A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NEXSTAR DIGITAL

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Today’s Premieres
A&E: Storage Wars at 9p; Deep Fried Dynasty at 10p
CNBC: No Retreat: Business Bootcamp at 10p
discovery+: Legacy: In the Shadow of Greatness
HBO: Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall at 9p
HBO Max: Ruxx
ID: Crime Scene Confidential at 9p; True Conviction at 10p
MTV: Teen Mom 2 at 8p
NBC: The Thing About Pam at 10p
Netflix: An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts; Chip and Potato; Last One Standing
Peacock: Perfect World: A Deadly Game

Today’s Finales
E!: Botched at 9p
Fox: I Can See Your Voice at 9p
HGTV: Fixer to Fabulous at 9p
NBC: American Auto at 8p; Grand Crew at 8:30p

IN THE NEWS

A&E is adding two episodes to its docuseries, “Secrets of Playboy.” The additional installments begin Monday, March 28 at 9p and include facets of the “dark world” behind the 2005-10 TV series, “The Girls Next Door.”

Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) is replacing Demi Lovato as the star of NBC pilot “Hungry,” following a group of friends who belong to a food issues group. Lovato, who left due to a scheduling conflict, will remain an executive producer.

Freeform has picked up season five of “grown-ish,” with Zakiyyah Alexander (“Russian Doll”) and Courtney Lilly (“black-ish”) onboard as co-showrunners. Marcus Scribner will jump from “black-ish” to reprise his character, Andre Johnson Jr.

Peacock drama series ”Bel-Air” has reunited original “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” stars Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson, who played Aunt Viv and Viola “Vy” Smith on “Fresh Prince.” The actresses will guest on the March 24 episode as new characters. Season one finale streams Thursday, March 31.

Facing backlash for Disney not making a statement condemning Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” legislation – saying instead, “The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here and the diverse community organizations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community” – CEO Bob Chapek sent a staff email on Monday that took a stronger stance. “I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of statement for a lack of support,” wrote Chapek. “We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there.”

SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
JUDGING HAS BEGUN!

We are so excited about this year’s Sports Media Awards Judging Panel that we had to share it with you! These professionals are highly regarded as leaders in the sports industry and we are thrilled that they are a part of our exclusive judging panel.

MEET THE JUDGES

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

AMC Networks gave the go-ahead for a new series set in “The Walking Dead Universe,” starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as their TWD characters. “Isle of the Dead” envisions Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. Slated to premiere on AMC+ and AMC in 2023, the first season will consist of six episodes. Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on “The Walking Dead” for multiple seasons and has an overall deal with AMC Studios, will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, which is overseen by Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of “The Walking Dead” Universe. Cohan and Morgan will also serve as executive producers.

Shondaland (“Scandal”) is diving back into DC with “The Residence,” inspired by Kate Anderson Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. Netflix ordered the eight-parter, from executive producers/showrunner Paul William Davies and executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers as part of their overall deal with Netflix.

Disney+ has greenlit “The Muppets Mayhem,” a comedy series starring the puppet characters created by Jim Henson, along with Lilly Singh (“A Little Late with Lilly Singh). The series was developed and written by Adam F. Goldberg (“The Goldbergs”), Bill Barretta (“The Muppets”) and Jeff Yorkes. Executive producers are Goldberg, Barretta, Michael Bostick and Kris Eber; Yorkes is a co-executive producer. The Muppets Studio’s David Lightbody and Leigh Slaughter are also executive producers. The Disney Branded Television series is produced by ABC Signature and The Muppets Studio for Disney+.

To mark International Women’s Day today, Cynsiders features a blog from Julie Keshmiry, Chief of Staff, Brand, Creative & Media at Intel Corporation. “You must understand how women and girls are portrayed in the media and entertainment and apply those nuances to how you create the work, the work itself, and the environment it runs in,” sayd Keshmiry of delivering gender equality. “These efforts must be tightly aligned with your team vision, which in our case is sparking brand love by letting people know what they can do with our technology. We can’t do that if we don’t exhibit inclusion, diversity, and representation.” For more, go here.

