News

Sep 18, 2023

08/02/23: Season 5 of “Disenchantment” will be its last

96 Today’s Premieres Apple TV+: Physical CBS: Big Brother at 8p Discovery: ExpeditionX at 9p Disney+: Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Hulu: Reservation Dogs ID: Does Murder Sleep? at 10p IN THE NEWS

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Today’s Premieres Apple TV+: PhysicalCBS: Big Brother at 8pDiscovery: ExpeditionX at 9pDisney+: Star Wars: Young Jedi AdventuresHulu: Reservation DogsID: Does Murder Sleep? at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Meta has started to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for users in Canada, in response to legislation requiring internet giants to pay news publishers. “News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line,” said Rachel Curran, Meta’s head of public policy in Canada. “In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news.” Au contraire, responded CBC/Radio-Canada in a statement: “This means that people in Canada who have come to rely on these platforms to find and access news and information about their country are now left with only unverified sources in their feeds. This problem is particularly acute in Canada’s North, for Francophones in minority language communities, and for people in rural communities who depend more on Facebook for news.”

When given a choice between paying a premium to avoid ads or accepting advertising to save $4-5 per month on a subscription, 59% of consumers will opt for ads, according to Hub study, “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction.” Only 16% of consumers said they weren’t willing to tolerate ads, while 34% reported ads were fine if the content was worth it, and 50% said they can tolerate a certain number of ads. When it comes to viewer experience, subscribers see ad-supported streamers as delivering an improved ad experience, and consumers did not react negatively to Max, Disney+, and Netflix in introducing ads.

Elon Musk’s X is suing the Center for Countering Digital Hate, claiming the non-profit’s “unlawful conduct” has cost the company “at least tens of millions of dollars” in advertising revenues and other costs. “CCDH’s scare campaign to global advertisers and its on-going pressure on brands is an attempt to stifle freedom of speech on the X platform,” says the complaint. Responded the Center, “Elon Musk is targeting CCDH because we’re a leading voice exposing how hate speech & lies skyrocketed on Twitter under his ownership. By threatening us, Elon Musk is trying to hide the truth about his own failures.”

The CW has tightened its ties with Hearst Television with an expanded and extended network affiliation agreement. The new multi-year agreement calls for Hearst to continue carrying The CW’s entertainment and sports programming in six markets across the country, and beginning September 1, will launch The CW on Hearst’s KQCA, a new CW affiliate in Sacramento, CA. “KQCA-TV is already home to LIV Golf in Sacramento, and this agreement will ensure that viewers there won’t miss a moment of our other highly-rated sports and entertainment programming, including ACC college football and basketball, and ‘Inside the NFL,’ both of which premiere this fall,” said Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network.

Apple TV+ canceled thriller “Suspicion” after one season. The drama starring Uma Thurman was based on Israeli series “False Flag.”

Season five of Netflix’s “Disenchantment” will be its last. The final run of the Matt Groening fantasy comedy debuts Sunday, September 1.

The trailer for season two of “Loki” was the biggest online trailer ever for Disney+, with 80 million views its first day. The new season kicks off October 6.

STRIKE UPDATES

At a rally outside NYC’s City Hall, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher lashed out at the “greed-driven and disrespectful” corporate culture of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. “We will not be stepped on or squeezed out of our livelihood so that they can look good for their shareholders,” she said in remarks ahead of a City Council hearing for resolutions backing the striking actors and writers.

Seth MacFarlane has donated a cool $1 million to assist workers affected by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The Entertainment Community Fund has raised over $6.3 million to support film and television workers.

Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

Entries for the Top Women in Media Awards now close August 9 – that’s only ONE week away! Nominate the mentors, go-getters and innovators who inspire your team, and share in a night of celebration.

ENTER NOW

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Chris Albrecht, former Legendary Television President and Starz CEO, and Jorge Granier (“Jane the Virgin”) have formed Rubicon Global Media, with plans to aggregate IP from Latin America and Spain and transform it into content with global appeal.

Pocket.watch and Sunlight Entertainment are expanding the Ryan’s World brand with “Ryan’s World Ninja Adventures” through new live action and animated content and themed programs. The deal also includes Walmart-exclusive toys that incorporate a code for personalized messages from Ninja Ryan voiced by Ryan Kaji through Cameo, powered by AI voice and animation.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Cenizas de la Gloria,” exploring the relationship between sports and crime, premieres Thursday, August 10 on ViX.

