10/29/15: Lorne Michaels’ prod company launches new comedic sports platform; New Apple TV to debut Friday; YouTube debuts its new subscription service YouTube Red

CYNOPSISDIGITAL
10.29.15

Good morning. It’s Thursday October 29, 2015, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

TOP NEWS

What do Andy Samberg, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Wyclef Jean have in common? If you answered “sports,” then, bizarrely enough, you’re correct. They and others will contribute to The Kicker, a sports and comedy-centric streaming video site from Above Average, the digital media arm of Broadway Video, Lorne Michaels’s production company. The site will feature daily sports and news content, generally from a comedic perspective. Major athletes and celebrities will make appearances. The Kicker, which launched yesterday, was created by Bryan Tucker, a co-head writer of Saturday Night Live.

IBM
has announced plans to acquire the Weather Company’s digital businesses. That includes the company’s business-to-business, mobile, and cloud-based web properties. The Weather Channel will remain a separate entity. While no financial terms were disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reports that the deal is valued at more than $2 billion. The agreement is tentatively expected to close in Q1 of 2016.

Finally. The next gen Apple TV arrives in Apple’s retail stores this Friday, October 30, according to 9to5Mac. The 32GB version will cost $149, while the 64 GB version will run you $199.

Speaking of long-awaited arrivals: YouTube Red, YouTube’s new subscription service, officially launched yesterday. All U.S. customers are eligible for a 30-day free trial, after which the service will cost $9.99 a month.


A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM STREAM CON NYC


Connect with Digital Influencers at Stream Con Industry Summit
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 at the Javits Center, NYC
www.streamconnyc.com/industry-summit
Engage with leaders in digital entertainment, advertising & publishing including: Michael Kassan (CEO, MediaLink), Beau Avril (Global Head of Product Commercialization, Google Preferred), Ezra Cooperstein (President, Fullscreen), Kerry Trainer (CEO, Vimeo), Michael Klein (EVP Digital Channels, Condé Nast Entertainment), influencers Kandee Johnson, Shonduras & more! Save 20% with code: CYNOPSIS


 

 

NEW PROGRAMMING + DEALS


Cisco Systems is acquiring OTT video services provider 1 Mainstream. No financial terms were disclosed. As of yet, 1 Mainstream has raised about $8.75 million in funding, mostly from the U.K. satellite operator Sky. 1 Mainstream has about 70 customers, including Sky and CBS news. The deal is expected to close in late January.

Online streaming platform DramaFever is getting into original programming. The site will produce and distribute BIGBANG: Made Concert 2015, a concert documentary following the titular boy band during the U.S. leg of their recent international tour. The film, DramaFever’s first in-house original production, was directed by Mark Haney, who has produced shows and tours for musicians including Jay-Z and Rihanna.

Afrostream has acquired a good deal of content from Sony Pictures Television.  The black audience-oriented streaming platform is available only in the French speaking countries of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. Come November, it will add 55 Sony movies to its platform, including Think Like a Man and This Christmas, as well as three TV series, including The Boondocks.

OTT + SVOD


The British Film Institute is making a huge push into the digital space. BFI has launched BFI Player+, a new dedicated SVOD service, which will offer subscribers hundreds of films from its catalogue­approximately 300 at launch.  The service will also feature a weekly exclusive video recommendation from Mark Kermode, an English film critic.

 

CONTENT PROGRAMMING


Al Roker Entertainment, Al Roker’s aptly named production company, is teaming up with Facebook. The company has launched a new division called RokerLive, and with it Camila’s Code, a new reality series starring Camila Alves. (At the risk of undermining her well-earned individual identity, Cynopsis Digital will do as every other news outlet has done and point out that Alves is Matthew McConaughey’s wife.) According to Alves’s Facebook page, the reality series, which debuted yesterday, will “teach viewers how to do quick short cuts and DIYs with food, cooking, and crafts.” The 15 to 20 minute episodes will stream weekly on Alves’s Facebook page.

