After first striking a partnership deal with CBS Media Ventures in March 2021 to help the preeminent company in television syndication connect advertisers with African American consumers, NuTime Media is furthering its relationship with CBS to help the network sell advertising for new daytime drama series “The Gates.”
As part of its agreement, Black-owned NuTime Media will act as a sales rep to sell national advertising opportunities for “The Gates.”
“We are thrilled to add ‘The Gates’ to our portfolio of products,” said Morris McWilliams, NuTime Media’s president and CEO, in a statement. “A daytime drama of this kind has not been on broadcast television in over 35 years, and we are certain it will fill that void and have positive appeal with African American audiences.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Launching in January 2025 on CBS, “The Gates” is the first all-new daytime soap opera to launch on broadcast television since the 1999 debut of “Passions.” The series also marks the first time since the 1989 launch of “Generations” that a daily serial will feature a predominately Black cast and the first time since the 1987 launch of “The Bold and the Beautiful” that CBS will have premiere a new soap opera on the network.
Created by Michele Val Jean (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “General Hospital”), who also serves as showrunner and executive producer, “The Gates” tells the story of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. Casting and behind-the-scenes crew announcements have yet to be announced. However, last month, Val Jean posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying “You guys! The team for #TheGates is coming together and it’s [three fire emojis]. I couldn’t be happier. Exciting announcements coming soon. Stay tuned!”
The deal with CBS Media Ventures saw NuTime Media expand opportunities for the advertising community to engage with the African American consumer through premium programming, specifically CMV’s highly rated first-run series such as “Entertainment Tonight,” “Inside Edition,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Sherri,” “Jeopardy” and “Family Feud,” among others.
NuTime Media’s initiatives include soliciting third parties to represent their African-American-focused programming and partnering with like-minded content creators to develop advertiser-friendly programming in syndication.
