Showtime will return to the Windy City for season seven of drama series The Chi as it prepares to launch the second half of season six this weekend.

The Lena Waithe-produced series follows the lives of a diverse group of residents on the South Side of Chicago. Season six of the series launched last summer, with the second half of the season set to debut this Sunday. 

The series stars Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Birgundi Baker, Luke James and Curtiss Cook, with guest stars Lynn Whitfield, Jill Marie Jones, Kadeem Hardison, Leon, Brett Gray and Daniel J. Watts.

“Lena Waithe is a generational storyteller, whose authentic and unflinching narratives in The Chi resonate deeply, offering a powerful lens into both the complexities of life in Chicago as well as the Black experience in America,” Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks president of content and chief creative officer Nina L. Diaz said in a statement. “On the heels of a record-breaking season and ahead of this week’s return, we’re excited to provide fans with the promise of more — ensuring that they can continue to enjoy the raw, emotional stories and unforgettable characters that have made this seminal series a resounding success for Showtime.”

The Chi is executive-produced by Waithe, Common, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone, Rishi Rajani, Justin Hillian and Jewel Coronel.

AMC’s drama series Parish leads a limited lineup of original shows debuting during the week of Easter.

Parish debuts March 31 and stars veteran actor Giancarlo Esposito as a taxi driver whose dark past is revived after the murder of his son. Also starring in the six-part series are Arica Himmel, Paula Malcomson, and Skeet Ulrich.  

Premiering March 29 is Apple TV Plus' Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces, a documentary film focused on the iconic comedy/actor. Martin Short, Tina Fey and Selena Gomez appear in the two-part profile.

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of March 25-31. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

March 27, Dead Hot (comedy), Tubi

March 28, American Rust: Broken Justice (drama), Prime Video

March 28, The Baxters (drama), Prime Video

March 28, We Were The Lucky Ones (drama), Hulu

March 29, Madu (documentary), Disney Plus

March 29, Spermworld (documentary movie), FX

March 29, Renegade Nell (adventure), Disney Plus 

March 31, A Gentleman in Moscow (drama), Showtime

Prime Video and Premier Boxing Champions will distribute their inaugural joint pay-per-view boxing match on March 30, headlined by the Keith Thurman-Tim Tszyu super welterweight fight. 

The fight card, the first as part of a multiyear deal between Premier Boxing and Prime Video, will also feature bouts between junior welterweight champion Rolando Romero and Isaac Cruz, middleweight champion Erislandy Lara against Michael Zerafa and super welterweights Sebastian Fundora and Serhii Bohachuk, according to Prime Video.

The PPV fight card, promoted by TGB Promotions, will be available to purchase from Prime Video as well as traditional cable and satellite outlets. Prime Video and Premier Boxing did not disclose a suggested retail price for the PPV event. 

PBC's PPV fights were previously distributed by Showtime, which this past October announced it was dissolving its sports division at the end of 2023.  

“This first show on PBC on Prime Video is ham-packed with fan-friendly matchups featuring stars who are established as the best of their generation and new stars who are looking to make a claim to lead the next generation of champions,” TGB Promotions Tom Brown said in a statement. 

Hulu’s new murder mystery series and the final season of Max’s Sort Of Comedy show lead the list of shows debuting during the upcoming week. 

Death and Other Details debuts January 16 and follows a woman traveling on a cruise ship who becomes the prime suspect in a murder mystery. Mandy Patinkin stars along with Hugo Diego Garcia, Lauren Patten and Angela Zhou. 

Max’s Sort Of debuts its third and final season on January 18, and continues to follow the life of a non-binary millennial who looks to navigate love, career and family, according to Max. 

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of January 16 to 22. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

January 16, June (documentary), Paramount Plus  

January 18, Double Cross (returning series), ALLBLK

January 19, Chad (comedy), The Roku Channel

January 19, Hazbin Hotel (animation), Prime Video

January 19, The Kitchen (sci-fi movie), Netflix

January 21, The Woman in the Wall (drama), Showtime

Paramount Global said its Showtime linear channel will be rebranded Paramount Plus with Showtime on January 8.

The linear channel will feature new Showtime titles and select Paramount Plus original series.

Paramount announced combining Paramount Plus with Showtime earlier this year. 

A launch campaign announcing the Paramount Plus with Showtime, will air on Showtime owned and operated linear channels to drive awareness among viewers starting Monday. 

Linear viewers can get new Showtime Original series A Gentleman In Moscow; The Department (executive produced by George Clooney) and The Woman in the Wall, ass well as the award-winning Showtime series Fellow Travelers, The Chi, The Curse, Yellowjackets and Your Honor.

Among the new Paramount Plus shows available to linear subscribers of the new Paramount Plus with Showtime, are Sexy Beast, the upcoming second season of Halo.  

Premier Boxing Champions will step into the streaming ring with Prime Video for distribution of its boxing events as part of a multiyear rights deal. 

Prime Video will distribute PBC’s live boxing cards, including its marquee boxing pay-per-view events, beginning as early as Match 2024 with an as-yet-announced event, according to representatives from both companies. PBC's fights were previously distributed by Showtime, which this past October announced it was dissolving its sports division at the end of the year. 

This past year PBC and Showtime distributed six major PPV boxing events, including the year’s biggest event, the April 22 Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia bout which drew more than 1 million PPV buys.

In addition to live boxing events, Prime Video will produce behind-the-scenes PBC docuseries, live weigh-ins, as well as on-demand access to previous events, highlights and archival footage.

The PBC deal adds to Prime Video’s lineup of live sports programming, which includes its NFL Thursday Night Football package and live WNBA, NWSL, and Overtime Elite basketball games. The service also features ONE Championship mixed martial arts events. 

“We are thrilled to join with Premier Boxing Champions to bring the best boxers in the world to Prime Video, and to give more fans than ever the chance to experience these must-see events,” Amazon U.S. sports content & partnerships VP Marie Donoghue said in a statement. “With live coverage of PBC action throughout the calendar year, Prime Video continues to bring viewers in the U.S. and around the world the best in sports.”

Showtime has set a December 2 Paramount Plus premiere date for its documentary feature Thriller 40 focusing on music icon Michael Jackson's record-breaking album.

The Thriller 40 special chronicles the 40th anniversary of Jackson's Thriller — the best-selling worldwide album of all time — by looking back at the making of the recording as well as the release of the accompanying short films that redefined the music-video format, the network said. 

Featuring never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with such celebrities as Usher, Mary J. Blige, Will.I.Am, Mark Ronson, Misty Copeland, Maxwell and John Landis, Thriller 40 focuses on the project that launched Michael Jackson into mega-stardom and to this day continues to influence all aspects of culture and entertainment, Showtime said.

Thriller 40 is produced by Optimum Productions and Company Name, with Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, John Branca and John McClain serving as producers.

Showtime Sports, a prolific distributor of championship boxing and sports documentary programming for more than 37 years, will cease operations at year-end.

Showtime parent Paramount Global said in a statement that it has made the “difficult decision” not to move forward with boxing and other content produced by the Showtime division. Showtime Sports has distributed nearly 750 boxing events since its inception in 1986, including an industry-high five pay-per-view events in 2023.

Showtime Sports' November 25 David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade fight will go on as scheduled, according to Paramount. 

“As we evolve our strategy to more efficiently allocate resources and align our content offering across the business, we've made the difficult decision not to move forward with boxing and other content produced by the Showtime sports team,” said Paramount officials. “Showtime will continue to air and support the remaining 2023 boxing slate and honor obligations through the end of the year. We want to express our deepest gratitude to our employees who have contributed to this award-winning sports programming over multiple decades."

Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said in a statement that the company’s decision was not based on the division’s performance. “The company’s decision is not a reflection of the work we have done in recent years, nor of our long and proud history,” Espinoza said. “It is not an indictment on the value we have delivered to this network for 37 years, nor, in particular, in 2023. Unfortunately, in a rapidly evolving media marketplace, the company has had to make difficult choices allocating resources, resetting priorities and reshaping its content offering.”  

