A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IAB

IAB PlayFronts 2023 – March 8-9 – New York, NY

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Today’s Premieres
Apple TV+: Liaison; The Reluctant Traveler; Pretzel and the Puppies
Hulu: The Consultant
Netflix: Who Were We Running From?; Formula 1: Drive to Survive; Oddballs
Starz: Party Down at 9p
WE tv: Life After Lockup at 9p

Saturday’s Premieres
A&E: 24 Hour Flip at 12p
Oxygen: Cold Justice at 8p

Saturday’s Finale
HGTV: Rico to the Rescue at 8p

Sunday’s Premieres
AspireTV: Twisted Dish at 8p
National Geographic: Wicked Tuna at 9p
NBC: The Blacklist at 10p
Reelz: When Metal Ruled the 80s at 9p
Showtime: The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth at 8p

Sunday’s Finales
ID: Evil Lives Here at 9p
Paramount+: 1923

IN THE NEWS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has “many plans in place” to avoid a scene like last year’s face slap at the Oscars. “We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer told Time magazine. “Let’s hope something doesn’t happen and we never have to use these, but we already have frameworks in place that we can modify.” The plans are a response to the perceived inaction following Will Smith’s onstage smacking of Chris Rock last year. This year’s Oscars take place March 12, and air on ABC.

FOX is switching it up for this year’s Upfront presentation, taking place on Monday, May 15 at The Manhattan Center. “We are hosting an in-person event – complete with a new venue and format – to connect with our clients in the most meaningful way, by showcasing the value of FOX’s best-in-class portfolio and its ability to innovate and engage with a wide array of consumers,” said Marianne Gambelli, President of Advertising Sales, FOX. In addition, individual business units will engage the market pre-Upfront with focused presentations and FOX talent.

A 24-year-old Spectrum News journalist was shot and killed while reporting on a homicide in Orlando. Dylan Lyons “loved his career. He loved what he did,” said Lyons’ fellow reporter, Josh Miller. “He loved the community, telling the stories of people, reporting on the news, and he was just passionate about what he did.” A nine-year old girl was also killed, and her mother and a photojournalist, Jesse Walden, were critically injured. A 19-year-old suspect was arrested.

FAST Apps captured more share of time spent in the second half of 2022 compared to the first half of the year, according to TVision’s “The State of CTV Advertising” report. Highlights include:
YouTube (16%) supplanted Netflix (15.3%) for the first time, as the top app for Share of Time Spent Viewing. While Netflix’s Household Reach dropped to 61% in H2 2022, from 66% in H1 2022, it is still reaching more households than any other app, including YouTube.Disney+ and Netflix present new opportunities to advertise and connect with hard-to-reach audiences. Advertisers can best extend their reach by pairing Disney+ with Peacock (only 48.4% audience overlap) and Netflix with The Roku Channel (only 41.9% audience overlap).The Entertainment, Legal, Health and Retail industries are responsible for the largest share of CTV ad volume.
For more insights on the new opportunities and challenges in the OTT sector, register for Cynopsis’ free March 15 event, “First Look 2023: OTT Virtual Conference.” Details are here.

Google is testing blocking news content to some users in Canada. The move is in response to the government’s “Online News Act,” introduced to force platforms to pay news publishers for their content. “We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users,” a Google spokesperson told Reuters. “We run thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to Search.”

ABC’s “The Goldbergs” will end with its current season 10, reports Deadline. The series is the longest-running live-action broadcast network comedy on the air.

Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson was arrested on Thursday and charged with fraud. In a court document, prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York said Watson had “engaged in a scheme to defraud Ozy’s potential investors, potential acquirers, lenders and potential lenders.” Ozy had production deals with OWN, PBS and A+E Networks; allegations against Watson include his signing a fake contract for the second season of an Ozy show, and misrepresenting terms of contracts. Ozy’s former COO, Samir Rao, pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with officials earlier this week.