Holding company Ballantyne Strong has launched a new division, Strong Studios. On deck are supernatural horror show “Safehaven” and dramedy “Flagrant,” which will be distributed by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Screen Media. David Ozer, former CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul division Landmark Studio Group, will head Strong Studios as President. “The launch of Strong Studios is a natural but also potentially transformative next step for our entertainment business,” said Ballantyne Strong CEO Mark Roberson. “We plan to employ a disciplined and conservative approach to development of new projects, utilizing co-production and pre-licensing to limit financial exposure while building a content library with high potential for commercial success.”

44 Blue Productions has acquired the rights to UK unscripted series “Mission: Accessible,” to adapt for US viewers as “Crip Advisor.” Filmmaker Jim LeBrecht (“Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution”) will exec produce the show, from Rockerdale Studios, which promotes disability tourism.

SAG-AFTRA announced seven newly accredited international intimacy coordinator training programs, enabling interested candidates to identify high-quality training programs and ensures a commitment to equity and inclusion for all applicants. “Intimacy coordinators set the bar even higher on protections for our members and help raise consciousness on what’s considered appropriate behavior and being sensitive to the feelings and comfort zone of performers,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “In an industry that for decades turned a blind eye to ‘the casting couch,’ I’d say this is most definitely a step in the right direction!”.

Streamer Documentary+ has ordered its first original program. Feature “Fireworks,” from Nathan Truesdell (“Ascension”), will explore a botched LAPD operation.

Writer/producer/director Latoya Raveneau has entered into an overall deal at Disney to develop and produce animated projects at Disney Television Animation and 20th Television Animation, with terms for live-action content development. Raveneau is currently directing Disney Television Animation’s newly debuted series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” on Disney+.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

HGTV’s “Celebrity IOU returns for a new season on Monday, April 18 at 9p, with Drew and Jonathan Scott helping Hollywood stars pay back deserving friends or mentors with surprise renovations.

USA Network ventures into the wild for “Mud, Sweat and Beards,” premiering Monday, April 4 at 11p. In the four part adventure series, wilderness experts trek to remote locations to build primitive paradises.

Season two of Netflix’s “Russian Doll” premieres Wednesday, April 20. The season is set four years after Nadia and Alan escaped mortality’s time loop together.

Docuseries “Legacy: In the Shadow of Greatness,” premieres today, March 8 on discovery+. But while the six-parter follows the athletic pursuits of Zaire Wade, Evan Holyfield and Vashti Cunningham, the children of sports icons Dwyane Wade, Evander Holyfield and Randall Cunningham as they attempt to make their own mark on the world, premieres today, it’s not just for sports fans. “This is a series about three legendary sports families, but the themes explored throughout – chasing your dreams, the pressure to succeed, living up to others expectations – are as universal as it gets,” NEO Studios’ Head of Unscripted Development and executive producer of Legacy, Mike Basone, tells Cynopsis. “So while sports fans can certainly revel in the unprecedented insight into the icons at the center of the series, everyone will be able to appreciate their stories and the struggles featured. We spent more than two and half years filming with these families, and it’s quite amazing to watch these young adults grow and evolve into the athletes and people they are today.”

“The Paradise,” a Finnish-language drama following a veteran crime detective on a murder case, is among this month’s premieres on Acorn TV. All eight episodes launch Monday, March 14.

TECH TALK

Nielsen and Cox Media Group inked a multi-year renewal agreement for television and audio measurement services covering Cox local television stations in 10 full service television markets and local radio stations in 10 full service radio markets. The agreement also includes CoxReps, a nationwide network of media professionals, which provides television sales representation of broadcasters with a network of advertising agencies.

datafuelX, offering reusable decision support products for the forecasting and optimization of advertising audience and outcome deliveries, has launched, headed by Jay Amato, President, and the former General Manager of OpenAP; Howard Shimmel, Head of Strategy, President of Janus Strategy and Insights and former Chief Research Officer at Turner Broadcasting; and Spencer Lambert, Manager, Product and Partnership Success, formerly with Horizon Media. “When it comes to application of data for buying and selling, the industry is largely stuck in a ‘what happened’ and ‘why’ mode,” says Amato. “This approach leads to a strategy that assumes the past is an accurate predictor of the future. The datafuelX vision is to use predictive and prescriptive analytics that take the trends and variables of the future into account.” At launch, datafuelX is offering two predictive analytics solutions: precisionX, a dynamic reach and frequency tool, and outcomeX, a predictive analytics model that powers the evolution of consumer behavior metrics from measurement and attribution to forecasting and optimization.

