TVMoJoe

It’s been clear since for a while that TV’s evolution from linear to digital was not going smoothly. Since February, @LaneBrown and I have been digging into the story of how it all went awry, why those who make TV are so angry, and what comes next. vulture.com/2023/06/stream…

Hurting the comparisons: This year's Oscarcast came after Daylight Saving Time had started; last year's was before. And the World Baseball Classic is massive this year-- it drew over 7M viewers on FS1, sources say.

As I reported at BlueSky: ABC hasn't issued an official release yet, but per one studio source, the show drew 17.9M viewers, down from last year's (non-Big Data-measured) 19.69M viewers. It's the lowest since 2022's show, which did 16.6M, but still a very solid number in 2026

When Ellison says Casey Bloys and HBO will be given the “resources and independence to do what it does best,” the obvious next questions are: How does he define the “what they do” part? And will it be enough to keep the current HBO brain trust in place? vulture.com/article/david-…

“At a time when the president and his cronies have embarked on a bid to make the country less democratic and less pluralistic, a media company that has shown a clear willingness to align itself with that mission is about to get dramatically bigger." vulture.com/article/paramo…

The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice (and networks listening to me…eventually) THE MUPPET SHOW, exec produced by a Jason Segel co-star, airs tonight on ABC and is streaming now on @DisneyPlus

"The only actual new ideas Weiss has brought are that 'woke' is bad — and that she knows best." Some thoughts on Bari Weiss's Tuesday town hall and how her flagship broadcast has seriously underplayed what happened this weekend in MSP, now at @vulture: vulture.com/article/bari-w…

In fact, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT had its biggest audience Monday since April 2020, when COVID news prompted ratings surges. So while CBS's number is accurate, and sampling is sampling, it's not the flex CBS thinks it is: WORLD NEWS benefited even more from NBC's absence.

Specifically, ABC's WORLD NEWS TONIGHT added nearly 3 million viewers Monday vs. its recent averages, jumping to 10.9 million viewers. It was a busy news day and with no NBC NIGHTLY NEWS, the other two newscast divided the audience.

New on @vulture: Netflix wants its version of "American's Got Talent" or "The Voice," and it's betting STAR SEARCH can be that show. I talked to unscripted programming VP Jeff Gaspin about why he's rolling the dice on this reboot. vulture.com/article/netfli…

🎄🎁 3.2 million viewers for last night’s #HighPotential 8pm repeat in prelim data, best ABC 8pm drama encore in nearly 8 years and top show across nets in primetime

Data is wonky right now with Nielsen's new "big data" panel. But in prelims, KenCen did just 2.65M. Even with a 25% lift, the show still finishes in the mid-3M range-- well below last year. In demos, it's even more of a massacre-- currently at a 0.14, roughly HALF of 2024 show

Last year, the KENNEDY CENTER HONORS scored its smallest audience ever (4.1M viewers) In 2022, it did 5.2M viewers Still too early for a final number, but based on early data, so-called "Trump" KenCenter Honors will be least-watched ever and may lose to HIGH POTENTIAL reruns

Losing the Oscars to YouTube definitely underscores the passing of the linear TV age as we've known it. But for Disney and ABC, losing the Oscars to YouTube is not a disaster. And in some ways, there's an upside. My latest at @vulture: vulture.com/article/disney…

FYI: "Nexstar today announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the company’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network beginning tonight."

BOOM! The return of JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE averaged 6.26 million same-day viewers Tuesday, despite not being available in nearly one-fourth the country’s TV homes. It appears to be Kimmel’s most-watched episode ever. vulture.com/article/jimmy-…

NEWS: Kimmel is back Tuesday From Disney: "We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

BREAKING: ABC puts JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE on hiatus after conservative backlash, station group and FCC chair pressure network over Kirk comment. Details at @vulture vulture.com/article/abc-pu…

I tell you what, and I tell you first on @vulture: KING OF THE HILL will open huge on the Nielsen charts next week, scoring over 1 billion minutes watched. But the even better news: Turns out another season is already in the can and set for 2026. vulture.com/article/king-o…

BOOM! First on @vulture: We're getting a normies version of #TheTraitors on top of the already announced seasons. And this version will air on NBC. Details here: vulture.com/article/the-tr…