A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY

SPORTS IS THE NEW PRIMETIME

DURING ROUND 1 OF THE NBA PLAYOFFS, TNT HAD THE MOST WATCHED PROGRAM OF THE NIGHT 7 TIMES AMONG A18-34

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Today’s Premieres
Bravo: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills at 8p
discovery+: Messy History of American Food
Disney+: The Quest
ID: What’s Your Emergency? at 9p
Netflix: 42 Days of Darkness; Brotherhood
Paramount+: The Challenge: All Stars

Today’s Finales
Fox: Domino Masters at 9p
HGTV: Why the Heck Did I Buy This House? at 9p
Lifetime: Married at First Sight at 8p

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IN THE NEWS

NBCUniversal launched its fifth-annual slate of Commercial Innovations, including new ad products and formats like Retro Ads, AR Portal, commerce-enabled activations via the Shop Drop, and more. “For NBCUniversal, the ad experience is the user experience,” said Josh Feldman, Global Chief Marketing Officer, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “We know that advertising works – and our latest Commercial Innovations blend the best of new tech trends, informative insights and data, as well as creative and content into new opportunities for advertisers of every size and in every industry.”

For its fiscal third quarter, Fox Corp. reported total revenue of $3.46 billion, up 7% from the same year-ago quarter, beating analyst expectations of $3.39 billion. Earnings came in at 81 cents a share, versus forecasts for 88 cents. Advertising revenues climbed 9%, due to stronger pricing and higher ratings at Fox News Media and continued growth at streaming service Tubi. “In the three years since the formation of Fox we have seen rapid industry change,” CEO Lachlan Murdoch said. “Our focused portfolio and clear strategy underpin our success today and continue to distinguish Fox from its peers.”

Netflix could introduce a lower-priced ad-supported tier earlier than originally anticipated, reports The New York Times. In a note to employees, Netflix said their aim was to introduce an ad tier in the third quarter of 2022 – “Yes, it’s fast and ambitious and it will require some trade-offs,” said the note – as well as crack down on password sharing, sources told the Times. The news comes after Netflix announced last month that it had shed 200,000 subscribers in 1Q22, and expects to lose two million more.

Elon Musk said he would allow former president Donald Trump back on Twitter, should his proposed takeover of the platform go through. “It was not correct to ban Donald Trump,” said the Tesla CEO at the Financial Times’ Future Car Conference. “It alienated a large part of the country.” Musk also noted the acquisition of Twitter was “not a done deal,” and that in a best case scenario the deal would be completed in two or three months.

Hulu has canceled “Dollface.” Season two of the comedy starring Kat Dennings, Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell and Esther Povitsky dropped in February.

DirecTV is making programming from the Marquee Sports Network available nationally, with the exception of games of the Cubs and the WNBA Chicago Sky. “The addition of Marquee to DirecTV’s Sports Tier further cements our leadership position in regional sports networks across all pay TV providers,” said Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer at DirecTV. “It also gives passionate, displaced Cubs fans nationwide access to popular team content not available elsewhere.” Marquee Sports Network is a joint venture of Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs.

Taping of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” has been canceled until further notice in the wake of its host “exhibiting symptoms consistent with a recurrence of COVID.” This comes after the show paused taping from April 21 through May 2 when Colbert tested positive. Tweeted Colbert, “WORST. SEQUEL. EVER.”

When Tom Brady finally decides to permanently end his football career, he has a job waiting for him as Fox’s lead NFL analyst. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch shared the news during an earnings call, saying Brady will not only call games, but also “serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives.” While the New York Post reported Brady’s deal is worth $375 million over 10 years, Fox responded, “What has been reported isn’t an accurate description of the deal.”

CBS News and Stations announced the hiring of the first four investigative journalists who will be based at its local news innovation lab in Dallas-Fort Worth, and empowered to experiment with next-generation storytelling. The initial round of hires includes Stephen Stock, who has been named national investigative correspondent; Nicole Vap, who has been appointed executive producer of content development; Chris Hacker, who will join the lab as an investigative data journalist; and Aparna Zalani, who has been named an investigative producer.

“SurrealEstate,” the Canadian drama series canceled last year by Syfy, has been resurrected. Season two will premiere in 2023. Syfy’s programming slate will also include the returns of “Resident Alien” and “Chucky,” as well as new series “Reginald the Vampire,” based on the book series by Johnny B. Truant; “The Ark,” set 100 years in the future, following a planetary colonization mission that meets with disaster; and “Bring It On: Cheer or Die,” combining cheerleading and Halloween creepiness.

One America News aired a spot on Monday admitting that Georgia election workers did not engage in ballot fraud or criminal misconduct on election night. Two Georgia workers had sued the network for defamation over false claims, including the allegation that they had produced suitcases of illegal ballots. The “legal matter” has been resolved through “a fair and reasonable settlement,” said the 30-second segment on OAN.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Starz has renewed “Shining Vale,” starring Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear and Mira Sorvino, for a second season. “‘Shining Vale’ is both wickedly funny and a beautiful three-dimensional portrayal of marriage, adolescent parenting and motherhood,” said Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming, Starz. “We’re thrilled to bring viewers another season of this mic dropping blend of horror and comedy.”