Showtime’s decision to step out of the boxing ring follows a similar move by HBO in 2018 after 45 years of televising live boxing matches. The two premium services helped establish the pay-per-view boxing business in the 1990s, often battling each other for the rights to the biggest fights. 

Overall, Showtime has distributed more than 2,000 live fights on the service and through PPV.  The company’s 2015 Manny Pacquaio-Floyd Mayweather fight remains the biggest PPV event in history with 4.6 million PPV buys, while its 2016 Mayweather-Conor McGregor bout stands as the second-biggest PPV event with 4.3 million PPV buys. 

Showtime Sports has also garnered 77 Sports Emmy Awards nominations and 17 Sports Emmy Awards.  

The debut of AMC’s latest series from The Walking Dead Universe and the return of Paramount Plus’ animated series from the Star Trek Universe leads the list of original show debuts during the first week of September. 

AMC’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres September 10, with Norman Reedus reprising his role from the original The Walking Dead series as he battles zombies in France, according to the network. Also starring in the series are Adam Nagaitis, Clemence Posey, and Anne Charrier. 

Paramount Plus’s Star Trek: Lower Decks returns for its fourth season on September  7 as it continues to follow the travails of a 24th century starship support crew. Returning to lend their voices to the series are Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Dawnn Lewis and Eugene Cordero. 

 Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of September 5-10. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

 September 5, One Shot: Overtime Elite (returning series), Prime Video

 September 6, I Am Groot (returning series), Disney Plus  

 September 7, Top Boy (drama), Netflix  

 September 7, Virgin River (returning series), Netflix  

 September 8, The Changeling (drama), Apple TV Plus 

 September 8, Sitting in Bars with Cake (movie), Prime Video  

September 10, Dreaming Whilst Black (dramedy), Showtime

Saturday’s Errol Spence-Terence Crawford fight delivered a big punch for the pay-per-view boxing category by drawing an estimated 600,000 to 700,000 buys, industry sources said. 

While the July 29 event will most likely fall short of the industry standard 1 million PPV buys, the fight — which Crawford won with a convincing ninth-round TKO of the formerly undefeated welterweight champion Spence — is expected to finish as the second-biggest PPV boxing event of the year so far, following Showtime’s April Tank Davis-Ryan Garcia bout, which drew a reported 1.2 million buys.

Despite Crawford’s one-sided win, the two fighters could meet later this year in a rematch. After the loss, Spence indicated that he would look to exercise a rematch clause in the contract that could put the fighters back in the ring as soon as December. A rematch would likely be fought at the 154-pound junior middleweight division, which is seven pounds heavier than Saturday's welterweight division fight.

Prior to Saturday’s event, Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said he thinks the Spence-Crawford bout will boost the PPV appeal of both fighters. “These two gutsy fighters will emerge as bigger stars [after the fight] then they are going into the fight,” he said.

The PPV boxing category will now turn its attention to the August 5 event between YouTube star Jake Paul and former UFC champion Nate Diaz. The DAZN-distributed event will stream on DAZN PPV, ESPN Plus and PPV.com

The lineup of live sports events airing during the last weekend of July starts in the boxing ring Saturday with the Errol Spence-Terence Crawford pay-per-view boxing event.

The Showtime-distributed fight pits the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight champion Spence versus the WBO welterweight Crawford in a rare unification championship boxing match. The fight retails at a suggested price of $84.99. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 291 pay-per-view event featuring a main event rematch bout between lightweights Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Poirier won the first matchup between the two fighters in 2018.

The Women’s World Cup continues on Fox and FS1 Saturday, with Fox airing the France-Brazil and Panama-Jamaica matches, and FS1 televising the Sweden-Italy bout. On Sunday Fox will air the South Korea-Morocco and Switzerland-New Zealand matches, while FS1 carries the Norway-Philippines and Germany-Colombia games. 

On the baseball diamond, Peacock will stream the Los Angeles Angels-Toronto Blue Jays game while ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will pit the first-place Baltimore Orioles against the New York Yankees. 

On the racetrack, NBC on Saturday will air the Xfinity Road America 180 race, while FS1 will televise the NASCAR Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 event. On Sunday USA Network will televise the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 race, while ESPN offers the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix event. 

On the links, CBS and The Golf Channel will air weekend coverage of the 3M Open PGA Golf Tour.

The pay-per-view boxing category will look to continue its strong 2023 campaign Saturday (July 29) with the much anticipated Errol Spence-Terence Crawford fight from Las Vegas. 

The Showtime-distributed welterweight unification bout is the seventh major event for the PPV boxing category this year, with Showtime’s April 22 Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia event setting the mark as highest-performing fight the year so far with a reported 1.2 million PPV buys.

Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said the Spence-Crawford bout pits two of boxing’s most popular and best pound-for-pound fighters together in a rare unification championship fight. The event, which retails for a suggested $84.99, is expected to finish among the top-performing PPV boxing events of the year, although Espinoza would not predict a specific buy number. 

“It will be one of the two or three biggest PPV events of the year,” he said. “This is a bigger fight than anything else we've seen in the sport and should be one of the biggest [PPV] fights of the year.”

While Spence-Crawford may not break PPV records, industry observers said the fight will continue to boost the appeal of the category that still has several more big events scheduled.  

“Davis-Garcia was certainly about what was going to happen in the ring but was also about the social media circus that preceded the fight, which helped its performance,” In Demand and PPV.com senior VP of programming and marketing Mark Boccardi said. "The Spence-Crawford fight will sell itself on what happens in the ring as opposed to a lot of other pay-per-view events that are sold during the marketing and promotional period leading up to the fight.”

As for what's next, the PPV boxing category will be back in play on August 5 with a fight featuring YouTube star Jake Paul and former UFC mixed martial arts champion Nate Diaz. In September, Canelo Alvarez will put his undisputed super middleweight championship on the line against former champion Jermell Charlo in a blockbuster PPV boxing event. 

Showtime will premiere an extended sixth season of its Lena Waithe-produced hit drama series The Chi on August 6.

New episodes will debut on the Paramount Plus with Showtime streaming service August 4 before they premiere on the Showtime network. The first eight episodes will air this summer, with the remaining episodes debuting at a later date. 

The series follows the lives and circumstances of a group of residents on the South Side of Chicago. The new season of The Chi will feature the realization of big dreams but at a cost, as everyone will be tested in unimaginable ways as they calculate the risks and rewards of their next moves, Showtime said.

The series’ ensemble cast includes Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael Epps, Birgundi Baker, Luke James and Curtiss Cook.

The Chi is executive produced by Waithe, Common, Justin Hillian, Jewel Coronel, Aaron Kaplan, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone, Rick Famuyiwa and Rishi Rajani.

Paramount Global on Tuesday officially made Paramount Plus the streaming home of Showtime, offering the combined service for $11.99 per month.

The integration is designed to give Paramount Plus a broader content offering as it competes for scale in the race for streaming subscribers against bigger players including Netflix and Disney Plus.

One of the earlier programming services to offer a streaming option, Showtime will no longer exist as a standalone brand.

“By adopting the boundary-pushing programming of Showtime onto our platform, Paramount Plus has fortified itself as the ultimate total household destination in streaming,” Tom Ryan, president and CEO of Paramount Streaming, said. “Together, these powerhouse brands will showcase the breadth and depth of our content offering from across Paramount. At this price point, we’ll put the value of the Paramount Plus  with Showtime plan up against any other.”

The new Paramount Plus With Showtime plan replaces the $9.99-a-month Paramount Plus Premium Plan. Current Paramount Plus subscribers will have a choice of moving up to the new product with Showtime or dropping down to the Paramount Plus Essential Plan, which does not have Showtime programming, for $5.99 per month.

The Showtime linear channel remains as is at this time. In the future, the linear channel will be rebranded to Paramount Plus with Showtime, delivering a selection of premium Paramount Plus and Showtime hit titles across both linear and streaming.

“From Yellowjackets to George & Tammy, Showtime is synonymous with provocative, edgy and sophisticated series that perfectly complement the blockbuster, mass appealing original shows, movies and live sports that Paramount Plus delivers, which together, provides a compelling and comprehensive set of content for the entire household,” said Chris McCarthy, President & CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks.

