Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Networks Place Big Bets on Live Summer Specials

17/06/2019

Why This Matters: ABC and cable networks are using non-sports live events to draw viewers inside when the weather's nice.

When Nik Wallenda steps onto the high wire 25 stories above Times Square on ABC June 23, it represents yet another live special, as networks increasingly aim to corral viewers to tune in for day-and-date programming. Wallenda aims to walk 1,300 feet on the wire, with his sister, Lijana, starting from the opposite end and the siblings crossing mid-wire.

Acrobat Nik Wallenda

ABC is doubling down, in the words of Rob Mills, senior VP, alternative series, specials and late night, on live events. That includes last month's Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons special, and perhaps a live musical.

Our network doesn't have the NFL, Mills said. These become our NFL.

A number of networks are set to run bold live events. The same night the Wallendas traipse above Times Square, National Geographic Channel kicks off four-night Yellowstone Live, with the national park coming to life after a long winter, and a range of animals doing their thing. Evel Live 2 airs on History July 7, with fearless motocross athletes attempting harrowing stunts.

First Responders Live, a Dick Wolf show offering a peek at first responders as they answer emergency calls across the country, debuted on Fox June 12, and A&E ordered 10 additional episodes of Live PD spinoff Live Rescue, also offering a close-up of emergency responders, bringing the season-one total to 19 episodes.

Live programs are mostly DVR-proof and eminently social media-friendly, network executives say. Eli Lehrer, History executive VP and head of programming, mentions the immediacy they bring and the excitement they generate for viewers. There's an urgency to watch right now you don't want to miss it.

High-Flying Wallendas

In 1928, the Great Wallendas performed in Madison Square Garden, and Nik Wallenda said he will pay homage to that performance nearly a century after it happened. There's something alluring about New York, he said.

Adding intrigue to Highwire Live in Times Square with Nik Wallenda is Lijana, who will step onto the high wire for the first time since a 2017 incident where she fell 30 feet from one.

Executive producer Mark Bracco said watching such an event on the day after does not do it justice. If you are not watching live, you miss something amazing that happens in the moment, he said. And you just can't experience something like that in the same way if you watch it the next day.

Dick Clark Productions is producing the event. Wallenda previously did high-wire stunts over Niagara Falls in 2012, which ABC News produced, and the Grand Canyon in 2013, which aired on Discovery. Mills cites Evel Knievel stunts that used to air on Wide World of Sports in saying that Wallenda is right at home on ABC. It fits into the heritage of the network, he said.

Evel Genius

Evel Live 2 will be filmed at the San Bernardino International Airport in California. Travis Pastrana did motorcycle stunts in Live 1, and co-hosts this summer, leaving the daredevil stuff to Vicki Golden and Axell Hodges. Golden will speed through a series of flaming boards, and Hodges plans to soar over two dozen trucks to break a record Knievel set in 1971. Later, he'll aim to set the record for motorcycle jump distance, which stands at nearly 380 feet.

Evel Live 1 reached 14.5 million total viewers in live plus seven ratings, according to History, and 3.5 million in live plus same day. Lehrer called it an incredible success for us.

He promises bigger stuff in this summer's three-hour special. We learned a tremendous amount from a TV standpoint, he said, in terms of how to produce a live event.

Park and Rec

Yellowstone Live is co-hosted by Josh Elliott and Chris Packham, with Jenna Wolfe the roving reporter. The event takes place across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The 25 cameras capturing the action include a Burrow Cam, showing prairie dogs underground, and Bison Cam, affixed to the massive mammal. Yellowstone After Dark deploys thermal cameras to showcase the animal action at night.

Geoff Daniels, executive VP of global unscripted entertainment at National Geographic, promises a bigger and bolder event than last year's. We cover a bigger area, and have the ability to cover so many more intimate animal stories, he said.

Social Grace

Daniels also promises a social media takeover for Yellowstone Live, and social is a giant part of what makes the live specials right for 2019. For its part, Evel Live had 103,000 social interactions last year, said History, citing Nielsen, far and away the most social program for the network last year, according to Lehrer.

While live events have their risks, whether it's foul weather, flubbed lines or a motorcycle malfunction, executives said they are keen to bring more to their network. It's certainly a space we're always looking at, Lehrer said, noting that a couple are in development at History.

