02/21/23: Prime subscribers will soon be seeing Starz

Cynopsis Medias First Morning Read
Tuesday February 21, 2023

Today’s Premieres
CNN: CNN Prime at 9p
Univision: Perdona Nuestros Pecados at 8p

Today’s Finale
PBS: Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Two long-running syndicated court series are being adjourned at the end of this season. “Judge Mathis” will end with season 24 and “The People’s Court” wraps with season 26, victims of “challenging market conditions within the daytime syndication landscape,” said Warner Bros.

Disney+ canceled two sports comedy-dramas after two seasons: “Big Shot,” starring John Stamos as a high school basketball coach, and “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers,” headlined by Lauren Graham as a youth hockey coach.

Also over and out after two seasons is “Blood & Treasure.” Season one of the action-adventure drama aired on CBS before moving to streaming sib Paramount+ for a sophomore run.

Netflix has renewed “Outer Banks” for a fourth season, ahead of the drama’s season three premiere on February 23. The news was announced at Saturday’s fan event for the show. “The Pogues are enjoying an adventure of a lifetime and now we get to map out more twists and turns as the joyride continues,” said series co-creators Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burke.

TV winners at the Directors Guild Awards included Sam Levinson for HBO drama “Euphoria”; Bill Hader for HBO comedy “Barry”; and Helen Shaver for HBO Max limited series “Station Eleven.” Nat Geo picked up awards for “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (Ben Simms) and doc “Fire of Love” (Sara Dosa), while Liz Patrick scored a trophy for NBC’s “SNL.”

“I’m sorry that I said it. And I certainly see why people found it completely misguided,” “CNN This Morning” co-host Don Lemon told staffers in an editorial call, referring to a comment he made about Nikki Haley. In a discussion last week about Republican presidential candidate Haley’s proposal that candidates over 75 take a competency test, Lemon said, “Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime is her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” In addition to audience backlash, Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, called Lemon’s remarks “unacceptable.”

The average global family has 6.1 devices, according to an international study from Kids Industries. The average child owns 3.1 devices, and the average number of TV subscriptions is 5.1. Which may not be a good thing. “There is a risk associated with this,” said Gary Pope, CEO and Co-Founder at KI. “Too much choice, delivered too quickly at too low a quality will struggle to build a supportive and invested fanbase – a community that will invest in merchandise, experiences and more.”

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Food Network and Molly Yeh have signed a new two-year exclusive deal that includes more episodes of “Girl Meets Farm.” The show, airing Sundays at 11a in the network’s “In the Kitchen” (ITK) programming block, is averaging a .6 P18+ / .8 W18+ Live+3 rating, up 7% vs. the prior season in both demos and helping Food Network to rank as the #1 non-news/non-sports cable network among P/W18+ during its timeslot. Production on new episodes will begin in March.

BentFrame Film & TV announced a TV adaptation of Heather Marshall’s best seller Looking for Jane. Celeste Parr (“This Life”) is onboard the series as creator and showrunner.

The cast of upcoming Netflix drama “Fool Me Once,” based on the Harlen Coben novel, includes Michelle Keegan (“Brassic”), Adeel Akhtar (“Ali & Ava”), Richard Armitage (“Stay Close”) and Joanna Lumley (“Absolutely Fabulous”).

COMING UP

Still naked, still afraid – and now alone, too. Discovery spinoff “Naked and Afraid: Solo” premieres Sunday, March 12 at 10p, following eight of the franchise’s survivalists braving the wilds for 21 days on their own.

“Two Wheel Tuesdays” launches tonight on Speedvision at 7p, featuring episodes of “Cafè Racer” and “What’s In the Barn?”. Speedvision is a streaming home for motorcycle shows.

All three episodes of “Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster premiere Monday, March 6 at 9p on ID. The doc shares the story of the investigation that revealed the sandwich spokesman as a child predator.

“100 Days to Indy” revs up Thursday, April 27 at 9p on The CW. The motorsports docuseries – part of a programming shift at the network, now owned by Nextstar Media Group, to more cost-effective unscripted content – goes behind the scenes at the NTT Indycar Series. “‘100 Days to Indy’ is a high-octane adventure grounded in emotional sports storytelling,” said Brad Schwartz, President, Entertainment, The CW Network. “Alongside our partners at Vice Media Group, Penske Entertainment and NTT Indycar Series we have come together to deliver a series that will follow these champions of the racetrack and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.”

