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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2020.The Daily News of TV Sales Monday, June 22, 2020

BUT DEMAND FOR ESSENTIAL ITEMS STILL HIGH A new study contains some good news for brick-and-mortar retailers, Chain Store Age reports. According to a survey of more than 18,000 consumers from shopping rewards app Shopkick, about three-quarters (73%) of respondents say they feel equally or less concerned about COVID-19 than in May. And in a May Shopkick survey, 82% of respondents said the pandemic was affecting how they shop, and now that statistic has dropped to 70%. Almost all (94%) say that a member of their household is shopping in-store at least once a week, with 52% reporting multiple in-person trips per week. When asked to compare frequency of store visits with the prior month, 12% of respondents are visiting stores more often, more than double the 5% who said so in May, 44% are visiting stores about as often (versus 21% the prior month), and 44% are visiting stores less often (versus 73% the prior month). The demand for essential items like toilet paper, disinfectants, bottled water and canned goods remains high, with 95% of respondents continuing to notice that certain brands and items have sold out over the past month. Furthermore, 76% of respondents (a significant increase from 56% in May) have noticed price increases on these essentials. However, while 70% of consumers surveyed live in areas where non-essential retailers have reopened, 68% have not visited those stores yet. Regardless of whether they have visited any stores, 67% of respondents in those areas say they will make most of their non-essential purchases in-store, rather than online. The reasons vary, but 57% of respondents who have not visited reopened non-essential retailers in their area say it is because they have not yet felt the need. Other reasons include concern that other shoppers will not take safety precautions (38%), concern that retailers will be too crowded (27%), concern that retailers will not enforce safety precautions (22%), choosing instead to make non-essential purchases online (22%), and concern there will be long lines to enter or restrictions on the number of shoppers allowed in a store at once (16%). Most consumers who have visited reopened retailers say they shopped in apparel, shoe and accessory stores (52%). The second most-visited retailers are home-improvement stores (40%), followed by beauty and grooming stores (31%), home decor stores (25%), book and toy stores (21%), pet stores (18%), sporting goods stores (11%), electronics stores (9%), and wellness and fitness stores (7%). Looking ahead, the survey found that although 48% say they are shopping online more frequently than one month prior, 65% still plan to make most of their summer purchases in-store. Consumers say they plan to spend most of their summer shopping budget on groceries (41%), home improvement projects (27%), vacations (10%), recreation and outdoor activities (7%), clothing and apparel (6%), back-to-school preparations (4%), and summer camps (1%).

SURVEY: CONSUMERS’ COVID-19 CONCERNS EASINGADVERTISER NEWS Denver-based Smashburger is planning a major expan-sion in Chicago, having signed a half-dozen leases around the city. The chain is planning to open the first of the new spots later this year at the LondonHouse hotel on North Michigan Avenue… Nordstrom is getting back to business in the Big Apple. The department store retailer, which has been reopening its stores in phases nationwide, will reopen its six locations in New York City on Wednesday... Albert-

sons Cos. is proceeding with its plans to go public. The supermarket giant, whose banners include Safeway, Vons, Acme, its namesake brand and others, announced an initial public offering of 65.8 million shares at an anticipated price of $18 to $20 per share. At the midpoint of

the proposed range, Albertsons would command a market value of $9.1 billion and an enterprise value of $19 billion. The shares will likely start trading later this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. Albertsons plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ACI… Brookfield Property Partners has taken Gap Inc. to court in Texas over $2 million in unpaid rent over three months, and for what the mall developer says is a refusal to open stores at its properties in Texas, Bloomberg reports. Brook-field’s move follows Simon Property Group’s lawsuit ear-lier this month over more than $65.9 million in unpaid rent and other charges... Kohl’s partnership with Amazon has proven successful, with in-store Amazon returns kiosks and counters driving traffic to the stores before the pandemic and helping revive business as stores reopen, Kohl’s Chief Tech-nology Officer Paul Gaffney tells CNBC. “It has brought new people into Kohl’s who otherwise wouldn’t have gone into Kohl’s. And many of them buy something,” he said… Air-port retail operator Hudson had reopened more than 100 locations by June 15 and is accelerating plans to reopen the rest of the more than 700 stores it shuttered during the pan-demic as passenger traffic fell. The company operates a little more than 1,000 stores in transportation hubs in the U.S. and Canada... JCPenney’s preliminary Q1 numbers show a massive swing in operating loss. The retailer, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 15, filed the results with the SEC. Net sales for the quarter ended May 2 fell an estimated 57% to $1.082 billion. Operating loss was estimated $339 million compared with an operating loss of $93 million in the year-ago quarter. The results do not include the non-cash impact of impairment charges, the company said. JCPenney temporarily shuttered its stores on March 18 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It began opening stores on May 28, and as of June 5, it had reopened nearly 500... Kroger officials say the unprecedented demand caused by the ini-tial coronavirus outbreak has started to ease, and that trend could have an impact on the grocer’s Q2 sales. “Customers are still stocking up, but to a lesser degree than during the shutdowns,” said CFO Gary Millerchip, adding, “We do ex-pect sales to continue to taper as the quarter progresses.”

PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

AVAILS WMC-TV, the Gray Television NBC-affiliated television station in Memphis, Tenn., has an immediate opening for an energetic and extremely motivated multi-platform sales professional. Candidates must possess strong presentation and communication skills, experience working with advertising agencies, plus proven success in new business development. Matrix and Wide Orbit experience a plus. We’re looking for a self-starter with the ability to operate in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. A minimum 5+ years of

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E-COMMERCE MAY WEIGH ON CARMAX RECOVERY CarMax’s worst quarter is now in the rearview mirror, but the used-car retailer may have to keep looking over its shoulder as e-commerce upstarts remain hot on its tail, The Wall Street Journal says. The company’s overall sales declined almost 40% in the latest quarter, a better number compared with estimates. In the first two weeks of June, same-store sales had declined by roughly 10% from the previous year. That should be a slight concern only because it’s a weaker recovery compared with some of its competitors. Lithia Motors, a brick-and-mortar seller of new and used cars, said year-over-year sales declined 7% in May. Online used-car seller Carvana said weekly sales were up 20% to 30% as of early May. CarMax seems relatively well-positioned for online competition going forward, though its digital sales couldn’t make up for the revenue losses last quarter. The company’s “omnichannel experience,” which includes online ordering and curbside pickup, was available to 65% of its customers as of the end of last quarter and is now available to more than 70%. CarMax’s wholesale auctions — the source of 12% of its revenue last year — moved entirely to a virtual format and the company saw no declines in dealer attendance, though sales in that segment still declined 48%. Economic downturns can be good for the used-car industry. From their trough in late 2008, CarMax’s shares gained 283% by the end of 2011, while the S&P 500 rebounded by just 40%. But there was no Carvana then, or Vroom, another used-car e-commerce upstart.

NETWORK NEWS ABC sitcom United We Fall will launch with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, July 15 at 8 PM (ET). The series follows the trials and tribulations of Jo (Christina Vidal Mitchell) and Bill (Will Sasso), parents of two young kids, as they try to make it day to day as a functioning family. Bill’s judgmental live-in mother and Jo’s large Latinx Catholic family will never hesitate to let the couple know they’re seemingly screwing up, but Bill and Jo will always have each other’s backs, united against everyone... Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Eve, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marie Osmond — hosts of CBS’ daytime talker, The Talk — will emcee the 47th Annual Daytime Emmys when the show airs on CBS on Friday, according to CBS and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The awards show, which will be produced with participants in remote locations, is returning to broadcast TV for the first time since 2011 and to TV in general for the first time since 2015, when it aired on ViacomCBS-owned Pop TV. Underwood has been hosting the show with Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez since 2016... NBC has announced it has picked up scripted supernatural drama Manifest for a fourth season. Debuting in September 2018, Manifest follows the lives of the survivors of Montego Air Flight 828, who discover that over five and a half years have passed while they were in the air, during which time they were presumed dead. As they reintegrate themselves into present-day society, the passengers begin to face the fact that their lives — and loved ones — are not the same as they were before, while they also begin to experience guiding voices and visions representing events yet to occur... Meanwhile, NBC has officially cancelled sitcoms Indebted and Sunnyside, and legal drama Bluff City Law. Indebted, starring Fran Drescher, was a midseason replacement, while both Sunnyside and Bluff City Law were brief fall 2019 entries. No decision has been made on current drama Council of Dads.

CW GETS ‘KILLER CAMP,’ 3 OTHERS FOR SUMMER The CW has added four programs to its summer lineup. Killer Camp, which the network calls a “horror whodunnit competition” series, starts July 16. It centers on 11 British strangers who learn they’re not going on a fun new reality show called Summer Camp but are actually participating in a “murder” mystery series called Killer Camp. Comedy game show Taskmaster debuts Aug. 2, as does cooking competition show Fridge Wars. Taskmaster sees comedian Greg Davies in the title role, issuing bizarre tasks to five regular contents. Fridge Wars sees two chefs compete to make a standout meal with ingredients found in an ordinary family’s refrigerator. Emma Hunter hosts. The docuseries Being Reuben premieres Aug. 7. It’s about a teen juggling social media stardom with real-life stuff, such as his siblings. Reuben de Maid of Wales stars. Among the summer debutants, dark fairy tale Tell Me a Story makes its broadcast debut July 28. The series airs on CBS All Access. Investigative drama Coroner starts Aug. 5. British comedy Dead Pixels premieres Aug. 18.

