The national board of the Screen Actors Guild on Saturday approved an agreement to hold joint negotiations on a new primetime TV contract with the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists. SAG and AFTRA are now set to begin negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Oct. 1.
With a much weaker lead-in for its second episode in its new timeslot, NBC's The Marriage Ref went from first place last week to third place last night. Ref averaged a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating, down 21% from last week's 3.4 rating.
ABC is launching an ESPN-branded Saturday afternoon programming block. Dubbed ESPN Sports Saturday, the block will feature a one-hour original series, Winners Bracket, as well as a mix of some of ESPN's other programs. Hannah Storm, who anchors the morning edition of SportsCenter, will host the block.
The former host of The Tonight Show announced a 30-city theater tour on Thursday. Sidekick Andy Richter and the former Tonight Show band will join O'Brien for what he promises to be "a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence."
NBC continues to be competitive in the 10 p.m. timeslot, though that says as much about the competition as anything NBC is programming. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit tied for first place with CBS's CSI: NY at 10 last night with a 2.6 adults 18-49 rating.
Digital executives at TV networks say they are diving into different platforms — from Web video to social media to mobile — to connect with audiences wherever they are. They have embraced the "Splinternet," the term recently coined by Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff to describe the fragmentation of media across a multitude of gadgets.
With fans already creating their own Lost entertainment online, ABC has decided to jump into the act. The network is setting up a contest for fans to create their own TV promo for the show.
