Today’s Premieres
Apple TV+: Hello Tomorrow!; Make or Break
HBO Max: Poor Devil!
Hulu: Animaniacs
Netflix: Community Squad; A Girl and an Astronaut; Ganglands
Prime Video: Carnival Row
Showtime: The 12th Victim at 8p

Today’s Finale
WE tv: Love After Lockup at 9p

Saturday’s Premiere
BET: Black + Iconic at 8p

Sunday’s Premieres
A&E: Biography: WWE Legends at 8p; WWE Rivals at 10p
ABC: American Idol at 8p; The Company You Keep at 10p
AXS TV: Rockstar Shuffle at 8p; Parking Lot Payday at 8:30p
BET: America in Black at 10p
Court TV: Someone They Knew With Tamron Hall at 9p
Discovery: Naked and Afraid at 8p
Food Network: Tournament of Champions at 8p
HBO: Last Week With John Oliver at 11p
History: The Food That Built America at 9p
MSNBC: When Truth Isn’t Truth: The Rudy Giuliani Story at 10p
NBC: Magnum P.I. at 9p

Sunday’s Finale
PBS: All Creatures Great and Small at 9p

Monday’s Premieres
Acorn TV: The Madame Blanc Mysteries
Prime Video: Marc Marquez: All In

Monday’s Finales
HGTV: Down Home Fab at 9p
TV One: Fatal Attraction: Last Words at 9p

IN THE NEWS

Paramount Global streamer Paramount+ added 9.9 million subscribers in 4Q22 and grew revenue 81% year-over-year, announced the company in its earnings report, while Pluto TV added 6.5 million global monthly active users, reaching nearly 79 million. TV media adjusted OIBDA grew 5% year-over-year despite macro headwinds, and television affiliate & subscription revenue increased 8%. TV Media experienced a 7% dip in ad revenue, and affiliate and subscription revenue slipped 4%. Operating profit rose 5% on lower costs. In an earnings call, CFO Naveen Chopra said the price of the rebranded Paramount+ with Showtime streaming service will rise from $9.99/month to $11.99, and benefit from significant cost savings across content, marketing, operations and tech.

Paramount Global President and CEO Bob Bakish gave a tip of the hat to Taylor Sheridan – creator of “Yellowstone,” “Tulsa King,” “1923” and “Mayor of Kingstown” – for drawing eyeballs to Paramount platforms. Noted Bakish, “In just a three-month span from early November to late January, more than 58 million Taylor Sheridan fans around the world watched over 32 billion minutes of the Taylorverse on both streaming and linear.”

Ryan Seacrest is leaving his job as co-host of syndicated talker “Live With Kelly and Ryan” this spring after six years, but Kelly Ripa doesn’t have to worry about getting used to a new face in the hosting seat. Seacrest is being replaced by Ripa’s husband, actor Mark Consuelos. Seacrest’s exit is timed to the start of live LA-based shows for “American Idol.” Tweeted Seacrest, “Congratulations to my brother Mark, feel free to remodel my dressing room!”.

Also headed for the exit is YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, after 25 years at the company. “I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” said Wojcicki in a note to staff. Taking the reins will be Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer since 2015.

Broadcast viewing rose by 2.1% in January, according to Nielsen’s monthly The Gauge report, accounting for 24.9% of total TV usage, but declined 6% from January 2022. Sports viewing made up 25.3% of all broadcast content viewing for the month (thank you, NFL), while drama rose 30% to account for 24.3% of the broadcast total. Cable was flat versus the month prior with a 30.4% share, but sports viewing jumped 22%. With a 38.1% share of viewing, streaming was up 1.2% from December, and up 31% year-over-year.

Private equity firm Eureka Equity Partners has made a significant investment in New York-based Advertiser Perceptions, a provider of market intelligence and analysis to the media, advertising and ad tech industry. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bobby Flay, Al Roker, Food Network, Fraggle Rock, Trace Adkins, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, and “90 Day Fiancé” were among the winners announced at the Cynopsis Best of the Best virtual event on Thursday. If you missed it, no problem – you can watch the ceremony here.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

HBO Max handed a series order to “Duster,” a drama from J.J. Abrams, LaToya Morgan, and Warner Bros. Television. Rachel Hilson will star opposite Josh Holloway as the first Black female FBI agent who heads to the Southwest and recruits a getaway driver in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate.

Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”) has signed a broadcast direct deal with FOX Entertainment. As part of the agreement, Nix will develop and executive produce multiple projects for FOX Entertainment that will be wholly owned by FOX and produced by its in-house unit, FOX Entertainment Studios.

Also entering into a broadcast direct deal with FOX Entertainment is show creator, writer and producer Justin Adler (“Life in Pieces”). Adler will create and develop comedy series. The deal with FOX Entertainment marks a reunion of sorts – prior to joining FOX, Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, was EVP of Development at 20th Century Fox Television, where he and Cheryl Dolins, now FOX Entertainment’s SVP of Comedy Programming and Development, worked closely with Adler. “Teaming up with him again is more than just rewarding personally, it’s critical to moving the FOX comedy brand forward,” said Thorn.

