NBCU’s digital push. Oliver North lends hand to ‘The Americans.’
After the coffee. Before losing the jet lag.
The Skinny: I’ve watched the first four episodes of FX’s “Fargo†and can recommend it. Now I want to see the movie again. Seems like Tuesday was light on hard news but we scraped together a Fix for you nonetheless. Today’s stories include the latest on L.A. film production and NBC’s efforts to build a digital programming space. Also, Oliver North gets to put his experience to work for FX’s Cold War drama “The Americans.â€
Daily Dose: The Washington Post said Comcast’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable should be approved by regulators. “The government’s smartest move is not to block the merger, but to make clear that regulators will respond if big industry players begin to violate basic principles of market fairness, the Post said in an editorial. No word on whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who opposes the deal, has canceled his subscription.
Good news and bad news. Film production in the Southland jumped almost 25% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2013, according to FilmL.A., which issues permits for the area. The bad news is most of the movies were lower budget. Location shoots for television was down almost 10%. More on the numbers from the Los Angeles Times.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
Will he get into the producer’s guild? Oliver North, who almost 30 years ago was the face of the Iran-Contra scandal, is helping the producers of FX’s Cold War drama “The Americans†with a plot about the unrest in Nicaragua at that time as the U.S.-backed Contras tried to overthrow the Sandinistas. He provided so much assistance he’s even getting a credit on the show. North warned the producers not to let his notoriety harm the show. “Don’t hurt your ratings just to bring me in,†North said he told them, according to the New York Times.
Going digital. Although it has no shortage of broadcast and cable networks that need content, NBCUniversal is focusing its efforts on creating digital properties for Hulu, Yahoo and other platforms. Motivating NBCU is the growth in digital advertising, which eventually will start to cut in on traditional television advertising. Variety on NBCU’s plans.
Sad Men. Ratings for the season premiere of “Mad Men†were nothing to celebrate. The show drew just 2.3 million viewers, its smallest premiere audience since 2008. Always a show that has attracted more critical acclaim than viewers, it also seems to be lacking any Netflix-generated ratings bump. More on the performance from the Hollywood Reporter.
Pinned down. The WWE said a record 1 million homes watched its pay-per-view special “Wrestlemania.†The numbers boosted WWE’s stock, which had tumbled after the company detailed consumer response to its new digital network. The New York Post on the WWE.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Betsy Sharkey on “Heaven Is for Real.â€
Follow me on Twitter all the way to the bank! @JBFlint.
More to Read
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.