A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM A+E NETWORKS

A+E NETWORKS:
WHERE EVERY PERSON COUNTS

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Accessible to the most expansive audience possible

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most importantly, to count.

THE HISTORY CHANNEL | A&E | LIFETIME | LMN | FYI | VICE ON TV

Today’s Premieres
BritBox: Murder in Provence
HBO: The Larry David Story at 9p
Netflix: Worst Roommate Ever, Guardians of Justice

Today’s Finale
HBO: The Larry David Story at 10p

IN THE NEWS

NBCUniversal has teamed in-game ad platform Anzu.io. NBCU’s clients will be able to run non-intrusive, in-game ads across Anzu’s cross-platform gaming inventory and use interactive, data driven, contextual, and programmatic in-game advertising solutions.“In addition to streaming, gaming is one of the fastest growing ways to reach young audiences,” said Krishan Bhatia, President & Chief Business Officer at NBCUniversal. “This partnership with Anzu will allow our marketers to engage with an audience of over three billion gamers worldwide, and we’re only getting started.” NBCUniversal has also made a small investment in the adtech startup.

It’s official: As had been reported, Chris Licht will take the job of Chairman and CEO of CNN Global following the completion of Discovery, Inc.’s acquisition of WarnerMedia. “I have known and admired Chris for more than 15 years and strongly believe he is the best person to lead CNN Global as part of Warner Bros. Discovery,” said David Zaslav, who will serve as the new company’s CEO. “Chris is a dynamic and creative producer, an engaging and thoughtful journalist, and a true news person. He has more than two decades of broadcast experience across local, cable and national news…..He is a highly principled individual who is trusted, hard-working and makes every organization stronger, more innovative, and more cohesive.” Currently Licht is EVP of Special Programming at CBS and executive producer and showrunner for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He succeeds Jeff Zucker, who made an abrupt exit from CNN last month after admitting ro a romantic relationship that had not been disclosed to HR.

In a note to CNN employees, Licht praised the network’s coverage of the Ukraine story as “a great example of the power and impact of CNN,” adding, “I look forward to getting to know all of you and hearing your candid thoughts and feedback. Our viewers demand the truth from us, and I want to learn the truth from you. Together, we will double-down on what’s working well and quickly eliminate what’s not.”

Tegna reported 4Q21 revenue of $775 million, down 17% year-over-year, in line with estimates due to lower political advertising. Core advertising is on the rise, with the station group’s Advertising-Marketing Service unit up 14% in revenue for the quarter. Subscription revenue of $336 million was up seven percent year-over-year due to rate increases, partially offset by subscriber declines as well as the interruption of service with DISH, which was resolved on February 4.

Total ad spend in OTT reached nearly $1.3 billion in 2021. On average, OTT represents only 3% of total digital spend per month, but the market growing considerably, notes MediaRadar in a new report. Findings include:
* In Q4 2021, Discovery+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock accounted for 65% of total tracked OTT spend (nearly $438 million).
* In 2021, 5,530 total advertisers ran ads across these five platforms. Across this set of advertisers, there were almost 500,000 ads being placed in the second half of 2021.
* There was an increase of 22% digital spend in Q4 from Q3. Q3 went slightly down to -2% from Q2. Q2 was up 14% from Q1.“
Advertisers are increasingly enhancing their ad buys with OTT,” said Todd Krizelman, CEO & Co-Founder, MediaRadar. “The rise in viewership coupled with limited advertising per show is a great place for brands to get noticed and not be lost among many ad messages.”

The one-year anniversary of Black Experience on Xfinity is being celebrated with ten $100,000 grants to emerging Black filmmakers from Comcast Universal. “The launch of Black Experience on Xfinity has been a major investment in the Black creative community and one of the many ways we are leveraging the scale and reach of our platforms to amplify voices that need to be heard,” said Keesha Boyd, Executive Director, Multicultural Video & Entertainment, Xfinity Consumer Services. “The Black Experience Channel on Xfinity allows us to shine a spotlight on our existing content partners, while also investing in and distributing original programming from emerging Black content creators and talent.”