 

DIGITAL CONTENT CREATORS

The non-profit Ad Council has launched I Am Witness, a new anti-bullying campaign starring multiple digital stars. The campaign aims to encourage teens to speak out against bullying. Multiple YouTubers, including Grace Helbig and the Fine Bros., are creating videos for the campaign.

Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart are known as YouTube stars. Well, it might be time to drop the “YouTube” qualifier. The trio is set to star in Dirty Thirty, a new feature length comedy film from Lionsgate. The three also starred in last year’s Camp Takota, but this is their first time being backed by a major production studio.

 


A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE


JOIN US TODAY AT 1:30PM, OR ON DEMAND FOR THE CYNOPSIS WEBINAR:

HOW TO LEVERAGE INFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you haven’t done so already,
REGISTER NOW!
.


PLATFORMS + TECH


Variety reports that the Rovi subsidiary Fan TV has stopped selling its TV set-top box, effective last Friday. “We’ll be transitioning folks to our recently launched Android TV app over the next four weeks,” said Fan TV founder Gilles BianRosa in an email statement. Fan TV is also set to wind down its partnership with Time Warner Cable; since March 2014, TWC had integrated its cable bundle into Fan TV’s set-top boxes.


2016 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW


The 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has named its keynote speakers. The honors fall to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl. CES will be held in Las Vegas from January 6 to January 9.

 

RESEARCH
 

ListenFirst Media took a look at the performance of Netflix’s original film Beasts of No Nation, which, as Cynopsis Digital noted yesterday, has already been viewed by over three million people in North America, and has become Netflix’s most watched film globally since its release on October 16. Ah, but is it Oscar-worthy? ListenFirst compared the film to last year’s Best Picture noms, and found that it’s actually keeping pace with them. ListenFirst specifically looked at search volume, lifetime total YouTube views (Official + Unofficial), and its ListenFirst Critic Score (which measures critic reviews and ratings across multiple movie review destinations) on the day of the film’s release.

Here’s some of what they found:

The day of release, Beasts’ lifetime total YouTube views (Official + Unofficial) were at 7.2MM, while its search volume score was just under 50K.

Beasts maintained both a stronger search volume score and lifetime total YouTube views (Official + Unofficial) on YouTube than nominees Selma and Whiplash.

Specifically looking at search volume, the film tracked right under last year’s Best Picture winner, Birdman.

The day of release, Beasts scored a ListenFirst Critic Score of 86%. The average score for 2015 Best Picture nominees was 88%.

“In reviewing some of the more correlative data sources for Award Season prospects, it’s clear that Netflix with Beasts has landed square in the middle amongst the top films from last season,” said Jason Klein, ListenFirst’s co-CEO. “While many other factors, including release date timing, play a considerable role, early indicators from our analysis shows no major gaps with historical contenders.”


A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE


Digital Model D Awards Luncheon
Innovators. Inspirers. Creators of all kinds. We celebrate those in online video content and advertising who are at the forefront of this new industry, elevating it with their state-of-the-art contributions to branded content, technology, ad campaigns, and original content.

Celebrate with us on November 13th at the Marriott Essex in New York City.

View the finalist list here.


 

DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT


Once upon a time, only movies had trailers. But then video games became especially awesome, and here we are.  The new trailer for Star Wars Battlefront might just be better than the trailer for The Force Awakens. Check it out here.