Showtime will debut the sixth season of its Lena Waithe-created drama series The Chi on August 4, the premium channel said Wednesday.

The 16-episode sixth season — which will be split into two eight-episode installments — continues to follow a group of residents on Chicago’s South Side who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and compassion. The sixth season will show life in “The Chi’ as it reverberates between the highest of highs and lowest lows, Showtime said, with big dreams finally being realized but at a cost. “Everyone will be tested in unimaginable ways as they calculate the risks and rewards of their next big move,” the network said.

“The Chi is Showtime at its best — complex characters and sophisticated storytelling that leave our viewers wanting more, which is why we've expanded this season to its biggest yet,” Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks president and CEO Chris McCarthy said in a statement.

Season six cast includes Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Birgundi Baker, Luke James and Curtiss Cook.

Executive producers for The Chi include Waithe, Common, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone, Rishi Rajani, Justin Hillian and Jewel Coronel.

Showtime’s drama series Billions will debut its seventh and final season on the premium channel August 13.

The series, which stars Paul Giamatti and Corey Stoll, will bring back former series regular Damian Lewis for the 12-episode final season, which will first premiere on the Paramount Plus with Showtime streaming service August 11. Lewis starred in the first five seasons of the series, which also stars David Costabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Maggie Siff, Dola Rashard, Jeffrey DeMunn, Sakina Jaffrey, Daniel Breaker and Toney Goins. 

Executive producers of the series are Beth Schacter, Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Koppelman and Levien will also serve as executive producers of as many as four Billions spinoff series planned in the near future.

Showtime describes season 7 of Billions as one in which alliances are turned on their heads, old wounds are weaponized, loyalties are tested, betrayal takes on epic proportions and enemies become wary friends.

“Billions has deftly explored power, money and greed in a way that not only made it a massive hit, but also defined its own genre, thanks to the creative brain trust of Brian and David,” Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks President and CEO Chris McCarthy said in a statement. “This final season is packed full of the incredible, complex dialogue and character dynamics fans have come to love, and we are thrilled to partner with them on turning this hit series into a global franchise.” 

Showtime will profile NBA Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain in a sports documentary series premiering July 16.

The series, Goliath, examines the historic life, career and impact of Chamberlain, whose excellence on the basketball court changed the way the game is played while breaking records and racial barriers, according to the network. 

The series features archival footage as it profiles the basketball legend from his emergence on the national scene as a high schooler in the 1950s through his death in 1999. Each episode focuses on a specific element of Chamberlain’s cultural impact in the areas of money, power, race, sex, politics and celebrity, said Showtime officials.  

“We are honored to team up with this group of talented filmmakers to bring the underexamined story of Wilt Chamberlain’s complex life to the masses,”  Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said in a statement. “Everybody knows Wilt for his legendary accomplishments on the basketball court – scoring 100 points in a game, averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds in a season – but there’s so much more to him than his stats. He was far ahead of his time in so many ways that will last infinitely longer than the numbers on a scoreboard.”

Goliath is produced by Village Roadshow Television, Religion of Sports, Content Cartel, Happy Madison Production and Heeltap! Entertainment. Executive producers include Rob Ford, Charles Lindsay, William Lindsay, Matt Mosko, Kevin Garnett, Mike Marangu, Brian Bennett, Shannon Perry, Gotham Chopra and Ameeth Sankran. 

Showtime will not bring back its Vanessa Bayer-created comedy series I Love That For You for a second season.

The series, which debuted in May 2022, starred Bayer (a Saturday Night Live former cast member) as a childhood leukemia survivor who chases her lifelong dream of becoming a home shopping channel host. Along with Bayer, the series also starred Molly Shannon, Jenifer Lewis, Paul James, Ayden Mayeri and Matt Rogers.

Executive producers for I Love That for You include Bayer, Jeremy Beiler, Jessi Klein, Michael Showalter, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Jordana Mollick and Allyce Ozarski. 

“I Love That For You has completed its run on Showtime,” the network said in a press statement. “We want to thank Vanessa, Jeremy and Jessi, along with the incredible cast and crew for their hard work and wish them the best going forward.” 

I Love That For You is the latest scripted series to be canceled by Showtime under new network head Chris McCarthy, following The L Word: Generation Q, American Gigolo and Let The Right One In. Showtime is set to be integrated into the Paramount Plus streaming service on June 27.

The pay-per-view boxing category’s already strong 2023 campaign will get a major boost in July as Showtime will distribute the much anticipated welterweight boxing match between champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.

The fight, for the undisputed welterweight championship, will take place in Las Vegas and will pit the undefeated WBC, WBA and IBF 147-pound champion Spence Jr. against WBO champion Crawford. Both fighters have headlined PPV boxing cards, and industry observers believe that the fight could surpass the industry standard 1 million PPV buys.

“Spence vs. Crawford is the type of matchup that will demonstrate boxing’s enduring popularity – a marquee event to bring the sports world to a halt with all eyes on the center of the ring in Las Vegas,” Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said. “This fight will be talked about alongside all of the legendary welterweight and undisputed world title bouts throughout history.”

The fight is the seventh major PPV fight card in 2023 and fourth for Showtime. The network’s April 22 Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia fight is the highest-performing fight of the year thus far, generating a reported 1.2 million PPV buys.

Most recently, DAZN’s May 6 Canelo Alvarez-John Ryder bout drew a reported 450,000 PPV buys.

Kim Lemon, executive VP of data strategy, research, scheduling and programming, is leaving Showtime after 34 years at the company, Paramount Global said Tuesday.

The company said that Laurel Weir will expand her responsibilities as executive VP, head of programming and strategic insights & research at MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks.

The moves come as Showtime becomes more integrated into Paramount’s Paramount Plus streaming service and Showtime’s studio consolidates with MTV Entertainment Studios.

Weir will report to Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks when it comes to programming strategy and to Colleen Fahey Rush, executive VP and chief research officer at Paramount on research matters.

According to a memo from McCarthy and Fahey Rush to staff, Weir has been “ a force at Viacom/Paramount for 20 plus years, and her innovative research, strategic initiatives, dynamic programming and deep understanding of audience engagement have been instrumental in driving our success

“In addition to leading the charge in fueling our linear-streaming ecosystem, maximizing our traditional business and consistently growing market share, her collaboration with our partners at Paramount Plus and Pluto TV to accelerate streaming via our hit franchises has yielded record-breaking results across the portfolio,” the memo said.

Lemon “has decided to embark on his next chapter.” the memo said.

“Throughout his tenure, Kim has played an integral role in Showtime’s evolution from a linear network to a bonafide streaming service, establishing a first-in-class data science group. He is a pioneer in brand strategy, always prioritizing our content and being mindful of how it would inform our growth while showing great reverence for the creative process and our audience's feedback,” the memo said. “Although we are very sad to see him go, don’t worry, he will be around for some time to help with the transition and consult,” the memo said.

Saturday’s Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia boxing event delivered more than 1 million pay-per-view buys as the category prepares for a May 6 fight featuring top PPV boxing draw Canelo Alvarez.

Showtime‘s April 22 Davis-Garcia bout drew 1.2 million PPV buys, according to CBS Sports, making it the first boxing match to surpass the industry-standard benchmark since 2021. The fight, in which the undefeated lightweight Davis knocked out the previously undefeated Garcia with a body blow in the seventh round, also garnered about $22.8 million in ticket sales from a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, CBS Sports reported.

The PPV fight was the second for Davis in 2023, following a January 7 bout against Hector Garcia that drew more than 200,000 PPV buys. It was also Showtime’s third PPV boxing event of the year, which also included a March bout between super middleweights David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. 

The PPV boxing category will continue its busy 2023 in May with Canelo Alvarez, arguably PPV boxing’s pound-for-pound champion, fighting contender John Ryder for Alvarez’s super middleweight championship. The May 6 bout is Alvarez’s first since he beat Gennady Golovkin last September in the third bout between the two fighters. Alvarez’s last three PPV fights, including a November 6, 2021, bout against Caleb Plant and a May 7, 2022 fight against Dmitry Bivol, averaged more than 600,000 PPV buys, according to industry sources. 

