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for her multiplatinum hit “About Damn Time,” the fourth statuette she’s taken home in her successful career.Arguably just as meaningful and impressive was Lizzo’s first Emmy Award win five months earlier for Amazon Prime Video reality competition series Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, which firmly established the hip-hop artist as a bonafide television star.As the entertainment industry celebrates Black Music M...
Multichannel News •

Special Report: Black Excellence in Streaming

Black viewers are streaming video and informational programming in unprecedented numbers, and a group of savvy TV veterans is leading the industry in striving to meet those consumers where they are looking for content. African-American audiences spend a majority of their viewing time watching streaming services — and 62% of those viewers say streaming is the most relevant platform for stories depicting Black life and culture, according to a recent Nielsen Diverse Intelligence Series report. The...
Broadcasting Cable •

Cover Story: A TV Field of Their Own

As the U.S. continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Title IX legislation that greatly expanded women’s sports opportunities, TV is paying homage by offering an unprecedented amount of live women’s sports content across linear and digital platforms.More live college and professional women’s sports events this year are finding homes on the major linear TV networks and streaming services than at any time before, and viewers and sponsors have responded in the way the programmers...