Time’s PEN Network Launching Series on Scott Hamilton

Time's streaming video channel People/Entertainment Weekly Network on May 2 will launch a six-part series on Olympic gold medal-winning skater Scott Hamilton, who has battled a series of brain tumors.

The debut coincides with the NewFronts, where web companies will be announcing increasing amounts of original video programming aimed at consumers who are looking for entertainment online and over-the-top.

Scott Hamilton Today follows Hamilton with a single camera, as he goes about his daily life, capturing his inspirational story. Hamilton and his wife Tracie are also featured in raw, emotional interviews.

The PEN original series is produced in partnership with actor Rainn Wilson’s entertainment company SoulPancake.

Each episode is between 10 and 15 minutes long. The first two episodes will debut May 2 and new episodes will appear weekly until the finale on May 30.

People magazine has followed Hamilton’s health closely. Last month it collaborated with ABC News on a special People Icons: Heroes & Survivors that featured Hamilton.

Hamilton left figure skating to battle testicular cancer in 1997. He last year was diagnosed as having a brain tumor for a third time, this time a benign growth on his pituitary gland. He recently revealed to People that the tumor has shrunk.

In Scott Hamilton Today, the skater trains for fighting the tumor with the dedication and precision of a world-class Olympic athlete.

"I’m living an incredible life and I’m honored to share it with others in this PEN series,” Hamilton said. “My hope is that viewers will be entertained, able to relate to one aspect or another of my journey, and will come away from each episode feeling inspired to live every day like it’s the best one yet."

Viewers can go to People.com/PEN or download the PEN app for mobile or connected-TV devices including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Xfinity and join the conversation with @PeopleEWNetwork.

As an extension of People and Entertainment Weekly magazine, PEN has focused on pop culture since it was launched in 2016.

PEN is planning to announce at its NewFront presentation next week that its app has been downloaded 1.6 million times.

Among PEN’s more popular franchises are EW Reunites, which has brought together the casts of favorite TV series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer in March, and People Features, which has been a hit with looks at celebrity weddings.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.