Paramount Plus’s reboot of the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction movie tops the list of shows premiering this week across cable and streaming services.

Fatal Attraction premieres April 30 and is a retelling of the  thriller movie starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The eight-episode Paramount Plus series stars Alyssa Jirrels, Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson. 

Also debuting April 30 is A&E’s reality series Stone Cold Takes on America featuring WWE legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin taking on jobs and activities performed by everyday people, according to the network.

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 24-30 on cable networks and streaming services. (For some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 25: Family Legacy (reality series), Paramount Plus  

April 26: Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (returning series), Comedy Central

April 26: Saint X (drama), Hulu

April 27: Firefly Lane (returning series), Netflix

April 27: Love & Death (drama), HBO Max

April 28: Citadel (drama), Prime Video

April 28: Clock (movie), Hulu

April 28: Couples Therapy (returning series), Showtime

Undefeated lightweight boxer Gervonta Davis positioned himself as one of pay-per-view boxing's biggest names by knocking out former undefeated boxer Ryan Garcia Saturday night in Showtime's blockbuster PPV event. 

The Davis-Garcia bout, the fourth and arguably the biggest PPV boxing event in 2023, showcased Davis as he knocked down the taller Garcia in the second round before landing a powerful body blow in the seventh round to end the fight. Davis is now 29-0 with 27 knockouts. 

“I didn’t think that body shot would end it, but I saw his facial expression and that’s what made me take it to him,” Davis said after the bout. “It was a good shot, for sure.”

While it's too early to determine overall PPV buys for the event, the Davis-Garcia fight — which was distributed by PPV.com and DAZN PPV — attracted significant prefight publicity as a meeting between two of the highest-profile boxers in the lightweight division. Davis drew approximately 200,000 PPV buys for his January 7 fight against Hector Garcia.

Showtime will replay the Davis-Garcia fight this Saturday (April 29), followed by the network’s documentary series All Access: Davis vs. Garcia Epilogue.

The live TV sports lineup for a busy April weekend begins in the boxing ring as Showtime distributes a much-anticipated pay-per-view boxing event featuring undefeated lightweights Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia. 

The Davis-Garcia fight is the second PPV boxing event for Davis this year and the fourth overall for the category so far in 2023. Davis-Garcia will be distributed by In Demand, PPV.com and DAZN PPV for a suggested retail price of $84.99. 

On the ice, the NHL winds down the first round of its postseason with a Saturday tripleheader of game three’s on TBS including the Vegas Golden Knights-Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs-Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche-Seattle Kraken contests. Also, ABC will air game three of the New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers matchup.

On Sunday, TBS will air game four coverage of the Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers-Los Angeles Kings series, while game four of the Carolina Hurricanes-New York Islanders and Boston Bruins-Florida Panthers matchups will air on TNT.

On the court, the first round of the NBA playoffs continue on Saturday afternoon with the Philadelphia 76’ers looking to close out the Brooklyn Nets in game four of their series on TNT, while the Phoenix Suns look to go up three games to one over the Los Angeles Clippers, also on TNT. ESPN will air a primetime doubleheader featuring two game three matchups – The Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies-Los Angeles Lakers. Both series are tied at one game apiece.  

On Sunday, ABC will air game four of the Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings-Golden State Warriors playoff series, while TNT will air game four of the Boston Celtics-Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series.

Peacock on Sunday will launch its 19-game MLB Sunday Leadoff live streaming baseball package with the Philadelphia Phillies-Colorado Rockies game. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will pit the New York Mets against the San Francisco Giants.  

Also on Sunday CBS will offer championship round coverage of the Professional Bull Riders' Great Northwest Invitational event, while Fox will televise the Pro Bowlers Association’s World Series of Bowling championship.

Saturday’s Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia pay-per-view boxing match is expected to draw the biggest audience so far in a year that could feature a number of mega-events for the category.

In Demand and its digital service PPV.com will distribute the Showtime-produced  event, which retails for a suggested $84.95 and pits the undefeated lightweight champion and emerging PPV draw Davis against the highly-touted, undefeated lightweight contender Garcia. 

Both Davis and Garcia have loyal fan bases and huge social media followings that will boost the match’s overall PPV appeal, industry observers said. “Both fighters bring their own unique audiences,” In Demand senior VP of programming and marketing Mark Boccardi said. “You have traditional boxing fans who tend to skew older that will be attracted by the matchup, but it also appeals to a massive, younger demographic because of the huge social media followings of the two fighters.”

Davis has been a fixture on PPV, having fought his last five bouts on the platform. His January 7 PPV event against contender Hector Garcia drew a reported 200,000 buys. Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said the Davis-Garcia fight could firmly establish Davis as among the top PPV boxing draws in the category.

“What [Davis] has shown both in terms of his pay-per-view drawing power and in the [live gate] arena is that people respond to his events,” he said. “He does very respectable pay-per-view numbers every time he goes out.”

While Espinoza would not predict how many buys Davis-Garcia would generate, the industry is optimistic that the fight will approach the industry standard of 1 million PPV buy mark, which has not been surpassed since 2021, according to published reports.

“Looking at the enthusiasm that Davis-Garcia has generated, the outpouring of the support, all the anecdotal metrics including social media traffic and initial ticket sales, this could be the biggest pay-per-view that we've seen in quite a while,” Espinoza said. 

With three 2023 PPV boxing events already in the can and several other major fights in the works featuring such marquee PPV boxing stars as Canelo Alvarez, Errol Spence, Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury, Boccardi says that the category is primed for a big year.

“PPV is in the DNA of fight sports, so I think the concept of paying to watch the highest level programming in fight sports is going to continue,” he said. “The PPV category is strong and will be for the foreseeable future.”

Showtime will debut its new weekly sports talk show with former veteran TV sports personality Rachel Nichols on April 13.

The series, Headliners With Rachel Nichols, will air on Showtime Extreme as well as Showtime’s streaming and on demand platforms every Thursday throughout the NBA Playoffs, according to the network. The series will feature Nichols interviewing prominent NBA players and coaches, including NBA All-Star Joel Embiid, who appears in the first episode.

Other episodes in the series will include Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and 2023 NBA Hall of Fame inductees Dwayne Wade and Dirk Novitzki. 

The series marks Nichols’ return to the small screen since leaving ESPN after being embroiled in a 2021 controversy surrounding disparaging comments she made against then fellow colleague and on-air host Maria Taylor. Nichols also hosts Showtime’s NBA-focused, weekly YouTube-based sports talk show.

DAZN PPV will distribute YouTube star Jake Paul’s next foray into the boxing ring against former UFC and mixed martial arts champion Nate Diaz in an August 5 pay-per-view boxing event.

Paul, who most recently suffered a split decision loss to Tommy Fury this past February, will look to rebound against Diaz, who is making his boxing debut after a decorated combat sports career. 

“We are incredibly excited to have this mega fight on DAZN around the world,” DAZN North America CEO Joe Markowski said in a statement. “One of the biggest names in boxing meeting one of the biggest names in MMA makes for a truly unique matchup on a global scale.”

The event is the latest in a busy PPV boxing schedule that has already featured three PPV boxing events in the first quarter of 2023. Also, Showtime has an April 22 PPV bout scheduled between undefeated fighters Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia. 

In addition, a much-anticipated bout between welterweight championship unification fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence is slated for June, according to published reports. 

The prestigious Masters PGA golf tournament highlights the list of live sports events taking place during Easter weekend.

CBS will offer late round coverage of the Masters tournament from Augusta National Golf Club throughout the weekend. Friday’s second round of the tournament was suspended due to rain with Viktor Hovland, John Rahm, Sam Bennett and Brooks Koepka all vying for the top spot on the leaderboard. 

ESPN's Thursday coverage of the tournament's first round was viewed by an average of 2.5 million viewers, according to the network. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN on Saturday will feature a lightweight boxing matchup between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino, while Showtime will feature a junior middleweight bout between champion Sebastian Fundora and Brian Mendoza. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 287 pay-per-view match between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.  

