Former top Turner Broadcasting and NBC executive Scott Sassa has been named president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, the company said Thursday. Mr. Sassa will be overseeing the group responsible for Hearst’s interests in cable television networks, including ESPN, Lifetime,…
Oxygen’s season-three premiere of “Bad Girls Club” Tuesday set records as the network’s highest-rated and most-watched season premiere ever. The premiere drew a 0.8 household rating, averaging 807,000 total viewers. Among viewers 18-49, “Girls” drew 568,000 viewers; 405,000 viewers were…
DirecTV today starting airing high-definition versions of public television stations in 14 U.S. markets, Multichannel News says. DirecTV, which will unveil more HD public TV channels in the three months remaining before the U.S. switchover to all-digital television broadcasts, included…
Viacom Inc. is cutting about 850 jobs and NBC Universal is trimming about 500 staffers, a signal that television companies are struggling to adjust to the declining economy and slower advertising sales. Viacom said it will cut its workforce by…
NBC Universal will cut almost 500 jobs, or 3% of the company’s worldwide labor budget, as part of the cost-cutting plan it announced two months ago. “This kind of message is never easy, but it is the right step to…
As part of a growing trend to measure online audiences in a more detailed fashion, Disney-ABC Television Group said it is rolling out online measurement tools from Quantcast across its Web properties, including for its full-episode player on ABC.com. The…
Viacom announced its long anticipated staff cutback on Thursday, saying it was reducing its workforce by 7%, or 850 jobs, as part of a restructuring designed to reduce costs to fit recessionary economic conditions. The company is also suspending pay…
Viacom on Thursday said it was reducing its workforce by 7%, or 850 jobs, as part of a restructuring designed to reduce costs to fit economic conditions, TelevisionWeek reports. The restructuring will result in a charge of $400 million to…
Clint Stinchcomb, who launched Discovery Communication’s high-definition channel, is leaving the company after 16 years, TelevisionWeek reports. Discovery is integrating Discovery HD Theater into its emerging networks group. —Jon Lafayette
Married television stars Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin have signed to do a pilot presentation of an unscripted show for TVLand, the Hollywood Reporter says. The project would follow the couple and their two daughters. If TVLand decides to go…