Apple Studios has launched an initiative aimed at expanding careers for mid-level directors. The six-month Apple Studios Directors Program offers classes on building a career as an episodic director, discussions with seasoned professionals and opportunities to shadow directors on Apple Studios series.

The Refinery has launched Turn 9, a full-service audiovisual finishing facility in Sherman Oaks, CA dedicated to the needs of brands, agencies, and IP creators across film, TV, gaming, and advertising.

ITV has commissioned a six-part “After the Flood,” produced by Nicola Shindler and Quay Street Productions in association with ITV Studios. The mystery drama, written by Mick Ford (“Stay Close”), will premiere on ITV1 and ITVX.

CASTING

Veronica Cartwright (“The X-Files”) has joined the cast of The CW’s “Gotham Knights” in a recurring guest role as nursing home resident harboring sinister secrets. “The character of Eunice was originally supposed to be a one-off, but we were so blown away by Veronica’s performance, we knew we had to bring her back,” said series creators Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams.

Daniel Sunjata (“Echoes”) landed the lead opposite Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) in ABC’s untitled drama pilot from Drew Goddard and ABC Signature about a single mom who teams with a seasoned detective to solve crimes.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Limited series “Love & Death” debuts with three episodes on Thursday, April 27. The drama, written by David E. Kelley and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, tells the true story of two churchgoing couples enjoying their smalltown Texas life until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.

Docuseries “Blood & Money,” telling true crime stories of greed and murder through the lens of Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”), kicks off Tuesday, March 7 at 10p with new insights on why Robert Durst’s best friend was murdered.

CNN’s “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico” premieres Sunday, March 26 at 9p. The six-part series follows the producer, director and “Desperate Housewives” actress across of Mexico, revealing its unique and colorful cuisines.

A&E is expanding its Sunday night WWE programming block with docuseries “Stone Cold Takes on America” and “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Produced by Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, “Stone Cold Takes on America” premieres Sunday, April 30 at 10p, following WWE Superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as he experiences things he missed out on while focused on his career. Kicking off the night at 9p is season 2 of “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.”

New Jersey-based home renovators compress a complete home renovation into one day in “24 Hour Flip,” premiering Saturday, February 25 at 12p on A&E.

The doctor is (still) in. Season two of Disney+’s “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” debuts Friday, March 31.

Also headed back for a second season is “The Larkins.” The 1959-set sophomore run starts Monday, March 20 on Acorn TV.

Adult Swim’s “Royal Crackers,” centered on a crumbling cracker company and the family trying to save it, debuts Sunday, April 2 at 11p. “Like most kids, when I was a young child, I had the stereotypical dream of making an animated television program about a mediocre cracker company and the family of desperate weirdos who run it,” said creator and star Jason Ruiz. “In this childhood dream, I wanted it to air on linear TV and then stream on an app the following day. Thank you to Adult Swim and HBO Max for making that little pipe dream come true.”

COMING UP

ViX+ short-format thriller “Noche de Chicas” premieres February 24. The series follows five friends on a journey of discovery and revenge.

Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”) will host the 2023 Writers Guild Awards show. The ceremony takes place March 15 in LA. “I was told that I can say whatever I want,” said James. “And after making sure that was true and that it would not be televised, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Oscar-nominated film “EO,” about a donkey on the move after being released from a traveling circus, will stream on Criterion Channel on Tuesday, and be available for purchase or rental on Apple, Amazon and Vudu.

As CBS soap “The Young and The Restless” heads toward its 50th anniversary on March 26, episodes guest starring series alums will begin airing in mid-March. Actors set to reprise their roles include Michael Damian, Patty Weaver, Tricia Cast, Barbara Crampton, and Veronica Redd.

STREAMING

Multimedia platform OutKick finished January 2023 with 311% year-over-year growth versus 2022 in unique viewers. It’s the platform’s third highest month ever in unique viewers. Additionally, OutKick finished the month with 37 million total multiplatform minutes, up 144% from January 2022. The platform also drove 34 million total multiplatform views, according to Comscore.

TECH TALK

The number of social media users will increase by 28% to a total of 5.85 billion users by 2027, according to data from Best Sports Betting Canada – or 70% of the world. Currently, the market leader is Facebook, which has approximately 2.7 billion, monthly active users. However, in 2022, the most downloaded social media in the Apple Store was BeReal, a new social network platform that shares real live photos with followers across the globe.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Diamond Sports Group failed to pay $140 million in interest payments that were due Wednesday, but MLB games will go on, assured Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. “We are prepared no matter what happens with Diamond to make sure the games are available to fans in their local market,” said Manfred. “We think it will be both linear in the traditional cable bundle and digitally on our own platforms but that remains to be seen.” The missed payment started a 30-day grace period. “The company intends to use the 30-day grace period to continue progressing its ongoing discussions with creditors and other key stakeholders regarding potential strategic alternatives and deleveraging transactions to best position Diamond Sports Group for the future,” said Diamond in a statement. Diamond is a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.; its regional networks broadcasts games of 14 MLB teams, as well as 16 NBA and 12 NHL teams.