Timothy Hutton has filed a lawsuit against Electric Entertainment for dropping him from iMDb TV’s “Leverage: Redemption,” a revival of 2008-12 crime drama “Leverage.” He lost the role while taking legal action against an allegation of a 1984 sexual assault. Hutton, who denied the assault, was cleared by Canadian law enforcement after they found “a glaring lack of support and proof” for the accusation.” The only major “Leverage” cast member not included in the reboot, Hutton claims Electric did not independently investigate the allegation and ignored evidence that challenged the claim.

TelevisaUnivision has launched UniVisionarios, a new initiative to honor exceptional US Hispanics. The top 25 nominees will be featured on the company’s linear, digital, and audio platforms throughout the year, including special segments on Univision Noticias, TUDN network, Univision.com, Uforia’s radio network, and across flagship shows.

MAGNA’s second annual Equity Upfront is set for April 5-7, with theme, “Invest for Impact.” The hybrid experience will focus on highlighting the impact of diverse audiences on media consumption and their impact on brand loyalty. The event will coincide with the launch of MAGNA’s latest research on Black consumers and will feature the release of MAGNA’s new equity portal, a media guide of diverse owners designed to further media investments.

Twenty percent of Black Americans launch their own businesses, but only 4% are likely to survive the start-up phase. Sofia Hernandez, TikTok’s Global Head of Business Marketing and the executive sponsor of the company’s Support Black Businesses initiative, tells how TikTok is working with SeeHer to remedy that, in Cynsiders.

AND THE SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS VISION AWARD GOES TO…

TJ Adeshola, Head of U.S. Sports Partnerships, Twitter.

TJ leads the partnerships with major U.S. sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB, as well as other U.S. sports properties like ESPN, NBC, Turner Sports, Fox Sports, the College Football Playoff and many more. Follow him on Twitter at @tjay. TJ will be celebrated at the Sports Media Awards by some of the industry’s most prominent professionals

Join us on April 19 at the New York Athletic Club for the celebration.

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Michael Douglas will star in and executive produce a project for Apple TV+ about Benjamin Franklin based on Stacy Schiff’s book, A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America. A co-production between ITV Studios America and Apple Studios, the limited event series comes from Kirk Ellis (“John Adams”), Tim Van Patten (“Boardwalk Empire”), Flame Ventures and Eden Productions.

ABC gave a straight-to-series order for “Avalon,” based on Michael Connelly’s short story. The series from David E. Kelley (“Big Sky”) is produced by A+E Studios and 20th Entertainment – and ABC has high hopes for the show. “David E. Kelley is one of the great storytellers of our time and we are excited to continue our successful relationship with him on what we believe will be his next epic series on ABC,” said Craig Erwich, President Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “Michael Connelly’s short story is ripe with mystery and intrigue.”

Peacock gave a series order to a live-action adaptation of video game “Twisted Metal,” from Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Universal Television. Anthony Mackie (“The Falcom and the Winter Soldier”) stars, as well as exec produces with Will Arnett and Marc Forman via their Electric Avenue.

Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions is launching HartBeat Independent, a new division for unscripted and alternative scripted content. Projects will include feature films, hidden-camera shows, docuseries, social experiments, game shows, competition series, sketch series, and hybrid comedies. Luke Kelly-Clyne and Kevin Healey will head up the unit.

HBO’s “The White Lotus” is going from six episodes to seven for season two, and original cast member Jennifer Coolidge will return for another stay on the social satire. The next installment, “The White Lotus: Sicily,” has started production in Italy.

Lifetime has three new holiday movies on tap for 2022: “A New Orleans Noel,” executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg and starring Keshia Knight Pulliam, Brad James, Patti LaBelle and Tim Reid; “A Country Christmas Harmony,” starring Brooke Elliott, Brandon Quinn and Danny Pintauro; and an untitled film starring Mario Lopez, Jana Kramer, Cheri Oteri an Courtney Lopez.

Chelsea Devantez (“The Problem with Jon Stewart”) has inked an overall deal with 20th Television to develop and produce comedy projects, and supervise others. “Beyond our admiration for her abilities as a writer and a comic, we also love that she is a champion of underrepresented voices,” said Karey Burke, President of 20th Television.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

HBO’s “The Baby,” a co-production with Sky, premieres Sunday, April 24 at 10:30p. The comedy focuses on a woman whose baby turns her life into a horror show.