Warner Bros. Discovery is discontinuing late-night movie franchise TCM Underground. “Classic cult favorites and hard-to-find films will always be in our DNA, and we will continue to find ways to showcase them,” said WBD in a statement. The final Underground film airs tonight, February 24.

A+E Networks Group announced the launch of a new heart health awareness initiative, “Don’t Skip a Beat,” in partnership with the American Heart Association. The year-round initiative, featuring special content and celebrity-driven PSAs across A&E, Lifetime, and The History Channel’s on air, digital, and social media platforms, aims to educate people about their hearts, inspire them to learn about cardiovascular health, and encourage them to share the information with their loved ones and friends.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

TBS has greenlit its first new unscripted series of 2023, expanding its All Elite Wrestling franchise with “AEW: All Access.” The new series, featuring Adam Cole, Dr. Britt Baker, Sammy Guevara, Tay Conti, The Young Bucks, Saraya, Wardlow, and Eddie Kingston along with AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan, is slated to premiere next month.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post has signed a first-look deal with Asylum Entertainment Group to adapt its stories into documentary features and series. “The New York Post boasts an impressive history in unearthing some of the most fascinating, headline-grabbing stories throughout the world,” said Steve Michaels, CEO of Asylum Entertainment Group. “Through our continued collaboration, we’re able to reach new audiences and dive into complex elements and perspectives through TV’s storytelling devices.”

HBO Max has ordered drama “Welcome to Derry” (working title) to series. The show, from Warner Bros. Television and developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (“IT,” “IT Chapter Two”) and Jason Fuchs (“IT Chapter Two,” “Wonder Woman,” “Argylle”), is a prequel to the hit New Line “IT” films. Andy Muschietti will direct multiple episodes of the series, including the first episode.

All five breakdown writers on CBS daytime soap “The Young and the Restless” have been let go in a cost-cutting move, reports TheWrap. Executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith is reportedly taking on the task of the writers – who outline scenes in each episode before they’re given to script writers – himself.

Casting notes: Jake Lacy (“The White Lotus”) and Allison Brie (“GLOW”) have joined the cast of Peacock’s upcoming limited series “Apples Never Fall,” starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill…. Onboard Hulu Original Comedy series “How to Die Alone” are series regulars Conrad Ricamora (“How to Get Away with Murder”), KeiLyn Durrel Jones (“The Other Two”), and Jocko Sims (“New Amsterdam”)….Ashley Park (“Emily in Paris”) landed a recurring role in season three of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”

EARNINGS REPORTS

Warner Bros. Discovery 4Q22 revenue fell 9% versus the prior year quarter, to $11 billion, and EBITDA slipped 5% to $2.603. Global DTC subscribers increased 1.1 million to 96.1 million at the end of Q4 versus 95.0 million subscribers at the end of Q3, helped in part by the re-launch of HBO Max on Amazon Channels in December 2022. “We’re seeing strong momentum across the enterprise, including our exciting long-term plans for DC Studios, the historic success of our latest HBO series ‘The Last of Us,’ the significant financial and operating gains in DTC, and the record sales of our newest game Hogwarts Legacy,” said WBD President and CEO David Zaslav. “And with our unparalleled portfolio of assets and IP, a growing roster of exceptional creative talent, and some of the buzziest storytelling in the industry, we believe we have repositioned our businesses to take full advantage of the many opportunities ahead.”

Fourth quarter results for TelevisaUnivision included total revenue of $1.5 billion, up 22% from the year-ago quarter. Total advertising revenue grew 10% to $850 million, and total subscription and licensing revenue grew 47% to $568 million monthly. There was promising news on the streaming side – ViX reached over 25 million active users on its free tier. “ViX is now fully launched and is the definitive leader in Spanish-language streaming in less than a full year of operations,” said Wade Davis, CEO of TelevisaUnivision. “The growth and profitability of our core business more than offset the investments we made in ViX. The power of the combined assets in the US and Mexico cause us to continue to expect ViX to reach profitability by the end of 2023.”

