A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM A+E NETWORKS

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Today’s Premieres
HBO Max: Bilardo; Las Bravas
ID: Undercover Underage at 9p
NBC: Law & Order at 8p
Netflix: Karma’s World Music Videos
Paramount+: Wasteland
Peacock: Take Note

IN THE NEWS

Discovery, Inc. and Omnicom Media Group announced a new data trial pilot that aims to offer new currencies to advertisers this Upfront season. “It is vital that we work with our clients who believe they have an idea that might improve upon the current status quo in measurement,” said Jon Steinlauf, Chief US Ad Sales Officer, Discovery. “This pilot program with OMG ensures our partners can test best-of-breed measurement solutions, as well as trial new linear TV currencies, which will be an important first step towards transitioning to an eventual accredited person-based cross-platform currency.” The trial is currently in progress across multiple advertiser categories and evaluates linear delivery for OMG clients via several measurement services. Comscore and VideoAmp will serve as the video measurement services for the initial set of advertisers, which include AT&T and State Farm.

YouTube, a founding participant in the IAB’s NewFronts, is moving its Brandcast event to May 17, smack in the middle of broadcast TV’s upfront week in NYC. Why the shift? “We feel this is the right time to help our customers bridge the gap between linear TV and digital, which is why YouTube will have a presence at both events this year,” said the company in a blog post. As principal sponsor, YouTube will still have a presence at NewFronts, including a set of panels on May 2.

After three seasons on CBS, dating format “Love Island” is making a move. Following what it described as a “highly competitive situation,” Peacock gave the series, from ITV America, a two-season, 80 episode order, promising “naughtier games and steamier challenges” this summer. “’Love Island’ is a highly addictive dating format that is primed for a streaming service like Peacock where we can push boundaries and bring viewers steamy and dramatic twists,” said Jenny Groom, EVP Entertainment Unscripted Content and NBC TV and Streaming. “The series took pop culture by storm after the UK format found fans across the world, and we are thrilled to be able to bring an all-new version to Peacock this summer anchoring our unscripted slate.”

What prompted ITV America to move their reality romance series? “This really is an unprecedented deal for an unscripted brand,” said ITV America CEO David George. “Peacock and NBCU are the perfect home for Love Island because of their strategy to grow the show, utilizing the greater NBCU television portfolio and other platforms to help propel the series. That dedication, coupled with a two-season commitment on Peacock, sealed the deal. We’re incredibly excited to elevate the show through a bold new collaboration.”

NBC has renewed “The Blacklist” for season 10, with star and executive producer James Spader onboard. The drama has averaged same day viewership of 3.14 million, which jumps up to over 9 million per episode with streaming and digital platforms factored in.

A 2018 profits lawsuit over CBS’s “MacGyver” reboot is moving toward trial, after an LA judge ruled that plaintiffs had presented “sufficient evidence to show that there are triable issues of material facts as to whether there was a contract.” A successor to the packaging agent for the original 1985-92 series claims the original deal called for a commission that covered “each series produced under the 1984 agreement.”

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In response the volatile market start to 2022, CNBC is making changes to its afternoon schedule beginning in early March. Sara Eisen will solo anchor a new one-hour “Closing Bell” at 3p; the program’s commercial-free Market Zone coverage will begin at 3:40 pm and run through the close. And Scott Wapner will look at after-hours moves and late-breaking news live from the New York Stock Exchange in “Closing Bell Overtime.”

US consumer spending on media content and technology jumped 6.4% in 2021, to $500.6 billion, according to PQ Media’s “Global Consumer Spending on Media Forecast.” But growth will begin decelerating in 2022 and beyond, as pandemic-triggered forces fade, says the report – the surge was “simply a short-term disruption of long-term patterns that have resumed in 2022 and will continue through 2025.”

All of the commercial inventory for the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Tournament has been sold, reports Disney Advertising Sales. The hoops action will be televised March 16-April 3 on ESPN’s networks. “We are excited to see that our sponsors and advertisers have really leaned into our commitment to diversity in athletics and have flocked to these offerings,” said Sean Hanrahan, SVP Sports Brand Solutions.

Count the Motion Pictures Editors Guild among the groups expressing deep disappointment at being left out of the live broadcast of the Oscars. “We understand the Academy’s desire to make a more arresting show, but this move renders the ‘invisible art’ of editing even less visible,” read a statement from MPEG President Alan Heim. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday it is cutting the presentation of awards for film editing, production design, sound, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score) and the three short film awards from the live telecast. Instead, the eight awards will be presented ahead of ABC’s live ceremony on March 27, with edited speeches inserted into the live show. “When deciding how to produce the Oscars, we recognize it’s a live event television show and we must prioritize the television audience to increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant,” Academy President David Rubin wrote to members. “This has been an important focus of discussion for quite some time.”

