What's news: NBCUniversal launches Peacock, UTA and Writers' Guild nears deal, Tyra Banks to host Dancing with the Stars, Nick Cannon vs. ViacomCBS, judge rejects Harvey Weinstein settlement, Trump and Biden play political Grocery Games, 2020 Telluride Film Festival canceled. Plus: CBS inks a deal with the NAACP and pushes Survivor, and the creators of Glee remember Naya Rivera. --Alex Weprin

 Peacock Launch Day

NBCUniversal officially launched its streaming service Peacock this morning. The service soft-launched in April to select Comcast cable and internet customers, but as of today it will be competing nationwide against digital incumbents like Netflix and Hulu, and offerings from legacy competitors like HBO Max and Disney+.

►The fundamental differentiator: NBCU is positioning Peacock as an ad-supported option from the get-go, much closer to Hulu than Netflix. That will allow it to launch with a free tier, and a lower price for its base tier (more on those below). HBO Max is expected to unveil a less expensive ad-supported tier in 2021. Peacock will also program linear "channels" to allow for lean-back viewing, focused on specific shows (like Saturday Night Live) or genres.

+The basics: Peacock will have 20,000 hours of content with multiple price tiers. There will be a free tier with a smaller library of 13,000 hours of content, a $4.99 ad-supported premium tier with the full library, and an ad-free tier with the full library for $9.99. The premium tier will also be free for many cable subscribers. It will be available on Apple and Google devices, Vizio and LG smart TVs, Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox.

--Two places it won't be available at launch? Roku and Amazon devices. Comcast is yet to strike a deal with those firms to carry the service.

+An interview with Peacock chairman Matt Strauss: Strauss tells THR's Natalie Jarvey that viewers have been flocking to the channels option, which "really reinforced our hypothesis that cord cutters like linear lean-back TV, as well." “There’s no question that we’re a new brand and there’s going to have to be an education on what we’re offering,” Strauss says. “We’re trying to do it in a way that makes it as frictionless as possible. Allowing somebody to download an app and not have to enter a credit card and just start enjoying video, that is a very clear value proposition.” The interview.

+Peacock's programming chief Bill McGoldrick talks strategy: McGoldrick talks with THR's Lesley Goldberg about the pandemic's impact on Peacock's launch, how the platform will compete for high-profile programming and his hopes to create content that goes beyond the hero cop narrative featured in the thousands of hours of Dick Wolf shows on the service.

--"When you look at some of the differentiators we have — between sports and news and other genres — we're trying to provide as many different genres as we can to the consumer. We are not placing our bet on one show at launch. We'll get that second burst when The Office comes in 2021. That will help some of the originals launch in 2021. We're looking at it as a marathon and not like a movie opening." The interview.

+The library content: NBC's streamer will become the exclusive streaming home for shows like The Office (said to be one of Netflix's most popular titles) and Parks and Recreation, as well as dozens of other library shows, from Battlestar Galactica and Psych to Saturday Night Live and Married... With Children. It will also include films from Universal's movie library, as well as films from Paramount and elsewhere (think The Godfather, the Fast & Furious franchise, E.T.) Also, yes, every Dick Wolf show.

--Originals: Peacock has a full development slate of originals, with reboots of Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster and Battlestar in the works, as well as originals like the Alec Baldwin-starring Dr. Death and Angelyne. The pandemic has pushed back many originals, with production having shut down. Here's the running list of original and library content.

+Peacock originals reviews: Inkoo Kang reviews In Deep with Ryan Lochte... Kang also reviews Brave New World... Daniel Fienberg reviews Intelligence... Fienberg also reviews The Capture...

+There's sports too! NBC was hoping to launch with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.... but that won't be happening. Instead, the company will have a slate of Premier League soccer matches to watch today.

+There's even some controversy! Many NBC affiliates are unhappy with Peacock, which they view as a threat to their business. In addition to possibly incentivizing viewers to watch NBC shows on the app instead of over broadcast, Peacock will let viewers watch NBC's late night shows a few hours before they air on the network. In protest, affiliates in a majority of the country are refusing to air Thursday's 30 Rock primetime special, which they say has too much promotion for Peacock. The story.