Dish Network reported quarterly earnings of $1.47 per share, handily topping the estimates of $0.47 per share. The company counted almost 8 million retail wireless subscribers by year’s end. Net pay-TV subscribers fell about 268,000 in 4Q22, versus the year-ago quarter’s decline of 273,000.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

CNBC’s “Last Call,” a live one-hour business program exploring the intersection of markets, culture, and policy, will premiere on Wednesday, March 8 at 7p. The nightly program anchored by Brian Sullivan will offer perspectives on news affecting how Americans spend and invest their money.

True crime docuseries “Who Killed Robert Wone?” premieres on Peacock Tuesday, March 7. The two-parter follows the 2006 case of a young attorney found stabbed to death at a friend’s home in Washington, D.C.

Season 15 of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, a docuseries on art, life and culture across the African diaspora from Black Public Media and WORLD Channel, is celebrating its anniversary with a slate of films unified around a the theme Black art. This season will bring viewers into the lives of choreographer-director Bill T. Jones, music icon and activist Angélique Kidjo, octogenarian artist Bill Traylor, traditional dancer Atanásio Nyusi and jazz legend Thelonious Monk, starting Monday, April 3.

COMING UP

Rihanna will perform the Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 12.

Kane Brown is set to return as co-host of the 2023 CMT Music Awards, alongside Kelsea Ballerini, for Austin’s first major televised awards, airing live on Sunday, April 2 at 8p on CBS and Paramount+.

Added to the presenter lineup for the SAG Awards are nominees Jason Bateman (“Ozark”), Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”), Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Adam Scott (“Severance”) and Zendaya (“Euphoria”), along with SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), Ariana DeBose (“Schmigadoon!”), Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”), and Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”). The ceremony takes place Sunday, February 26 at 8p and will be broadcast on Netflix’s YouTube channel.

“Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia” premieres Sunday, March 5 at 9p on CNN. The doc chronicles the rise and fall of HQ Trivia, the “game show on your phone” app that went viral, swept the nation, then crashed and burned.

STREAMING

Five new Magnolia Workshop courses are now available on Magnolia.com and the Magnolia app. New courses include: A Chef’s Guide to Mexican Cooking with bestselling cookbook author Rick Martínez; Building Character: DIY Projects for Your Home with DIY expert Mandi Gubler; Living Decor: DIY Plant Projects with plant stylist Hilton Carter; Modern Home DIYs with Brooke Gilliam of Magnolia Network’s series “Making Modern with Brooke & Brice”; and Where We Gather with photographer Amy Neunsinger and prop stylist Kate Martindale of “Capturing Home.”

TECH TALK

Yahoo released the details of a new AR campaign for Toyota’s Crown, a new premium sedan. The campaign lets car shoppers take a 360-degree walk around the vehicle, sit in the driver’s seat, and virtually drive the vehicle. “Toyota’s partnership with Yahoo is an exciting auto-first opportunity, showcasing our all-new 2023 Toyota Crown in an AR experience,” said Angie White, Senior Manager, Media, Toyota Motor North America. “Identifying innovative ways to bring our Digital marketing to life plays a crucial role in our campaign strategies, especially when introducing this new sedan. The Yahoo AR partnership helps drivers discover the Toyota Crown in a meaningful and interactive way.”

Spectrum Reach, the advertising sales business of Charter Communications, and video startup Waymark introduced an AI-powered platform that allows businesses to produce high-quality TV commercials with AI-generated voiceover, in five minutes or less. Using Waymark’s platform, local businesses across Spectrum Reach’s footprint can create real-time, ready-to-air commercials for their TV and streaming TV advertising campaigns. “We believe that all businesses should be able to tap into the power of TV advertising,” said Michael Guth, SVP, Marketing, Spectrum Reach. “The introduction of the new AI voiceover platform with Waymark underscores our commitment to constantly seek new innovation, products and partnerships that will better position businesses for growth and success.”

