Top Stories

LOS ANGELES: Endemol Beyond USA has launched its second premium network, Smasher, focused on eSports and gaming. Smasher rolled out yesterday with the debut of its flagship series, Legends of Gaming, hosted by Toby Turner and based on the Endemol Beyond UK format of the same name. Pizza Hut is on …

ORLANDO: Broadcasts of the British Open on NBC are set to start a year earlier than originally planned, with coverage slated for 2016. The announcement follows a June agreement between NBC Sports Group and R&A that initially gave the U.S. network coverage rights starting in 2017. ESPN was meant to …

LOS ANGELES: FOX Sports in the U.S. has added eight live Bundesliga matches to FOX's 2016 broadcast schedule. The season of Germany’s top professional soccer league will consist of 306 matches played from August to May, which will be made available in the U.S. on FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus …

LOS ANGELES: On October 19, production is set to begin on 20 episodes of the pop culture, trivia-based game show Easiest Game Show Ever. Hosted by comedian and actor Michael Ian Black (The Jim Gaffigan Show, Wet Hot American Summer, The State), along with co-host Abbi Crutchfield, Easiest Game Show …

ENGLEWOOD: DISH has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny the proposed merger of Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable, citing substantial harm to competition and consumers. DISH is arguing that the proposed transaction would be no better for the public interest than the one proposed between Comcast and …

NEW YORK: Matthew Graham, the VP of Acorn TV, part of RLJ Entertainment, speaks with TV USA about Acorn TV and the popularity of British content in the U.S. Acorn TV first launched in July 2011 as a way to leverage “emerging video streaming technologies and platforms to provide convenient and economical access …

MUNICH: Red Arrow Entertainment Group has launched a new digital media company in Los Angeles, Ripple Entertainment. Ripple will launch and operate vertically focused networks, producing original content with Red Arrow production companies, external strategic partners and independent creators. Ripple Entertainment will also act as Red Arrow's hub for digital …

NEW YORK: Showtime has picked up the Cameron Crowe comedy Roadies, with J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot producing. Crowe, the filmmaker behind movies such as Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, wrote and directed the pilot. The show follows life on the road for the crew tasked with mounting a rock band’s …

KNOXVILLE: Scripps Networks Interactive has promoted Henry Ahn to president of content distribution and marketing. In his new role, Ahn is charged with overseeing all aspects of distribution with both traditional linear partners and the increasing number of businesses looking for high-quality digital content. He will continue to be based …

NEW YORK: NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises is launching Seeso, a new streaming channel dedicated to comedy, set to debut in January 2016. The ad-free SVOD service will be available for $3.99 per month. It will offer subscribers comedy programming, updated with new content each day, additional episodes of exclusives each week …