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TV News Roundup: ‘Homeland’ Season 6 Premiere Ratings, Tyler Perry Gets People’s Choice Award

Homeland
Courtesy of Showtime

In today’s TV News Roundup, Amazon‘s “The Collection” gets a premiere date, Masterpiece announces a partnership on new series “Press,” “Homeland” premiere ratings, and more.

RATINGS

Showtime made the “Homeland” Season 6 premiere available to its subscribers more than two weeks before its linear debut — a move that appears to have paid off. While the TV audience on Sunday, the night of the official premiere, was 1.35 million, the streaming and on-demand audience in the 17 days leading up nearly matched that, with 1.25 million. That was enough to tie Season 6 with Season 3 for the series’ most-watched premiere, though none of the other seasons had their premieres made available beforehand.

DATES

Amazon’s seven-episode period drama “The Collection,” from creator and writer Oliver Goldstick, will launch on Prime Video in the U.S. on Feb. 10. The family saga profiles the Sabine family and fashion house’s attempt to restore Paris to its former glory as the haute couture capital of the post-war fashion world. The series has already been released to Prime members in the U.K.

VH1 has announced new cast members and a premiere date for its 90s hip-hop drama “The Breaks.” The show, a continuation of a last year’s film of the same name, will feature Kim Wayans, Lela Rochon, Dave East  and Hassan Johnson. Returning to reprise their roles are Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith, Russell Hornsby, J. Bernard Calloway, William Jackson Harper, A-F-R-O, and De’Adre Aziza. The series will debut Feb. 20 at 9/8c.

RENEWALS

Ovation TV has acquired U.S. premiere rights to Season 2 of “Versaille” from Banijay Rights. The period drama follows King Louis XIV in his quest to build his iconic palace. A Canal+ Creation original, the series is co-produced by Capa Drama, Zodiak Fiction and Incendo. George Blagden will continue to star as the monarch alongside co-stars Alexander Vlahos and Anna Brewster.

DEALS

Masterpiece on PBS and BBC ONE are teaming up for new Mike Bartlett series “Press.” The series, about today’s newspaper industry and media landscape, will be a co-production between Deep Indigo, Lookout Point and BBC Studios through a new deal with BBC Worldwide North America and Lookout Point.

DEVELOPMENT

Global independent studio Entertainment One (eOne) has acquired the television rights to Holly Cave’s forthcoming novel “The Architecture of Heaven.” The book, due to come out in 2018, is set in a future London where people choose where to go after they die by constructing artificial heavens formed from the best memories of their lives. Groundswell Productions, led by Michael London, will produce while eOne will control worldwide rights and serve as the lead production studio.

StudioCanal‘s Tandem Productions has announced the development of “Deep City,” an ensemble drama about Miami’s music scene, set against midtown’s nightlife and Miami’s emerging downtown core. Callie Khouri will work alongside T Bone Burnett and Tandem’s managing director Tim Halkin on the series. They’ll executive produce along with creator Juan Carlos Coto.

AWARD SHOWS

The 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards will broadcast live on CBS from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 2. This year’s country music celebration will mark the first time the ceremony is broadcast from T-Mobile Arena.

Tyler Perry will receive the fifth annual People’s Choice Award for favorite humanitarian during the show on Jan. 18. The award recognizes Perry’s commitment to activism and charitable fundraising, having raised money for the NAACP and Feeding America, among other charities. In his honor, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will donate $100,000 to the Global Medical Relief Fund.

EXECUTIVES

Epix has hired Sandy Ashendorf as executive vice president of content distribution. Heading the network’s multi-platform distribution partnerships, Ashendorf will report directly to president and CEO Mark Greenberg in New York. Ashedorf joins Epix from BBC Worldwide America, where she most recently served as executive vice president of distribution.