The season premiere of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” scored 3.71 million viewers on July 10, making it the most-watched telecast of the night among broadcasters.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, “Millionaire” is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The show, returning for the first time in several years (and marking the return of a studio audience after two seasons without one due to COVID-19) opened with John Mulaney and Nick Kroll paired for one segment, and Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell and paired for the other. The episode outperformed its most recent season finale in 2021 by 28% in total viewers, and stood as the night’s top entertainment telecast in adults ages 18 to 49 (0.44 rating).
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After three days of time-shifted viewing, the premiere remained the top program of the night in L+3 (0.47 rating).
In other TV news:
PROGRAMMING
“Hop,” the whimsical preschool series about an empathetic frog and his quirky friends from “Arthur” creator Marc Brown, will return to Max with brand new episodes on Aug. 15.
“In these brand-new episodes, Hop (David Connolly), an enthusiastic, empathetic frog with one leg shorter than the other, and his quirky friends continue to navigate the mud puddles of life with a healthy dose of laughter, silliness, and adventure,” reads the series’ log line.
It continues: “Set in the aspirational community of Fair Village, every episode is grounded in emotional reality but soars into the world of fantasy, populated by dragons, trolls, and talking banjos. With a gentle balance of humor and heart, our heroes promise to captivate audiences of all ages with delightful journeys filled with friendship, valuable life lessons and endless possibilities.”
“Our entire ensemble cast of characters are coping with some type of disability, which teaches our audience to embrace their own, and others’, uniqueness,” Marc Brown said in a statement. “In this new batch of episodes, we introduce a blind character, and we continue to create a show that will challenge our viewers to understand and appreciate people who are not like them.”
Co-creators and fellow “Arthur” alums Peter K. Hirsch and Tolon Brown joined Marc in creating the series and bringing this world to life. Epic Story Media produces the show, which is animated by Loomi Animation.
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“GMFB: Overtime,” a new two-hour daily show that adds to the “Good Morning Football” series, is coming to the Roku Channel. The show will be available to stream Monday through Friday starting July 29 through a partnership between Roku and Sony Pictures Television.
Produced from NFL Media’s studios in Los Angeles, “GMFB: Overtime” will feature news from around the league, interviews with platers, coaches, executives and celebrities as well as discussions on different topics concerning the NFL.
The original edition of “Good Morning Football” will continue to air on NFL Network Monday through Friday, and also returns July 29.
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ReachTV will live broadcast “The Rich Eisen Show” weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on its network available at 2,400 airport gates and 750 venues in 90 airports, plus 500,000 hotel rooms.
“When we talk about the programming we want to bring to our audiences, this is exactly it,” said ReachTV Founder and CEO Lynnwood Bibbens. “The Rich Eisen Show has proven to bring in guests that rival any daytime and late-night talk show that includes longer interviews that often break news while allowing the talent to share things that you wouldn’t hear on other formats.”
AWARDS
The Paley Center for Media will award Tyler Perry at fall gala in Los Angeles. The Paley Honors will celebrate Perry’s career on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
“Throughout my career, I have strived to bring people together and to give a voice to those often underrepresented in media,” Perry said. “Media has served as a vital platform for this mission, and I’m honored to receive this award from The Paley Center for Media, an organization that has dedicated itself to spotlighting the power and importance of media.”
The Paley Honors Tribute host committee includes Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex; Ariel Emanuel; Jon Feltheimer; Whoopi Goldberg; Taraji P. Henson; Matt Johnson; Jeffrey Katzenberg; Gayle King; Debra L. Lee; Mellody Hobson and George Lucas; Scott Mills; Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos; and Kerry Washington.
“Through his acclaimed and prolific body of work, Tyler Perry has solidified his place as one of media’s greatest and most impactful figures,” said Paley Center president/CEO Maureen J. Reidy. “With each new project, he continues to move our industry, and our culture, forward, and it is our great privilege to present Tyler with our highest honor, The Paley Honors Award, on December 4.”
RATINGS
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2024 averaged 1.7 million viewers in its live simulcast on Saturday, July 13 via Nickelodeon, TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., CMT, TVLand and MTV2. The event posted year-over-year gains with Kids 6-11, posting a 1.2 rating (up +17% with that demo versus last year’s show).
Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2024 reached 2.4 million viewers across weekend telecasts on Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., CMT, TV Land and MTV2. The primetime simulcast was also cable’s top entertainment telecast for the week with Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14.
PARTNERSHIPS
Media company Sonic Gods Studios has just launched an entertainment wing, partnering with Prime Video to launch “60 Day Hustle,” a reality show that will premiere on the streamer on Aug. 8.
The series is a “groundbreaking competition show where startup business founders compete for a life-changing grand prize. With a completely new approach to brand integration, the series has partnered with some of the world’s most popular brands in each episode, creating an innovative blend of entertainment and marketing. Brands involved in season one include Teachable, BetterHelp, Chime, Vimeo, Square, Artlist, and Pilot Pen,” according to the show’s log line.
The show is the first of many in the unscripted space the company has slated for release this summer and fall. The shows aim to capitalize on the company’s insignia—content that specializes in innovative media production, brand integration, IP creation and IP monetization.
“We set out to create a unique studio that is based on delivering content that we know has a measurable following that can be a force multiplier for brands who jump on board,” Michelle Delamor, co-founder of Sonic Gods Studios, said in a statement. “60 Day Hustle, for example, was a result of the increasing demand for entrepreneur-based content, which is one of the most searched-for categories online with over 200 million daily views. We research where the mainstream conversations are trending and develop shows that connect with people in those buzzing ecosystems.”
The entertainment studio’s slate of upcoming shows will begin with “60 Day Hustle,” which will premiere all six episodes of Season 1 on the platform. It’s unclear whether the other shows will also release on Prime Video.
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The ad-supported premium subscription version of TelevisaUnivision’s ViX is now available to Charter’s Spectrum TV customers who have access to Univision in their subscription package.
Eligible customers can now watch ViX’s premium original series, movies and live sports, including this week’s ConMEBOL Copa América and UEFA Euro 2024 semifinals and title games. The streamer’s full original content slate includes series like “Lalola,” “El Extraño Retorno de Diana Salazar” and “El Gallo de Oro,” and movies including “Es por su bien,” “Radical” and “¿Quieres ser mi hijo?” Subscribers also will have access to soccer content throughout the year, including Liga MX and UEFA Champions League matches.