^UTA in talks with Writers Guild on agreement, sources say. If an agreement is made it could mark a victory for the WGA that may presage an end to the ongoing battle between the guild and the major agencies. WME, CAA and UTA remain locked in federal litigation against the guild, with both sides asserting antitrust claims against the other.

--The four largest agencies – WME, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners – had been steadfast in their refusal to sign with the WGA, as the guild’s 2019 agency agreement largely prohibits packaging fees and affiliate production, both of which are business practices key to the large agency model. The story.

►Tyra Banks joins Dancing With the Stars as new host. Banks’ new role was announced Wednesday morning, like so many other ABC reality casting announcements, during a Good Morning America segment. No stranger to TV production, the supermodel and industry veteran also joins the series as executive producer. The story.

Judge rejects proposed Weinstein class action settlement. Amid mounting objections from women who accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment, a New York federal judge has rejected a proposed settlement that would resolve nearly all of the civil claims against the producer, The Weinstein Company and several of its directors.

--During a Tuesday hearing, U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein denied preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that was put forth in June by class counsel with the support of the New York Attorney General's Office. The story.

+Judge allows New Jersey to keep movie theaters closed for now. Overseeing a lawsuit brought by movie houses, a federal judge notes that other states are again forcing closures due to rising COVID-19 cases. The story.

 Political 'Grocery Games'

►Trump, Biden campaigns target swing voters with unexpected TV buys. The president's campaign has made a sizable ad buy on the Food Network to reach suburban women, while the Biden campaign is targeting Trump voters on Fox News and NASCAR races.

--“When you run the analytics on the programming you can find the audiences,” says Michael Beach, the CEO of the marketing analytics firm Cross Screen Media. “If you are looking for swing-voting females with a college education or higher, you can get into networks that really over-index with that target.” The story.

►2020 Telluride Film Festival canceled. Oscar season usually launches over Labor Day weekend with the fest in the Colorado Rockies, but this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging — not to mention the Academy Awards already having been pushed back to April — it has become untenable.

--Festival organizers said in a statement on Tuesday that their "heartbreaking but unanimous" decision came after "months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event." They also indicated that they had a "very good plan" to move forward "until the past week or so." The story.

►Nick Cannon dropped by ViacomCBS over "hateful speech" used in podcast. In a June 30 episode of Cannon's Class, the comedian made comments that have been widely condemned as anti-semitic. "We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast Cannon’s Class on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories... we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him."

--Cannon responded in a lengthy Facebook post, saying that he is demanding the rights to the Wild n' Out franchise, and tried to speak with ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone. A rep for Redstone says that isn't true. The story.

+Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Where is the outrage over anti-semitism in sports and Hollywood? The THR columnist calls out the hateful outbursts against Jews by Ice Cube, DeSean Jackson and others and explains how the muted response "perpetuates racism" and contributes to an overall "Apatholypse." The column.

►Glee creators remember "humor and humanity" of Naya Rivera. In an emotional tribute, the creators shared how "heartbroken" they are over the loss of their "friend" Rivera that they "lucked into finding." After the Glee actress was declared dead Monday after going missing last Wednesday while boating with her 4-year-old son, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan also announced that they are creating a college fund for Rivera's son. More.

►Cinema stocks: Analyst cuts price targets, says gradual opening could "bolster sentiment." "We are less certain that studios will wait for the perfect date to release their films — as that perfect date may never arrive," says B. Riley FBR's Eric Wold. "And if studios are concerned around the health of their exhibitor partners, they may not choose to wait much longer." The story.

+Analyst downgrades Netflix stock: Ahead of Netflix's second-quarter earnings report after the market close on Wednesday, two more analysts updated their expectations. UBS analyst Eric Sheridan downgraded his rating on Netflix shares from "buy" to "neutral" in a Tuesday report entitled "Pausing The Bingeing At These Levels." The story.

 CBS Inks NAACP Deal, Pushes 'Survivor'

►CBS, NAACP ink sprawling content partnership deal. The multiple-year pact includes scripted, unscripted and documentary programming for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Under the deal, creative leaders from CBS TV Studios will work with the civil rights group to establish a dedicated team of executives and an infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. The story.