Annalect, Omnicom Group’s data and analytics division, has struck a multi-year agreement with Affinity Solutions, provider of real-time purchase behavior data built on a database of 7+ billion credit and debit card transactions annually. The agreement transforms Omni’s model for developing purchase insights from “propensity to buy” to actual purchases made at specific retailers. “Connecting Affinity’s purchase graph to Omni’s proprietary consumer database of 250+ million individuals and thousands of data points will allow us to develop enhanced commerce consumer journeys, as well as build more effective target audiences,” said Slavi Samardzija, Global CEO of Annalect. “As a result, our clients will be able to deliver more predictive and personalized communications to their customers.”

The Recording Academy is rolling out its first collection of Grammy NFTs. The collection from web company OneOf launched Monday with a free NFT available to all fans, and featuring a single “golden ticket” NFT trip for two to the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3 in Las Vegas. Over the next three weeks, the collections will feature digital works created by three NFT artists from diverse backgrounds that highlight OneOf’s mission to support women and POC in the Web3 space.

Comcast’s Xfinity has become an official partner of Twitch’s twitchgaming channel, joining American Eagle and Ally Bank. As part of its partnership, Xfinity will present “Chat’s Choice Awards Nominee Debate” during “The Weekly”; and “Xfinity: First Plays,” with day-of-release commentary and gameplay during “Game Release.”

STREAMING

Apple TV+ has started rolling out across Comcast’s entertainment platforms in the US, including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TV. Sweetening the deal? From March 15 through March 21, Apple will offer Xfinity customers a preview of some of the most popular Apple TV+ original series and films across X1, Flex and Stream, no sign-up or sign-in required.

COMING UP

The TNets – TBS, TNT, truTV – are marking today, International Women’s Day by spotlighting programming all month that celebrates powerful women from films and original programming. Among the offerings: “Sisters” & “Spy” on TBS; Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” & “Wonder Woman” on TNT; and “Fast Foodies” on truTV. Additionally, TBS will be airing episodes one and two from the first season of HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant” on March 27 as part of Front Row on TBS.

GOING GLOBAL

Netflix has suspended production and content acquisition in Russia in response to the violence in Ukraine, and TikTok has halted livestreaming and the posting of new content in the wake of the passage of a new “fake news” law in Russia cracking down on independent journalism. “The safety of our employees and our users remains our highest priority,” said TikTok.

Paramount+ has ordered original UK drama series “The Blue” from New Pictures, adapted from Lucy Clarke’s best-selling novel No Escape, ahead of the launch of the global streaming service in the UK this summer.

Beyond Rights has secured new deals with Italian broadcasters, resulting in 518 hours being placed in the territory. Among the takers: La7 has acquired the “The Prince and the Paedophile,” BriteSpark Films’ investigation into the friendship between Prince Andrew and American multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Starzplay announced its direct-to-consumer app is now available on LG Smart TVs in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico. The company also has plans to launch in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden within the month.

All3Media International has announced sales for Australian-set thriller “The Tourist,” following its launch in the UK, Australia and US. The six-part series has been acquired across New Zealand, Canada, Europe and Asia.

Banijay Nordic’s Nordisk Film TV Denmark will produce “Together for Ukraine” to show support and raise money for those affected in the region. The event takes place in City Hall Square in Copenhagen on Saturday March 12, and will be broadcast live on DR1 and TV 2.

A new five-part series from Blink Films features Ainsley Harriott and Grace Dent exploring some of the best seaside holiday destinations and dishes the British Isles have to offer. “Best of British By the Sea” will be made in partnership with UK catering specialist Hoseasons.

Blue Ant Studios announced the three-hour CBC original docuseries “Evil by Design: Surviving Nygård.” The series searches for the truth behind allegations of Peter Nygård’s 40-year reign of terror featuring first-hand accounts from the survivors who tell harrowing stories of abuse.

FilmRise and WildBrain are teaming for a partnership that gives FilmRise non-exclusive North American English and Spanish-language distribution rights to over 900 episodes across 10 children’s programs on AVOD and FAST platforms. Shows include “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego,” “Strawberry Shortcake,” and “Berry in the Big City,” among others.

OTT VIRTUAL CONFERENCE IS TODAY!

First Look: OTT Virtual Conference is happening TODAY AT 1PM (ET) and you still have time to register!