On a roll: Anime platform Crunchyroll is adding series to its AVOD catalog, including “Chainsaw Man,” “Lycoris Recoil,” “My Dress-Up Darling,” and more. “It’s part of our service to fans when we can make popular titles more accessible,” said Crunchyroll’s Chief Content Officer, Asa Suehira. “These titles will be part of the 1,000 hours of Crunchyroll’s library available free for fans as a way of sampling the world of anime, building new audiences, and growing the already passionate community.”

The inaugural season of “Drag Race Germany” premieres on WOW Presents Plus globally on September 5, day-and-date with its airing on Paramount+ in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Docuseries “Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” (previously announced as “Confirmed”) makes its streaming debut on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, September 22, and premieres that day at 8p on Showtime.

TECH TALK

Roar Social, the new platform that reimagines social media as an engine for social impact, is now available exclusively in the Apple App Store. What’s it all about? “A handful of billionaires have engineered social media to consume an immense amount of our time, attention and creativity,” said Robert Weiss, CEO and Founder of Roar Social. “Currently, the value from all that activity accrues to one place – the shareholders and owners of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Twitter. At Roar Social, we’re here to say ‘no.’ Instead of that value only accruing to shareholders, it should also accrue to charities, to our communities – and to making the world a better place.”

PrivacyHawk has launched the Privacy Score, a free way for people to learn their privacy and personal data risk. The Privacy Score calculates and rates privacy and data risk on a scale between 300 and 850 (the same range as a credit score). The higher the score, the more secure personal data is likely to be.

Castify.ai, an OTT omnichannel content distribution and monetization platform, has elevated its current relationship with VIZIO as a Preferred Developer Partner, by providing a broad selection of its branded OTT apps on VIZIO.

STREAMING

The season 25 Live Feed of CBS’s “Big Brother” will be available on Pluto TV, in addition to Paramount+. Pluto TV is launching a new “Big Brother” category that will host five Pop-Up channels. The reality series premieres tonight at 8p.

By June, US subscriptions to the ad-supported tiers of major streaming services surpassed 100 million, according to Ampere Analysis. Hulu counted the most US AVOD subs (45 million), followed by Peacock (30+ million) and Paramount+ (25 million). Among streamers new to ad-supported tiers, Netflix had over 1 million AVOD accounts, and Disney+ had 800,000. Before Max’s launch in May, discovery+ had 10 million AVOD accounts and HBO Max had 2 million.

COMING UP

“The Warrant: Breaker’s Law” has its TV premiere on INSP on Sunday, October 1 at 8p. A sequel to the western drama “The Warrant,” the film follows the pursuit of justice in a lawless town.

NewsNation is hosting a live town hall with Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday, August 14 at 9p. It will be Ramaswamy’s first presidential town hall with a national television news network.

Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart” reaches its milestone 100th episode with “Hope Springs Eternal” premiering Sunday, August 6 at 9p. “If there’s anything we can take away from the success of ‘When Calls the Heart,’ it’s that the stories we’re telling about these characters and their lives, resonate and matter deeply to so many of our viewers,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, EVP, Programming, Hallmark Media. “Reaching the 100-episode milestone is cause for celebration and is a testament to the heartwarming content we’re committed to bringing our viewers each week.”

SPORTS ROUNDUP

CBS Sports and Nickelodeon are teaming for the first-ever Super Bowl alternate telecast, a kids and family-centric presentation of Super Bowl LVIII on Nickelodeon airing Sunday, February 11 at 6:30p. The telecast will feature on-field graphics, guest reporters, virtual filters and more. “We are unbelievably proud to partner with CBS Sports and the NFL to bring Nick’s personality and unique visual sensibility to the Super Bowl,” said Brian Robbins, President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon; and Chief Content Officer, Movies & Kids & Family at Paramount+. “As we’ve shown with our prior zeitgeist-busting Wild Card and Nickmas coverage, combining the absolute excitement of NFL action with the creativity that can only come from Nickelodeon’s cool POV makes for a must-see event for kids and families everywhere.” The game will also air, slime-free, on CBS, Paramount+ and on mobile with NFL+.

There goes that man – ESPN commentator Mark Jackson has joined the ranks of those laid off at ESPN. Jackson, who had two years left on his contract, joined the sports net in 2006, left in 2011 to coach the Golden State Warriors, and returned in 2014. “Although shocked and dismayed with the suddenness of it all, I would like to thank ESPN and all the staff of the NBA ESPN crew for allowing me to be a part of the organization for the past 15+ years,” posted Jackson on social media.

