COVER:
C
HRISTI
E^ HEMM^KLOKIN THIS ISSUE
MARCH 16, 2020 | VOL. LXI NO. 7
TRENDING
The future of voice is uncertain as
apps struggle to gain ground.
TA L EN T P O OL
Twitter’s Rembert Browne
has a way with words.
CMO VANGUARDS
Deborah Wahl is one of 30
innovative marketers honored.
19
8
56
ADWEEK PUBLISHES NEXT ON MARCH 23.
©2020. All rights reserved. ADWEEK® is a registered trademark owned by Adweek, LLC and used under license. Adfreak®, Adweek Brandshare®,
AgencySpy®, Brandweek®, Brand Genuis®, Brand Save®, Hot List®, Mediaweek®, Social Times®, TVNewser® and TVSpy® are registered
trademarks owned by Adweek, LLC and used under license.
TV SHOWS AIR WITHOUT LIVE AUDIENCES, OR GO DARK. BY JASON LYNCH
54
PERSPECTIVE
Bounce gave rise to the
dryer sheet business.
THE WEEK IN MEDIA AND MARKETINGAs the coronavirus spread upended every facet of
life in the U.S., it also spurred unprecedented changes
in the television industry.
On Thursday, every major media company
slated for May’s upfronts week canceled their live
presentations, and announced they would shift to a
digital-only offering.
Changes have also happened on the air. TV
shows that rely on live audiences have had to either
tape without them, or opted to go on hiatus until the
pandemic is contained.
Disney-owned ABC decided to forego live
audiences for several of its talk shows, including
Good Morning America, GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke
and The View, as well as two syndicated programs it
produces, Tamron Hall and Live With Kelly and Ryan.
NBC News is doing the same for the flagship 7-9 a.m.
edition of Today, as well as Today With Hoda & Jenna
& Friends at 10 a.m. Saturday Night Live won’t have a
new episode until March 28.
Some shows have also shut down production,including Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Fight.
Several late-night talk shows have opted to start
their planned late-March hiatus a week early. CBS’ The
Late Show With Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight
Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth
Meyers are going dark this week instead of taping without
a studio audience, so the soonest they could be back on
air is March 30.
Staying on the air for now but forgoing studio
audiences are Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With
Trevor Noah, TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,
HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and Los
Angeles-based Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Late
Show With James Corden.
Elsewhere in L.A., several programs are also
going forward without audiences, including The Ellen
DeGeneres Show and game shows Jeopardy! and
Wheel of Fortune. “To everyone who was looking
forward to coming, I’m so sorry,” DeGeneres tweeted
in announcing the move. “But I’m doing this for the
health of my fans, my staff and my crew.”MARCH SADNESS
With several cities banning large public gatherings, disruptions have rippled through the sports world. For now, both
the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the Kentucky Derby, set to be run on May 2, remain on the calendar. -Eva KisDOCKED
Princess Cruises has
suspended operations
for at least two months.
Viking Cruises won’t sail
until at least May 1.NEW YORK
Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned
gatherings of 500 or more people,
leading to the closure of most
cultural institutions, including The
Met and Broadway, through March.THEME PARKS
Following the closure of Disney’s theme
parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong, its
Paris, California and Florida properties
have also closed through the end of
March, along with Universal Studios.Basketball
The rest of
the season is
suspendend
indefinitely.NCAA
College
athletics
suspended,
with campuses
closing and
moving courses
online.Baseball
Spring
training
canceled,
Opening Day
pushed back
by at least
two weeks.Soccer
Major League
Soccer has
suspended all
U.S. games
for 30 days.Hockey
Suspended
the rest of
the 2019-
2020 season
indefinitely.Racing
The start of
Formula 1 is
postponed until
the end of May.
Nascar has
canceled two
races so far.Golf
All
tournaments,
including the
Masters in
April, have been
postponed.SMALL SCREEN SHAKE-UP