12/22/16: Katie Couric makes a Today return; Fox News takes 2016 cable crown; Doug Herzog leaving Viacom

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM ION TELEVISION


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CYNOPSIS
12.22.16

 

Good morning. It’s Thursday December 22, 2016 and this is your first early morning briefing.

 

Tonight’s Premiere:
Lifetime:Project Runway: Junior at 10p

 

Tonight’s Finales:
Lifetime: Project Runway at 8p
Science: World’s Biggest Shipbuilders at 10p
USA: Falling Water at 10p
WE tv: Growing Up Hip Hop at 9p

 

IN THE NEWS

 

Katie Couric and Matt Lauer are reuniting on NBC’s Today. Couric is heading back to her old stomping grounds as guest-host for a week, beginning Monday, January 2, while Savannah Guthrie is on maternity leave. Couric co-anchored the NBC morning show from 1991 until 2006, when she accepted CBS’s offer to anchor its evening newscast. She left that gig when her contract expired in May 2011, and has been global anchor for Yahoo News since 2014.

Fox News displaced ESPN as the #1 most-viewed channel for 2016. According to Nielsen, the cable news net averaged 2.5 million viewers for the year, compared to 1.9 million viewers for ESPN. That’s a 36 percent spike in viewership for FNC in 2016, versus a 15 percent dip for the sports network. The 2016 presidential election played a pivotal role in lifting all cable news numbers – CNN increased viewership by 77 percent, while MSNBC had an 86 percent boost.

Doug Herzog, president of Viacom’s music and entertainment group, is leaving the company effective January 12. Herzog had served as head of a number of the company’s top cable channels, including Comedy Central and MTV. His exit comes a week after Bob Bakish was named CEO of the company, following a stint as interim head.

Comcast’s bid to toss out a $25 million tax bill relating to its failed attempt to buy MediaOne in 1999 was rejected by a California appeals court, which upheld a lower court ruling stipulating that the company was on the hook to pay state taxes on a $1.5 billion termination fee. That was paid to the Philadelphia cable operator when MediaOne nixed its $60 billion merger agreement with Comcast and instead was purchased by AT&T. Comcast, of course, eventually acquired all of MediaOne’s systems upon the acquisition of AT&T’s cable assets. “We are evaluating our options regarding California and the $25 million,” said Comcast spokesman John Demming in an email to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

O.J.: Made in America is headed to Viceland, courtesy of a deal struck between VICE Media and ESPN Films. The documentary airs Sunday, January 1 at 4p.

Where would you most like to spend the holidays? Let us know in the Cynopsis poll: http://cynopsis.com/poll/

 


A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE


Do you work at an agency?
 

For many, buying and planning is a great place to start your career. But if you are one of the few who stick around, this year’s survey suggests you will be richly rewarded for your experience.
 


PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

 

Disney-ABC Television Group struck a deal with Snap under which DATG will produce original episodic shows for Snapchat. Their first co-production is Watch Party: The Bachelor, premiering Tuesday, January 3 on Snapchat Discover, the morning after the premiere of the 21st season of The Bachelor. Watch Party will complement the reality show, featuring celebrities, comedians, super fans and famous Bachelors and Bachelorettes as they get together to watch each episode and react to what’s happening. Watch Party: The Bachelor will be available the Tuesday morning after each episode of The Bachelor and live for 24 hours on Snapchat.

NBC Sports Group and Whistle Sports teamed for It’s Called Football. The six-part series, hosted by YouTube’s F2 Freestylers, debuts with back-to-back episodes on Monday, December 26 at 4:30p on NBCSN

INSP greenlit a third season of Handcrafted America. Production of 13 new episodes begin this spring to debut summer 2017. “We’ve been extremely pleased with the response to the series. The show has resonated with our core audience, and also attracted a number of new viewers,” said Doug Butts, SVP of Programming.   

BBC ordered Pitch Battle, a primetime Saturday night competition series that will search for Britain’s best singing group. Tuesday’s Child (RV Rampage, Superstar Dogs) is producing the six-episode series, which will key into all musical genres.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Smithsonian Channel’s Rock’N’Roll Inventions, exploring the way technology has revolutionized the music business, bows Monday, January 16 at 8p.

TV One’s Fatal Attraction and For My Man return to “True Crime Monday” on January 2. Season 6 of Fatal Attraction bows with a double-episode presentation at 8p, followed by Season 3 of For My Man at 10p.

Kitchen Sink premieres on Food Network Sunday, January 15 at 11a with three new co-hosts: Food Network Star winner Tregaye Fraser, chef Spike Mendelsohn and cookbook author Fanny Slater.

