A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM A+E NETWORKS

TV IS EVERYWHERE.
IS YOUR MESSAGE EVERYWHERE TOO?
Grab the Attention, Eyes and Ears of Your Consumers
on All Ad-Supported Platforms

It’s TV…EVERYWHERE. For Everyone.
A+E Networks

LINEAR | DIGITAL | SOCIAL | CTV | AUDIO

Today’s Premieres
Amazon: The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith; The Wilds
Apple TV+: The Big Conn; Tehran
discovery+: Mind for Design
Netflix: The Sound of Magic; Welcome to Eden
The Roku Channel: Mamas

Today’s Finales
CBS: Magnum P.I. at 9p; Blue Bloods at 10p
WE tv: Love After Lockup at 9p

Saturday’s Premieres
Food: Symon’s Dinner Cook Out at 12p
ID: Deadly Affairs at 11p
Oxygen: Murder by Morning at 8p

Saturday’s Finale
OWN: Marry Me Now at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres
Bravo: Love Match Atlanta at 9p
discovery+: Love in the Jungle
NBC, Peacock: MLB Sunday Leadoff at 11:30a
Oxygen: Exhumed: Murders on the Edge of Town at 7p
Smithsonian: Air Warriors at 8p
Vice: Tumbleweeds with Killer Mike at 11a

Sunday’s Finales
HBO: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty at 9p
Nat Geo Wild: Secrets of the Zoo at 9p
PBS: Call the Midwife at 8p

IN THE NEWS

Elon Musk has raised a few billion for his $44 billion Twitter takeover. According to an SEC filing on Thursday, Musk secured $7.14 billion in new financing commitments, including $1 billion from Larry Ellison, co-founder and CTO of Oracle. Ellison also sits on the board of Tesla, which Musk heads as CEO. Also, under an agreement with Musk, Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia committed to keep the equity he owns in Twitter instead of receiving a cash payout. His 35 million shares were worth $1.9 billion at Musk’s buyout offer.

Taraji P. Henson is set to host the “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 26, airing live on BET at 8p. “I am honored to return as the host of the BET Awards and share the stage with so many powerful and prolific artists; you can even say it is the ‘empire’ of Black Excellence,” said Henson.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revealed the nominations for the 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards. “Days of our Lives” spinoff, “Beyond Salem,” earned its first nomination in the Outstanding Daytime Drama category and will vie against “Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless.” PBS’ “This Old House” picked up two nominations and will become only the third series to receive Lifetime Achievement honors, joining “60 Minutes” and “Sesame Street.” Leah Remini and Robin Roberts earned noms for hosting “People Puzzlers” and “Turning the Tables,” respectively. “Judy Justice” earned a nomination for its first year on IMDb TV. The ceremony will air live on CBS and via Paramount+ on Sunday, June 24 at 9p.

A group of minority-owned media, civil right and public interest groups filed a petition for rulemaking at the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday calling for new data collection and reporting on the diversity of content vendors used by FCC- licensed media and telecommunications companies. FUSE, an independent Latino-owned entertainment company, led the group that also included Common Cause, The National Hispanic Media Coalition, Public Knowledge, and the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry. The petition proposes establishing a new report that tracks diversity of content vendors used by FCC licensees, including on traditional platforms like broadcast, cable and satellite TV, as well as affiliated streaming services.

Future Today released results from a commissioned study on the rise of family co-viewing among streaming audiences that revealed co-viewing of family-friendly content has surged amid COVID-19. 94% of parents said they’ve been co-viewing more of such streaming content in the last 12 months, and 86% say they plan to stream more together with their families. Best part for advertisers? Co-viewing can enhance campaign value for marketers, with 93% of parents saying they’re “engaged” when presented with an ad while co-viewing; 86% of parents even say their kids enjoy ads more when co-viewing.

AMC Networks Inc. reports its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Interim Chief Executive Officer Matt Blank said, “AMC Networks had solid first quarter performance, highlighted by 3% total company revenue growth and continued growth of our streaming portfolio to end the quarter with 9.5 million subscribers. We continue to advance our differentiated strategy of offering streaming services that appeal to audiences with distinct affinities and passions, which is leading to strong consumer loyalty and low churn. 2022 is the biggest year of original programming in AMC Networks’ history and our content continues to break through.” Among the first quarter financial highlights: net revenues increased 3% to $712 million as compared to the prior year, driven by growth in streaming and advertising revenues. In addition, operating income increased 3% to $175 million.