6/22/2020

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The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

SURVEY: NEWS CONSUMPTION STARTS TO EASE News consumption has fallen 11% since its peak when the COVID-19 pandemic was originally declared in March, according to a new study by LoopMe. The outcomes-based video platform surveyed 8,000 people in eight countries, including the U.S., in May. Its first PurchaseLoop Research Pulse Report was released in March. The new report found that when it comes to media consumption, 27.1% have increased their gaming, 17% watched more TV shows and 16% viewed more movies.

The survey also found that about only 25% of consumers have increased their monthly spending compared to the prior month, compared to 46% who spent less. Since LoopMe’s first survey, consumer spending globally has increased 5.5%. When asked what they aspire to do most when the coronavirus crisis ends, 57% said the wanted to socialize with friends and family. About 20% said they won’t change their lifestyle when the pandemic is under control and 11% said

they’d most like to dine out.

THIS AND THAT YouTube is enabling brands to drive engagement, leads and sales with a direct response ad format that features product images below an ad that link to a business’ web page. The social platform is also launching a video action campaign product that enables marketers to plan direct response video ads across the site’s home feed, watch pages and Google video partners... AMC Entertainment, the biggest chain of U.S. movie theaters, will open the bulk of its venues — 450 — on July 15, hoping to grab what remains of the big box-office revenue-producing summer blockbuster film season. A week after that opening, on July 24, AMC’s remaining 150 theaters will open... NFL Network and NFL RedZone have gone dark on DISH Network and Sling TV as both sides try to reach a new distribution agreement. The league said in a release that “while NFL Media remains committed to negotiating an agreement and has offered terms consistent with those in place with other distributors, DISH has not agreed.” DISH said on its website that “the NFL has chosen to remove their channels during these unprecedented times” and that they hope to reach an agreement before the season starts.

6/22/2020

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PRESIDENTIAL AD SPEND SET TO MOVE HIGHER Although total presidential campaign advertising dipped a bit in the latest week, media spending will ramp up as the Joe Biden campaign plans to place $15 million in traditional TV spending in the weeks to come. The Biden campaign had been off the TV airwaves and other traditional media since March, only buying digital media plans. Now it looks to place $15 million in six key battleground states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona — all won by President Trump in 2016. For the week of June 13-19, presidential election spending was $10.7 million versus the previous week, when it was $11.6 million, according to Advertising Analytics. At the same time, overall U.S. political advertising climbed to $41.8 million across 711 elections versus $35.5 million for 743 elections. Looking at future media deals, for June 19-23, Advertising Analytics says the Biden campaign placed $1.9 million on traditional media — broadcasting, satellite and radio. The Trump campaign placed $3.7 million in media deals for the period from June 19-26 on cable TV. Among other presidential-related advertising campaigns for the week, the Democratic National Committee has placed $109,000 on cable TV in Washington, D.C., and The Lincoln Project placed $42,000 in Tulsa, Okla. On the digital front, the Trump campaign for June 7-13 had a $3.4 million spend on Facebook and Google, while the Biden campaign came in at $2.8 million.

LINCOLN TOPS LIST OF MOST-SEEN AUTO ADS For a second consecutive week, a Lincoln ad is iSpot.tv’s most-viewed automotive commercial, collecting the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings, Wards Auto reports. In its first-place commercial for the week of June 8, Lincoln promotes virtual vehicle tours and remote purchasing in the interest of “making your life a bit more effortless.” The automaker is also offering to make up to three payments on the purchase or lease of an eligible model for qualified customers. Lexus takes both the second- and third-place positions in the ranking. The No.2 spot says, “The difference between excellence and mastery is all the difference in the world,” and Lexus declares its ES series is the product of mastery. The brand’s third-place ad, meanwhile, invites customers to “experience amazing” with its NX crossover. Fourth place goes to a Land Rover spot that’s been on and off the chart for weeks. In it, the ’20 Range Rover Sport completes famous driving challenges such as the Pikes Peak summit in Colorado, the Empty Quarter on the Arabian Peninsula, the Inferno in Switzerland and China’s Dragon Challenge. This spot has the best iSpot Attention Score in the ranking (94.04) and received 26% fewer interruptions than the average auto ad. Rounding out the ranking is Subaru with a commercial touting its numerous accolades for longevity, best overall value and safety – making it easy, the announcer says, to love a Subaru.