ABC may do a live musical as soon as in the fall, Mills said, likely something from the Disney library. It also plans to turn the Lear live special into an annual event.

National Geographic will depart Yellowstone Park to tackle Alaska Live next summer. One of the beauties of live is, it's a communal experience, Daniels said. It's in the moment and it's unpredictable. You saw it first you didn't hear about it.

Why This Matters: ABC and cable networks are using non-sports live events to draw viewers inside when the weather's nice.

When Nik Wallenda steps onto the high wire 25 stories above Times Square on ABC June 23, it represents yet another live special, as networks increasingly aim to corral viewers to tune in for day-and-date programming. Wallenda
LINK: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/networks-place-big-bets-on-live...
See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Flowstate AI's Sahil Shah on Transforming Video Content with Intelligent AI Agents

As sports media organization continue to seek out new ways to streamline their p...

01/04/2026

SVG GFX Forum 2026: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

The SVG GFX Forum hit New York City earlier this month for a day packed with sessions focused on the creative strategy and technology behind today's cutting...

01/04/2026

From Buenos Aires to Mexico City, EQUAL Days Bring Latin America Together for Women in Audio

This year, Spotify celebrates the five-year anniversary of EQUAL, our global pro...

01/04/2026

FourFingers announce Tape Splice Pro plug-in

Analogue-style tape splicing in the digital domain In this era of digital recording and multiple layers of Undo, it seems that the fading art of tape splici...

01/04/2026

Zero G introduce Morphology Evolved

Latest release introduces new Orbita Engine Zero G's latest release marks the start of a new series of libraries, as well as introducing an all-new engi...

01/04/2026

Warm Audio introduce the WA-8TRX

Until now, one format has largely been left behind Warm Audio's extensive product range includes modern-day recreations of all manner of sought-after s...

01/04/2026

The Crow Hill Company announce Crystal Pianos

A piano with glass vessels for strings! The Crow Hill Company's recently released Gong Piano offered a refreshing new take on piano libraries, harnessin...

01/04/2026

ESSENCE RS from Aim Audio

Remote Streaming Studio Condenser Aim Audio have just revealed their latest creation, the ESSENCE RS Remote Streaming Studio Condenser, which becomes the wo...

01/04/2026

Call for NFVF funding applications to attend Film Festivals and Markets taking place from 08 - 31 May 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest's next-generation TV experience with the launch of next IPTV platform in Austria

Bilbao, April 1st, 2026 - AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technolog...

01/04/2026

Green Hippo Debuts Hands on Hippotizer Media Server Train...

Green Hippo is excited to announce the launch of its new Hippotizer Media Server training courses at Pixel Academy, a purpose built AV learning hub combining ha...

01/04/2026

TAG Video Systems and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Partner...

TAG Video Systems, a global leader in IP-native broadcast monitoring, multiviewing, and quality control, today announced a collaboration with Oracle Cloud Infra...

01/04/2026

Professional Wireless Systems PWS Takes on Intercom and R...

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, wher...

01/04/2026

AgileTV powers Liwest next generation TV experience with...

AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technology solutions, has deployed next , the new IPTV platform of the Austrian telco LIWEST, marking the first st...

01/04/2026

LTN and Ateme partner to deliver integrated video process...

LTN, a leader in fully managed IP video transport, and Ateme, a global leader in video compression and delivery solutions, today announced a collaboration integ...

01/04/2026

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations for Creative Pros in Adobe Illustrator Deepa Subramaniam April 1, 2026 0 Comments I'm excited to share that...

01/04/2026

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live Production, Film, Post, and Broadcast

Boland Communications Introduces QD4K315HDR10 QD-OLED Series Monitors for Live P...

01/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Evertz

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Judge Blocks Order Barring NPR and PBS From Funding

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Nikon to Sell Mark Roberts Motion Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Optimization, and Personalization at NAB 2026

Mediagenix Showcases Semantic Intelligence-Powered Title Management, Schedule Op...

01/04/2026

FCC Approves WJAX-TV License Transfer to Cox

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Scripps Sports Ink Deal for Ion to Air 2026 Teal Rising Cup

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

UK Group Companies Unveil NAB Show Plans

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/04/2026

Victoria Mont Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026

Victoria Mon t Brings the Multi-Hyphenate Mindset to Career Jam 2026 The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer shared how versatility and self-inves...