Sports entertainment platform DAZN closed its deal to acquire ELEVEN Group’s sports media businesses, including Team Whistle. Launched in 2015, ELEVEN has become a global sports media destination and plays a key role in supporting the production, delivery, and distribution of live content on the digital platform FIFA+. Digital video publisher Team Whistle has become a top ten ranked sports media property in the US, with more than 4 billion video views per month.

As part of its ongoing partnership with LeBron James, LIFEWTR has launched its “More to Life” campaign with a new digital advertisement starring the NBA great. The ads feature James reflecting on various aspects of his life that fulfill him – his family, his community, his love for music and the arts, and being physically active. LIFEWTR will distribute more than $100,000 in grants to people who want to pursue more in their lives, starting with the students at James’ I PROMISE School in Akron, OH.

IMG struck a multi-year partnership to manage and distribute Combate Global’s worldwide media rights, excluding the U.S. Combate Global is a Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, known for underscoring its fighters’ nationalities, and matching fighters from different countries against one another.

Baseball Hall of Famer Tim McCarver died February 16 of heart failure. He was 81. After his career on the field, the All-Star catcher served as a color commentator for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. The Emmy winner also hosted a syndicated sports interview program from 2000-17. “To a generation of fans, Tim will forever be remembered as the champion whose game-winning home run during the 1964 World Series echoes throughout time; to another, his voice will forever be the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments in the game’s history,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer. “To us, he will forever be in our hearts.”

GOING GLOBAL

101 Films International has secured worldwide distribution rights for live-action movie “Mia and the Dragon Princess” produced by Dead Pixel Productions.

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RATINGS

FOX News Digital closed out January reaching over 3 billion total multiplatform minutes, 1.8 billion total multiplatform views and 109 million multiplatform unique visitors. The FOX News Mobile App reached 6.5 million unique visitors in January.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, February 15
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Conners 3.57 (0.5), The Goldbergs 2.26 (0.3), Abbott Elementary 2.76 (0.5), Not Dead Yet 2.26 (0.3), A Million Little Things 2.01 (0.2)
CBS: The Price Is Right at Night 4.38 (0.5), Lingo 2.35 (0.3), Tough as Nails 1.80 (0.2)
CW: The Flash 0.51 (0.1), Kung Fu 0.41 (0.1)
ION: Blue Bloods 0.94 (0.1), Blue Bloods 0.92 (0.1), Blue Bloods 0.93 (0.1)
FOX: The Masked Singer 3.71 (0.6), Special Forces 1.89 (0.4)
NBC: Chicago Med 6.74 (0.6), Chicago Fire 6.73 (0.6), Chicago PD 5.20 (0.5)
Telemundo: La Casa de los Famosos 1.33 (0.4), El Señor de los Cielos 1.35 (0.5), Amor y Traición 0.97 (0.3)
Univision: Vencer la Ausencia 1.33 (0.3), Mi Camino es Amarte 1.31 (0.3), Cabo 1.30 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Transatlantic Talent Management Company YMU announced the strategic appointment of Linda Yaccarino to the role of Group Chair. Alongside her current position as Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino will work closely with YMU Group CEO, Mary Bekhait, who has been spearheading the Group’s new vision since stepping into the role in 2021.

NBCUniversal elevated three execs to new leadership roles. Tammy Filler, who most recently served as EVP and Editor-in-Chief at E! News, will join the Advertising & Partnerships division as EVP of the new Content and Talent Partnerships; Jenny Depper, most recently VP, Digital for Syndication Studios, will take on the role of SVP, E! News Digital; and Jamie Cutburth moves from SVP of Creative and Development to EVP, Creative Partnerships for the Advertising & Partnerships group.

And in more NBCU moves, NBCUniversal Content Distribution announced that Amrei Wolfschuetz has been promoted to Vice President, Content Distribution and Nirali Koh will shift to the sales team as Senior Director, Content Distribution.

Electric Entertainment has promoted Mark Franco to Head of Production, and Cynthia Hajj to Production Executive. New hires include Brandon W. Lambdin as VP of Physical Production, and Erica Small as Senior Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs.

This Day in History
1913 – The first minimum wage law took effect, in Oregon.

Friday Fun Fact
Kangaroos can’t move backwards.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which author is Beck looking for when she meets Joe in the first season of “You” (2018)? Paula Fox. Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Which two one-season shows – one a crime drama and one dramedy, released four years apart – had the same name? (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