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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2019.The Daily News of TV Sales Friday, December 20, 2019

‘SHORT ATTENTION’ SPAN CLAIM DISCOUNTED Globally, young sports TV-video watchers favor big-action sports, and may cause a shift in how and what kinds of sports programming big TV distributors will deliver in the future, according to a new study. A new Nielsen global study looking at sports TV/video usage showed that so-called Generation Z TV viewers — 16- to 24-year-old viewers — are “interested” or “somewhat interested” in basketball (35%), extreme sports (23.2%), martial arts (20.1%) and surfing (17.3). These percentages are higher than those who are 25-69 years old. The Nielsen study, reported by Television News Daily, surveyed participants in China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, U.K. and the U.S. On the flip side, Gen-Zers under-delivered versus 25-69 viewers in somewhat lower action sports than those ages 25-69: baseball (27.8% for Gen-Zers; 41.1% for 25-69) and golf (18% for Gen-Zers; 22.2% for those 25-69). Nielsen says: “If traditional sports don’t evolve, declining attendance and viewership will accelerate.” One positive is new digital video services, where Gen-Zers are at ease with new technologies, including streaming platforms. For example, in China, 10.5 percent of Gen-Zers who have never watched TV content have streamed sports digitally. In the U.S. this was 8.3 percent. One myth of Gen-Z sports consumers is that they have a “short attention” span. But Nielsen says considering it’s this generation that spurred binge viewing, the argument falls flat. Also, according to Nielsen’s SuperData unit, when looking at video sports gaming content, 29 percent of Gen-Zers watched continuously for one to two hours, and 14 percent watched for three to four hours at a time.

NFL VIEWERSHIP CLIMBS, AD REVENUES GROW With just one week left of the NFL regular season, season-to-date TV ratings have inched up 6 percent (from 5% the week before) when looking at all five TV networks. Regular-season games are averaging a Nielsen-measured 16.5 million viewers, dominanting linear, live TV programming. The NFL’s national TV advertising revenue take is also higher. It’s up 13 percent to $4.04 billion from $3.57 billion a year ago through 15 weeks, according to iSpot.tv, which adds that all regular-season games have amassed 149.9 billion impressions versus 132.3 billion a year ago. The biggest advertisers this year were Verizon, with 1,062 national/regional airings of its commercials ($130.1 million in spending); Geico, 771 ($129 million); Progressive Insurance, 526 ($110.5 million); State Farm, 731 ($89.4 million) and Toyota, 319 ($84.2 million). Fox has pulled in $1.4 billion in national TV advertising revenue from its Sunday afternoon and Thursday Night Football games. NBC is at $1.1 billion, while CBS is at $1 billion. ESPN has made $466.5 million; and the NFL Network is at $46.2 million, according to iSpot.tv.

NIELSEN GEN Z STUDY FINDS TV SPORTS MUST ‘EVOLVE’ADVERTISER NEWS Facebook is producing its first Super Bowl ad featuring Sylvester Stallone recreating his Rocky run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art. Chris Rock will also make an appearance in the 60-second commercial, which was produced with Wieden & Kennedy. Ad Age reports the ad would promote Groups, the niche private communities... The Container Store has turned a former Toys R Us store in Dallas into its second Custom Closets

store. The Dallas Morning News reports the concept features 50 different custom closet designs, each filled with props including custom-designed apparel to give shoppers a clearer picture of how the closets would

look installed in their homes... Google has been steadily moving further into e-commerce with efforts like Google Shopping, which features goods from small merchants and big names including Walmart and Best Buy. Modern Retail reports the company has also created shoppable ads and purchasing options within search results for things like movie tickets... 7-Eleven is adding a new Big Gulp flavor, and this one has never been available from a soda fountain. Jarritos’ Mandarin, one of the most popular brands and flavors from the top-selling Mexican soft-drink maker, is on tap at select 7-Eleven soda fountains, The Dallas Morning News reports. 7-Eleven has inked an exclusive deal with Jarritos Craft Soda. It’s the first time the soft drink from Mexico, which is sold in 37 countries, will be sold outside of a bottle... Amazon is reportedly turning to a non-traditional partner to build out its Amazon Prime air fleet. According to CNBC, Amazon has signed a contract with Sun Country Airlines, a small leisure carrier based in Minneapolis, to lease 10 converted Boeing 737-800 planes in the second quarter of 2020. Sun Country executives say the company will transport cargo for Amazon to help meet the challenge of seasonal fluctuations in demand for leisure flights... The acquisition of Charles Machine Works helped push Toro’s annual revenue growth to 20 percent, resulting in annual sales topping $3 billion for the first time, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The integration of Oklahoma-based Charles Machine Works, acquired in April, is ahead of plan, allowing forward momentum as Toro heads into 2020, said Richard Olson, chairman and chief executive of Bloomington, Minn.-based Toro... General Motors said yesterday it’s recalling more than 900,000 vehicles worldwide in two separate campaigns to address brake software issues and fire risks. Reuters says GM is recalling more than 550,000 2019 light-duty Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cadillac CT6 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles due to a potential software glitch that could disable vehicle brake systems and notifications. The automaker is also recalling more than 400,000 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks because battery positive cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially resulting in a fire risk or stalling.

PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

AVAILS General Sales Manager: KAKE, the ABC affiliate in Wichita, Kan., seeks an energetic leader to inspire and guide an experienced sales team into 2020 and beyond. The successful applicant will possess a strong track record of revenue generation through digital marketing solutions, understand the value of our various media platforms and how they complement each other, and be able to effectively communicate that value to our sellers and advertising partners. Minimum of 5 years’ experience

in Broadcast TV sales management required. Resume to: AWanVeer@lockwoodbroadcast.com. No calls, please. EOE. WGHP FOX8 in High Point/Greensboro/Winston-Salem, N.C., is looking for an experienced NSM. The ideal candidate must be an excellent negotiator in broadcast sales, comprehend digital platforms and develop/maintain client relationships. The NSM will develop and execute

strategies to achieve national sales budget and/or share across multiple media platforms. An undergraduate degree in marketing or equivalent-related experience and a minimum of five years of experience in television sales required. CLICK HERE for more info or to apply now. Nexstar Media is an EOE. Research Director, Phoenix: Want a chance to use your skills beyond cranking out one sheets? Do you need to get creative to get out of the research rut? How about the added bonus of sunshine year around, lush golf courses and amazing gardens? We need the best and brightest for these Meredith stations to find strengths and opportunities – a fresh set of eyes to take the sales research from routine to extraordinary and to find the hidden stories in news research data. Want to become part of the Meredith team? Qualified candidates should apply online at Meredith.com, job # JR07987. EOE. FOX5 Atlanta has an opening for a Research Director. This position will track ratings for all stations; develop promotional materials, qualitative profiles and positioning pieces for sales staff; create rating estimates for local and national sales teams; and maintain Nielsen station information and remain current with Nielsen-related issues. More duties can be found in our ad online. Candidate must have knowledge of various products, including Wide Orbit Media Sales and Nielsen Arianna. Candidate should possess excellent communication and computer skills. CLICK HERE to apply. EOE.

See your ad here tomorrow! CLICK HERE for details.

SINCLAIR RAISES MINIMUM WAGE TO $15 AN HOUR Sinclair Broadcast Group says it will set a new $15 per hour minimum wage for its employees beginning Dec. 29. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move is expected to give raises to about 15 percent of the 9,500 workers at Sinclair, one of the nation’s largest TV broadcast companies, operating 191 stations in 89 markets, in addition to 23 regional sports networks.

NETWORK NEWS The classic family drama The Waltons, which aired on CBS from 1972 to 1981 and spawned six made-for-television movies, will be featured on nostalgia network MeTV weekdays at noon (ET) starting Wednesday, Jan. 1. The series is based on the rural upbringing of creator Earl Hammer Jr., who detailed his childhood memories in the 1961 novel Spencer’s Mountain. In 1971, the characters were renamed Walton and were featured on the TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which led to the series the following fall... A holiday tradition continues on Wednesday, Dec. 25, when ESPN and ABC combine to televise all five NBA Christmas Day games amidst 15 consecutive hours of coverage. This year marks the 18th straight season of ESPN’s NBA Christmas coverage. The schedule includes: Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors (noon ET, ESPN), Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers (2:30 PM, ABC), Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (5 PM, ABC), Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers (8 PM, ABC), and New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets (10:30 PM, ESPN)... Jessy Schram (Falling Skies) is set for a multi-episode arc on NBC’s hit drama series Chicago Med. The show follows the emotional day-to-day chaos of the city’s newest state-of-the-art trauma center and the lives of the courageous doctors, nurses and staff who hold it all together. Nick Gehlfuss, Torrey DeVitto, Colin Donnell, Norma Kuhling, Oliver Platt, Brian Tee and S. Epatha Merkerson star... As Modern Family is coming to an end, co-star Sofia Vergara is mulling her next TV gig. Deadline says it could be a stint as a judge on NBC’s summer reality series America’s Got Talent. Sources say the actress met with top NBC executives earlier this week to discuss a number of possible projects and collaborations, including Vergara joining the America’s Got Talent judging panel. AGT has two vacancies after the reality hit parted ways with Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough after one-season stints... NBC has put in development Bad Taste, a single-camera workplace comedy. Written by Justin Shanes (Superstore), Bad Taste is set in the intimate pressure cooker of a restaurant kitchen whose star chef is forced to make an uncomfortable alliance with the newbie female line cook in order to keep pursuing his passion... Fox’s ramp-up in animation continues with a series order to Housebroken (fka Therapy Dog). The half-hour project, originally picked up by the network with a script plus presentation commitment, stars Lisa Kudrow, Clea Duvall and Nat Faxon. Housebroken is an irreverent comedy that explores human dysfunction and neurosis through a group of neighborhood animals who live in the suburbs. In addition to Kudrow, Duvall and Faxon, it features the voices of Sharon Horgan, Will Forte, Tony Hale, Jason Mantzoukas, Sam Richardson, Bresha Webb and Greta Lee. Fox’s current push in animation includes several new animated series. The first, Bless the Harts, debuted this fall and already has been renewed for a second season. Coming up are Duncanville and The Great North, to be joined by Housebroken.