On the ice, ABC will offer an afternoon NHL tripleheader including the Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars afternoon games, followed by the New Jersey Devils-Boston Bruins primetime matchup.

Fox on Saturday will televise the Wood Memorial horse racing event, while on Sunday the network will televise the NASCAR Cup Food City Dirt Race event.  

ESPN will air a XFL doubleheader featuring the Vegas-St. Louis and Arlington-Orlando games. On Sunday ABC will air the Houston-San Antonio game, while ESPN2 will carry the D.C.-Seattle contest.

USA, NBC and Peacock will televise a combined 10 Premier League soccer games over the weekend, while TNT on Saturday will televise the women’s soccer game between the US team and Ireland.

The NBA regular-season concludes Sunday with two national game telecasts on ESPN (Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz-L.A. Lakers). Also Sunday, ESPN will televise the San Diego Padres-Atlanta Braves Sunday Night Baseball contest.

The season two premiere of Showtime’s Yellowjackets drew nearly 2 million viewers across platforms, the best second-season debut for the premium channel in more than 10 years.

The audience for the season two premiere nearly doubled the number of people who saw the series premiere when it first appeared.

“Yellowjackets broke records as the most-streamed Showtime debut ever thanks to Ashley, Bart, Jonathan and our extraordinary ensemble cast who brought season two to even greater heights,” Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks CEO Chris McCarthy said. “By tapping into our proven strategy of promoting series across our full portfolio of brands at Paramount Media Networks, we successfully broadened the reach and brought new viewers into this incredible series that deftly combines psychological horror, dark comedy and coming-of-age drama.”

Viewership of the season-two premiere was also up 40% the season one finale.

Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, and tracks the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and produced for Showtime by studio Entertainment One (eOne), Yellowjackets is executive produced by Lyle, Nickerson and fellow showrunner Jonathan Lisco; Drew Comins of Creative Engine, Ameni Rozsa, Sarah L. Thompson and Karyn Kusama. 

The series stars Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci and Tawny Cypress. 

Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell have also joined the second season as series regulars, along with Elijah Wood in a season-long guest arc. 

Season two also stars Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole and Kevin Alves. ■

The March Madness college basketball tournament enters its elite-eight round this weekend as part of the busy lineup of live sports events airing on broadcast and cable networks.

The NCAA Men’s college basketball tournament action begins Saturday on TBS with Fla. Atlantic facing Kansas State and UConn battling Gonzaga. Sunday’s action will pit the winners of Friday night’s San Diego State-Alabama and Princeton-Creighton  games in one elite eight matchup, and the winners of the Miami-Houston and Xavier-Texas games in the other contest.

In other sports, Showtime on Saturday will offer a pay-per-view boxing fight card featuring the super middleweight bout between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. In the octagon, ESPN will air a Saturday afternoon UFC Fight Night card featuring a main event bout between bantamweights Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. 

On the racetrack, Fox on Sunday will televise the NASCAR Cup EchoPark Grand Prix auto racing event. On the ice, ABC on Saturday will televise live the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins NHL game.

On the football field, the XFL enters week six with three games, including ABC’s Saturday Seattle Sea Dragons-Orlando Guardians and Sunday San Antonio Brahmas-Arlington Renegades telecasts, as well as FX’s Saturday St. Louis Battlehawks-Vegas Vipers game. 

The National Women’s Soccer League kicks off its 2023 season Saturday on CBSSN, which will air the Chicago Red Stars-San Diego Wave FC. ■ 

Showtime will step into the pay-per-view boxing ring Saturday with a fight card highlighted by the super middleweight bout between undefeated contender David Benavidez and former champion Caleb Plant. 

The fight, which retails for a suggested price of $74.99, is Showtime’s second PPV boxing event this year following Gervonta Davis-Hector Garcia on January 7. The premium network has also scheduled an April 22 event with Davis and Ryan Garcia. 

Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza recently spoke to Multichannel News regarding the Benavidez-Plant event and Showtime’s overall PPV event strategy for 2023. Espinoza also addresses Showtime Sports’s immediate future in light of parent company Paramount Global’s decision to combine Paramount Plus and Showtime under one brand. A lightly edited version of the interview appears below.

MCN: What makes Benavidez-Plant a strong pay-per-view boxing match? 

Stephen Espinoza: Both Benavidez and Plant have been built up as main-event fighters for a number of years. Plant, in particular, got a big boost in his (2021) mega-fight against [undisputed super middleweight champion] Canelo Alvarez, and Benavidez has headlined a number of boxing telecasts. They are two of the best fighters in the division, so for us this is one of those situations where two plus two equals a lot more than four because each of them brings their own respective fan base, and there’s a lot excitement about the quality of the matchup itself, which will bring in even more interest from viewers. When you offer top-tier fights, you get an exponential return.

MCN: Are you already looking ahead to developing another pay-per-view event with the winner of Benavidez-Plant?

SE: Yes, as I mentioned these are two of the three or four best guys in the division. Benavidez has been someone that boxing experts have identified for a couple of years as a very exciting and marketable fighter with a really high ceiling. For him, this is a signature fight that hopefully will lead to even bigger events with some of the division’s top fighters, whether it’s Canelo or [middleweight champion] Jermall Charlo. For Plant, he’s been at the top of the mountain as champion, and he gave Canelo a very tough fight. To be able to get another opportunity at the title he’s going to have to go through David Benavidez. There’s a lot of high stakes in this one because of what the fight could lead to in the future. 

MCN: The fight is the second PPV event already this year for Showtime, with a third scheduled for April. Why is Showtime so bullish on the PPV events category? 

SE: It’s more about the fights that are available and what it takes to make them. We've seen a lot of change and disruption in combat sports generally, and in boxing in particular over the last four or five years and we’re at the point now where the dust has settled a bit. We love the position that we as Showtime Sports are in. Our talent is deeper than ever, and we’re doing as many events as we've ever done. So when you see a matchup like Benavidez-Plant or a matchup like Tank Davis-Ryan Garcia next month, it's not so much a result of us wanting to be in pay-per-view. We want to do big fights, and as those big fights are getting made some of them will naturally require pay-per-view in order to make them happen. 

MCN: Given Paramount Global’s plans to merge Paramount Plus and Showtime, are you concerned about Showtime Sports’s ability to remain aggressive in the combat sports space? 

SE: I think everybody in the media business is somewhat concerned. Some people have called it a market correction, and some think it’s just an economic downturn. Certainly this is a period of transition as companies are adjusting their spend and trying to optimize business models. So there certainly may be change in the future, but our activity level and the quantity and quality of our output I think is a testament to the recognition of the quality that we bring. The fact that we’ve been given the green light to continue doing what we do best, which is delivering big-time boxing matches and high-quality documentary programming, is a recognition that we’re delivering value to our subscribers and to the corporation as a whole, and we look forward to being able to do that for the foreseeable future. ■ 

Showtime on April 22 will step back into the pay-per-view boxing ring to distribute the highly anticipated pay-per-view boxing match between undefeated fighters Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia.

The fight will take place in Las Vegas and will pit the 28-0 former super lightweight champion Davis against the 23-0 former lightweight champion Garcia. The fight marks Showtime’s second 2023 PPV event featuring Davis, following its January 7 Davis-Hector Garcia fight card. 

Showtime will also distribute a March 25 pay-per-view event featuring a super middleweight bout between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant.

Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinzoa said during Thursday’s Los Angeles press conference for Davis-Garcia that the fight will have special appeal to longtime boxing fans. “This is a throwback fight – it’s a fight and a rivalry as big as any in this sport,” he said. “Two young fighters in their prime who are the most exciting young fighters in the sport.”■  

Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish acknowledged getting an unsolicited offer for Showtime and turning it down.

It was widely reported last week that former Showtime head David Nevins led a group making a $3 billion offer for the premium programmer.

Speaking at a Morgan Stanley investor conference on Wednesday, Bakish declined to confirm the amount of the bid.

