Abc, Cable | featured news

Remember ABC’s long-running comedy improve competition series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”  It’s back. On CW. This summer. 

As we forecast back in August, actor Fred Willard — fired by PBS and pulled by ABC — has landed on his feet, at HBO. Chris Guest, who last month sold a mockumentary comedy series “Family Tree” to HBO, has hired Willard in a recurring role.

Want to reach ultra conservatives? Advertise your message or candidate on ESPN’s college football regular season, NBC’s “Today with Kathie Lee & Hoda,” or ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Need to talk to Super Democrats? Say it on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” or NBC’s faux-latenight-show comedy “30 Rock.”

Broadcasters took a big step toward eliminating free TV shows on the Web after they blocked access to their programming online this month to enforce their demands to be paid. Recent actions by Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS in two separate fee disputes suggest that after a few years of experimenting with free, ad-supported viewing, broadcasters believe they can make more money from cable TV providers if they hold back some programming online.

TV News: Mammoth carriage accord includes digital rights, services -- Disney and Time Warner Cable have inked a mammoth carriage deal that covers the Mouse House's cablers, four ABC O&Os and gives Time Warner Cable expanded digital and video-on-demand rights to Mouse House programming.