Statement: Allen Media Group Sues Nielsen

Jennifer Hudson - Mike Rozman/Warner Bros.

Broadcast: CBS News and The Weather Channel have made a deal in which Weather Channel correspondents, reporting, and technology will be shown on various CBS News programs. Byron Allen, whose Allen Media Group owns The Weather Channel, announced the news on CBS Mornings. Weather and climate reporting will air on CBS programs like CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News With Norah O’Donnell, and CBS News’ streaming serving. CBS now has access to the channel’s “Immersive Mixed Reality” technology. The Weather Channel’s national prowess increases CBS’s reporting abilities against competitors like ABC News and NBC News.

Gray Television’s WLBT has named Michael A. White Jr., who started out with WLBT’s internship program, director of operations for the Gray/WLBT Media Training Center, which will launch later this year. Since 2020, White has been serving as morning executive producer at WLBT, and prior to that, he worked as associate producer and news producer. His main duty will be developing the training program, which will aim to train and prepare college students for a career in media. It will also focus on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in media.

Fox Television Stations is launching Jennifer Hudson’s The Jennifer Hudson Show this fall. With The Ellen DeGeneres Show coming to an end this year, Hudson’s show will be the studio’s new flagship daytime talk show. It comes from the production company Telepictures and was shot last fall on DeGeneres’ stage. It will also launch on Hearst Television and additional station groups.

AMG/Nielsen

Cable: Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has sued Nielsen for fraudulent ratings on networks like Comedy.TV, Weather Channel, and others. It claims that Nielsen’s measuring system for ratings is unreliable for ESN networks because of their limited distribution and that despite knowing this, Nielsen concealed this fact to “drum up business from Allen Media, which paid millions in fees.” There are other companies that have claimed to suffer from Nielsen’s methods of gathering data, such as Recipe.TV, MyDestination.TV, and other Entertainment Studios programs. So far, Allen has not named what exact dollar amount he’s looking to receive from the suit.  

Altice USA named Pragash Pillai, formerly the company’s executive VP of operations, its new executive VP and chief technology and information officer. He is replacing Philippe Le May, who is now a special advisor to Altice USA. Pillai will also continue to lead the company’s operations organization. Dexter Goei, Altice USA CEO, said this about the transition: “During Philippe’s time at Altice USA, he has been instrumental in the execution of our network and technology strategy… I am grateful for Philippe’s leadership and his work to build a resilient, reliable network that enables our customers to live life connected.”

Roku

Streaming: Roku has confirmed that Roku Recommends will return for season two. The show’s primary purpose is to give viewers information about upcoming programs on Roku’s streaming services. It is hosted by Maria Menounos and Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins. Using data from Roku, it highlights shows on Roku’s platform that viewers should check out. Season two will feature celebrity appearances, red-carpet interviews, and a new set. New episodes will be available to stream every Thursday.

Eric Strong was recently named Fox Soul’s senior VP of strategic initiatives. Previously, he has been senior VP of media platforms and strategic partnerships at the platform Knocking. Strong has also been a consultant for AccuWeather Network, senior account executive of advertiser sales for the Tennis Channel, among other positions in the media field. Strong’s primary job will be to promote Fox Soul to the advertising community.

Roku has greenlit a new home improvement series called Honest Renovations, which will be co-hosted and executive produced by Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis. It will be a Roku Original series, and its eight one-hour episodes will begin later this year. On the show, Alba and Mathis will renovate homes of families and discuss the ups and downs of parenthood. High Noon entertainment will produce the series.