TV Bulletin Board (Thurs., Feb. 14) -- Cuban and CBS strike a deal
02/14/13 12:52
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom
Mark Cuban's fledgling AXS TV, launched in July as an offshoot of HDNet, now has CBS as a high-profile partner.
The sweetheart deal was announced on Valentine's Day, although no programming specifics were.
"CBS is happy to provide AXS TV with live event content as the basis of this partnership," CBS Corporation president and CEO Leslie Moonves said in a publicity release. "This is an innovative way to use our tentpole programming to gain more ownership in the cable network business. AXS TV will now serve as a terrific complement to our existing broadcast television entertainment programming."
Cuban, also a co-star on ABC's popular Shark Tank series, said that CBS "brings the industry's best and most respected resources and experience to AXS TV, which will accelerate our growth and realization of our vision that 'The future of TV is TV.' "
The Dallas Mavericks owner launched HDNet in September 2001 as the country's only fully high-definition network. Many rival networks, including CBS, now are in wall-to-wall HD. The shift to AXS TV, which also is available in standard definition, was made in partnership with Ryan Seacrest Media, Creatives artists Agency and AEG.
One likely use of AXS TV by CBS would be for live red carpet shows preceding some of the network's awards ceremonies. CBS currently has the rights to the Grammys, the Tony Awards, The People's Choice Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Cuban and CBS have partnered before. In 2003 the network launched a new prime-time version of Star Search, to which Cuban owns the rights. It was hosted by Arsenio Hall and ran until 2004.
***NBC has dumped Do No Harm after two abysmally-rated episodes. The Doctor Jekyll/Mr. Hyde-like medical drama is being replaced by repeats of Law & Order: SVU, beginning on Valentine's night.
NBC also has lost the co-star of Up All Night after Christina Applegate announced this week that she wants no part of the sitcom's new creative direction. The Peacock is trying to re-launch it as a live-before-a-studio-audience vehicle after it premiered last season as a single-camera comedy with no audience or laugh track sweetener.
***Just when it seemed Kate Gosselin had gone away . . . she's back. ABC says that Gosselin and Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson will assume each other's lives for a week on the first episode of Celebrity Wife Swap, which premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 26th at 7 p.m. (central).
That incursion will push The Taste back an hour while displacing the comedy series Happy Endings to Fridays at 7 p.m., beginning March 29th. Back-to-back new episodes of Happy Endings will air in place of Last Man Standing and Malibu Country, which will have their season finales before that date, ABC says.
***HBO has set the Season 2 premiere of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Veep for Sunday, April 14th at 9 p.m. (central). And The CW network has announced that The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and Arrow all will return next season.
unclebarky@verizon.net