UPFRONTS UPDATE & CALENDAR

Highlights from a NewFront day jam-packed with new insights, solutions and content news: Music network Vevo said it was home to the largest multicultural audience, grabbing half of the Hispanic American population and Black American populations each month. New offerings for advertisers include dynamic made-for-TV ad formats through partnerships with TripleLift and Infillion, and an expansion of its AI-powered contextual offering, Moods, by adding more categories and content. Vevo also shared research indicating 42% of audiences had not also seen the ads they saw on Vevo on TV as well. Impressive – but what got NewFront audiences to their feet, whether in the Hammerstein Ballroom or watching virtually at home, was a performance by Chlöe…Comscore CMO Tanya Yuki said data shows the biggest social users also often are the biggest streamers. With that, the company is introducing Comscore Total Digital, which combines digital and social media measurement… LG Ads President Serge Matta teased more live, on-demand content that lives only on LG glass, like the exclusive content it offers with the NCAA. Additionally, LG will be the first to carry Estrella’s new FAST channel… “A lot of false and inflated metrics can come in when we are measuring machines,” said Nielsen GM of digital audience measurement Ameneh Atai. “What’s important to consider here is that big data is inherently biased. ACR data is not accurate… Advertisers and agencies need that truth set to make sure numbers don’t add up to more than 100 percent.”

Twitter is the first social platform to pilot an integration with iSpot and NBCU that aims “to offer clients who purchase a campaign with NBCU an understanding of the incremental audience Twitter offers,” announced Robin Wheeler, Head of Client Solutions… Samba TV shared new data from a survey of 20 billion hours of TV, including this fun fact: During Q1 2022, 94 percent of all linear ads reached the same 55 percent of households. Crackle Plus announced a new branded content studio and gave a peek into its Chicken Soup for the Soul free network that features family-friendly lifestyle, cooking, home decor, holiday fare and more, and its new partnership with BBC Studios.

A+E Networks is launching a new FAST channel called 4UV, which aims to “build a bridge between mainstream and unheard voices,” said Peter Olsen, President of Ad Sales. Also upcoming is an Innovation programming block that will live on-as well as digital platforms…DotDash Meredith, home to 50-plus brands including People, Entertainment Weekly and Better Homes & Gardens, talked up its video extensions that dig deeper into fan-favorite content across its verticals like red carpet coverage, “People in 10” and “Celebrity Pet Matchmaker.”…Estrella Media CEO Steve Mandala shared that when “Rica, Famosa, Latina” returns for a sixth season it will premiere on digital first. “MasterChef Latino” will also be back for a new season, with new complementary digital-only show “The Pantry.”

Canela Media is launching Canela Kids, an edutainment network accompanied by a complementary app and fueled by 1,500 hours of licensed and original content …Tastemade is adding a Home vertical to its suite of lifestyle brand-seeped free ad-supported channels aimed at transforming viewers into makers…TikTok, which hit 1 billion active monthly users worldwide, has a new offering for brands. TikTok Pulse enables advertisers’ content to show up next to the top-performing, “safe” content of the day. The top 4 percent of videos will be based on metrics including viewer engagement, views and creator engagement signals, said Ray Cao, Global Head of Product Strategy.

fuboTV’s big announcement is new feature FanView, which adds live stats and scores to the sports viewing experience…Look for major expansion of CTV in international markets, said Tal Chalozin, co-founder/CTO at Innovid, who shared some stats from the upcoming latest incarnation of it Benchmarks survey. Key takeaway: 48 percent of ads delivered in North America are viewed on connected television vs. mobile or desktop, vs 22 percent in many international territories including LATAM.

Retail media network GSTV provided insight into the effectiveness of its video streams that play at gas stations: The service reaches more than 100 million unique viewers monthly, with 15 minutes of engagement per month delivering “the right people with the right message at the right moment in the day at scale,” said CEO Sean McCaffery …Creative has to work harder to drive commerce on CTV than in other digital experiences, according to the “Bringing Store To Screen” panel. “Commerce is still new to the CTV format,” said Rachel Tipograph, MikMak CEO, who said consumers are just beginning to get comfortable with QR codes or text prompts at the end of ads.

May 10: Screenvision at 6p (Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC)
May 16: NBCUniversal (Radio City Music Hall, NYC); Telemundo (Ziegfeld Theater, NYC); Fox (Skylight, NYC)
May 17: Univision at 11:30a (Javits Center in NYC); Disney (Basketball City at Pier 36, NYC); YouTube Brandcast at 8p
May 18: Paramount (Carnegie Hall, NYC); Warner Bros. Discovery (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, NYC)
May 19: The CW (New York City Center Theater, NYC)

MEASUREMENT & DATA CONFERENCE

NEW session alert for June 7th:

All About the Ad Tech

Confirmed panelist: Joni Kinsley,
VP, Product Strategy,
Gamut Total

FIND OUT MORE

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Blake Shelton and Carson Daly are teaming on a new celebrity game show for USA Network. The longtime pals will star and executive produce “Barmageddon,” which will take place at Shelton’s Nashville bar Ole Red. Daly will be behind the bar, while Shelton takes the stage with his house band for live music sing-alongs in front of a rowdy crowd. Nikki Bella is set as host.