12/20/2019

Michelle Wolf

I don’t think childhood should be fun. I think childhood should be

miserable, so the rest of your life feels pretty ok.

The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

WSJ: UNIVISION ATTRACTS POTENTIAL BUYERS Hemisphere Media Group, the Miami-based parent of Spanish-language networks like Cine Latino and WAPA America, has approached Univision about a possible buyout, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal says Hemisphere is one of three potential suitors for Univision. The others are Los Angeles-based private equity fund Platinum Equity and an undisclosed company. Univision, which withdrew an IPO in 2018, has been looking for an exit for its private equity owners for months.

Hemisphere, which is led by industry veteran and former InterMedia Partners executive Alan Sokol, has several Spanish-language broadcast and content properties in the U.S., Colombia and Puerto Rico. Univision is currently owned by Saban Capital Group, Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, TPG and Thomas H. Lee Partners, which took the company private in 2006 in a leveraged buyout worth about $13.7

billion. It reportedly turned down an offer in 2017 from Liberty Media’s John Malone that would have valued the company at as much as $15 billion.

THIS AND THAT The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) will present the Television Chairman’s Award to actor Terry Crews. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star will receive the award during the We Are Broadcasters Celebration on Tuesday, April 21 at the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The award recognizes individuals for significant achievement in one or more specific art disciplines in television. Crews stars as Lt. Terry Jeffords in the NBC comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and is host of NBC’s America’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent: The Champions... Fox News Media has formed a strategic advertising partnership with branded content agency HEVĒ, according to a news release from Fox. Fox says the partnership will enable it to provide advertisers with unique branding opportunities to reach the news organization’s audience while enhancing the viewing experience.

12/20/2019

FunnyTweeter.com

Why aren’t there more Christmas songs about revenge?

WEDNESDAY NIELSEN RATINGS - LIVE + SAME DAY

CHAINS MOVING BEYOND PLANT-BASED BURGERS Restaurant operators are expanding on the success of plant-based burgers by rolling out meat-like menu items in hopes of driving traffic among consumers seeking meat-free options, Restaurant Business online reports. CKE, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, said this week that it’s expanding its current meatless burger offering to include plant-based breakfast, lunch and dinner items. New items at Carl’s Jr. include the Beyond Sausage Burrito and the Beyond Sausage Egg & Cheese Biscuit. Hardee’s, meanwhile, is adding the Beyond Sausage Burrito, the Beyond Sausage Biscuit, the Beyond Sausage & Egg Biscuit and the Original Beyond Thickburger. Carl’s Jr. rolled out its Beyond Famous Star burger less than a year ago, and it became the company’s most successful product launch of the last two years, according to the brand. Carl’s has sold more than 6.7 million of the burgers to date. Las Vegas-based fast casual Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop says it’s testing a meatless Impossible Cheese Steak sandwich at select Vegas locations. The sandwich is made with plant-based protein from Impossible Foods. The chain is also launching an Impossible Meatball Sandwich. Capriotti’s plans on making the cheesesteak available nationwide early next year. Fast-casual Italian chain Fazoli’s is testing a plant-based meat sauce in Lexington, Ky., the company says. Fazoli’s is trialing vegan Impossible Spaghetti made with Impossible meat crumbles.

MORE THAN 9,300 STORES WERE CLOSED IN 2019 This year was another bruising one for many American retailers, despite healthy consumers and a strong economy, CNN Business reports. U.S. retailers announced 9,302 store closings in 2019, a 59 percent jump from 2018 and the highest number since Coresight Research began tracking the data in 2012. Bankruptcies in the retail sector intensified this year, and many struggling chains cut stores. That led to a spike in closings. Payless, Gymboree, Charlotte Russe and Shopko all filed for bankruptcy and closed a combined 3,720 stores, according to Coresight. The majority of those were because of Payless, which filed for its second bankruptcy in February and shuttered 2,100 U.S. stores. Discount chain Fred’s filed for bankruptcy in September and closed 564 stores. Forever 21 also filed for bankruptcy that month and said it will close up to 178 stores. Forever 21’s closures are not in Coresight’s report since they’re not finalized. Other retailers, such as Ann Taylor parent Ascena Retail, Family Dollar, GNC, Walgreens, Signet Jewelers, Victoria’s Secret and JCPenney, slashed their store footprints to save money and prop up higher-performing stores. Family Dollar closed 359 this year, while Signet, the parent company of mall stalwarts Kay, Jared and Zales, announced 159 closures.