NEW YORK—Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), a leading producer and distributor of unscripted programming, has announced a deal with Merzigo, a global content distributor, to expand HMPG's digital presence across leading social and video platforms.

Under the partnership Merzigo will collaborate with HMPG to optimize and scale a curated selection of series and channels from HMPG's programming portfolio in ways that will drive deeper audience engagement and accelerate international growth. The titles include programs from the Jack Hanna library, as well as the award-winning series “Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin”, “Hearts of Heroes”, “Innovation Nation”, and “The Inspectors”.

With more than 17 million weekly viewers, HMPG's series deliver significant reach across national and local U.S. broadcast television. Merzigo will help expand that footprint through its proprietary technology platform and by using data and insights drawn from 6,000 digital channels in over 30 languages, generating upwards of 17 billion monthly views.

"HMPG's content library is uniquely positioned for growth across social and digital video platforms. Through this partnership, we will expand our reach, engage new audiences, and scale our programming in meaningful and measurable ways," said Frank Biancuzzo, president of HMPG.

"This partnership reflects our continued commitment to align Merzigo with the highest-quality content creators in the industry. HMPG's proven track record in unscripted programming, combined with our global distribution infrastructure, creates a powerful engine for growth," added Yiğit Doğan Çelik, chairperson and CEO, Merzigo.

HMPG's current program portfolio comprises more than 30 original series and hundreds of hours of content annually on leading broadcast networks and station groups and on connected TV and streaming platforms. It has a library of 85 series (6,000 episodes) and its content can be found in 100 countries.

NEW YORK—Hearst Media Production Group and Xumo, the streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications, have announced that the “Lucky Dog” Channel has launched exclusively on Xumo Play.

The partnership between Hearst and Xumo for the launch of the channel also includes original episodes of a new series and sponsorship opportunities. The FAST channel will offer advertisers a variety of tailored sponsorship options, including bold in-grid ads, branded tune-in promotion and custom ad overlays, the companies said.

Xumo Play is a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service with hundreds of ad-supported linear channels and on-demand options that is available on Xumo devices and as an app on other major streaming platforms.

“Lucky Dog” Channel will feature a new, original series, “Lucky Dog: Best in Show.” Additional programming on the new channel includes the 12-season library of the Emmy-winning “Lucky Dog” franchise hosted by renowned animal trainer Brandon McMillan.

Since its inception, “Lucky Dog” has helped to rescue, rehabilitate, train and re-home more than 200 dogs. The show has received three Daytime Emmy Awards, 55 Telly Awards, seven Parents’ Choice Awards and five Cynopsis Kids Imagination Awards since its debut on CBS in 2013. For his work on the series, McMillan earned two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Travel/Children's or Family Viewing Program.

“As the FAST landscape evolves, our partnership with Xumo Play will offer brand partners and advertisers the opportunity to engage with audiences in more meaningful ways,” Andrew Tew, HMPG senior vice president, global licensing and distribution, said.

“ ‘Lucky Dog’ Channel offers more of the quality, award-winning programming our Xumo Play customers have come to expect while providing advertisers a more immersive brand experience," said Stefan Van Engen, vice president, content programming and partnerships, Xumo. "Through the unique high-value sponsorship opportunities we're getting ready to deliver with ‘Lucky Dog’ Channel, we are giving advertisers a new way to align with the trusted ‘Lucky Dog’ brand in ways that resonate with our engaged audience."

HMPG's current program portfolio comprises more than 30 original series and hundreds of hours of original content annually on broadcast networks and station groups and on connected TV and streaming platforms. It has a library of more than 5,000 hours of programming and its content can be found in 100 countries.

LONDON—Hearst Networks EMEA is working with Synamedia for cloud distribution of its linear channels, including The HISTORY Channel, the company said today.

Formerly A+E Networks EMEA, Hearst Networks EMEA will use Synamedia SaaS-based Quortex PowerVu as a fully managed service, a move that will cut costs and increase the reliability of distribution to 10 affiliates across EMEA, it said.

Hearst Networks selected Synamedia for Quortex PowerVu’s technology and the company’s Global Cloud Operations Center in Bangalore, India, which specializes in DevOps for maintaining and operating media workflows in the cloud. The network has confidence in the company’s dedicated team of engineers 24/7, full control and monitoring of content flows and end points and incident management, Synamedia said.

Synamedia’s SaaS-based Quortex PowerVu offers integrated disaster recovery and support for open standards, making it possible to add new channels and distribution partners in hours instead of days. The new service will go live later this year running on AWS, it said.