This is your chance to learn from leaders in OTT and CTV. Find out where the risks and opportunities lie!

JOIN US!

RATINGS

INSP had its highest-rated month in network history in February, averaging a
0.29 24/7 HH rating. Other records include a household commercial content rating of 0.33. In addition, INSP’s year-over-year ratings in 2021 increased for the seventh straight year.

HGTV’s “Rock the Block” delivered its highest-rated season premiere in the series history on Monday, February 28 with a .79 Live+3 rating among P25-54, an 18% increase over its season two premiere. The rating among P25-54 was an increase of 65% over the prior six weeks and a 64%lift over year-ago levels.

Shareablee Top 10 Streaming Shows for the week of February 28
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Euphoria (HBO Max), 15.1m, 13, 1,159,396, 8.5m
Outer Banks (Netflix), 2.7m, 1, 2,745,874, 5.3m
Love is Blind (Netflix), 826k, 20, 41,296, 678k
Nanatsu No Taizai (Netflix), 699k, 112, 6,242, 1m
Bridgerton (Netflix),526k, 4, 131,439, 1.4m
The Boys (Prime Video), 317k, 44, 7,213, 1.6m
Gilmore Girls (HBO Max), 297k, 8, 37,138, 4.6m
Get Organized With The Home Edit (Netflix), 274k, 21, 13,039, 6m
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video), 202k, 83, 2,430, 749k
Trailer Park Boys (Netflix), 163k, 47, 3,459, 3.1m

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Friday, March 4
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Putin’s War 4.61 (0.5), 20/20 3.08 (0.4)
CBS: Undercover Boss 3.51 (0.4), Magnum P.I. 4.88 (0.4), Blue Bloods 5.90 (0.4)
CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us 0.85 (0.1), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.62 (0.1), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.65 (0.1)
Fox: WWE Friday Night Smackdown 2.26 (0.6)
NBC: The Blacklist 2.72 (0.3), Dateline 2.77 (0.4)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.02 (0.3), Hercai: Amor y Venganza 1.23 (0.3), Pasion de Gavilanes 0.75 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Two promotions at Twitter: TJ Adeshola was named Twitter’s new Head of Global Content Partnerships. Adeshola had been Twitter’s Head of US Sports Partnerships. Sarah Rosen was upped from Head of US Entertainment and New Partnerships to Head of US Content Partnerships.

Lotame announced three promotions: Eliza Nevers, former SVP of Product, will be the new Chief Product Officer; Hunter Terry, who has spent a decade at Lotame serving a variety of roles across different global regions, will lead the CTV channel as the Commercial Lead; and Chris Hogg, who leads EMEA operations, will be Global Head of Platform Sales.

Phoebe Zimmer has been named Head of Television for Temple Hill. Zimmer had been a development executive at Amazon Studios.

Future Studios has appointed Shante’ Paige as Executive Producer to head up a new content production hub in Atlanta, Georgia. Paige joins from her Atlanta-based production business She’s A Movement Media Group, where she was CEO and Executive Producer.

Martin Sadofski has been appointed Head of Scripted at Spirit Studios. Sadofski has worked as a script fixer on numerous projects, and was a writer with UK’s Royal Court and National Theatre.

This Day in History
1916 – The US invaded Cuba for the third time, to end the Menocal regime.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which TV character had a habit of touching food to his chin before eating it? Robert Barone, on “Everybody Loves Raymond” (1996-2005). Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London; Jim DeBlasi-The Cue/NYC; Zak Valces-Merck/Freehold, NJ; Eric Dunefsky-Crossmedia/NYC; Russ Camlet-Classic Reruns TV/NJ; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Cherie Wall-Sandbox Entertainment/Nashville; Barry Wooley-Telepictures/Chicago; Sandy Spiegel/Chicago; Eric Litt-Nextstar/Chicago; Tom Boyd-WGN/Chicago; Dale Warshaw-KMSB/Tucson; Sally Sluss-Spectrum Reach/St. Louis, MO; Jean Edhlund-Cooperative Network Services/Menahga, MC; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Joy Aronson/LA; Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA; Ray Giacopelli-MI7: Media Intel/Sonoma, CA; Cathy Korda/Honolulu, HI

Today’s Trivia Question
An episode of “The Love Boat” revival “Love Boat: The Next Wave” (1998-99) revealed that which two characters in the original series had secretly been in love? (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