FuboTV has been named an Official Streaming Service Partner of the Chicago Sky. It’s Fubo’s first partnership with a WNBA team.

Pro League Network, a sports entertainment company producing niche bettable sports, has closed its seed funding round led by Roger Ehrenberg via IA Ventures and Eberg Capital. Gaming industry veterans Chris Grove (Acies Capital, Eilers & Krejcik) and Jeff Ma (ESPN, Microsoft) have joined the company as Advisors.

Esports company One Up struck a multi-year deal with Take-Two Interactive’s 2K label to become an official on-demand esports platform for the NBA® 2K franchise. The action starts after the launch of NBA 2K24 on September 8. To celebrate the launch, One Up will power a series of free-to-enter online tournaments hosted by NBA stars.

GOING GLOBAL

WildBrain is expanding its offering on Prime Video with new deals for Canada, Australia and New Zealand; Prime Video in Germany; and Amazon Kids+ in the US. Collectively the deals total over 850 episodes, plus movies and specials from WildBrain’s library of original and partner content.

French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has signed deals in Portugal for several of its hit animated series. Among them are “Royals Next Door,” “Shooom’s Odyssey,” and preschool series “Petit, Little Bear.”

Woodcut Media and distributor Woodcut International announced that season two of the factual entertainment series “A Royal Guide To…” has been acquired by Channel 4 in the UK.

Televisión Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. starts distribution of animated series “Turbozaurs,” produced by Armenian studio Tale Wind, this month. Territories covered include Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

Paramount+ is now Canada’s streaming home of the “Star Trek” catalogue, featuring over 800 episodes and 12 feature films.

NextUp, the comedy-on-demand streaming service, has partnered with EXTREME to be available as a FAST channel on Virgin Media in the UK.

WSC Sports announced its new HQ in Tel Aviv, Israel. The new office is located in the new ONE tower in the stock exchange complex.

Cynopsis BIG TV Conference

PSA: New speakers!

The speaker list for the BIG TV Conference, happening September 27-28 in NYC, keeps growing. Maura Gray of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Betsy Paynter of Heineken, and Jason Howell of Kochava will be there – will you?

REGISTER HERE

RATINGS

Sunday’s finale of “Tough as Nails” on CBS drew a season high 2.5 million viewers. ABC game shows “Celebrity Family Feud (3.4 million viewers/0.3 among A18-49) and “The $100,000 Pyramid” (3.1 million, 0.3), each airing an hour earlier, both saw gains in viewers and were even in the demo.

TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way” on July 24 drove the network to rank as the #1 ad supported cable network of the night with W25-54 and reached a season high with all key demos, including a 1.37 Live+3 rating among W25-54. To date, season five of “The Other Way” has reached more than 6.3 million total viewers across TLC, Max and discovery+.

FOX News Channel finished July as cable television’s most-watched network across both primetime and total day viewership and #2 in the 25-54 demo with total day behind ESPN, according to Nielsen. In total day, FNC delivered 1.1 million viewers and 122,000 among A25-54. In primetime, FNC netted 1.6 million viewers and 147,000 in the A25-54 demo.

Fox Business Network boasted seven of the top 15 business news programs in July. Year-over-year, FBN saw double-digit gains across the board in primetime, securing its most-watched month since November 2020.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

DNEG announced Tim Burke has joined the team as Visual Effects Supervisor. The Academy Award and BAFTA winner will be based out of DNEG’s London studio.

Saffronic has appointed Kevin J. Johnson as Executive Creative Director. Johnson previously served as Supervising Director at Universal 1440 Entertainment.

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will succeed Michael Winship as President of the WGA East. Winship is not seeking re-election.

All3Media International has appointed Tony Ziran Tang as VP Sales in its Asia-Pacific office. He was most recently Senior Commercial Manager/Senior Producer at BBC Studios in China.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Angus Cloud died July 31 at age 25. No cause of death was given. Cloud played drug dealer Fez, a breakout role on “Euphoria.” “There was no one quite like Angus,” said series creator Sam Levinson. “He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon. He also struggled, like many of us, with addiction and depression. I hope he knew how many hearts he touched.”

This Day in History1790 – The first US census was conducted. Population: 3,939,214.