Tia Mowry serves up easy-to-make recipes when Tia Mowry at Home bows Sunday, January 8 at 8:30p on Cooking Channel. Joining her on the new season are Naya Rivera, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Kelly Rowland and more.

COMING UP

MTV Live closes out the year with tributes to artists who passed away in 2016, including David Bowie, Prince, Phife Dawg, Sharon Jones, Leonard Cohen and more. In Memoriam 2016 begins airing Monday, December 26 at 7p, with Epic.Awesome.Videos: David Bowie Tribute, and continues throughout the week.

Esquire celebrates the new year with a “Bond, James Bond” marathon. A full day programming takeover of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond begins with Goldeneye on Monday, January 2 at 7a, followed by Tomorrow Never Dies, World is not Enough and Die Another Day.

Noticias Telemundo presents the US premiere of Astral on Sunday, December 25 at 11:30a. The doc examines hardships experienced by immigrants attempting perilous voyages across the Mediterranean Sea to reach European ports.

Live from Lincoln Center rings in 2017 with New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve: Enchanted Evening on PBS. Mo Rocco hosts with opera star Joyce Didonato and Tony award winner Paulo Szot on Saturday, December 31 at 8p (check local listings).

Syfy’s annual marathon of The Twilight Zone airs from Saturday, December 31 at 6a through Monday, January 2 at 4a. This year, Syfy is letting fans choose which episodes air during primetime on Sunday, January 1 from 8p to 11p; starting at 7:30p, viewers can cast their votes for one of two competing episodes by tweeting the specially created episode hashtags to the official Syfy handle, @Syfy.

The world’s greatest collector car auction, Barrett-Jackson Live, jump starts the new year as bidders vie for exceptional autos live. The action begins Tuesday, January 17 at 6p on Velocity and runs through Sunday, January 22. Auction action airs on Discovery Channel on Saturday, January 21 at 3p.

Fences star Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) takes the stage in Bravo Media’s Inside the Actors Studio on Thursday, January 5 at 8p

Starz debuts the U.S. television premiere of The Rolling Stones Ole! Ole! Ole!: A Trip Across Latin America on Sunday, January 15 at 9p and Havana Moon on Sunday, January 22 at 9p. The docs offer a look into the world of the Rolling Stones, following their early 2016 tour through 10 Latin American cities and historic finale in Havana, Cuba.

Shakespeare Live! comes to Thirteen’s Great Performances on Friday, December 23 at 9p on PBS to conclude the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival )check local listings.) The special celebrates the international legacy of Shakespeare from The Bard’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

American Masters: By Sidney Lumet premieres Tuesday, January 3 at 8p on PBS as the series’ Season 31 premiere. An interview with Treat Williams, who starred in Lumet’s Prince of the City, follows.

CASTING

Ann-Margret joined upcoming David E. Kelley series Mr. Mercedes, the AT&T Audience Network drama based on the Stephen King book of the same name. 

Hulu religious-cult drama The Path nabbed Melanie Griffith to guest star on its second season, debuting January 25. 

KID STUFF

Regular Show returns to Cartoon Network on Saturday, January 14 with back-to-back episodes at 12p, leading into the show’s hour-long finale on Monday, January 16 at 6p. In addition, Steven Universe bows Monday, January 30 at 7p, Adventure Time debuts Monday, January 23 at 7:30p, and Adventure Time: Islands, an all-new eight-part mini-series, premieres Monday, January 30 at 7:30p.
 

DIGITAL DOINGS

Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee returns to Crackle, Sony‘s streaming network, on Thursday, January 5. The show’s ninth season features six original episodes and includes guests Bob Einstein (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Cedric the Entertainer, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, Lewis Black (The Daily Show) and Norm Macdonald (Saturday Night Live).


A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE


Women in Digital – This one is for you!
 
We live in such an exciting time – women are rising in the ranks and excelling in the fields of digital content, marketing, advertising, social media, & online. With these trailblazers in mind, we are pleased to announce the call for entries of our third annual TOP WOMEN IN DIGITAL AWARDS, celebrating the unique, the uncommon & the bold.
 
The deadline to enter is Tuesday, January 10 so get ahead of the holiday season by starting your entry today!

RATINGS

Rock The Troops, hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was the most-watched Spike tentpole event in 4 years, garnering 2.2 million viewers. (Includes all telecasts on Spike and other Viacom networks). 

TV One was a Top 5 Cable Network on Monday Nights among AA P25-54 and W25-54, thanks to True Crime Monday (2016 to-date). The line-up finished off 4Q16 with double-digit increases year-over-year among P18-34 (up 39 percent, W18-34 (up 33 percent).