Season four of Paramount hit “Yellowstone” starts streaming exclusively on Peacock on Monday, March 28. The season debuted on Paramount in November.

“Someone They Knew…With Tamron Hall” makes its debut Sunday, March 6 at 9p on Court TV. The true crime series follows the path from victim to verdict.

In more true crime news, ID’s “Crime Scene Confidential” premieres Tuesday, March 8 at 9p. At the center of the action is a forensic scientist who revisits shocking and controversial cases.

TECH TALK

Nielsen has expanded its data agreement with Experian for the Nielsen Identity System. The deal “immediately enriches Nielsen’s Identity System in the US, and showcases our commitment to independent measurement and marketplace interoperability,” said Mainak Mazumdar, Chief Data and rResearch Officer, Nielsen. “This is an important milestone as we continue to evolve our technologies and methodologies as we move toward Nielsen One, underpinning a strong digital measurement capability which helps with the vision of a true cross-platform that measures across all screens.”

Sell-side advertising platform Magnite has acquired Carbon, a platform that enables publishers to measure, manage and monetize audiences in real time. The acquisition accelerates Magnite’s seller-first, privacy-focused identity and audience solutions focused around first-party segments.

Datonics and Atedra have partnered to release a new CTV data offering aimed at advertisers looking to reach audiences through streaming media. “This is an important year for advertisers, as they ramp up their strategies and prepare for the loss of the third-party cookie. CTV as a channel is one of the least impacted by the changes, and its growth is even more reason for advertisers to become proficient in it,” said Michael Benedek, CEO, Datonics.

STREAMING

Banijay Rights announced the launch of two of its FAST TV channels on Samsung TV Plus in the UK: “Deal or No Deal USA” and “McLeod’s Daughters.” “With the Banijay Rights catalogue now exceeding 120,000 hours of outstanding content, these channel launches are the perfect way to attract new viewers to some of our leading global IP,” said Shaun Keeble, VP Digital, Banijay Rights.

Netflix has acquired the rights to YA romantic comedy “Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between” from ACE Entertainment, producers of Netflix trilogy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The film is slated to be released this summer.

FAST Studios has struck a strategic partnership to launch a new FAST channel called Racing America. The channel offers grassroots racing, with more than 15 hours of live races per week and 3,500+ hours of original content that includes a slate of news-driven shows, archival races and a variety of NASCAR Cup Series team content.

COMING UP

Hallmark Channel’s “Spring into Love” programming event features four new movies, starting with “Just One Kiss” on Saturday, April 2 at 8p. Love is in the air at Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, too, with the premiere of “Always Amore” on Sunday, April 3 at 9p.

Sinclair Broadcast Group’ TBD (To Be Discovered), a free, over-the-air, multicast network with content from TV and the web, will celebrate five years on-air this month. From March 4-6, the network will air “TBD Turns 5! Celebration,” featuring marathons of the network’s most popular series: “Best of the Week,” “Best Fails of the Month,” “FailFactory,” “Animals Unscripted,” “Wipeout,” and “Fear Factor.”

BritBox is bringing the “75th EE British Academy Film Awards” to audiences in North America and South Africa. The awards will be available for streaming in the US, Canada and South Africa live on Sunday, March 13.

As part of a series of initiatives to honor Women’s History Month, Fuse Media is continuing the new season of its Future History franchise by recognizing a class of Future Women’s History makers who are using their voices to drive positive change. The women will be spotlighted through a short-form video series throughout March on the Fuse digital and social platforms, as well as its Fuse and FM linear channels.

Tubi Originals for March include “Before Her Time: When the Music Stopped.” The film, focused on the legacies of Amy Winehouse, Aaliyah Dana Haughton, Left Eye Lopez and Selena Quintanilla-Perez, starts streaming Wednesday, March 2.

GOING GLOBAL

Paramount+ has greenlit original UK drama series “Flatshare” ahead of the launch of the streamer in the UK this summer. 42 is producing “Flatshare” in association with VIS, the international studio division of Paramount Global.