See you tomorrow,
David Teich
10.29.15

Roberta Caploe: Associate Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP, Sales | 203-218-6480
Cynopsis Job Listings Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations | 203-899-8459

Cynopsis Media: a division of Access Intelligence, LLC * 10 Norden Place * Norwalk, CT * 06855 * USA

CYNOPSISJOBSFor More jobs, visit Cynopsis.com


JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST/TV ONE/Silver Spring MD or NY: Asst Sr Rsch Dir w/interpreting media rsrch results & communicating results. Strong knwlg Nielsen software prods & 3rd party software systems. BS deg & 2+ yrs rsrch exp @ media co/agency. Full info/apply HERE (11/5) 

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASST/UP TV/NY: Recent grad w/previous ad sales/adv internship exp. to asst ad sales dept. Strong Excel & multi-tasking a +. Good comm, interpersonal & organzt’l skills. Res: [email protected] (11/5)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES SPECIALIST/WFAA/Dallas: Grow our digital rev by proactively finding opps to optimize campaign performance. Familiar w/SEO, SEM, social media, targeted display, mobile & video mktg strategies. Proven track record of excellence. Full info/apply HERE (11/5)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE DIRECTOR/SundanceTV/NYC: Oversee daily creative ops of On-Air Promos. Mng team Writer/Preditors & external resources to support projects. Work w/SVP of Brand as well as Marketing, to identify & solidify brand identity. Full info/apply HERE (11/5)

JOB OPENING: SR PRODUCER EDITOR/SundanceTV/NYC: Conceptulize/create on-air promos using prgrm footage, motion graphic elements & creation of own materials. Creative capacity to understand ntwrk brand & to execute effective brand-supportive work a must. Full info/apply HERE (11/5)

JOB OPENING: TALENT AGENT/Top Talent Agency/East Coast: Aggressive talent agency looking for highly motivated candidate with a passion and knowledge for journalism to represent high-level television, print, and digital talent. Resume HERE (11/5)

JOB OPENING: MGR SALES DEVELOPMENT/Disney/NYC: Create/mng sales packaging strategy. Must have sales packaging exp, incl ideating/creating presentations & crafting sales solutions. Min 5 yrs mktg/promo exp w/3+ yrs in Dig. setting pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AD OPS MGR/DISH Media Sales & Sling TV/NYC: Create/implement ops procedures for digital, OTT & TV Everywhere. Self-starter & team builder; 4+ yrs dig. ad ops w/yield mgt., programmatic & measurement exp. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: MGR, DIGITAL & ADVANCED TV ANALYSIS/DISH Media Sales & Sling TV/NYC: Analyze, measure & report on Advanced TV, OTT, & TVE. 4yrs digital and/or TV data analytics exp; BA degree preferred. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PRODUCT SALES/EP/Burbank: Dvlp/implement/mng all Prod Sales channels. Mng Sales staff to grow/strengthen EP’s position in mktplace. Identify/improve processes & procedures to support bus. dvlpmnt & sales goals. BA deg bus or mktg req’d. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: SR. COUNSEL/COMEDY CENTRAL/S. Monica: Draft/negotiate complex dev & prod agreemts. Advise clients & prod co. on legal matters. Strategic deal discussions & rsrch issues. Req’s 6+ yrs exp film/TV bus/legal affairs. CA/&or NY bar member. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Music Choice/LA: Support Ad Sales team w/variety of sales functions incl updating agency contact info, mngng & dvlpng sales decks, media plans, campaign delivery & post reports for clients. 1-2 yrs media or sales plan’g exp. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: SPECIAL ASSISTANT to CEO/RED/NYC: Mng info exchange btw CEO & high level execs. Special projs, track initiatives, correspondence, presentations. Mng CEO office action items. Update on strategic priorities. Exp. in media, creative a +. Full info/apply HERE (11/4)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES RESEARCH DIRECTOR/Travel Channel/GAC/NYC: Successful candidate will be well-rounded and experienced research leader and a strategic storyteller and business partner to the ad sales team. Min 7 yrs relevant experience For more detail www.scrippsnetworks.com #5021 (11/3)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PORTFOLIO SALES MKTG/NBCU/NYC: Mktg Mgr for Portfolio Sales Ent. Group to work on sales collateral, internal comm, post-sell process & trade events. 5+ yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (11/3)