TV winners named during the second night of the the NAACP Image Awards included Issa Rae (“Insecure”) for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series; “The Daily Show” for Outstanding Short-Form Series; Davita Scarlett (“The Good Fight”) for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series; Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle (“South Side”) for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series; Barry Jenkins (“The Underground Railroad”) for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series; and Kenny Leon (“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia”) for Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special.

Hello Sunshine announced the acquisition of lifestyle brand and home organization company The Home Edit. The move reflects Hello Sunshine’s commitment to growing its direct-to-consumer offerings and deepening connections with female audiences through storytelling, commerce and experiences. Hello Sunshine plans to grow the brand “through additional content and commerce offerings, and creating more ways for audiences to engage with the brand.” The acquisition marks Hello Sunshine’s first since becoming a part of Candle Media, the media company run by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.

Univision Communications revenue increased 11.8% over the prior year and increased 5.7% over full year 2019 revenue, reported TelevisaUnivision. Advertising revenue increased 22.0% over the prior year and 6.7% over full year 2019 advertising revenue. “2021 was a remarkable year for Univision in which we turned around both revenue and EBITDA after more than 5 years of declines,” said Wade Davis, CEO of Univision. “Our business is firing on all cylinders across the board. Ratings were up, defying the trend plaguing all other companies in the industry….Subscription revenue accelerated and most recently grew 15% in the fourth quarter. And, of course, last week we announced our upcoming, game-changing launch of [streaming brand] ViX.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s ad revenue dropped 31%, to $383 million in 4Q21, but core advertising grew $28 million year-over-year. Total company wide distribution revenue, for its TV stations and sports business, was up 13% to $1.05 billion. For 2022, the company projects a “record-breaking” year for political advertising coming from the midterm elections. As for the fallout from the ransomware attack on the company in October, “The impact on our advertising revenues for the broadcast segment was $63 million,” said CEO Chris Ripley during a call with analysts. “We did not have any material financial impact to our local sports segment. In addition, we incurred approximately $6 million of cyber incident funds costs during the fourth quarter of 2021 and $5 million to date in 2022.”

Warner Bros. Television Group has established of a new scholarship to support students in need of financial assistance at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The initiative is inspired by the new WBTV series “All American: Homecoming,” set against the backdrop of the HBCU experience. Developed in partnership with the NAACP, the Warner Bros. Television Group All American: Homecoming Grand Slam Scholarship will award $100,000 in grants to 10 students pursuing degrees at HBCU institutions.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

YouTube comedy channel Smosh has a new, 17,000-square foot headquarters and studio in LA. “Our new studio is a huge step forward for Smosh,” said CEO Daniel Tibbets. “Not very many comedy brands have been around for as long as Smosh, and this new facility is the perfect place for creative talent to come together, collaborate and make comedy videos for every digital and social platform.”

CBS handed a series order to “Superfan,” which will feature contestants vying to prove they are an artist’s biggest fan. The winner gets the “ultimate experience” with the star. Former CBS Specials SVP Jodi Roth, Keltie Knight (“Entertainment Tonight”) and Jack Martin (“The Misery Index”) will executive produce. Raquel Productions (“Tough As Nails”) is producing.

Juliana Harkavy (“Arrow”) landed a lead in ABC pilot “L.A. Law,” a revival of the 1986-94 legal drama. Original cast members Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen are also onboard.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“How the Universe Works” is back for a new season on Science Channel on Sunday, March 6 at 10p, following the latest probes and rovers exploring Saturn and Mars. Three days later comes the return of “Black Files Declassified” at 9p, pulling back the curtain on secret government programs.

Global thriller “The Fame Game” starts streaming Friday, February 25 on Netflix. The series, shot in India, stars Bollywood legend Madhuri Dixit as a superstar who vanishes without a trace.

British police drama “Before We Die” premieres Sunday, March 20 at 10p on PBS (check local listings). The six-parter focuses on a detective whose moral boundaries are tested when a brutal murder investigation becomes personal.

The final episodes of Netflix’s “Ozark” – part two of season four – drop Friday, April 29. The first batch topped Nielsen’s streaming chart the week of January 17.