“Yeah, we got an unsolicited offer for Showtime,” he said. “We looked at it and the reality is it wan’t that interesting to us. If you compare that price to our internal business plan, our internal plan is far more value-creating.”

He added that keeping Showtime, which is being combined with Paramount Plus to form Paramount Plus with Showtime both in streaming and on cable, would help with Paramount’s effort to make streaming a profitable business.

“It just didn’t make sense to divest that asset at anywhere near that price,” Bakish said. 

In general, Bakish said, Paramount is “always looking for ways to unlock value,” and that when it gets an offer, “we’re going to look at that.”

Normally, he said, the company’s policy is not to comment, but he opted to weigh in on this one.

Some analysts questioned turning down the deal, with $3 billion representing a big share of Paramount’s market cap and the company needing cash to pay for programming.

Bakish said the plan to combine Paramount Plus with Showtime would be a winner for consumers, who get a better product; a winner for both traditional and streaming distributors, who get to sell a better product; and a win for Paramount shareholders.

Combining Paramount Plus with Showtime will be accretive to revenues because the price will be higher and accretive on an expense basis because it costs more to market two products, two platforms and two organizations, Bakish said.

He said the company has pegged the savings at $700 million. ■

David Nevins apparently tried to pull a Victor Kiam with Showtime, but Paramount turned him down. 

Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reported that the longtime Showtime chief executive, working with private equity firm General Atlantic, offered to buy the venerable premium channel for $3 billion. 

Paramount, however, demurred, choosing instead in a move announced earlier this month to demote the Showtime brand to within the Paramount Plus ecosystem. 

WSJ also reported that Paramount rejected another offer from Lions Gate to merge Showtime with premium-channel rival Starz. 

And that's still not all -- Paramount is also said to have rejected a $6 billion bid for Showtime from former company executive Mark Greenberg and private equity. 

Nevins, who ran Showtime from 2016 through last year, saw his role at Paramount significantly expand following the re-merger of Viacom and CBS Corp. that created the current "Paramount Global" constellation as we know it. 

He abruptly announced his departure in October, saying in a staff memo, “Quite simply, over the past several months I’ve come to the conclusion that I am ready for the next phase of my life and my career. The industry is transforming rapidly, and I am genuinely excited about what the future holds." 

Paramount hasn't officially commented. 

Damian Lewis will return to Showtime’s Billions for several episodes in the drama series’ upcoming seventh season.  

Lewis will reprise his role as Bobby Axelrod for six of the 12 episodes of the series, which stars Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff, according to the network. Lewis starred in the series’ first five seasons. 

The network also said that Toney Goins has been promoted to a series regular in season seven.

Showtime describes season seven of the drama series as one in which alliances are turned on their heads, old wounds are weaponized, loyalties are tested, betrayal takes on epic proportions and enemies become wary friends.

Billions is executive produced by Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Beth Shacter.■

With Paramount folding Showtime into its other operations, a series of executive changes were made within the new Showtime/Entertainment Studio unit.

In a memo to staff, Chris McCarthy, president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks, said that MTV exec Nina Diaz will be expanding her role as chief creative officer and president of content.

Jane Winograde, who had been president of Showtime Entertainment, is leaving the company. 

Also departing are Michael Crotty, who had been COO and CFO for Paramount Global Premium Group, Vinnie Malhotra, who had been executive VP, nonfiction programming at Showtime Networks, Robert Rosenberg, general counsel for Showtime Networks and Kent Sevener, executive VP of content acquisition and business affairs at Showtime.

Scripted programming executives reporting to Diaz will be Keith Cox, president of scripted, Amy Israel, executive VP of Showtime Original Scripted, Trevor Rose, executive VP of talent and casting, Keri Flint, executive VP, executive VP, head of production. 

Michael Elias, who is taking on a new role as executive VP/head of scripted production, reporting, reporting to Flint.

The unscripted programming group is unchanged, reporting to Diaz.

Showtime executive Virginia Lazalde McPherson will be taking on a new role as executive VP/head of strategy & business operations, reporting to McCarthy.

Showtime executives Amy Britt, Tracey Wolfson, ken Kay, Stephen Espinoza, Michael Engleman and Kim Lemon continue in their roles.

The company had earlier announced that Gary Levine will serve as senior creative advisor for Showtime.

“I’m excited to share that we’re combining Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios into one unified leadership team,” McCarthy said. “Together, these creative powerhouses make some of the biggest hits in TV: from Yellowstone to Yellowjackets, Dexter to The Daily Show, Billions to Beavis and Butt-Head, The Chi to The Challenge, Jersey Shore to Tulsa King, Drag Race to The Department, Love and Hip Hop to Your Honor, plus Emily in Paris, South Park and Mayor of Kingstown. ■

The Tv sports world will be focused on Arizona this weekend as Fox televises Super Bowl LVII, part of a lineup of live sports events airing this weekend. 

Fox on Sunday will televise Super Bowl LVII featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles from State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Fox Sports NFL play-by-play announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Gregg Olsen will call their first Super Bowl on the network. 

Also: Fox's Kevin Burkhardt Is Ready to Call Super Bowl LVII

On the ice, ABC will air an NHL afternoon doubleheader featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning-Dallas Stars and the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins contests. The network will also hit the basketball court Saturday with a primetime telecast between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, as well as a Sunday afternoon telecast featuring the Memphis Grizzlies-Boston Celtics game. 

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will air a February 11 junior lightweight title bout between Rey Vargas and O’Shaquie Foster. In the octagon, ESPN Plus Saturday will offer the UFC 284 pay-per-view fight card featuring a main event bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.

Weekend games featuring top 10-ranked men’s college basketball teams starts with third-ranked Alabama taking on Auburn on ESPN, fourth-ranked Arizona facing Staford on ESPN2 and  fifth-ranked Texas hosting West Virginia on ESPN2. Other games include No. 7 UCLA-Oregon (ESPN), No. 8 Virginia-Duke (ESPN), No. 9 Kansas-Oklahoma (CBS) and No. 10 Marquette-Georgetown (FS1).

On Sunday, top-ranked Purdue takes on Northwestern on the Big Ten Network. 

Elsewhere, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament.■  

Starz will look to resurrect its Spartacus franchise with a new series produced by franchise creator Steven S. DeKnight. 

The yet-to-be-named series will go beyond the original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which aired in 2010 and starred the late Andy Whitfield, according to Starz. The series will depict a “new tale of treachery, deceit and blood unfolding beneath the shadow of Rome,” said the network.

The series would be the fifth show in the Spartacus universe, following Blood and Sand, Spartacus: God of the Arena (2011), Spartacus: Vengeance (2012) and Spartacus: War of the Damned (2013).  

“It has been over a decade since Spartacus delighted international audiences and we are thrilled to reimagine and expand this gripping, action-packed drama for our viewers today,” Starz president of original programming Kathryn Busby said in a statement. “Spartacus has deeply invested fans who are eager for its return, and we look forward to working with Steven on this exciting new chapter.”

The Spartacus franchise expansion comes on the heels of other similar efforts to build upon well-known Intellectual Property to attract audiences. Showtime recently announced new iterations of its Dexter and Billions franchises, and Starz itself recently announced plans to expand Outlander with a prequel series. ■ 

Showtime is expanding two of its biggest franchises by developing several spinoffs for its Dexter and Billions series. 

The premium service, soon morphing into a branded extension of Paramount Plus, will extend Dexter, which starred Michael C. Hall as a revenge-seeking serial killer, with a prequel, Dexter: Origins. The series will focus on a young Dexter Morgan (Hall) at the outset of his transition into the avenging serial killer that he would eventually become, according to network officials. 

The series will focus on Dexter’s family as well as younger versions of many of the characters in the original Dexter series, said the network.

Showtime will also develop a new version of Dexter: New Blood, which initially ran on Showtime in 2021 and became the network's most-watched series. This time the show will focus on Dexter’s son Harrison, who — after surviving his reintroduction to his father in the last series — flees to New York where he must wrestle with his own violent nature. 

