The latest–and, for now, final debate–of the 2024 presidential election cycle takes place on Tuesday hosted by CBS News. The vice presidential candidates Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. J.D. Vance–respective running mates of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump–will face off in New York City as the sprint towards Election Day enters…
Top of the Ticker: Andrea Mitchell said and emotional goodbye–and happy hello–to her longtime producer Michelle Perry on Friday. The Andrea Mitchell Reports host revealed that Perry has been promoted to a larger role at NBC News and its multiple networks. “She’s become one of the most beloved and respected colleagues in our Washington bureau,…
It’s the end of the 2023-2024 TV season as we knew it, and you’d better believe that David Muir is feeling fine. With the week of September 16 in the history books, the World News Tonight host and the rest of the ABC News team can celebrate their own Triple Crown: another week, quarter, and…
Oh, what a beautiful mornin’ for Good Morning America. ABC News’ flagship morning news program wrapped up the 2023-2024 season with a first place finish among total viewers–the 12th straight season that its perched at the top of the roost. But GMA had to cede the advertiser-treasured Adults 25-54 demo to Today as the NBC…
The 2024 edition of Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off on Sept. 15 for a monthlong celebration of America’s vibrant Hispanic and Latino and Latine communities. Appropriately, the major news outlets have announced themed programming unfolding from now through Oct. 15, ranging from primetime specials to special segments on popular shows. Here’s our network-by-network viewing guide…
It was a slender victory–but a victory nonetheless–for Good Morning America last week. After the ABC News morning show saw its NBC News rival Today capture the No. 1 spot among both total viewers and the A25-54 demo for the week of Sept. 2, GMA fought its way back into first place in the former…
David Muir didn’t just co-moderate a closely-watched presidential debate last week–he also anchored the country’s top newscast. According to live plus same day data from Nielsen, ABC World News Tonight posted a dominant performance during the week of Sept. 9, attracting an audience of 6.933 million total viewers and 967,000 viewers in the Adults 25-54…
Former President Donald Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt on Sunday. The incident took place at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, FL. Trump previously survived a shooting in Butler County, PA in July. The timeline of Sunday’s events started at 1:30 p.m. ET when authorities received reports of…
Vice President Kamala Harris sat for her first solo TV interview on Friday, three days after her first–and most likely only–debate with former President Donald Trump. But the Democratic candidate notably didn’t appear on any of the major cable or broadcast outlets. Instead, she went local, recording an interview with Brian Taff, anchor of Philadelphia’s…
Having seen the huge ratings that accompany presidential debates, Fox News has thrown its hat in the ring to host the next match-up between candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Following the Harris/Trump debate on ABC News on Tuesday, Fox News announced that it had sent letters to both campaigns requesting an additional debate in…
Set phasers to… spin. The most popular (and crowded) place to be before and after a presidential debate is the spin room, where surrogates from both sides of the aisle are swarmed by press asking for their instant reactions. TVNewser joined the fray following the ABC News debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, overhearing…
Philadelphia was the center of the news media world on Tuesday night as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met for their first–and potentially only–presidential debate. ABC News hosted the event, which saw the candidates meeting in a specially-made studio at the National Constitution Center. Meanwhile, the assembled press corps–including TVNewser–congregated inside a cavernous Philadelphia Convention…
September saw the return of college football and NFL action, but the venue that recorded an upset was in the morning show ratings field as NBC News’ Today emerged as the most-watched morning show for the week of Sept. 2–not only in the advertiser-coveted demo of Adults 25-54 but in total viewers as well. Heading…
The week following the Labor Day holiday saw a mixed bag of results as ABC World News Tonight with David Muir remained the most-watched broadcast but was also the only program to see week-to-week declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo for the week of September 2. Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News with Lester…
The much-anticipated meet-up between the Democratic and GOP presidential candidates takes place tonight on ABC News in Philadelphia, beginning at 9 p.m. ET. In anticipation of the ABC News Presidential Debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the news outlet gave a walkaround tour of where all the action will take…
Another presidential debate night is upon us, and this time we have a new face on the Democratic ticket facing off against a three-time GOP nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris will stand across from former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia during the ABC News Presidential Debate on Tuesday. A lot has happened since CNN hosted…
DirecTV has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith as the satellite provider’s blackout of Disney-owned networks moves into its second week. “Disney has violated the FCC’s good faith mandates by predicating any licensing agreement on DirecTV’s waiving any legal claims on Disney’s past, current or future…
Top of the Ticker: With only four sleeps to go before Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off in Philadelphia in their Sept. 10 presidential debate, ABC News has set the ground rules for the blockbuster event. Mics will definitely be muted, no audience will be permitted and there will be two commercial breaks during…
Leave it to Kaitlin Olson to bring some Philly sunshine to ABC’s fall schedule. The star of FX’s long-running comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will dabble in detective work via High Potential, a new procedural from prolific TV creator Drew Goddard that’s one of two fall dramas that ABC announced during TV upfront week….