“Modern Family” alum Ed O’Neill will play the title role in “The Sterling Affairs,” a limited series about the downfall of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling during the team’s drive to win a championship under coach Doc Rivers. He’ll star opposite Jacki Weaver and Laurence Fishburne in the FX project written by Gina Welch and based on the “ESPN 30 for 30” podcast reported and hosted by Ramona Shelburne.

CBS renewed The Equalizer for a third and fourth season. The Queen Latifah starring series has been Sunday’s top scripted program, averaging 9.46 million viewers. New showrunners Joseph C. Wilson and Adam Glass will take over to helm the series, replacing Andrew W. Marlowe and Terri Edda Miller.

As part of its Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative, Lifetime has greenlit “The Gabby Petito Story.” Thora Birch is set to co-star and make her directorial debut in the movie. A PSA providing resources on domestic violence, crisis help lines and other information will be included. Lifetime is also developing the stories of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, Adriane Fields and Beatrice Weston.

Peacock has ordered “Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss.” The six-episode docuseries, produced by RadicalMedia, is based on the New York Times best selling travel memoir The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. It will follow host Wilson as he traverses the globe searching for the secrets to the world’s happiest and least happiest places on earth.

HBO Max renewed “Minx” for a sophomore run. The comedy’s first season topped Esquire’s list of “Best TV Shows of 2022 (Thus Far).” Set in 1970s Los Angeles, “Minx” centers around Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), a young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women.

There will be a 16th season of “The Steve Wilkos Show.” NBCUniversal Syndication Studios renewed the talker that tackles family and criminal justice, true crime and relationship conflicts. Also sold into syndication were NBCU’s catalogue of “Maury” and “The Jerry Springer Show.”

Travel expert, author and host Rick Steves will showcase great art and architecture in “Rick Steves Art of Europe.” The six-part series is being produced by Rick Steves’ Europe and will be presented by American Public Television. Currently in production, the series will release October 2022 to public television stations nationwide (check local listings).

“Cookies and Milk,” an animated series based on the forthcoming novel by Shawn Amos, is in the works at Disney. From Laurence Fishburne’s Cinema Gypsy Productions and Jesse James Films, the project is inspired by the childhood of Shawn Amos, a blues musician and the son of Wallace “Wally” Amos Jr., founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie brand.

Casting Notes: Aryan Simhadri (Disney’s “Spin”) and Leah Sava Jeffries (“Empire”) will play Percy Jackson’s friends, Grover and Annabeth, in the upcoming Disney+ series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”… Charles Vandervaart (“Lost in Space,” “The Craft: Legacy”) will portray an all-grown-up William Ransom in Season 7 of Starz’s Outlander… Florian Munteanu (“Creed 2,” “Shang-Chi”) has boarded the cast of Netflix’s “Vikings: Valhalla.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

HGTV’s “Battle on the Beach” heads to Texas for its sixth season, debuting Sunday, June 5 at 9p on HGTV. Taniya Nayak, Ty Pennington and Alison Victoria will mentor the renovation of three identical properties as different challenges and twists play out. The series’ initial run drew over 16.7million viewers.

Brat-A-Tat and Big Booty navigate the next chapter of their relationship in Season 2 of “Brat Loves Judy,” premiering Thursday June 9 at 9p on WE tv. The power couple faces major hurdles from having a baby to expanding their careers as they navigate married life.

Nickelodeon’s ‘90s Nick Jr. mascot, Face, returns to the network on “Face’s Music Party,” bowing Monday, June 6 at 11a. The interactive a music variety series combines animation and live action and will feature a reimagined Face, voiced by Cedric Williams (“Hunter x Hunter,” “The Promised Neverland”), as host and VJ, playing modern pop hits and revamped nursery school classics.

“The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” returns to Peacock on Thursday, June 23. Several of the show’s ex-Housewives, including Jill Zarin, Eva Marcille and Brandi Glanville, will collide for a vacation at Dorinda Medley’s Bluestone Manor.

Hulu original series “Maggie” bows all episodes on Wednesday, July 6, exploring the dating world via Maggie, a psychic.

The new season of David Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” debuts Friday, May 20. Guests on the Netflix longform interview show will include Will Smith, Cardi B, Kevin Durant, Billie Eilish, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ryan Reynolds.