Answer to Our Last Trivia QuestionWhich Emmy-winning docuseries was canceled by Fox after four episodes, then picked up by PBS? “American High” (2001). Kudos to: Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Marni C. Gold/Hawthorne, NJ; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; John Kukla-KDFW Fox 4/Dallas; Don Cowser-Icon Media Direct/Sherman Oaks, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Lorrie Shillling/El Segundo, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question On which 2013-21 series did two “Third Rock from the Sun” (1996-2001) alums have regular roles? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team

Kerry SmithDivision PresidentAccess Intelligence

Robbie CaploeVP/Group Publisher@robertacaploe

SENIOR MANAGER, AD SALES MARKETINGNEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP, INC.NYCManage the pre-sale client facing pitch process and post-sale activation of cross-platform television, streaming, digital & social media integrated marketing programs. Write & create compelling sales presentations, one-sheets & cross-platform sponsorship opportunities. 5+ yrs exp. with ad sales marketing, integrated marketing, brand advertising. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, MARKETING COMMUNICATIONSNEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP, INC.NYC or LOS ANGELESManage messaging, vision and strategy in the marketplace and internally. Responsible for helping to build, execute and enhance ad sales brand reputation and to raise awareness of the organization both internally and externally. 10+ years’ related media experience and experience with an ad sales organization. Full info HERE

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR >>BIG FISH ENTERTAINMENT/NYC/NJ: Coordinating onboarding for all new hires.Administering the benefits and payroll changes for employees accurately.Maintaining an efficient filing system—paper and electronic, for employee and company records related to their job functions. Building a successful bridge between management and employees. 7 yrs entertainment exp. preferred. Full Info HERE

DIRECTOR, MEDIA SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS >>PBS DISTRIBUTION/ARLINGTON VA, Hybrid: Oversee media systems operations, including daily operations as well as development and implementation of overall media supply chain. Work with external vendors and internal stakeholders on design and implementation of hardware and software solutions for media systems. 7+ yrs of work exp. in the areas of television, media, or consumer products. Full info HERE

MANAGER, STREAMING GROWTH AND ENGAGEMENT >>PBS DISTRIBUTION/ARLINGTON VA, Hybrid: Identify opportunities using content placements & promotions to drive usage, engagement, & subscriber retention. Create & maintain a comprehensive editorial calendar to track & leverage content & cyclical opportunities based on each channel’s needs. 5+ years’ experience in digital video distribution, streaming business, and content programming. Full info HERE

TV/VIDEO SPONSORSHIP-PRODUCT INTEGRATION SALES REPRESENTATIVE >>GAME ON MEDIA SOLUTIONS/Remote: Game On Media Solutions is looking for an independent business development oriented sponsorship sales representative. Focus will be on TV/Streaming project opportunities for brands that include product integration and placement. This is an Independent Contractor performance compensated opening. Attractive fees can be earned for closed deals. Full info HERE

BRAND ASSISTANT >>THE LEDE COMPANY/NYC: Full-service communication, strategy, and social impact consulting firm, specializing in corporate, brand, entertainment, and nonprofit sectors, is seeking a Brand Assistant to join the Brand team in our New York office. The Assistant will play an integral role in supporting accounts for a wide variety of Fashion, Beauty, CPG and Lifestyle clients. Full info HERE

TALENT ASSISTANT >>THE LEDE COMPANY/LA: Full-service strategy, communications and social impact consulting firm, specializing in corporate, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. We are looking for a Talent Assistant to a Talent Publicist in Los Angeles. We are seeking enthusiastic candidates who can work in a fast-paced environment, are driven & have strong communication and writing skills. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR NATIONAL POLITICAL SHOW >>BAHAKEL COMMUNICATIONS/CHARLOTTE NC: Develop and oversee the production of a daily or weekly national political show that covers the most important political news and events of the day. Develop and execute strategies to increase the show’s audience and engagement. At least 5 years of experience as an executive producer for a political show or similar program. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT >>BAHAKEL COMMUNICATIONS/CHARLOTTE NC: Oversee all editorial and entertainment content, news production and presentation. Responsible for day-to-day operations of the show: producing, writing, and guiding creative. Develop content for the News @ TEN, plan, assign and create production schedules. 7 years of experience as executive producer or show producer. Network experience preferred. Full info HERE

SR. DIRECTOR, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT >>SHOUT! FACTORY/LOS ANGELES: P&L responsibility, ownership over all aspects of a project, standalone releases or a licensed library of titles. Works w/production, publicity, creative services, distribution/sales, digital, finance, legal, acquisitions & licensors to best position the project for success. 7+ yrs of exp. in marketing, business development, or product management. Full info HERE

SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER >>SHOUT! FACTORY/LOS ANGELES: Prepare accurate reports using data from internal & external sources for sales planning & analysis. Communicate w/our distributor on a regular basis with an understanding of their systems & deadlines. Announce release date, pricing confirmation & metadata for staff & distributor. 3+Yrs exp. in Sales Planning & Analysis/Finance Administration. Full info HERE

SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCERINTERACTIVE ONENYCOversee video/creative production team thru ideation, production planning, crew/talent hiring, & budget/project management. Shepherd campaigns from development, pre-production, & production thru editing & delivery. Help w/shoots as well as postproduction team. 5+ yrs exp. spanning editorial, design, advertising agency, film, branded entertainment. Full info HERE

CREATIVE DIRECTORINTERACTIVE ONENYCRespond to both RFPs and direct-to-client assignments from brands and agencies. Examine client brief and lead ideation or adapt pre-existing creative. Identify innovative storytelling and emerging video formats. Minimum of 7 yrs exp. producing compelling video, television and digital media content across multiple channels and platforms. Full info HERE

AD SALES PLANNER >>SINCLAIR BROADCASTING GROUP/NYC, Hybrid: Responsible for creating, analyzing & communicating sales proposals to the Sales team for presentation to advertising agencies and/or clients. Collaborate w/all media platforms & departments to create proposals, execute campaigns, manage stewardship & pacing of linear & digital deals. Point of contact post sale & provide excellent client services. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION LIFETIME/LMN MARKETING PRODUCTION OPERATIONSA+E NETWORKSRemoteLead campaign planning & production oversight, ensuring best-in-class creative. Direct Campaign Planning rollouts & ensure production readiness of marketing initiatives. Oversee production on high-end graphics/design/editorial projects. 7+ yrs working in a fast-paced, highly collaborative team, with relevant work exp. in production management. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER >>NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NYC: Determine best news stories for the program and create daily rundown. Work with show host in program preparation and execution. Identify compelling news stories. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to producers, associate producers, and casting producers. 3+ years executive producing experience or overseeing newscast production. Full info HERE

STAGE MANAGER >>NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/WASHINGTON DC: Works with Production management to maintains cast and crew lists and manages local rehearsal and show calendar. Oversee daily technical run-throughs directly prior to shows. Willing and able to work shifts between 12noon to 11pm and occasional Weekends and some longer hours during election and special events. Full info HERE

BROADCAST ENGINEER >>NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/WASHINGTON DC: Troubleshooting, repair, and preventative maintenance of television broadcast equipment, computers, and broadcast computer networks in a 24x7x365 environment. Serve as E.I.C. during live and taped shows. Electrical Engineering, or other technical degree preferred. 5+ yrs as broadcast engineer, or equivalent knowledge. 5+ yrs in live TV production. Full info HERE

PRODUCER >>NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NEW YORK: Generate story ideas through research of news reports, social media, websites & contacts. Strong understanding of Newsmax brand & talent. Identify impactful news stories that result in provocative, compelling television. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to associate producers, assignment editors & video editors. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Full info HERE

AD SALES COORDINATOR, DIRECT RESPONSETV ONENYC, Hybrid, RemoteWork with account executives & sales planners utilizing internal computer system to fulfill sales orders through the execution of client schedules. Serve as the primary point of contact for ad agencies & TV One to resolve discrepancies, confirm schedule changes & distribute post & pre-logs. Bachelor’s degree or 2 yrs of exp. in advertising sales. Full info HERE

MANAGER OF ENTERPRISE CONTENT, WTKRSCRIPPS NETWORKSNORFOLK, VACollaborates w/other newsroom managers to leverage the Scripps content strategy as the foundation for market-specific local content strategy. Leading a team of people to regularly & reliably produce targeted enterprise & investigative stories of impact & importance to our community. 3 yrs of exp. in digital media, journalism, broadcast preferred. Full info HERE

SR. DIRECTOR, DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND PARTNERSHIPSTV ONESILVER SPRING MD, NYC, Hybrid RemoteDevelop, cultivate, and socialize vision, mission, and strategy for Digital Business, Programming Visibility, Content Creation and Content Partnerships & Data Governance. Lead and facilitate cross-functional and cross-company project teams. 12 yrs in the media & emerging platform landscape with building digital platforms and vMVPD growth strategy. Full info HERE