By David Schwab, managing director of Octagon First Call
Entering its 19th season tonight, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars features a new judge (former pro dancer turned actress Julianne Hough), a large crop of new pros, and of course, a brand new cast. As marketers tune in this season, here are four things to keep top of mind throughout this cycle.
• Contestants to Watch
At first glance, season 19’s most interesting name seems to be Bethany Mota, a YouTube star with a massive millennial fan base. She may not be a household name now, but her star has risen quickly as one of the faces of YouTube’s national ad campaign, and she recently landed the cover of Seventeen magazine. DWTS will help boost her profile from computer screen to mainstream. We expect beauty, young fashion and technology brands to be playing close attention to her.
Perhaps the biggest name this year is Lolo Jones. As both a summer and winter Olympian, Jones regularly garners significant media attention. She has already enjoyed brand deals (BP, Red Bull) and will continue to do so leading up to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. A DWTS stint will allow Jones to broaden her reach outside the Olympics/sports space and into mainstream and lifestyle categories, where she will have more longevity post-Olympics.
• The ABCs of Casting DWTS
While Mota and Jones are standouts this season, the cast as a whole comes off as a bit vanilla. As always, DWTS has seemingly found a casting formula it feels delivers well—and is sticking to it.
The cast includes an Olympian (Jones), a comedian (Tommy Chong), an older competitor (Betsey Johnson), youth-appealing talent (Mota and Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish), a reality star (Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty), a media personality (Tavis Smiley), “tough guy” pro athletes (Randy Couture and Michael Waltrip), Hollywood heartthrobs (Antonio Sabato Jr. and Jonathan Bennett) and celebs who appeal to audience nostalgia (Alfonso Ribeiro of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Lea Thompson of Back to the Future).
• Types of Deals That Work
Because the show is only on the air for a few months, PR, social media, hospitality and corporate speaking are the types of marketing deals that typically make the most sense for DWTS talent to take advantage of their increased appeal and attention.
These activities allow marketers to quickly leverage the current relevance of the show, whereas advertising would not hit until after the show is over and buzz has died down. In season, DWTS celebs get weekly exposure on top entertainment outlets including Ellen, Extra and Access Hollywood, making them that much more valuable and relevant to marketers in the short term (including products they can wear during the interviews—clothing/shoes/jewelry).
• Pros and Judges Pick Up the Slack
The pros and judges are starting to have equal if not more star power than the celebrity cast. While the celebrity talent varies season to season and brings fans in and out of the franchise, the judges and pros become anchors for the series as familiar faces.
Several fan favorites have numerous marketing partnerships and continue to hold strong value for brands, including Cheryl Burke (Depend, imPRESS Nails), Carrie Ann Inaba (Purina, Arnicare, USA Dance) and Mark Ballas (GlaxoSmithKline, Pepsi, Holland America). Serial champ Derek Hough is one to watch for brands, too.
Returning in a new role is former pro (now judge) Julianne Hough, who has proven to be a marketing star through her partnerships with Proactiv, FFANY and Caress, among others. The judging shakeup not only adds a new dynamic to the show (à la Erin Andrews as the new co-host last season) but also brings back a fan favorite, which producers are surely hoping brings in additional viewers as well.
Judging as opposed to returning as a pro should open up greater opportunities for Julianne. Judges and hosts are not frequently in rehearsals and competing week to week, and so they have more availability to participate in branded opportunities.
While judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli travel weekly between London and Los Angeles to judge on both DWTS and its British counterpart, Strictly Come Dancing, their presence on both shows could be leveraged for international opportunities and appearances, too.
—David Schwab is managing director of Octagon First Call, experts in aligning celebrities with brands to deliver a quantifiable results against company objectives. Follow him at @david_schwab.
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