ESPN Tightens Its Belt as Pressure on It Mounts
A decline in subscribers as customers trim their cable bills, coupled with rising content costs and increased competition, has ESPN in belt-tightening mode, people familiar with the situation say.
The company, majority owned by Walt Disney Co., has lost 3.2 million subscribers in a little over a year, according to Nielsen data, as people have “cut the cord” by dropping their cable-TV subscriptions or downgraded to cheaper, slimmed-down TV packages devoid of expensive sports channels like ESPN.
Networks such as The Weather Channel and Viacom Inc.’s Nickelodeon have also suffered steep declines in household reach in the last four years. Among other top networks, Time Warner Inc.’s TNT has shed 6% of its base, and NBCUniversal’s USA has lost 5%.
As the World Turns alum Scott Bryce to Host Norwalk Symphony's Broadway Pops Concert on July 12
Bryce (a Weston resident) will be the host for the event and will participate in a meet and greet for sponsors afterwards. Says Scott "I am so honored and excited to host this upcoming special event with The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. I am especially thrilled to share the stage with Paul Bogaev and all the other remarkable performers joining us. This gift the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is giving us is truly special. We are very blessed to have so much talent in our various communities in southern Connecticut and as a board member of New Paradigm Theatre, I am so very proud to see yet another example of how that community talent can be "orchestrated" to present entertainment, education and mentoring to all of our young people."
The Young and the Restless launches "Phone a Fan Sweepstakes"
"To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already a Registered User, register to the Twitter Service, watch the Show, find the Show related video presented by the Show talent in relationship to the applicable Sweepstakes via the Twitter Service; and re-tweet such video via the Twitter Service with hash-tag #YRSweepstakes during the applicable Sweepstakes Entry Period to receive an entry into the applicable Sweepstakes."
Meet The Bold and the Beautiful transgender actor Scott Turner Schofield
Schofield’s character, Nick, debuted in May as a close friend of Maya, whom Schofield describes as the show’s “leading lady.” Since then, he has shared screen time with some of daytime television’s biggest stars, including Thorsten Kaye and Jacob Young, calling them “lovely, lovely men.” Kaye, he says, helped calm his nerves on set, while Young took to Twitter to defend the “love story” being told between his character, Rick, and Maya. “What an ally,” he says of Young.
What We Can Learn From Coca-Cola’s Biggest Blunder
On July 11, 1985, following the New Coke debacle, original-formula Coca-Cola returned
Network executives had been understandably hesitant to interrupt the nation’s most popular daytime soap opera. Yet viewers raised few complaints after ABC’s Peter Jennings broke into
General Hospital, on July 10, 1985, to tell them that, bowing to public outrage and stunned by the anemic sales figures of its replacement, Coca-Cola was moving to put its original soft-drink formula back on the market.
Merritt Wever Joins The Walking Dead Season 6 Alongside Ethan Embry
Wever will play a character from the fan-favorite comic book when the new season kicks off. Embry is going from Storybrooke to Alexandria and joining the cast too. He'll make his appearance in the Sunday, October 11 season six premiere.
Archie Comics Drama Riverdale Moved To CW With Greg Berlanti Producing
Riverdale, a one-hour drama based on the iconic
Archie comic book characters, has moved to CW. The subversive take on the well-known franchise’s wholesome town of Riverdale and residents Archie, Betty, Veronica, as well as Josie and the Pussycats, originally was being developed at Fox.
The Simpsons Duff Beer Tries to Tap Markets Outside Springfield
21st Century Fox is entering the Duff Beer business itself—beginning in Chile, with plans to roll out to more of South America and Europe by early next year.
Ron Perlman talks Hellboy 3, makes General Hospital joke at Comic Con
Ron Perlman had a lot of good things to say while promoting his new Amazon show
Hand of God this week in a Comic Con panel. He talked about the unparalleled freedom given to the creative team by Amazon Studios. He talked about how he considers the role of Pernell Harris to be the most exciting of his career. He talked about how true originality is the domain of television now, where it used to belong to cinema. And when asked which of his past movies he loves most, he said “I love all my children equally. And I love
General Hospital.” (Zing!)
“We owe the world the finale of
Hellboy,” he said. “It’s a deal we made, man!"
Ros Na Rún actor Diarmuid Mac An Adhastair dies
He was best known for playing the part of Séamus Mhicil Tom on Irish language television channel TG4's soap opera
Ros Na Rún.
American Idol judge Keith Urban wins big in court versus "Player" trademark claim
A Los Angeles judge tossed a lawsuit by a British songwriter who accused Keith Urban of stealing his band’s name — Player — for a guitar lesson package the singer sells on the Home Shopping Network and online, court papers show.
In a trademark violation complaint filed in federal court, Peter Beckett claimed the “American Idol” judge snatched the “Player” name after Beckett’s band performed its 1978 chart-topper “Baby Come Back” last year on an episode of the daytime soap opera
General Hospital.
Past and present daytime soap opera stars are hitting primetime in the coming weeks. Check out some of their upcoming guest appearances below.
Studio 47 Productions, with ConvergTV's The Venture Channel, announced today distribution of their award-winning and brand-integrated comedy soap spoof, STEAMBOAT, which is now available on Roku and NetTalk. This is phase one of a global roll out for the network and the show. 
NBC's new drama DECEPTION – starring Meagan Good, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan and Katherine LaNasa in a dark family murder mystery -- debuts on January 7 at 10 p.m. ET. But you can watch the entire premiere episode online right now!
NAME: Scott Bryce