Season three of OWN social experiment “Put a Ring on It” launches Friday, March 25 at 9p. During nine weeks, three couples are put to the test to determine if they should get married, or call it quits.

“The Seven Little Johnstons” add to their number when the show returns to TLC on Tuesday, March 15 at 9p. The newcomer? A teenaged foreign exchange student who moves in and gets “a head-spinning introduction to American culture.”

Curiosity Stream unveiled its 2022 slate of original programming. Offerings include second seasons of “Doug To The Rescue,” Engineering The Future,” and “Rescued Chimpanzees Of The Congo With Jane Goodall.” Returning for season four is docu-series “4th and Forever,” this time taking viewers to the iconic birthplace of Friday night lights.

COMING UP

Showtime’s “Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain” (wt) premieres Wednesday, April 20 at 8p. Part of the network’s Hip Hop 50 banner, the doc chronicles the legendary LA rap group Cypress Hill.

For Women’s History Month, Ovation TV is offering weekly feature presentations during its Friday night “Red Carpet Cinema” block, celebrating women artists who have left their mark on the art of film. Starting March 1, the arts net also highlights women artists who have made a significant impact on the national and international stage, with series and films celebrating Visionary Women, Leading Ladies, Show-Stoppers, and Women in Music.

“The Real Housewives of Miami” gather in NYC for a two-part reunion that starts streaming Thursday, March 3 on Peacock. Andy Cohen hosts the rehash.

Court TV live special event “Black History in the Making” airs Friday, February 25 at 7p. The show looks back at Black icons of the past while also discussing the court cases that are changing the course of history.

Sponsors for the 34th edition of “Premio Lo Nuestro” presented by T-Mobile, airing tonight on Univision, include returning partners McDonald’s, State Farm, and T-Mobile. Pre-show “Noche de Estrellas” (Night of Stars) kicks things off at 7p.

STREAMING

Peacock is launching True Crime Tuesdays, a destination featuring Peacock originals along with series from NBC and Oxygen. Originals include two-part “Perfect World: A Deadly Game,” focusing on gamers hunting for a close friend who claims to be a murderer (premiere date: March 8), followed later this spring by “Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs,” and “Sins of the Amish.”

Revry, the LGBTQ-first media company, released data on the increase in LGBTQ+ targeted consumer streaming on its distribution partners. The latest data from Revry’s distribution, including FAST partners Samsung TV, Roku and Vizio TV, reveal a 5x growth in monthly active viewers in 2021. The growth is fueled by a 6x growth in Samsung TV Plus viewers interested in LGBTQ-first programming. “Our exclusive focus on programming for the LGBTQ+ consumer aligns with the demand for visibility and representation of the stories of our community, “ said Revry CEO Damian Pelliccione. “We have created a brand safe environment to speak directly to the LGBTQ+ consumer in a meaningful way.”

The Pet Collective, the digital video property for pet enthusiasts, is now available on IMDb TV. The Pet Collective receives more than five million monthly viewership hours across multiple platforms.

Philo has inked a deal with entertainment company Kin to bring “Boss Moves,” starring Rasheeda Frost (“Love & Hip Hop”), to the platform. The series will also be available, via Kin, across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. In addition, Philo will house over 65 hours of Kin’s women’s lifestyle content.

TECH TALK

AMC Networks, Discovery, TelevisaUnivision and WarnerMedia have partnered with Canoe Ventures to further enable national addressable TV advertising. As a result of these four, separate, multi-year agreements, Canoe will be providing enablement and ongoing campaign service assurance across its national addressable TV advertising footprint, which currently consists of Charter, Comcast and Cox enabled households. “Our programming partners have placed a big bet on addressable TV,” David Porter, SVP, GM, Addressable Advertising, Canoe, tells Cynopsis. “Not only have they signed up for long-term commercial deals through Canoe, but they are also investing significant resources in their own tech enablement, operations and sales teams. All of this creates scale for brands wanting both the efficacy of TV and the precision of targeting.”

Audiences that watch travel content on social video are driving ecommerce activity across product categories, including those with little to do with travel, according to a new Tubular Labs report. While it’s little surprise that mountain bikes account for 29% of product category shopping on Amazon among travel content audiences, investing books (31%) and noodle soups (30%) beat that number. Tubular also labeled three travel mindsets: The narrator, who might be reached by VR and gaming tech; the seeker, who requires authenticity; and the nomad, who values the ethical well-being of brands. “Whether you’re a brand, agencies of media companies considering how to engage with these three travel mindsets across social video, remember the values, interests, and behaviors of these audiences,” advises the report.