“The Dexter saga has been an undeniable creative and popular success for Showtime, both in its original, groundbreaking form and the record-setting Dexter: New Blood,” Paramount Media Networks and Showtime President and CEO Chris McCarthy said in a statement. “The series is a rich foundation for other shows in the lane of complex, subversive antiheroes that Showtime has always done so brilliantly.” 

The network will also create as many as four offshoots of its Billions franchise, led by the original series’ executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, according to Showtime. Billions, which stars Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff, will return to Showtime for its seventh season later this year.

The new series include Billions: Miami, set in the world of private aviation where the clientele believe the rules of society don’t apply to them; Billions: London, set within the world of U.K. finance; Millions, following diverse, 30-something financial mogul wannabes doing whatever it takes to make it in Manhattan; and Trillions, offering up fictional looks at the richest people in the world. 

“We remain fascinated by people whose ambition is boundless and who think the laws of civilization and nature don’t apply to them,” Koppelman and Levien said in a joint statement. ■ 

Paramount Global will transition its Showtime premium channel into the new moniker "Paramount Plus with Showtime" across both linear and streaming platforms, ending the 47-year-old Showtime name as a standalone brand, at least in the U.S. 

When the change is initiated later this year, Showtime content will be available for streaming in the U.S. with the $9.99 Paramount Plus Premium tier, with that plan re-branded as "Paramount Plus with Showtime." 

Paramount has been bundling both Paramount Plus and Showtime together for $11.99 a month. No price on the combined and rebranded version was announced. 

Showtime linear, meanwhile, will adopt the same moniker. 

As far as leadership goes, with longtime Showtime chief David Nevins exiting last year, Chris McCarthy will lead the Showtime studio and linear channel, and Tom Ryan oversee the streaming business. 

“This new combined offering demonstrates how we can leverage our entire collection of content to drive deeper connections with consumers and greater value for our distribution partners,” said Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish in a memo to staff Monday. 

In his own memo, McCarthy called out Showtime's "brand strengths," specifically specifically mentioning series Yellowjackets, Billions, Dexter and The Chi as the kind of shows that will be attached to Showtime going forward. 

There will be losers, too. 

McCarthy warned staff of a content purge, which has already arrived, and associated layoffs. 

“To do this, we will divert investment away from areas that are underperforming and that account for less than 10% of our views,” McCarthy added. “We have already begun conversations with our production partners about what content makes sense moving forward and which shows have franchise potential.”

On Monday, Showtime revealed that three shows -- Let the Right One In, American Gigolo and the Shailene Woodley-led adaptation of Three Women -- will be axed. 

Paramount's moves are similar to rival Warner Bros. Discovery, which is in the process of merging HBO Max and Discovery Plus, while purging series and associated personnel it deems as not pulling their weight amid the stratospherically expensive Streaming Wars. 

Paramount reported 66 million subscription streaming subscribers across its Paramount Plus and Showtime brands as of the end of September. 

The Showtime brand dates back to 1976, when the Times-Mirror cable company launched a fledgling premium cable channel in Southern California. 

Here's Bakish's full memo:

Team,

Almost one year ago, we announced that ViacomCBS would become Paramount — harnessing the power of our combined portfolio to become one, integrated company. Since then, I have been tremendously proud of the many ways we have worked together across platforms, brands, and continents to consistently deliver as global leaders in the future of entertainment.

In that same spirit, I’m thrilled to share the next step in our company’s evolution. Today, we’re announcing that we will be fully integrating SHOWTIME into Paramount+ across both streaming and linear platforms later this year — providing even more popular franchises and hit originals for viewers to enjoy. To reflect this change, both our premium streaming tier on Paramount+ and the SHOWTIME linear network will become “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME” in the U.S.

American Gigolo and Let the Right One In will not see second seasons on Showtime. American Gigolo debuted in September and Let the Right One In started in October. 

Jon Bernthal stars in American Gigolo, a rethinking of the 1980 film that starred Richard Gere. Bernthal played Julian, who spent 15 years in prison for murder, gets out, and attempts to fix his busted relationships. 

Gretchen Mol and Rosie O’Donnell are also in the cast. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the movie, executive produces the series. 

Let the Right One In, inspired by a Swedish novel, follows a father who cares for his 12-year old vampire daughter. The series stars Demián Bichir, Anika Noni Rose, Grace Gummer and Madison Taylor Baez. 

Andrew Hinderaker is showrunner and executive producer along with Seith Mann, Marty Adelstein and Beck Clements. 

Paramount Global announced it will integrate its Showtime streaming service into the premium tier of Paramount Plus, which will be rebranded as Paramount Plus with Showtime. The change is expected to take place later this year.

Published reports say both canceled shows are being removed from Showtime’s streaming platforms. ■

Paramount Global said it will integrate its Showtime streaming service into the premium tier of Paramount Plus, which will be rebranded as Paramount Plus with Showtime.

The change, which also encompasses the name of the legacy premium service, is expected to take place later this year. Pricing for the new Paramount Plus with Showtime tier was not disclosed. Paramount has been offering a streaming bundle of Paramount Plus and Showtime at a discounted price of $11.99 a month.

Like other traditional media companies, Paramount has been looking to manage growing the streaming business amid the linear channels' decline. By combining its streaming services, Paramount hope to be able to focus its spending on programming and marketing while completing against bigger players like the Walt Disney Co. and Netflix.

Also: Plunging Paramount Defends Streaming Strategy

Warner Bros. Discovery is also working on combining its HBO Max and Discovery Plus streaming services this spring.

“This new combined offering demonstrates how we can leverage our entire collection of content to drive deeper connections with consumers and greater value for our distribution partners,” said Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish in a memo to staff Monday. “This change will also drive stronger alignment across our domestic and international Paramount Plus  offerings, as international Paramount Plus  already includes Showtime content. And, very importantly, this integration will unlock operational efficiencies and financial benefits across our broader portfolio.”

Bakish said that Chris McCarthy, president Paramount Media Networks, will continue to lead the Showtime studio and oversee operations for the linear channel.

Also: Longtime Showtime Chief David Nevins Exits Paramount

Tom Ryan, president and CEO streaming, will oversee the Paramount Plus with Showtime streaming business.

“While we are confident this is the right move for our company, our consumers, and our partners, we know this change brings uncertainty for the teams working on these brands and businesses. We are committed to being as transparent and thoughtful as possible throughout this process, and we expect to share additional details in the coming weeks,” Bakish said.

McCarthy said the company will be holding a town hall meeting in Los Angeles on February 23 to go over details of the combination. 

“As a part of Paramount Plus, we can put more resources into building out the lanes that have made the Showtime brand famous, as well as turning our hit shows into global hit franchises,” McCarthy said in a memo to staff. “To do this, we will divert investment away from areas that are underperforming and that account for less than 10% of our views. We have already begun conversations with our production partners about what content makes sense moving forward and which shows have franchise potential.”

Also Read: Paramount Plus Claims Its Biggest Signup Day Ever on NFL Football and the 'Taylor Sheridan Universe'

Ryan said Paramount Plus has been leading the industry in signups and gross subscriber additions.

“By further integrating Showtime into Paramount Plus, we will now be able to deliver a seamless, fully integrated multiplatform premium service to our consumers with more of the original, culture-shaping content they love. This enhanced offering serves our audiences and our creative partners – with an even greater ability to scale our franchises and build hits across the Paramount Plus universe in linear and streaming,” Ryan said. ■

The on- again, off-again fight between YouTube star Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is back on and will take place February 26 in Saudi Arabia on ESPN Pay-Per-View, the network said.

The undefeated Paul, who last fought this past October against retired UFC champion Anderson Silva, and Fury – the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – were supposed to fight in December 2021, but the fight was postponed due to a Fury medical issue. The event marks the first time ESPN will distribute a Paul PPV boxing event, after Showtime distributed Paul’s previous PPV events.

The Paul-Fury fight will retail at $49.99, according to ESPN. 

The Paul-Fury fight is the second PPV boxing event announced for February. Former welterweight champion Adrian Broner is scheduled to fight Michael Williams Jr. on a February 25 PPV fight card promoted by BLK Prime and distributed by Integrated Sports Media.■

A number of high-profile series return to the small screen this week, as well as an animated spinoff based on a character from the popular “Scooby-Doo” cartoon franchise.