01/04/2026

UKTV announces expanded remit for Jonathan Newman and appoints David Swetman as Director of Content Partnerships & Sales

UKTV today announces that Jonathan Newman has formally stepped into the role of ...

01/04/2026

Rite of Spring - Save on Ivory 3 German D and American Concert D

A New Season of Expression: Save 30% On Ivory 3There are moments in music when everything changes-when new ideas break through and redefine what's possible....

01/04/2026

Binghamton University Strengthens StudentRun Productions With Riedel's SimplyLive RiMotion R12

Wuppertal April 1, 2026 Binghamton University Strengthens Student Run Producti...

01/04/2026

A Demon Falls for a Human in 'Long Vacation': Netflix Greenlights New Romance Series from Director of 'Crash Landing on You'

Back to All News A Demon Falls for a Human in Long Vacation: Netflix Greenlight...

01/04/2026

All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy

Back to All News All WWE Is Now Live Only on Netflix in Italy Entertainment 01 April 2026 GlobalItaly Link copied to clipboard ALL WWE IS NOW LIVE ON NET...

01/04/2026

TDF Expands Broadcast Channel Lineup with Harmonic

Harmonic's Media Processing Solutions Maximize Bandwidth Efficiency for Terrestrial Broadcast Delivery SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 1, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...

01/04/2026

RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive freetoair coverage of the 2026 Women's Six Nations Championship

Rugby fans won't miss a moment of the action this spring, with full Women...

01/04/2026

Bluey as Gaeilge starts on RT KIDSjr on Easter Monday

T Bluey ag teacht go RT ! Beginning on Monday 6 April 2026, Bluey will be available as Gaeilge on RT KIDSjr and RT Player. Children will be able to connect w...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

31/03/2026

MeyerPro Delivers LED Production for Microsoft Ignite 2025

MeyerPro delivered the LED production for the Microsoft Ignite 2025 keynote at Chase Center in San Francisco, using more than 2,700 ROE Visual panels across mul...

31/03/2026

MC-IF Expands Membership to Include Smaller Technology Companies to Drive VVC Adoption

The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) is expanding membership outreach in 2026...

31/03/2026

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV Launch Conversational AI Search

ViewLift and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) have announced the launch of ViewLift Conversational AI Search on the MyOutdoorTV platform. The feature enables natural language...

31/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and Gray Media to Simulcast 25 Regular Season Games on Over-the-Air Television

The Atlanta Braves and Gray Media have announced a multi-year agreement to simul...

31/03/2026

Gravity Media to Deliver Broadcast Coverage of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival

Gravity Media has delivered broadcast services for TAB Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and will now cover The Star Championships at Royal Ran...

31/03/2026

Mileto Tecnologia Selects Synamedia Go for OTT Expansion

Synamedia has announced that Mileto Tecnologia, a Brazilian pay-TV operator, has selected the Synamedia Go platform for its OTT expansion. Mileto is also deploy...

31/03/2026

NAB 2026: KMH Integration to Present AV Casting Philosophy

KMH Integration will attend NAB Show in Las Vegas with a focus on what the company calls AV Casting - an approach built on the idea that professional AV and bro...

31/03/2026

Prime Video to Air First and Second Rounds of 2026 Masters Tournament

Prime Video will carry live coverage of the first and second rounds of the 2026 Masters Tournament, beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, A...

31/03/2026

NHL, ESPN, TNT Sports and Sportsnet Launch Joint Marketing Campaign for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The NHL and its U.S. and Canadian broadcast partners have announced a collaborat...

31/03/2026

Daktronics to Install New Video Display and Show Control System at Wake Forest's Allegacy Stadium

Daktronics has partnered with Wake Forest to manufacture and install a new end z...

31/03/2026

NFL Announces Las Vegas to Host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029

The National Football League has announced that Las Vegas will host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 at Allegiant Stadium. The announcement was made at the NFL Annual M...

31/03/2026

NFL Partners with TMRW Sports to Launch Professional Flag Football League

The NFL has announced a partnership with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men. The league will launch with i...