Updated: Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 12:15 pm PT.
Media General and the Fox Television Stations are bringing back entertainment strip Hollywood Today Live this fall.
The show, which originated as a Web series and still plays at HollywoodTodayLive.com, aired as a test last summer on a few select Fox-owned stations. Fox was happy enough with the show’s performance that it wanted to bring it back. Media General, through its digital production studio BiteSizeTV, and Fox will share production costs on the show.
Hollywood Today Live will air on both groups' stations, including in major markets New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. Since the show will not be nationally cleared, at least for now, there will be no national advertising in the show and the stations will get to own and sell all the advertising inventory in each episode.
“We felt that daytime television needed a new voice for a younger audience, so we decided to develop an entire block of programming digitally and let the television networks and station groups watch us in action,” said Ron Bloom, founder and CEO of BiteSizeTV, in a statement. “We figured if they saw it, they would get it. And they did. We see Hollywood Today Live as not just a show, not just a franchise, but as a new model.”
"Having the ability to partner with BiteSize TV and work directly with Media General has given us an opportunity to reinvent the classic development paradigm," said Stephen Brown, executive VP, programming, FTS, also in a statement.
BiteSizeTV produces Hollywood Today Live at its digital studios in the heart of Hollywood. Besides Hollywood Today Live, it also produces other content in multiple lengths and formats that are distributed across digital and mobile platforms. Media General acquired BiteSize TV when it merged with LIN Media last December. Bite Size TV was an independent producer before LIN acquired it last September.
BiteSizeTV developed Hollywood Today Live digitally, debuting it along with a full lineup of digital programming in January 2014.
“As a truly connected-screen company, we are reliving on our promise to create and scale high quality original content that can be consumed through both digital and linear distribution,” said Robb Richter, Media General’s chief digital officer, in a statement.
Media General showed the series to ad buyers during the NewFronts, which started last week and run through Friday.