“We chose to partner with Synamedia because the company offered a risk-free way to move our distribution to the cloud and benefit from new levels of scalability and flexibility while cutting operating costs,” said Matt Westrup, chief technology officer at Hearst Networks EMEA. “When we assessed Synamedia’s CloudOps Center, we were impressed by the caliber of its services and found a perfect match for our business needs.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK—Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) has announced it has licensed more than 500 hours of content to Samsung TV Plus, Samsung's free, ad-supported TV (FAST) and video-on-demand (AVOD) service.

As part of the agreement, Samsung TV Plus, which currently distributes the HMPG FAST channels Xplore, Rovr Pets, and The Jack Hanna Channel, will license more than 500 hours of HMPG original programming in the U.S., including the weekly series Lucky Dog, Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward, and various shows hosted by renowned wildlife expert Jack Hanna, among others. 

"In this evolving media landscape, we're expanding the distribution and access of HMPG's premium content reaching millions of new viewers," said Frank Biancuzzo, HMPG president. 

"Our vast library of iconic family-friendly and timely series continues to build audiences across all platforms," added Andrew Tew, HMPG senior vice president, global licensing & distribution.  "Samsung TV Plus is an ideal partner to advance our viewership footprint."

HMPG's current program portfolio comprises more than 30 original series and hundreds of hours of original content annually on leading broadcast networks and station groups and on streaming platforms.  Overall, HMPG has a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming and its content can be found in 97 countries. 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Dish Network has announced that the Hearst Television stations have been removed from its Dish TV offerings after the two parties were unable to come to terms on a new retransmission consent deal. 

The blackout impacts customers' access to 37 local channels in 27 markets. 

Channels impacted by Hearst's blackout include: Alburqueque, NM (KOAT), Baltimore, MD (WBAL), Birmingham, AL (WVTM), Boston, MA (WCVB & WMUR), Burlington, VT (WNNE & WPTZ),Cincinnati, OH (WLWT), Des Moines, IA (KCCI), Fort Myers, FL (WBBH), Fort Smith, AR (KHBS & KHBSD & KHOG), Greensboro, NC (WCWG & WXII), Greenville, SC (WYFF), Harrisburg, PA (WGAL), Jackson, MS (WAPT), Kansas City, MO (KCWE & KMBC), Louisville, KY (WLKY), Milwaukee, WI (WISN), Monterey, CA (KSBW & KSBWD), New Orleans, LA (WDSU), Oklahoma City, OK (KOCO), Omaha, NE (KETV), Orlando, FL (WESH & WKCF), Pittsburgh, PA (WTAE), Portland, ME (WMTW & WPXT), Sacramento, CA (KCRA & KQCA), Savannah, GA (WJCL), Tampa, FL (WMOR), West Palm Beach, FL (WPBF).

Dish said it had been in discussions with Hearst for months working to reach an agreement to keep its channels on air for customers but was unable to reach a deal because “Hearst is demanding tens of millions of dollars in rate increases that would affect customers, while it devalues its product by making programming available elsewhere, even as viewership declines” the pay TV operator said in a press release. 

"Hearst continues to raise its prices despite its declining viewership and lower-quality content," said Gary Schanman, executive vice president and group president, video services, Dish Network. "Demanding higher rates for the same entertainment and news just doesn't make sense, especially as Hearst's content is widely available on other platforms. This hurts our customers in their pocketbooks and their ability to watch the programming and content they want. Unfortunately, Hearst, like many other programmers, expects Dish and our customers to foot the bill."

Dish also described the dispute as another example of the broken pay TV system of negotiations between programmers and operators. Recently the Disney stations and channels were blacked out in a dispute with Charter and Nexstar stations remain blacked out on DirecTV. 

"It's a broken system," Schanman said. "As programmers continue to hold distributors hostage, customers will end up being impacted the most. We'll continue to negotiate for a fair deal to provide the best value for our customers. Hearst is an important long-term partner for us, and we hope they'll come to a reasonable agreement and restore their channels for our customers as quickly as possible."

In response, Hearst posted a statement to viewers on the websites of its stations. 

"Dish and Hearst Television have reached an impasse in negotiating a renewal retransmission consent agreement for the carriage of Hearst Television’s broadcast stations on Dish’s satellite system," the statement said. "We have made significant investments to deliver top tier programming to our viewers and DISH is seeking the right to carry our stations at below market rates, which is neither fair nor reasonable."

Hearst also urged viewers who have been impacted by the dispute to use an antenna to get the free over the air broadcasts or select another pay TV operator.  

"To be clear, we have not “blacked out” our station," the statement said. "You may continue to receive our station for free, over the air, or by other satellite distribution, and, where available, from cable operators. You can determine the type of antenna needed to receive the signals of our station at http://www.antennaweb.org/."