Showtime on January 15 will bring back its drama series Your Honor for a second season. Bryan Cranston returns as beleaguered Judge Michael Desiato, with Rosie Perez and Margo Martindale guest-starring in the show’s sophomore campaign.

Also returning on January 15 is the third season of MGM Plus’ The Godfather of Harlem, which stars Forest Whitaker as famed 1960’s Harlem gangster Bumpy Johnson.

Among the week’s series debuts is the HBO Maxanimated show Velma, which focuses on the high school life of iconic Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley, voiced by Mindy Kaling. HBO Max will debut two episodes weekly beginning  January 12.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of January 9 to January 16 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

January 12: The Traitors (competition series), Peacock

January 12: Vikings: Valhalla (returning series), Netflix

January 13: The Drop (comedy movie) – Hulu

January 13: Hunters (returning series), Amazon Prime Video

January 13: Servant (returning series), Apple TV Plus

January 15: The Last of Us (drama), HBO

January 15: Mayor of Kingstown (returning series), Paramount Plus

Showtime on Saturday will ring the bell for the start of the 2023 pay-per-view boxing schedule with its Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia championship fight card.

The fight, for Davis’ lightweight title, marks the undefeated champion's fifth appearance on PPV since 2020. Davis' last PPV fight in May against Rolando Romero generated more than 250,000 PPV buys, according to published reports. The Davis-Garcia fight will retail at a suggested price of $74.99.

If Davis wins, it sets up a potentially lucrative PPV fight this spring against rising, undefeated boxer Ryan Garcia.

The Davis-Garcia event is the first of what Showtime hopes to be a strong 2023 PPV campaign. Showtime distributed three PPV bouts in 2022.

“As strong a year as [2022] was, I think 2023 will be bigger and better,” Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports president, sports and event programming, said during the fight’s December press conference in Washington D.C. ”There’s no better way to kick off the year than with Gervonta Davis, the hottest young star in the sport.” ■

The list of live TV sports events airing during the first full weekend of January starts on the football field with the NFL’s final week of the 2022-23 regular season.

Week 18 of the NFL season kicks off Saturday with two games with playoff implications airing on both ABC and ESPN: the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee Titans battling the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On Sunday CBS and Fox will offer regional game coverage, with NBC airing its final Sunday Night Football telecast of the regular season featuring a matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

On the links, NBC will air the final rounds of the PGA Tournament of Champions on Saturday and Sunday, while also airing the high school football All-American Bowl on Saturday.

This weekend’s men’s college basketball schedule includes Sunday games featuring top-ranked Purdue facing Penn State on the Big Ten Network and second-ranked Houston traveling to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on ESPN.

Saturday’s hoops action features third-ranked Kansas against West Virginia on the Big Ten Network, fourth-ranked UConn battling Creighton on Fox, and fifth-ranked Arizona taking on Washington State on ESPN Plus. Other games include No. 6 Texas-Oklahoma State (Fox), No.7 Alabama-Kentucky (ESPN), and No. 8 Tennessee-South Carolina (SEC Network).

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will distribute the first pay-per-view boxing event of 2023 when lightweight champion Gervonta Davis steps into the ring to face challenger Hector Luis Garcia.■ 

The World Cup final and NFL Saturday and Sunday games dominate this weekend’s live TV sports action.

Fox on Sunday morning will televise the FIFA World Cup final game between Argentina and France, as well as Saturday’s third-place game between Morocco and Croatia. Fox is coming off a record-breaking week of World Cup coverage that saw the network average 6.5 million viewers for its two semi-final telecasts – the highest viewership for any World Cup on U.S. airwaves, according to the Sports Business Journal. 

On the pro football field, NFL Network will offer a week 15 Saturday tripleheader of games. Network coverage starts with the Indianapolis Colts-Minnesota Vikings game, continues with the Baltimore Ravens-Cleveland Browns contest, and concludes with the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills matchup.

On Sunday, Fox and CBS will offer regional afternoon NFL coverage, followed by NBC's Sunday Night Football game between NFC East division rivals New York Giants and Washington Commanders. 

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will air a fight card featuring a lightweight main event bout between Michel Rivera and Frank Martin. ESPN Plus will stream a super middleweight fight between Christian Mbilli and Vaughn Alexander. 

ESPN Plus on Saturday will also steam a UFC Fight Night mixed martial arts card featuring a Jared Cannonier-Sean Strickland middleweight main event bout. 

The college football bowl season kicks into high gear this weekend with seven games. ESPN will televise the Fenway Bowl (Cincinnati-Louisville), the Las Vegas Bowl (Florida-Oregon State), Lending Tree Bowl (Rice-Southern Miss) and Frisco Bowl (North Texas-Boise St.), while ABC will air the New Mexico Bowl (SMU-BYU), LA Bowl (Washington State-Fresno State), and Celebration Bowl (Jackson St-NC Central). 

Also on the college football front, NBC and Peacock will carry the HBCU Pigskin Showdown all-star game from Alabama. 

On the ice, ESPN will televise the New York Rangers-Chicago Blackhawks NHL game while on the links, NBC will offer final round weekend coverage of the PNC Championship Pro-Am tournament. Tiger Woods will team up with his son Charlie as one of 20 teams in the family-themed golf event. ■ 

The second season of Showtime’s Emmy-nominated drama series Yellowjackets isn't scheduled to debut until March, but that didn’t stop the premium service from renewing the series for a third season.

The series, which will debut its second season on March 24, ended its first season this past January as Showtime’s second most streamed series in its history, according to Showtime officials. 

“With Yellowjackets’ runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximize the momentum by fast tracking season three now,” said Showtime and Paramount Media Networks President and CEO Chris McCarthy.

The series follows the lives of players from a high school girls soccer team 25 years after surviving a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness, according to the network. The series stars Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci and Tawny Cypress.

Yellowjackets is executive produced by Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco and Drew Comins. “The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley, Bart, Jonathan, eOne and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success,” McCarthy added.■

Drama Yellowjackets returns for season two on Showtime Friday, March 24 on streaming and on demand, for subscribers, and Sunday, March 26 on air. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the show is about a high school girl’s soccer team that goes down in a plane crash in some remote wilderness.

Yellowjackets chronicles the girls finding aspects of themselves they did not know existed amid such harsh conditions, and also details their lives 25 years later. Showtime calls it "equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama."

Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell are in the cast, and Elijah Wood is on board for a season-long guest arc.

Showtime announced the season start on YouTube.

Yellowjackets, which shoots in Vancouver, is produced by Entertainment One (eOne). Executive producers are Lyle, Nickerson and fellow showrunner Jonathan Lisco, along with Drew Comins of Creative Engine.

The show was a finalist for the best drama Emmy in September. ■

George & Tammy premiered Sunday as the most watched original show ever on Showtime, attracting more than 3.3 million viewers.

The series stars Jessica Chastain as country music legend Tammy Wynette and Michael Shannon as George Jones. 

The premiere was simulcast on the Paramount Network, promoted during an episode of Yellowstone. New episodes will appear exclusively on Showtime on cable, on demand and via streaming.

"George & Tammy made history as the most watched Showtime premiere ever, thanks to the mesmerizing performances of Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon," said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime & Paramount Media Networks. "The riveting and complicated tale of the king and queen of country music is a testament to the creative firepower of Abe Sylvia and our incredible partners at Freckle Films and 101 Studios, led by David Glasser."

George & Tammy is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios, Freckle Films, Mad Chance, Brolin Productions, Aunt Sylvia’s Moving Picture Co. and Blank Films Inc.

Abe Sylvia serves as creator and executive producer along with executive producers Andrew Lazar, Josh Brolin, Chastain and Kelly Carmichael. David C. Glasser, David Hutkin and Bob Yari are executive producers from 101 Studios. John Hillcoat serves as director and executive producer.

The series is based on the book, The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George, penned by the couple’s daughter, Georgette Jones. ■