Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

In the midst of a competitive May Sweep, President Obama’s third press conference drew the least amount of total viewers Wednesday night at 8p. The live event on ten networks posted an 18.8 HH rating and was viewed by 28.8 million people in the US, cites Nielsen. President Obama’s first press conference on February 9 tallied 49.5 million viewers on eight networks and the second one on March 24 drew in 40.4 million viewers via 11 networks. Networks carrying Wednesday’s press conference include ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC and mun2. (Cynopsis 5/1)

Senator John McCain will get more television face time as he hosts a six-pack of classic war films during the Memorial Day movie marathon, War Heroes on AMC. The movies begin May 25 at 8a and during the marathon Sen. McCain will speak about his personal combat experiences and the significance of Memorial Day. Movies in the lineup include Midway (1976), Patton (1970), The Longest Day (1962), Hamburger Hill (1987), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and Battle of the Bulge (1965). (Cynopsis 5/1)

Ah yes, McCain is finally back on air.  It’s like the party gang is almost back together again.  Maybe Palin will make a cameo during The Longest Day?

Show business is booming business in Connecticut, as another television series moves its production operations to the state. NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution announced it renewed the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal for a second season which is sold in more than 85% of the US for next fall. To keep costs down, Endemol USA and production partner NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution will begin shooting the new season of Deal or No Deal this summer at the Sonalysts Studio in Waterford. Host Howie Mandel will also make the move to Connecticut from Culver Studios in Culver City. (Cynopsis 5/1)

NFL Network will stay put on the Comcast cable systems for now as both the NFL and Comcast are discussing a new carriage deal. Both the NFL and Comcast are awaiting the outcome of a hearing involving the NFL’s carriage complaint against Comcast. (Cynopsis 5/1)

Hasbro and Discovery are joining forces to take on Disney, Viacom‘s Nickelodeon and Time Warner’s Cartoon Network in the lucrative children’s television market. The toymaker will inject $300 million for a 50% stake of a new cable TV and online venture with Discovery. (Iwantmedia 5/1, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03771304-35b3-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 4/30)

E! Entertainment and Forbes magazine have announced a collaborative programming deal that will run through 2010 and result in eight hour-long celebrity specials and two half-hour celebrity lifestyle pilots. The specials will include content derived from Forbes’ editorial material, and the business magazine’s editors and writers will be featured on camera. TVWeek.com (4/30)

Continuing to buck dour economic trends, Comcast added 837,195 revenue-generating units in the first quarter, including 328,613 broadband subscribers and 298,433 digital-phone customers. Overall, the country’s largest cable firm reported revenue was up 5.3%, to $8.84 billion, and net income rose 5.4%, to $778 million. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (5/1) , The New York Times/The Associated Press (4/30)