NEW YORK—After receiving all the required regulatory approvals, Hearst has announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of WBBH-TV from Waterman Broadcasting Corporation. 

Hearst did not release financial terms but the deal has been reported to be worth about $220 million. 

The NBC-affiliated television station is the market leader serving the Fort Myers and Naples, Florida, DMA. WBBH-TV also broadcasts the Heroes & Icons network on a digital sub-channel.   

Under the transaction, Hearst assumes Waterman Broadcasting’s programming relationship with Montclair Communications, Inc., owner of WZVN-TV, the market’s ABC affiliate. WZVN-TV also broadcasts the MeTV and Dabl networks on its digital sub-channels.

“The Waterman family has served southwest Florida with unparalleled community service and outstanding journalism,” said Jordan Wertlieb, executive vice president and COO of Hearst. “We at Hearst are steadfast in this commitment to local broadcasting as we have been throughout Florida for over 25 years.” 

Longtime Waterman Broadcasting executive and WBBH-TV vice president and station manager Darrel Lieze-Adams will continue in this role and succeed Steve Pontius, who recently announced his retirement, with market oversight.

“Darrel has a passion for WBBH and has served the station and southwest Florida for 26 years as news director and station manager,” Hayes said. “We are eager to join him to continue the outstanding work being done.”  

In addition to WBBH-TV, Hearst Television’s Florida stations include WESH-TV and WKCF-TV, the NBC and CW affiliates in Orlando; WPBF-TV, the ABC affiliate serving West Palm Beach; and WMOR-TV, an independent television station in Tampa-St. Petersburg. Hearst Television reaches nearly one out of every five households in the U.S.

WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV have earned multiple awards for compelling and in-depth journalism and for service to the Fort Myers and Naples communities. Collectively, the stations earned three national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2022 from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Fort Myers/Naples is the 55th largest television market in the United States. The acquisition adds a 12th NBC affiliate to the Hearst station group. Hearst will now operate two NBC and two ABC stations in the state of Florida. 

WBBH-TV went on the air in December 1968 as the market’s NBC affiliate. Waterman Broadcasting Corporation was founded by Bernard Waterman in 1956 when he purchased WAAB-AM in Worcester, Massachusetts. WBBH and what is now WZVN began a programming relationship in 1994.  

 NEW YORK—After months of mixed messages and speculation about NBC and other broadcast networks handing the 10 p.m. hour back to stations, new reporting suggests that NBC has decided to keep programming the 10 p.m. hour at least through the 2023-2024 season. 

“Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, relayed the message during recent agency presentations, stressing that the network will not be getting out of the 10 PM hour” during next year’s season according to a report in Deadline. 

As previously reported in TV Tech NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell confirmed in October that NBC had explored the idea of handing the 10 p.m. prime time slot back to affiliates so it could reinvent the money in streaming content. 

“If we are being prudent operators, which we try to be in allocating a bunch of resources to one part of the business, you have to look at the allocation of resources to others,” Shell said in an interview with CNBC. “I don't think we're ready to make a decision on 10 o'clock or anything else but we are looking to reallocate resources.”

Shell stressed however that “given the numbers, whatever the numbers are right now, we have a lot of great shows at 10 o'clock. We make a lot of money at 10 o'clock....There's no question…as linear declines. You're gonna have to make some trade offs and we'll be looking at that [and] our investors will want us to look at that.”

Executives at some station groups, such as Hearst Television, have said they expect the networks to eventually hand back the 10 p.m. hour, which would open up opportunities for them to program the time slot.  

In response, CBS said it was firmly committed to the time slot. 

In the meantime Deadline is reporting that NBC is looking for more procedural dramas to fill the time slot. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Telemundo and Hearst Television were among the award winners honored Nov. 29 by the American Council of the Blind (ACB) at the 2022 Audio Description Awards gala streamed at www.AdAwardsGala.org and by Pluto TV.

The broadcasters were recognized for their outstanding achievement in Spanish Media in the United States.

Honorees were selected from a diverse group by the ACB’s Audio Description Awards Committee.

Besides Telemundo and Hearst Television, winners included:

• Larry Goldberg, Outstanding Audio Description Visionary 
• Microsoft, Audio Description Game Changer: Innovation  
• Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Audio Description Game Changer: Inclusion 
• Described and Captioned Media Program, Audio Description Game Changer: Education  
• Paramount Global, Outstanding Achievement: Live Events  
• AMI, Outstanding Achievement: International Media- 
• Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+/Lucasfilm/Audio Description by Deluxe), Audio Description People's Choice Award. 