JOB OPENING: COMMERCIAL CLEARANCE COORDINATOR/DISNEY/BURBANK: Analyze commercial & synergy spots/review daily broadcast log/Excel, Sims and/or Wide Orbit exp a plus/commercial clearance or QA/QC exp preferred. www.disneycareers.com REQ 310110 (10/31)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, PUBLICITY/CNBC/East Coast: Responsible to publicize and promote CNBC primetime programming and talent as well as implement and execute public relations campaigns and strategies. Full info/apply HERE (10/31)

JOB OPENING: SR SALES PLANNER/LBI MEDIA/NYC: Work w/ Network Sales, Traffic & Rsch teams to dvlp media proposals for the Estrella TV network, utilizing all avail rsch, sales & prgrmng sources to meet ntwk & advertiser needs. 3yrs related buying exp. Resume HERE: [email protected] (10/31)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR PR/USA NETWORK/NYC: Lead PR campaigns with 7 yrs TV publicity exp required. Must be PR leader w/strong writing skills. Full info/apply HERE (10/30)

CASTING CALL: Companies can showcase their casting notices/casting calls here. For information on rates and specs for posting a casting notice, please email Trish at [email protected]

EXPERT SERVICES ADS: These ads are for companies or people who offer an expertise in the field of media by way of production, voice over artistry, writing, set development, etc. For information on rates and specs for posting an Expertise Service ad email Trish at [email protected]

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected]

SITUATION WANTED: REALITY/COMEDY/SPORTS SUPV. PRODUCER/NY-STAMFORD: Award winning TV/Digital team leader with proven track record with MTV, FUSE, NICK, BET is available for hire within a co. Contact: [email protected] (10/30)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203-899-8459 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
%%PLUGIN_Unsubscribe: 2193667-unsub-generic%%

Copyright Cynopsis 2015

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2015

Related Stories

Cynopsis 03/28/24: GroupM doubles commitment to women’s sports

GroupM doubles commitment to women's sports

Thursday March 28, 2024 Today’s Premieres Hulu: We Were the Lucky Ones Netflix: Bad Dinosaurs; Ronja the Robber’s Daughter Prime Video: The Baxters; Hope on the Street Today’s Finale A&E: Taking the Stand at 9p IN THE NEWS FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade is restructuring the company’s creative and business operations into three primary business […]

Cynopsis Esports 3/28/24: Riot shifts League esports strategy; Mid-major developers reign; Sentinels win big in Madrid

Thursday March 28, 2024 Good morning! It’s Thursday and this is your early morning Esports and Gaming brief. League of Legends developer Riot Games is shifting its esports strategy to better support its franchise teams, including a minimum revenue share guarantees and opening up additional sponsorship categories for esports organizations. The changes, Riot President of […]

03/27/24: Cynopsis Jobs

jobs5

GENERAL MANAGER PAC-12 ENTERPRISES SAN RAMON, CA (HYBRID) The General Manager is a strategic entrepreneurial leader w/in-depth insight into the evolving media marketplace. You will have a unique combination of executive mgmt, bus dev, and production ops leadership exp; with a proven track record of developing, executing, and maximizing lucrative opportunities for production/media content organizations. […]

Cynopsis 03/27/24: MGM+ orders “Earth Abides”

MGM+ orders "Earth Abides"

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TV Family Entertainment TV & Family Movie Classics The Family networks run by a real family, serving families • Low duplication with other nets • • Brand-Safe Environment • • Delivering in flight • Click here to schedule an FETV upfront presentation with us Wednesday March […]

Cynopsis 03/26/24: Keith Urban headed to “The Voice”

Keith Urban headed to "The Voice"

Tuesday March 26, 2024 Today’s Premieres MhZ Choice: The King PBS: The Invisible Shield at 10p Today’s Finale NBC: Night Court at 8p; Extended Family at 8:30p IN THE NEWS CBS is sticking with the Golden Globes. The net signed a five-year deal with Dick Clark Productions for the show, which will air next in […]

CynCity

Cynsiders