STREAMING

STARZ has teamed with Amazon to bundle MGM+ on Prime Video in the U.S. The subscription bundle, set to launch in the coming weeks, will have a price tag of $11.99/month, a 20% discount vs. the combined price of both standalone subscriptions. “STARZ is a complementary service to general entertainment offerings, so we’re thrilled to see that bundling is now here and believe there will be many more bundling opportunities to come,” said Alison Hoffman, President, Domestic Networks for STARZ

Horror movie “M3gan” starts streaming February 24 on Peacock, unrated version included. The film focuses on a lifelike doll programmed to be a child’s companion and parental ally, but the plan to pair her with an orphaned child goes awry, to put it mildly.

“Babylon,” starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, drops today on Paramount+. The 2022 comedy drama follows the rise and fall of characters during Hollywood’s transition away from silent films in the 1920s.

QVC+ is launching a 24/7 gardening channel, “Outdoor Escape.” In addition to showcasing QVC and HSN’s lifestyle shows, the channel will, of course, enable viewers to purchase featured products.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

BLK Prime has canceled the Adrien Broner vs. Michael Williams Jr. fight scheduled to take place on February 25. The event was set to broadcast live on BLK Prime PPV, but Williams Jr. sustained an injury during sparring. The fight will be moved to a later date with a new opponent.

FITE and Bare Knuckle Boxing Championship announced that BKFC’s live events will be included in the FITE+ subscription. The first live BKFC event to stream on FITE+ is BKFC 36 New Orleans featuring Alan Belcher challenging the reigning champ, Arnold Adams.

The NBA and Cosm, an immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, struck a multi-year partnership that will feature a new live game viewing experience for fans. Cosm will produce and present select games from NBA League Pass in immersive 8K on large-scale LED-dome systems at its forthcoming venues.

BioHarvest Sciences has enlisted former NFL wide receiver Yo Murphy to build awareness among athletes about the company’s product, VINIA®, created to optimize heart health and wellness.

Following the news earlier this month that the upcoming run of Street League Skateboarding will kick off in Chicago in April, SLS has announced that, for round two, it will bring the 2023 Championship Tour to Tokyo on Saturday, August 12. This marks the first time in SLS’ twelve-year history that Japan will host the sport’s flagship series.

GOING GLOBAL

Nippon TV has finalized a deal with Netflix to produce a new comedy series, “Ariyoshi Assists.” It’s the first time that Nippon TV will produce a show exclusively for a global streamer which will not air or stream on Nippon TV. Filmed in Japan in the Japanese language, the series will stream globally in over 190 countries starting March 14.

Farsi-language channel Iran International, which is critical of Iran’s government, has relocated from London to Washington DC after unsuccessful plots targeting its journalists. “I cannot believe it has come to this,” said the channel’s GM, Mahmood Enayat. “A foreign state has caused such a significant threat to the British public on British soil that we have to move.”

Red Bull Studios has licensed “The Rea Mo Farah” to CBC Canada, SBS Australia, Canal+ France, Movistar+ Spain, NRK Norway, Servus TV Austria and MContent in the Middle East.

Globoplay Original documentary series “extremists.br” will be launched on the international market. The eight-parter addresses the radicalization of the far right in Brazil and the reasons that lead thousands of people to spread anti-democratic speeches in the country.

101 Films International has secured worldwide distribution rights for WW2 adventure film “War Blade,” which follows an agent of the British Special Operations Executive tasked with rescuing a French resistance fighter from a hidden Nazi bunker.

Electric Entertainment’s SYFY original TV series “The Ark” has been sold to NBC Universal Global Networks Germany, where it will be broadcast on SYFY in German-speaking territories. The deal includes all pay-TV rights. Electric also closed a deal with Nova Broadcasting Group, Bulgaria for broadcast rights to “Leverage: Redemption,” “Almost Paradise,” and “The Librarians.”

Banijay Rights has acquired global distribution rights to “Boris” (working title), a 72 Films docuseries that chronicles the rise and fall of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

All3Media International reports that Italian drama “Corpo Libero” (The Gymnasts) is now licensed in over 30 territories. The six-part thriller is produced by Indigo Film in co-production with the German company Network Movie (ZDF Neo) in collaboration with Rai Fiction and Paramount+, in association with All3Media International.

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RATINGS

Never gets old: Following last week’s season 26 premiere, Comedy Central’s “South Park” ranked #1 for engagements (2.3M), video views (23.5M), and new followers (340K) across all cable comedy programs in the TV Universe, according to ListenFirst. The premiere drove South Park to its highest week of cross platform engagements ever (3.2M) and highest week of views since November ‘21 (28.7M).