The gala celebrated the inclusivity and accessibility of media by recognizing the audio description achievements of those in television, streaming and the film industry in making media more accessible to better serve low-vision audiences.

More information is available on the ACB website.

 NEW YORK—Hearst has appointed three senior executives to newly created positions at Hearst Media Production Group, which was formed in September 2021 to expand Hearst Television’s original program production and distribution efforts. The division incorporates existing operations from Litton Entertainment and the weekly syndicated program “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.”

Bryan Curb has been named executive vice president and general manager, educational/informational (E/I) programming. He previously was chief creative officer for Litton Entertainment, which is best known for its Emmy-winning weekend E/I programming airing on major broadcast networks. In his new role, Curb will oversee all aspects of E/I programming, including program development, business standards and practices, sales and marketing. Before joining Litton in 2018, he was founder and CEO of MTO Productions, a Burbank-based independent television and video production company.

Angelica Rosas McDaniel has been named executive vice president and general manager, entertainment. She previously served as executive vice president, strategy and creative development, for Litton Entertainment. In her new role, she will lead Hearst Media Production Group’s newly formed entertainment unit, with a focus on unscripted original program development and related marketing, syndication and distribution. She joined Litton in 2020 from CBS Corporation, where she served for nine years, most recently as executive vice president of daytime programs and syndicated program development.

Chris Matthews has been named chief financial officer. He previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Litton Entertainment. His responsibilities will expand to include financial oversight of all Hearst Media Production Group operating units, as well as strategic planning and business growth opportunities. Before joining Litton in 2016 he was a partner with the top-20 accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP.

“Bryan, Angelica and Chris are savvy media executives who will help propel the new group from a creative, strategic and business standpoint,” said Frank Biancuzzo, president of Hearst Media Production Group. “Together with our existing team of strong managers, producers and operational staff, we’re poised for great things ahead.”

Alongside the senior leadership news, it was also announced that Litton Entertainment will be rebranded as Hearst Media Production Group. 

Litton was founded in 1989; Hearst acquired a majority interest in 2017 and the balance in 2021. Its current program portfolio comprises more than 30 series and hundreds of hours of content annually on leading broadcast station groups and networks - and in 97 countries - and on connected TV and streaming platforms, with a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming.

NEW YORK—Hearst, working with the Emma Bowen Foundation, has announced the creation of an endowment that will provide need-based scholarships and internships to minority students seeking careers in the media industry. The endowment is being created in honor of the late Jeana Stanley, who was Hearst’s vice president of Finance.

Stanley joined Hearst in 2004 at WBAL-TV and WBAL-AM/FM in Baltimore as a controller. She would move up and spend eight years as the vice president of finance for Hearst Television, before joining Hearst’s corporate finance team in 2018. In addition to her finance role, Stanley also was a scout for HearstLab, a group of women executives that contribute their expertise and mentor HearstLab portfolio companies.

Stanley passed away in June 2020.

The endowment is designed to assist finance students from diverse backgrounds seeking internships and career opportunities in media. In addition to needs-based scholarships, students will receive industry-specific education, training and internship opportunities at Hearst and other media-related companies.

“This endowment allows us to create an even broader pipeline of talent, armed with the necessary skills to be competitive, to be shared within the media and technology industry,” said Nikki Bethel, Emma Bowen Foundation president and CEO. “These young faces will reflect Jeana’s legacy. We know she would be most proud.”

“This scholarship combines many of the things that were close to Jeana’s heart,” said Randal Stanley, Jeana’s husband. “Jeana was passionate about helping professionals advance in the industry. Now, her legacy lives on.”

For more information, visit www.hearst.com.  

NEW YORK—After the protests and riots that took place over the weekend in response to the killing of George Floyd, Hearst President and CEO Steve Swartz issued a statement in which he shared that three Hearst TV journalists were injured while covering the events and that all were doing fine.

Two of the journalists were injured in Louisville, Ky., and another in Des Moines, Iowa. Swartz also said that many of their journalists were verbally abused, one news vehicle had been vandalized and a few facilities suffered minor damage.

“We couldn’t be more proud of their courage and that of all our journalists serving their communities at this time,” Swartz said in his statement. “They, like all first responders to crisis situations, deserve our admiration and gratitude.”

Swartz continued:

“Clearly our nation must come to grips with a pattern of unfair and unequal treatment that has gone on far too long, and all of us must ask ourselves as citizens what we can each do to help bring about change.

“For 133 years our journalists have covered issues of vital interest to our nation and the communities they serve. We remain committed to doing so completely and fairly, and we will take all appropriate steps to keep our colleagues safe while they fulfill their mission.”