Disney+ has greenlit “The Pocketwatch” (wt), a music- and dance-filled original movie from Disney Branded Television that will expand the world created in “Descendants.” Seven new songs and Disney classic songs will advance the story. Jennifer Phang (“The Flight Attendant”) is set to direct and is co-executive producer of the movie which is scheduled to begin production in the fall from a script written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer (“Magic: The Gathering”).

French production house Banijay (“Survivor,” “MasterChef”) is going public through an agreement with a SPAC investment group. Banijay chairman Stéphane Courbit will take the company, as well as online sports gambling group Betclic, public through FL Entertainment. FL Entertainment will merge with SPAC Pegasus Entrepreneurs. “In forming FL Entertainment with Pegasus Entrepreneurs, our Chairman Stéphane Courbit has created new opportunities for Banijay to grow and maintain its resilient position in the market,” said Banijay CEO Bassetti.

Tenderfoot TV and Double Elvis’ true crime/music podcast “Dead and Gone,” exploring cases of Grateful Dead fans who have gone missing/been murdered over the years, will be adapted for television with Wheelhouse Entertainment and documentary filmmaker, Joe Berlinger, who will produce and direct the series. The scripted TV adaptation will focus on season one of the podcast, which is currently in the middle of season two.

Actress/comedian Mo’Nique (“Precious”) will recur on the second season of Starz drama “BMF,” as a sophisticated Atlanta strip club owner.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Kingdom Business,” starring gospel star Yolanda Adams, premieres Thursday, May 19 on BET+.

Season four of HBO’s “Westworld” makes its debut Sunday, June 26 at 9p. Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) joins the cast as a recurring guest star.

Disney Channel’s “Bunk’d” kicks off season six on Friday, June 10 at 7:30p. Series regular Miranda May landed an executive producer role in the “Jessie” spinoff set at a summer camp.

ID’s “Two Shallow Grave,” following the trial of the alleged killer of the McStay family, airs over three nights starting Sunday, May 22 at 9p.

Sonja John (“The Wire”) will star opposite Ramon Rodriguez in ABC drama pilot “Will Trent,” as the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

COMING UP

CBS Sports and Nickelodeon are teaming up again for a nationally televised Christmas Day game, between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, December 25 at 4:30p. CBS Sports’ presentation will be broadcast on CBS and available to stream live on Paramount+ while a slime-filled telecast will air exclusively on Nickelodeon.

“A Tribute to Bob Saget,” celebrating the life of the comedian and “Full House” star, will premiere Friday, June 10 on Netflix. The show was filmed at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood following Saget’s sudden death on January 9 at age 65.

“Black Patriots: Buffalo Soldiers” tells the story of the country’s first all-Black peacetime regiments who fought to expand America’s presence in the West. Narrated by Blair Underwood, the doc premieres Tuesday, May 31 at 10:30p on History Channel.

UPFRONT CALENDAR

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: Warner Bros. Discovery (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, NYC) at 10A; Paramount (Carnegie Hall, NYC)
May 19: The CW (New York City Center Theater, NYC)

STREAMING

The CW has licensed the rights to six seriesfrom Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution to stream under the CW Seed banner on the new, unified CW App. “Bunheads,” “Emergence” and “Sleepy Hollow” are now available to stream, while “Salem,” “Scream Queens” and “Wayward Pines” will be available beginning June 1.

Roku has integrated the ad-supported and ad-free versions of discovery+ into the offerings of the Roku Channel. The service had already been offered as a stand-alone app in the Roku store.

Paramount+ landed exclusive SVOD rights for CBS comedy “Ghosts,” starting in fall 2022. “Ghosts is one of the biggest comedy hits in years and one of the most talked about shows,” said Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer at Paramount+. “It is the perfect addition to the fantastic pipeline of content driving peak streaming at Paramount+.”

WAPA América, Cinelatino, and Pasiones are now available in HD on YouTube TV. Through the partnership with YouTube TV, the three Hemisphere networks will be offered as part of the streaming service’s Spanish Plan.

TECH TALK

RIP, iPod. Apple is discontinuing the iPod Touch, the latest version of the music player introduced in 2001. “Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to and shared,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing.

Cinema advertising network National CineMedia has moved into programmatic with a partnership with Place Exchange. Through NCM’s Lobby Entertainment Network, advertisers can purchase the lobby screens in movie theaters across the country programmatically. “NCM’s expansion into programmatic marketplaces is a key enhancement of our efforts to help advertisers reach the ‘unreachables’ – our highly valuable, young, diverse cinema audience,” said Mike Rosen, Chief Revenue Officer of NCM.