The season premiere of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” had its strongest ratings in nearly three years, drawing 2.3 million viewers in Live+3 numbers (up 14% versus last season’s debut), while the latest season opener for the net’s “Vanderpump Rules” had its best numbers in two years, with 1.8 million viewers (up 27%). “There’s nothing quite like the Bravo fandom. Our ‘Bravoholics’ are unmatched in their passion and engaging with them is a vital element of the brand,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “They have a loyalty to the network and to our talent – many of whom the fans have been following for over a decade.”

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Toonz Media Group has named Ariel Veneziano as President of Toonz’ new feature film division. Veneziano previously served as President of Icon Entertainment International.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor and comedian Richard Belzer died February 19 at age 78, after dealing with circulatory and respiratory issues. Belzer was best known for his role as Detective John Munch, which he originated on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and reprised on the “Law & Order” franchise, as well as “30 Rock,” “The X-Files,” “Arrested Development,” “The Wire” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

Music composer Gerald Fried died February 17 of pneumonia. He was 95. Fried’s TV credits include the themes to “It’s About Time” and “Flamingo Road,” in addition to episodes of “Gilligan’s Island,” “Gunsmoke,” “Dynasty” and more.

This Day in History
1858 – The first electric burglar alarm was installed, in Boston.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which two one-season shows – one a crime drama and one dramedy, released four years apart – had the same name? ABC crime drama “Forever” (2014-15) and Prime Video dramedy “Forever” (2018).

Today’s Trivia Question
In which series did John Goodman play an English professor? (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.)

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Check out more jobs in Cynopsis Classifieds »
Job of the day

DIRECTOR OF AD SALES – PLATFORM PARTNER
BBC GLOBAL DIGITAL NEWS & STREAMING
NYC, Hybrid

BBC Global Digital News & Streaming is looking for a highly skilled, NY based, Director of Ad Sales – Platform Partner. The purpose of the role is to launch BBC Studios Youtube and social advertising proposition across the Americas, deliver advertising revenues across the BBC Studios global portfolio and build a best in market Partner Sales team. Full info HERE

LOG EDITOR, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
TV ONE
CHICAGO, IL, NEW YORK, NY – Hybrid, Remote

Prepare and update the daily assigned program log for TV One or Cleo TV. Manage the placement of key clients by using detailed instructions to ensure correct placement as ordered by the Advertising Sales team. Bachelor’s degree in a related field or 2+ years of experience in Broadcast Cable Log Operations. Full info HERE

SR. PROMO EDITOR
TV ONE
SILVER SPRING, Hybrid, Remote

Video editing, with primary responsibility in marketing and digital media. Work with creative marketing teams to complete their production assignments. Contribute creative ideas that will help elevate the brand. Organize, Manage and Archive Avid Media Projects and files. 10 years of video editing exp. including 5 years of promo editing exp. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE – AD SALES >>
GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA/CHICAGO Remote

Strategically sells linear & digital properties to drive Ad Sales revenue. Works with agencies & clients to develop unique advertising solutions for their brands. Requires 5-10 years of sales experience with established agency & client relationships. Seeking a motivated, self-starter with strong negotiation, communication & presentation skills. Full info HERE

SALES PLANNER – AD SALES >>
GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA/NEW YORK, Hybrid/Remote:
Works with Account Executives to service clients daily. Builds sales plans, maintains media schedules & handles client requests such as stewardship, liability, and traffic concerns. Seeking a motivated, self-starter with strong communication, problem-solving & time management skills. Must have 1+ year of planning experience. Full info HERE

MOTION GRAPHIC DESIGNER >>
LONG STORY SHORT MEDIA/WASHINGTON, DC:
Bring creative concepts to life through design and animation. Motion Designer will work in a team environment to share fresh design perspectives and create engaging high-quality content for a variety of subjects and media. Full Info HERE

SALES MANAGER >>
NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP/INDIANAPOLIS:
Provides leadership for the broadcast/digital sales teams. Makes decisions regarding hiring, evaluation, promotion and operation of account executives and sales assistants. Develops and executes sales strategies that exceeds revenue targets in local, new business and digital revenue. Min 5 yrs of media sales exp; management exp. preferred. Full info HERE

VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Focus on FCC compliance, brand integrity for all current series and day-to-day business affairs for development and production. Strategize with management and outside counsel on business issues, and draft, review and execute various short-form business documents. Legal background and/or related experience is preferred. Full info HERE

SENIOR MANAGER, ACQUISITION AND OUTREACH >>
TELEVISION ACADEMY/LOS ANGELES, Hybrid: Develop, build, and execute member acquisition plans (monthly, quarterly, and annual) with measurable targets, optimize program performance and deliver strategic plans to achieve/exceed specific campaign KPIs. Identify and implement A/B tests & tactics, innovating & continually seeking to drive and improve. Min 4 yrs’ exp. in an acquisition role. Full info HERE