Top Ten Basic Cable Network Live+7 Performance among Total Viewers for the week of: 11/28/2016
Primetime(000)/Total Prog. Day (000)
FOXN 2632/FOXN 1654
ESPN 2593/NICK 1302
HALL 2419/HALL 1248
AMC 1997/ESPN 909
FRFM 1759/
ADSM* 876
USA  1707/DSNY 863
HIST 1653/USA 835
HGTV 1601/HGTV 833
DISC 1560/NAN* 831
TBSC 1376/TOON 735
Source: Turner Research from The Nielsen Company data. All ratings based on Total US Television Universe of
116,400,000 homes. * + Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Notes: Data based on most currently available Nielsen Data stream; Preliminary: Live+7. Primetime is Mon-Sat 8p-11p and Sun 7p-11p. Total day is Mon-Sun 6a-6a for household and demographic performances.

Top Ten Basic Cable Network Live+7 Performance among A18-49 for the week of 11/28/2016
Primetime (000), Total Prog. Day (000)
AMC 1120/ADSM* 505
ESPN 1089/ ESPN 434
FRFM 863/NAN* 408
USA 729/NICK 393
TBSC 646/FRFM 340
DISC 585/FXX 324
HALL 574/HALL 323
BRAV 538/USA 320
ADSM 502/AMC 313
HIST 498/TBSC 275
Source: Turner Research from The Nielsen Company data. All ratings based on Total US Television Universe
116,400,000 homes. * + Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Notes: Data based on most currently available Nielsen Data stream; Preliminary: Live+7. Primetime is Mon-Sat 8p-11p and Sun 7p-11p. Total day is Mon-Sun 6a-6a for household and demographic performance.

Top-Rated Cable Shows among A18-49 for the week of 11/281/2016 (000)
The Walking Dead (AMC) 9869
Green Bay/Philadelphia (ESPN) 5435
Talking Dead (AMC) 2761
Dallas/Minnesota (NFLN) 2200
Love & Hip Hop (VH1) 2179
The Real Housewives of Atlanta (BRAV) 2101
Gold Rush (DISC) 2065
South Park (CMDY) 1940
Teen Mom (MTV) 1847
Street Outlaws (DISC) 1809
Source: Turner Research from The Nielsen Company data. All ratings based on Total US Television Universe 116,400,000 homes. * + Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Notes: Data based on most currently available Nielsen Data stream; Preliminary: Live+7. Primetime is Mon-Sat 8p-11p and Sun 7p-11p. Total day is Mon-Sun 6a-6a for household and demographic performance.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 time period averages.
Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated. Live+SD
CBS: 4.7/9
NCIS 6.1/11, Bull 4.5/8, Bull 3.6/7
NBC: 3.9/7
Michael Buble Sings and Swing 3.4/6, Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet To Come 4.3/8
ABC: 2.2/4
Toy Story That Time Forgot 2.1/4, Shrek the Halls 2.1/4, The Year: 2016 2.4/4
FOX: 1.1/2
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas 1.6/3, New Girl 0.9/2, Scream Queens 0.9/2
Univision: 1.1/2
Despertar Contigo 0.9/2,
Vine el Amor 1.2/2, El Color de la Pasion 1.2/2        
TELE: 0.9/2
Silvana Sin Lana 0.8/1, La Dona 0.9/2, El Chema 1.0/2
CW: 0.6/1
Terry Crews Saves Christmas 0.6/1, Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown 0.5/1

Tuesday A19-49 Analysis: ABC 1.1/4, NBC 0.9/3, CBS 0.9/3, UNI 0.7/3, FOX 0.7/2, TELE 0.6/2, CW 0.3/1

EXECUTIVE MOVES

A+E Networks named Vice Media COO, Alyssa Mastromonaco as President of Global Communications Strategy and Talent. Mastromonaco, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, will oversee human resources, communications within the global media company, and interactions with outside government and private entities.

CNBC announced key appointments. Mary Catherine Wellons, who launched the San Francisco bureau, CNBC@1 Market, moves to the network’s DC Bureau as Deputy Bureau Chief. Sally Shin, who played a key role in the successful launch of Squawk Alley, has been named San Francisco Bureau Chief. Matt Rosoff joins CNBC in the newly-created position of Editorial Director for CNBC Digital. He was previously Executive Editor and West Coast Bureau Chief at Business Insider. Changes will take effect in early January.



This Day in History:
1997 – Hunter Tylo was awarded $4 million in a Melrose Place breach of contract suit. The actress lost her role on the show after revealing she was pregnant.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: What shoe brand did Tamera have a penchant for on Sister, Sister (1994-1999)? Hush Puppies. Kudos to: Marion Z Murphy-GroupM Direct/NYC; Lori Reed-HBO/NYC; Paul Blutter-Hollywood Depot Rentals/Burbank, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment,Inc/Los Angeles, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/Los Angeles,CA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question: What future box office star guested on Scrubs (2001-2010) as JD and Turk’s college friend? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: A limit of four correct answers from each time zone will be selected.).