Spectus, a solution for the responsible analysis of location data, has officially launched. Spectus was created by the leadership team at Cuebiq to grow the geospatial-focused Data Cleanroom offering (formerly known as Cuebiq Workbench). Cuebiq will remain as an ad tech business solely focused on Media Measurement and Audience Targeting, and become a channel partner of Spectus. “Over the last three years, there has been a significant increase in adoption of geospatial analytics,” said Antonio Tomarchio, Founder and CEO of Spectus. “The pandemic accelerated this increased demand as many organizations desperately needed visibility into different trends across the nation with completely heterogenous local pandemic policies. And while the overall mobility and geospatial market is estimated to grow to $32 billion by 2027, it faces hurdles around speed to market, risk mitigation, and cost control that are preventing it from reaching its full potential.”

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RATINGS

Syndicated shows stumbled the first full week of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The week ending February 13, most shows were re-named to reflect the Olympic competition and thus not have to include the numbers their regular full season averages. The re-titled “Family Feud-Olym” (5.7 Live+SD national Nielsen rating, down 2% from the week before) was the top rated game show and one the few programs of any type to avoid a major tumble. “Jeopardy-Olym” (5.5, down 13%) was next, followed by “Wheel of Fortune-Olym” (5.0, down 14%). “Inside Edition-Olym” (2.0, down 20%) led the heavily-preempted magazines, while top talkers were “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and “The Dr. Phil Show” (both 1.6, down 11%).

Broadcast Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of February 7, ranked in order by HH Rtg
Family Feud (CMV) 5.7 AA
Jeopardy (CMV) 5.5 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 5.0 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.8 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 2.1 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.0 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 1.9 AA
The Dr. Phil Show (CMV) 1.6 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.6 AA
Hot Bench (CMV) 1.4 AA
Last Man Standing (DAD) 1.4 AA

Basic Cable Nielsen Top 5 for the week of February 14
Show, P2+ 000s
Primetime
TNT 2000
MSNBC 1079
HGTV 1014
USA 997
Total Day
Fox News 1547
MSNBC 659
USA 627
HGTV 575
TNT 559

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, February 15
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Bachelor 3.49 (0.7), The Promised Land 1.60 (0.2)
CBS: The Neighborhood 3.88 (0.5), Bob Hearts Abishola 3.23 (0.5), Big Brother2.45 (0.4)
CW: All American 0.65 (0.2), All American: Homecoming 0.47 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1: Lone Star 5.13 (0.6), The Cleaning Lady 0.30 (0.4)
NBC: AGT Extreme 4.49 (0.7), Endgame 0.33 (0.5)
Telemundo: Exatlon 1.09 (0.3), Hercai: Amor 1.34 (0.4), Pasion Gavilanes 0.88 (0.3)
Univision: Soltero Con Hijas 1.71 (0.6), Mi Fortuna es Amarte 1.79 (0.6), Madre 1.83 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Sinclair Broadcast Group has elevated Rob Weisbord to Chief Operating Officer and President of Broadcast. Weisbord has served as President of Broadcast and CRO since 2020.

Comcast Advertising has named Tracey Kopper-Hourin as SVP of Human Resources and Customer Experience. Kopper-Hourin joins from FreeWheel, where she led human resources for the global company as well as the strategic initiatives group.

Jeff D’Onofrio has been named Chief Financial Office of CafeMedia. D’Onofrio was most recently Chief Executive Officer at Tumblr.

E-commerce producer Knocking has appointed Candi Carter as Chief Content Officer. Carter was previously a showrunner for ABC.

French animation company Dandeloo has appointed Marion Claret to head its animation studio, Oolala. Claret helped launch the studio three years ago.

Saloon Media has named Betty Orr as Senior Vice President of Production; Pam McNair as Production Executive; and Elizabeth St. Philip as Senior Producer.

This Day in History
1868 – The first US parade with floats took place, in Mobile, AL.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which series moved from NBC to ABC in 2009? “Scrubs” (2001-10). Kudos to: Austin Cassidy-Meridian Interactive/Jacksonville, FL; Michael Braff-FOX/WNYW/NYC; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Greg West-WATC TV/Atlanta; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee; John Avellino-Sony Pictures Television/NYC; Aly White-KTBC Fox 7/Austin; John Kukla-KDFW-KDFI/Dallas; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Dan Harrison-Fox Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
What was TV’s highest-rated comedy in the A18-49 demo from 2001-05? (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