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & ON-AIR PROMOTION >>
REELZ/ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Develop strategic approaches and tactical planning for on-air promotion, guiding the creative process from creation through post-production, and managing the execution of consumer marketing programs for on-air promotion and off-air advertising. Responsible for full on-air presentation and format management. Min of 8-10 yrs exp. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE – AD SALES >>
GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA/NYC, Hybrid, Remote: Strategically sells linear & digital properties to drive Ad Sales revenue. Works with agencies & clients to develop unique advertising solutions for their brands. Requires 3+ years of sales experience with established agency & client relationships. Seeking a motivated, self-starter with strong negotiation, communication & presentation skills. Full info HERE

SALES ASSISTANT – AD SALES >>
GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA/NYC, Hybrid, Remote: Provides workflow support to ensure effective campaign delivery for advertisers. Verifies order and schedule accuracy and entry. Monitors accounts while booking and maintaining inventory. Works closely with Account Executives and Sales Planners. Seeking a motivated, self-starter with strong communication, analytical & problem-solving skills. Full info HERE

PARTNERSHIPS MARKETING SPECIALIST >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC:
Manage development of revenue-generating partnership solutions. Responsible for developing multi-platform media sales materials and partnership proposals for prospective partners including brands, non-profits, and high-net-worth individuals. Create and update sales materials. 5+ years of relevant marketing experience required. Full info HERE

MANAGER, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
TV ONE
CHICAGO, NYC, Hybrid, Remote

Supervise & train copy coordinators & log editors for accuracy & attention to detail of building a commercial log & reading agency instructions. Monitor employee performance & output; provide back-up for all desks including log editing, added value insertion & continued communication with marketing for all custom creations. Min of 3 yrs of exp. Full info HERE

TRAFFIC MANAGER >>
WHYY/Hybrid, PHILADELPHIA:
Create monthly programming grids for 12.1 and 12.3. Update programming grids when schedule changes are made. Prepare daily logs & submit to Centralcast Joint Master Control. Work w/WHYY Traffic Specialist who creates programming grids for 12.2 and logs for 12.2 and 12.3. 3-5 yrs of management exp. & working with data or traffic systems. Full info HERE

LOCAL MULTIMEDIA SALES MANAGER >>
WALA FOX 10 TV/MOBILE AL:
Build a steady stream of new business, constantly recruit to grow the sales team, developing client solutions with account executives using digital and television products. Generating a weekly forecast of revenue, regularly attend sales calls with account executives. Skilled negotiator and problem solver. Proven history of developing new business. Full info HERE

IN-HOUSE COUNSEL
NORTHSOUTH PRODUCTIONS
Remote, must be licensed in NY or CA

Negotiating and drafting development deals, shopping agreements, amendments, talent deals, above-the-line contracts, PSAs, production release templates, trade-out agreements, specialty releases and other necessary documents. Shaping corporate and production legal policies. 5-10 yrs of entertainment legal exp. working with a law firm or production. Full info HERE

INTEGRATED SALES MARKETING MANAGER
TODAY’S HOMEOWNER MEDIA
HYBRID/VIRTUAL

Manages pre-sale process in partnership with senior sales team to drive multi-platform revenue growth with advertisers. Sales mktg exp, 3+ yrs. Home improvement, & tv exp a plus. Digital experience a must. Full info HERE

STANDARDS AND PRACTICES SPECIALIST >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Provide S&P notes on unscripted Educational/Informational series in development, production, and post, ensuring all content adheres to FCC regulations, HMPG’s internal standards, and network mandates. Contribute to bringing HMPG’s diverse slate of family-friendly series and positive programming to millions of viewers each week. Full info HERE

SR. DIRECTOR, CONSUMER MARKETING
TV ONE
SILVER SPRING, Hybrid, Remote

Lead the Consumer Marketing media, promotion and marketing campaigns by prioritizing shows & campaigns across the brand, and support for each of those priorities. Work with internal research and marketing analytics team to gather and organize past performance and insights, construct goals and objectives, and develop target definitions. 7+ yrs exp. Full info HERE

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21
ABC: The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds, Will Trent
CBS: FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted
CW: The Winchesters, The Flash
FOX: 9-1-1: Lone Star, Accused
NBC: Night Court, American Auto, La Brea, La Brea
PBS: Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World, Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World [f]
Telemundo: La Casa de los Famosos, El Senor de los Cielos, Amor y Tracion
Univision: Perdona Nuestros Pecados [p], Mi Camino es Amarte, Cabo

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