Swartz’s full statement is available online. 

Twitter announced new content deals and renewals with 30 partners at its NewFront presentation Monday night (April 30) in New York.  

The activity nearly doubles the number of deals the social media company announced last year.

NBCUniversal, ESPN, Will Packer Media, Viacom and Hearst are among the companies providing content that will appear on Twitter.

“Twitter is the only place where conversation is tied to video and the biggest live moments, giving brands the unique ability to connect with leaned-in consumers who are shaping culture,” said Twitter global VP of revenue and content partnerships Matthew Derella. “That’s our superpower.”

Programs dedicated to topics like women’s empowerment and communities like Black Twitter were introduced to complement the rich conversation about these movements on the platform.

[Read: Bloomberg, Twitter Launch First 24/7 Global Social News Network]

Twitter also announced a Creators Originals, Powered by Niche, a network working with creators to make premium original series on Twitter.

It also introduced a Live Brand Studio, which will help brands create content for Twitter and provide analytics.

Under the deal with NBCUniversal, NBCU will distribute on Twitter live video and clips from units including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemudo, Today and E! News.

Other entertainment programming will be provided by Live Nation, Ellen Digital Sudios and Hearst Magazine Digital Studios.

Viacom will be bringing back exclusive red carpet coverage of big award shows on MTV and BET. New shows from Viacom include the Comedy Central Creators Room, BET Breaks, MTV News and MTV News International.

Inspired by the cultural phenomenon of Black Twitter, Power Star Live from executive producer Will Packer’s Will Packer Media, is a 30-minute weekly show streamed live from the Atlanta University Center in Atlanta. It brings together the most entertaining, enlightening and comedic content across Twitter feeds while attributing and highlighting diverse voices.

Twitter will also be getting news content from BuszFeed, Vice, #Huff Post, History and Vox Media.

Sports content will emanate from ESPN, including SportsCenter, Turner’s Bleacher Report, The Players’ Tribune and Barstool Sports, and sports leagues including Major League Beaseball, MLS and Formula One.

NEW YORK– Stefan Hadl, director of engineering and operations of Hearst Television’s WCVB-TV in Boston, has been promoted to director of engineering, eastern region, for Hearst Television. He succeeds Mike Keller, who will retire at year end, concluding a distinguished 25-year career with Hearst Television.

The announcement was made today by Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president, and Marty Faubell, Hearst Television vice president of engineering, to whom Hadl will report. Hadl will continue to be based at WCVB; his successor as the station’s director of engineering will be named at a later date.

“Stefan’s outstanding leadership has been evident in every assignment throughout his many years with Hearst Television and has uniquely positioned him for this next assignment,” Wertlieb said. “He is an exceptional leader with a stellar reputation for building teams. His engineering insight, leadership style, and contagious enthusiasm are a terrific addition to our best-in-class corporate engineering team.”

“Stefan has been a key member of our engineering team and has served in important roles at three major Hearst TV stations,” Faubell added. “He was instrumental in our company’s role in the successful digital TV transition among other developments. And throughout his career here he has met and conquered many of the challenges that face engineers tasked with maintaining a high-quality broadcast TV service through every manner of natural and man-made obstacle.”

Hadl joined Hearst Television in 1995 as a broadcast engineer at what later became the company’s Sacramento duopoly, KCRA-TV/KQCA-TV, and was promoted to numerous positions there including engineering supervisor and assistant chief engineer. After a three-and-a-half year tour as director of engineering at Hearst Television’s WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH, he returned to KCRA/KQCA as director of engineering, a position he held for more than a decade. In 2015, Hadl once again relocated cross-country to New England, where he became director of engineering of WCVB-TV

Hadl began his career in broadcast engineering with an eight-year tour in the United States Air Force, where he received his broadcast engineering, leadership and management education and training. He was discharged as a Television Equipment Specialist NCOIC (Level7) at Los Angeles AFB. Hadl holds an AS degree in electronic systems technologyfrom USAF Community College/Chapman University, and is a graduate of the Airman Leadership School and the Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership School.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters has announced who will be leading off the proceedings of the 2017 NAB Show—following NAB President Gordon Smith’s opening address, of course. That honor will be going to Steven Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst as he will participate in an executive Q&A session.

Swartz has been president of Hearst, a diversified media, information and services company, in 2013 after serving as vice president from 2001 to 2008. Hearst Television owns and operates local television and radio stations in 26 media markets across 39 states, reaching an estimated 21 million households.

The Q&A with Swartz is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 24, during the opening event sponsored by Blackmagic Design.

The 2017 NAB Show will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 22-27. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.