The TNets set July premiere dates for new and returning series. On TBS, “Chad” is back for its second season on Monday, July 11 at 10p (the debut had originally been set for April 11); dating competition series “The Big D” premieres Thursday, July 7 at 9; and season two of “Love Life” debuts Sunday, July 31 at 10p. On TNT, season two of “Titans” kicks off Tuesday, July 5 at 10p, whole over at truTV, “101 Places to Party Before You Die” bows Thursday, July 14 at 10:30p.

COMING UP

“Would It Kill You to Laugh?” premieres on Peacock Friday, June 24. The sketch comedy special stars Kate Berlant and John Early.

STREAMING

A nationwide referendum will be held in Switzerland on May 15 on a proposed law, dubbed Lex Netflix, that would force streamers to re-invest 4% of their local revenues in Swiss television and film productions. The Swiss law, modeled on European regulations that don’t apply in the country since it’s not part of the E.U., is being opposed by some Swiss groups who say it goes against the principles of the country’s free-market economy. Meanwhile, Swiss consumer organizations fear the investment obligations would prompt streamers to raise subscription fees.

Shudder acquired the rights to Rebekah McKendry’s “Glorious,” starring Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood,” “Kindred”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash,” “Being the Ricardos”). The film, an official selection of the Fantasia International Film Festival, will be available in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Austria and New Zealand on Thursday, August 18.

Blue Ant Media has launched TotalCrime, a new free, ad-supported streaming channel on VIZIO WatchFree+ in the U.S. It serves true crime enthusiasts with a programming line-up stacked with gripping real-life stories depicted in factual series and documentaries.

PODCAST POSTS

A+E Networks announced the premiere of A+E Original Podcast “Origins of Hip Hop” on Wednesday, May 18, ahead of the complementary television docuseries of the same name. Hosted by Grandmaster Caz, it delves into cored elements of the musical genre and its surrounding culture.

GOING GLOBAL

Casta Diva announced four new programs for Discovery Italia: factual game show “Questa e casa mia,” makeover series “Trasformazioni Incredibili,” Luca Terni in a new traveling show dedicated to Italian cuisine, and a second season of “Fare Detailing with Marcello Mereu” for motorist enthusiasts.

THAT BIG TV CONFERENCE

NEW SESSIONS ADDED for September 29-30, NYC

Cultural Equity in Media Planning, In the Streaming World, Kids’ Content Is Key, What’s In Store for Shoppable TV, and Privacy, Personalization & Permission

VIEW THE AGENDA

RATINGS

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, May 4
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Goldbergs 2.89 (0.4), The Wonder Years 1.73 (0.3), The Conners 2.98 (0.4) Home Economics 1.63 (0.3), A Million Little Things 1.94 (0.2)
CBS: Survivor 5.37 (0.8), Beyond the Edge 2.74 (0.4) Good Sam 2.04 (0.3)
CW: The Flash 0.56 (0.1), Kung Fu 0.48 (0.1)
FOX: The Masked Singer 3.90 (0.6), Domino Masters 1.73 (0.3)
NBC: Chicago Med 3.59 (0.3), Chicago Fire 3.82 (0.4), Chicago PD 3.38 (0.3)
TELE: Exatlon Estados 1.00 (0.3), Unidos, Hercal: Amor y Venganza 1.15 (0.3), Pasion de Gavilanes 0.80 (0.3).
UNI: Soltero Con Hijas 1.33 (0.4), Mi Fortuna es Amerte 1.61 (0.5), Madre 1.88 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Riot Games broadened its entertainment studio. Maria Egan was appointed Global Head of Music & Events; Kristin Moss was hired as Global Head of Entertainment Marketing; Emily Briggs was named Global Head of Entertainment Finance and Strategy; and Ken Basin was appointed Global Head of Business Operations.

Be Social made some key promotions and hires. Ashlie Dauber, former Collab brand director, was appointed Director of Creator Partnerships; Haley Henning was promoted to Director of Talent; and Deanna Ritter to Managing Director. Natalie Bacon was upped to Senior Talent Manger; Belinda Sztrom to Director of Special Projects, and Jess Yoo to Talent Manager. In addition, Arrionne Simons was hired as Editorial Manager and Gogo Pandit as Business Development Manager.

This Day in History
1957 – “I Love Lucy” aired its final show on CBS, after a six-year run.

Friday Fun Fact
A jiffy is an actual unit of time: 1/100th of a second.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which 1994-99 sitcom started on ABC and ended its run on The WB? Answer: “Sister, Sister.” Kudos to: Tara Berman-NBC News/NYC; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing, Inc./NYC; Andrew Goldman-Grooveee, LLC/NYC; Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago, IL; John Kukla-FOX4/Dallas, TX; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westbert-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union, Burbank, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question
What 1980s series premiere was delayed for several months, after the star was severely burned in an on-set accident? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team