Banijay announced a new competition format from the Netherlands, “Blow Up,” showcasing balloon artists. Created by EndemolShine Netherlands, “Blow Up” will be produced for Dutch broadcaster RTL 4. In more news from Banijay, Dutch production label SimpelZodiak has created a new spin-off of reality thriller “Hunted.”

The newest commission for Australian prodco WTFN is “Police Strike Force” for Seven Network, made in partnership with the New South Wales Police Force Public Affairs Branch.

LEGO has joined Vuulr’s marketplace. The children’s brand will make 450 hours of content available for broadcasters and OTT platforms to purchase worldwide.

Keshet International has completed its first sales of comedy quiz show “Question Team” ahead of its virtual 2022 Spring Slate. The panel show, originally produced by Interstellar for UKTV’s Dave, is headed to SBS in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand.

Pineapple Entertainment will produce the first international version of “One Night In…” for TV 2 Zulu. In the series, comedians are given the opportunity to run wild in an Iconic location.

CONGRATS TO OUR #BOTB2022 WINNERS!

We are so excited to celebrate with our TIED WINNERS of the
Best Competition-Based Reality Series/Special Award…
BBQ Brawl, Food Network
AND
The Pit Stop (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 + All Stars 6), MTV Entertainment Group, Paramount

WATCH THE VIDEO
#BOTB2022 #cynopsismedia #bobbyflay #foodnetwork #bbqbrawl #MTV #paramount #rupauldragrace

RATINGS

The season six premiere of gangster drama “Peaky Blinders” was watched by 3.8 million UK viewers on Sunday, tying the record set by the season five finale.

Shareablee Top 10 Streaming Shows for the week of February 21
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Euphoria (HBO Max), 10.2m, 13, 786,523, 77.8m
Nanatsu No Taizai (Netflix), 760k, 115, 6,611, 1m
Get Organized With The Home Edit (Netflix), 488k, 33, 14,795, 6m
Love is Blind (Netflix), 268k, 14, 19,149, 600k
The Wilds (Prime Video), 239, 13, 18,404, 199k
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video), 215k, 42, 5,116, 744k
Trailer Park Boys (Netflix), 205k, 54, 3,790, 3.1m
Gilmore Girls (HBO Max), 181k, 4, 45,186, 4.6m
1883 (Paramount+), 126k, 16, 7,848, 346k
Ozark (Netflix), 98k, 2, 49,043, 800k

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Friday, February 25
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Shark Tank 3.45 (0.6), 20/20 3.48 (0.5)
CBS: Undercover Boss 3.69 (0.4), Magnum P.I. 5.21 (0.4), Blue Bloods 6.25 (0.5)
CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us 0.76 (0.1), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.52 (0.1), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.52 (0.1)
Fox: WWE Friday Night Smackdown 2.11 (0.6)
NBC: The Blacklist 2.94 (0.3), Endgame 1.60 (0.2), Dateline 2.14 (0.3)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.05 (0.3), Hercai: Amor y Venganza 1.14 (0.3), Pasion de Gavilanes 0.82 (0.3)
Univision: Soltero con Hijas 1.41 (0.4), Mi Fortuna es Amarte 1.54 (0.5), Madre 1.54 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVE

Bina Roy has been promoted to VP and General Manager of Nexstar Media’s multicast networks. Roy has been senior affiliate sales director for the Networks Division since September 2019.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Ned Eisenberg died February 27 of cancer. He was 65. Along with numerous stage and film credits, Eisenberg had a long-running recurring role on “Law & Order: SVU,” and appeared on “Dear John,” “The Sopranos,” “Bull,” “The Good Wife” and “Mare of Easttown,” among others.

This Day in History
1995 – Yahoo! was incorporated.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played Hustle Man on “Martin” (1992-1997)? Tracy Morgan. Kudos to: Leah Cohen-CJC Network; Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford; Barbara E. Bevel/Staten Island, NY; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX; Sandy Spiegel/Chicago; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Which series did Lifetime cancel after season four, then resurrect for two more seasons? (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