Integration station: Peacock’s “Bel-Air” returned for season two on Thursday with new and returning brand partners. The show’s main character, Will, and his family navigate new triumphs and challenges in the LX 600 Ultra Luxury; first-time show partner, Simply Spiked is featured as Will’s cousin, Hilary Banks, finds her place within the influencer industry; State Farm shines a light on how to be a good neighbor; and the Banks’ family fixer, Geoffrey, teamed up with Xfinity to showcase how the next generation of “Bel-Air” meets the next generation of internet via the Xfinity 10G Network. “We’ve been able to collaborate and seamlessly add immense value for our audiences and marketers across the platform since launch,” said Peter Blacker, EVP, Streaming & Data Products and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “During this new season of ‘Bel-Air,’ we’ve pushed the boundaries even further by infusing this iconic IP authentically with brand partner messages delivering an elevated viewing experience to fans.”

SPORTS ROUNDUP

FOX Sports is opening Major League Soccer’s 28th season tomorrow, February 25 as the league’s exclusive US English and Spanish language television home for the regular season. The 34-match regular-season TV schedule features 15 games on FOX and 19 games on FS1 with every match airing in Spanish on FOX Deportes. The season kicks off Saturday at 4:30p on FOX when Nashville SC hosts NYCFC.

Serena Williams will receive the Jackie Robinson Sports Award at the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards, airing Saturday, February 25 on BET and simulcast across Paramount Global networks. “Serena Williams is the quintessential example of Black excellence,” said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson. “From her record-breaking wins on the tennis court to her business acumen to her philanthropic endeavors, she has set the bar for athletes everywhere.”

The Association of Pickleball Professionals announced a title sponsorship with Vlasic Pickles to become the Official Pickle of the APP. Vlasic is the first pickle brand to sponsor an official pro pickleball tour. “Not only is Vlasic investing in the APP Tour, it is helping us share our love for the sport with communities far and wide,” said Tom Webb, APP Chief Marketing Officer. “Pickleball has so many positive attributes, from its fitness and community benefits, to its ability to be a platform for learning. We’re excited to have a partner like Vlasic Pickles to help us bring the sport to audiences across the country.”

GOING GLOBAL

Blue Ant International has acquired exclusive rights to Amazon Original docuseries “Three Mothers, Two Babies and a Scandal.” ??The title originally launched exclusively on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland in November 2022.

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RATINGS

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, February 21
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Rookie 4.15 (0.6), The Rookie: Feds 2.60 (0.3), Will Trent 2.63 (0.3)
CBS: FBI 6.89 (0.5), FBK: International 5.22 (0.4), FBI: Most Wanted 4.72 (0.3)
CW: Winchesters 0..35 (0.1), The Flash 0.23 (0.1)
FOX: 911: Lone Star 3.54 (0.5), Accused 2.00 (0.3)
NBC: Night Court 3.69 (0.5), American Auto 1.80 (0.3), La Brea 1.98 (0.2), La Brea 1.72 (0.2)
Telemundo: La Casa de los Famosos 1.24 (0.4), El Señor de los Cielos 1.30 (0.5), Amor y Traición 0.93 (0.3)
Univision: Perdona Nuestros Pecados 1.44 (0.4), Mi Camino es Amarte 1.62 (0.4), Cabo 1.49 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

This Day in History
1980 – The US Olympic hockey team won the gold medal at the Lake Placid Winter Games.

Fun Fact
Maine is the only US state with a single-syllable name.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In the backdoor pilot for “Who’s the Boss?” spinoff “Living Dolls” (1989), who originated the role Halle Berry played in the eventual series? Vivica A. Fox. Kudos to: Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Network/NYC

Today’s Trivia Question
Which “Green Acres” (1965-71) actor later had a recurring role on primetime soap “Falcon Crest” (1981-90)? (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