BROADCAST/CABLE

BROADCAST/CABLE

With 16 days of its 17-day Summer Olympics run in the books, it’s looking as if NBC Universal is going to set a few records of its own. According to NBCU’s analysis of Nielsen data, its cable and broadcast platforms attracted 211 million viewers during that time period, 2 million more than the previous pace-setter, the 1996 Atlanta Games. Financial Times (8/24) , The Hollywood Reporter (8/24)

The 2008 U.S. Open tennis tournament begins today on USA, but that hasn’t stopped the Tennis Channel from planning for a year from now, when it will kick off its coverage of the Grand Slam event. The network, which will split 2009 U.S. Open coverage with ESPN and CBS, has even been busy signing up advertisers for the year-from-now tourney, including Longines, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. Adweek (8/25)

The CW’s series debut of Stylista is now slated for October 22 at 9p, a week earlier than originally planned. This series will follow eleven fashion assistants working for Elle’s Fashion News Director, Anne Slowey as they battle to be the best. After weekly eliminations, the final winner will receive a one-year stint on Elle magazine’s editorial staff, a paid lease on a Manhattan apartment and a clothing allowance at H&M all valued at $100,000. (Cynopsis 8/25)

BET’s season two finale of Baldwin Hills on August 19 at 10p averaged 1.6 million total viewers. (Cynopsis 8/25)

Gamers chomping at the bit to get their hands on Will Wright’s latest sim masterpiece Spore may want to check out How to Build a Better Being on National Geographic Channel tomorrow night at 10 p ET/PT. The documentary offers insight into the genetic engineering research that went into Spore, which enables players to design life forms utilizing a menu of creator tools. The Spore Galactic Edition, which includes a DVD of the documentary, is due out for PC and Mac on Sept. 7. (Cynopsis 8/25)

Travel Channel Media picked up the exclusive U.S. cable rights to reality series The Amazing Race from CBS Television Distribution. The deal, with terms not disclosed, includes the most recent seasons of the show: 12 and 13 (now in production) plus Season 14 (based on production considerations). Episodes from Season 12 will air on the Travel Channel each Wednesday at 8p starting September 3. (Cynopsis 8/25)

Looking to establish its credentials in the reality-programming arena, Lifetime has ordered six episodes of a competition series about makeup artists. The show, to be titled “Blush: The Search for America’s Greatest Makeup Artist,” is expected to premiere in November and will serve as a companion to Lifetime’s newly acquired “Project Runway,” which moves to the network this fall. Variety (8/24)

Fox Cable Networks has signed a new carriage deal with Comcast to present the high-definition versions of the FX and Speed channels. The networks will be shown in the 720p format and will be rolled out on HD basic tiers across Comcast’s systems by the end of next year. Multichannel News (8/24)