Switcheroo (two TV characters, one actor): Crystal Slater (Email [email protected]; first three respondents with the correct answer who aren’t in trivia – will be posted along with the answer on www.Cynopsis.com.)
 
Keep Watching & Reading,
Lynn Leahey: Editorial Director @Lynn_Leahey
reported by Janet Di Lauro
reported by Cathy Applefeld Olson
12.22.16

Roberta Caploe: 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

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CYNOPSISJOBS – To view our full job listing online, please visit our webpage: cynopsis.com/classifieds/


JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED MARKETING & SALES/PAC-12/SF: Engages w/advertisers & their associated agencies to sell advertising in a multimedia capacity: TV, Digital & Conference Championship Sponsorships.  For full posting/apply: https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=ooIu4fwo&s=Cynopsis (1/7)
 
JOB OPENING:
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/PAC-12/SF: Engage w/advertisers & their associated agencies to sell advertising in a multimedia capacity: TV, Digital & Conference Championship Sponsorships. For full posting/apply: https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=omFu4fwj&s=Cynopsis (1/7)

JOB OPENING: DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR/Lucky 8 TV/LA: Create orig ideas/formats to pitch internally to the team for further dvlpmnt. Assist w/ grid mngmnt & tracking pitch status & internal movement of projects as well as support, as directed daily mngmnt of dvlpmnt projects. Resume HERE [email protected] (1/7)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, AD SALES PRICING & PLANNING/Bounce TV/Katz Broadcasting/NYC: Manages sales planning & maximizes inventory across all nets. Dev sales proposals & planning rates; approve dist. ADU schedules; manage sales planning team. 5+ yrs exp at TV ntwk.(12/24) Resume + Cov Let: [email protected] (1/7)

JOB OPENING: DIR DIGITAL DESIGN/FX Networks/LA: oversees FX Networks visual branding across all digital platforms & leads design strategy for visual, user experience & interaction design as it applies to all digital marketing tactics/initiatives. Full info/apply here: http://bit.ly/2gMvNEm (1/7)

JOB OPENING: MANAGING EDITOR/NBCU/NYC: We are looking for an exceptional journalist who is highly motivated to lead the daily editorial mission of NBC News Digital. Full info/apply HERE (1/7)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR EDITOR, WELLNESS/NBC NEWS DIGITAL/NYC: NBC News Digital is seeking an editor that understands this mix, someone who can drive our coverage of wellness, personal finance, family, career, etc. Full info/apply HERE (1/7)

JOB OPENING: SCI/TECH VIDEO PRODUCER/NBCNEWS.COM/NYC: NBCNews.com, the digital arm of NBC News, is looking for a highly skilled video producer to produce smart, stylish videos for our digital, mobile and social platforms. Full info/apply HERE (1/7)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR PRODUCER/MSNBC/NYC: MSNBC is seeking a Senior Producer, MSNBC Dayside who is responsible for creating, producing and supervising programming for MSNBC. Full info/apply HERE (1/7)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR DIGITAL AD SALES OPERATIONS/AT&T/NYC: Mng operationalizing advanced digital, & cross-screen targeted ad product opps from initiation thru delivery & be resp for matching digital ad sales bus. needs w/internal & 3rd Party ad insertion, measurement, & reporting capabilities. Full info/apply HERE (1/6)

JOB OPENING: SR ANALYST/ANALYST, TV ANALYTICS/Nickelodeon/NYC: Resp for handling daily req’s & maintaining daily, wkly, monthly & quarterly performance reports across all Kids & Family group channels incl Nickelodeon. Min 2 yrs exp TV ratings rsrch. Comprehensive exp w/Nielsen systems. Full info/apply HERE (1/6)

 


WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – THURSDAY DECEMBER 22, 2016


ABC: A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Great American Baking Show, What Would You Do?
CBS: The Big Bang Theory, The Great Indoors, Mom, Life in Pieces, Life in Pieces, Life in Pieces
CW: Terry Crews Saves Christmas, Supernatural
FOX: Hell’s Kitchen
NBC: Football Night in Philadelphia, NFL Football
PBS: This Old House Hour, A Chef’s Life Holiday Special, Antiques Roadshow
Telemundo: Silvana Sin Lana, La Dona, El Chema
Univision: Despertar Contigo, Futbol Central, Futbol Mexicano Primera Division

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