+Survivor pulled from CBS fall schedule. The network made the call late Tuesday, noting that Survivor's producers are working with officials in Fiji, where the show films, on when production on the 41st season can start, "with health and safety matters the top priority for everyone involved." In its place on Wednesday nights, CBS will air the 32nd season of The Amazing Race, which completed shooting well before the novel coronavirus pandemic brought scores of productions to a halt in March. The story.

In other TV news...

+Kidding, starring Jim Carrey, canceled at Showtime. The second season wrapped its run in March with 54,000 same-day viewers. The episode left the door open for a potential third season but wrapped up its central storyline at the same time. More.

+Evel Knievel drama starring Milo Ventimiglia scrapped at USA Network. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that the NBCUniversal-owned basic cable network has abandoned plans for its Evel limited series starring This Is Us favorite Milo Ventimiglia. Studio Universal Content Productions will shop the drama, based on the life of the late 1970s-era daredevil, to cable and streaming services. The story.

+Kelly Marie Tran joins Hulu anthology Monsterland. The series, produced by Annapurna Television, is set in a world that involves encounters with fantasy creatures like mermaids and fallen angels, and follows broken people driven to desperate acts in an attempt to repair their lives. Kaitlyn Dever, Taylor Schilling and Mike Colter are also starring in the series. More.

+Michael Che sketch show lands at HBO Max. The WarnerMedia-owned streaming service has ordered six episodes of the untitled show, which will tackle subjects including police brutality, unemployment and falling in love from a Black vantage point. More.

+Nyle DiMarco comedy series in the works at Spectrum. Spectrum Originals is teaming with Daniel Dae Kim's 3AD to develop a scripted comedy based on the life of the model, actor, producer and activist. More.

►TV review: Daniel Fienberg reviews the ABC sitcom United We Fall, writing that the show "could easily be lumped in with a string of quickly canceled comedies that premiered this spring — shows including Outmatched, Indebted and Broke, about in-over-their-head parents, wacky TV kids and relatives forced by economic circumstances to expand that nuclear family." The review.

TV ratings: ABC got a ratings bump Monday from a special featuring past performances from the CMA Festival, leading the night in total viewers and tying for the top spot in adults 18-49. NBC's The Titan Games was the top individual show. The numbers.

+ABC's World News Tonight hits historic ratings milestone. World News Tonight With David Muir led all shows on broadcast and cable for the week in total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. No network nightly newscast has pulled off that triple in at least 28 years (since the beginning of Nielsen's electronic database in 1991-92). More.

In other news...

--Chernobyl producer Sister has optioned rights to Jennifer Weiner's novel Mrs. Everything and will develop the book for TV.

--After releasing comic book movie Old Guard on Netflix to critical acclaim, Gina Prince-Bythewood has found her next project. Prince-Bythewood will direct Viola Davis in period action drama The Woman King for Sony's TriStar. 

--Cinedigm Corp. has partnered with Quincy Newell's TwentyOne 14 Media to launch an upcoming linear and advertising VOD channel dedicated to U.S. multicultural consumers. 

--China's largest cinema chain operator Wanda Film said it expects to lose $214 to $228 million (RMB 1.5 to 1.6 billion) in the first half of 2020 thanks to over five months on continual cinema shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

--Twin horror directors Jen and Sylvia Soska, also known as the Soska Sisters, are set to write, direct and produce Unseen, a feature based on the audio-only mobile adventure game BlindSide.

--Tim Betar, a popular video game player also known as "TimTheTatman," has signed with WME for representation in all areas.

--Jimmy Fallon returned to his Rockefeller Center studio on Monday, months after shooting The Tonight Show from his home. He is the first late-night host to return to the studio amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

--The Los Angeles County Medical Examiners Office on Tuesday released the official cause and manner of death for Benjamin Keough, the son of Lisa Marie Presley and grandson of the late Elvis Presley.

What else we're reading...

--"Google steers YouTube to users over rivals" [WSJ]

--"The TikTok war" [Stratechery]

--"Sports are coming back. Is sports media coming back with it?" [The Ringer]

--"Netflix changed media forever. Can this streamer bring the revolution to Latino audiences?" [LA Times]

--"Vox Media preparing round of layoffs as business fails to improve amid coronavirus pandemic" [CNBC]

Today's birthdays: Brian Austin Green, 47, Brigitte Nielsen, 57, Forest Whitaker, 59, Eddie Griffin, 52, Damian Lillard, 30.