The U.S. residential broadband outlook is increasingly dominated by market share battles as residential service penetrations exceed 90% of occupied households, according to analysis by Kagan. The media research unit offers this outlook:
· Cable — Hybrid-fiber coax networks continue to dominate residential broadband alongside aggressive buildout plans. Kagan estimates the segment is positioned to limit market share loss amid intensifying competition with 61.9% through 2026.
Telcos — The segment can reverse the pattern of declines but is positioned for share to slip below 25% by 2026.Wireless — Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile are ramping up fixed wireless networks and targeting both rural and non-rural areas. Kagan expects wireless-only homes are poised to grow from 8% to 12.6% of broadband subs by 2026.Satellite — The next generation of satellite broadband offers more room for optimism, but unfavorable cost and speed comparisons limit growth expectations. A niche service for the residential space, its slice of the pie is expected to hold at 1% through 2026.

GOING GLOBAL

UK’s Channel 4 daytime has commissioned a new season of quiz show “Moneybags” from Youngest Media. The show challenges contestants to literally grab themselves a fortune.

The Royal Television Society’s biennial London Convention will take place on September 27 at King’s Place, London. Warner Bros. Discovery is the Principal Sponsor.

Dynamic Television has sold Acorn Irish mystery thriller “Harry Wild” to more than 13 broadcasters worldwide including TV4 Sweden, TV2 Norway, MTV3 Finland, TV2 Denmark, Mediaset Italy, OTE Greece and AXN Mystery in Japan.

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RATINGS

“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” scored a series high with its season finale, drawing 1.6 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max. The number of viewers for the debut has ballooned from 900,000 to nearly 8 million.

The series premiere of HGTV’s “Lil Jon Wants To Do What?” attracted more than 3 million total viewers and delivered a .50 Live+3 rating among P25-54 as well as a .66 rating among W25-54, increases of 32% for P25-54 and 27% for W25-54 versus year-ago levels.

In syndication the week of April 24, “Jeopardy!” (5.3 Live+3 national Nielsen rating, down 5% from the week before) was the leader for a fifth straight week, as Mattea Roach continued a winning streak that didn’t end until May 6. “Family Feud” (5.2, up 2%) was a strong second.

Live Stanley Cup Playoff games televised on TNT and TBS were up 46% through May 8, compared to similar cable-televised windows in 2021, and up 48% vs. 2019. Female viewership for playoff is up 71% when compared to televised games to date last year, and up 73% from 2019.

Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of April 25 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Jeopardy (CMV) 5.3 AA
Family Feud (CMV) 5.2 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 4.4 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.3 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.1 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 1.9 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 1.9 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.5 AA
The Dr. Phil Show (CMV) 1.5 AA
Hot Bench (CMV) 1.4 AA

Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of May 2
Network, P2+ AA (000s)
Primetime
TNT 2954
Fox News 2286
ESPN 1353
HGTV 1002
MSNBC 996
INSP 848
History 819
Hallmark Channel 792
TLC 781
Discovery 717

Total Day
Fox News 1484
TNT 835
MSNBC 631
ESPN 628
HGTV 552
CNN 478
Hallmark Channel 447
INSP 439
Food Network 422
ID 404

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, May 9
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Moana 2.09 (0.3), The Good Doctor 3.08 (0.3)
CBS: The Neighborhood 5.48 (0.5), Bob Hearts Abishola 5.14 (0.4), NCIS 4.17 (0.3), NCIS: Hawai’I 3.26 (0.3)
CW: All American 0.42 (0.1), All American: Homecoming 0.31 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1 5.30 (0.7), 9-1-1: Lonestar 4.80 (0.6)
NBC: American Song Contest 2.04 (0.3), New Amsterdam 2.43 (0.3)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 1.02 (0.2), Hercai: Amor Venganza 1.25 (0.3),
Univision: Soltero Con Hijas 1.40 (0.4)), Mi Fortuna es Amarte 1.51 (0.4), Madre 1.62 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Jeffrey Schlesinger, former President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, has set up his own strategic advisory business – Former Bros. Media. “Over the years, I have worked across every form of media including distribution, production, co-production, strategic planning and operations and am excited to have the opportunity to offer traditional and new media clients a single source of expertise to guide them in transforming their businesses, maximizing their opportunities and reaching their strategic and operational objectives,” said Schlesinger.

Mike Angus has been appointed EVP, US Distribution at TelevisaUnivision. Angus joins from Sinclair Broadcast Group, where he served as SVP, Distribution and Network Relations.

Team One, Publicis Groupe’s agency for premium brands, has hired Sean McGrath as its newest Group Account Director. McGrath was previously Managing Director at Cavalry Agency.

Paramount announced Colin Hickey and Sarah Tortoreti have been promoted to SVP, Operations and SVP, Marketing & Communications, respectively, at VidCon. Jim Louderback, who has served as the General Manager of VidCon since 2018, will now be transitioning to a strategic advisor role.

Clarissa Gilmore, a 30+ year Disney veteran, has been promoted to SVP of Corporate Communications for Disney General Entertainment. Gilmore is responsible for external and internal corporate communications strategies and execution across DGE’s portfolio of content brands.

Telstra has named Noah Drake as President for the Americas. Most recently, Drake led Telstra’s Customer Solutions and Architecture group,

Production studio Lord Danger has signed three new directors, Jonathan Hyde (“Always Jane”), Parker Seaman (“Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying”) and Steven Taylor.

This Day in History
1928 – General Electric opened its first TV station, in Schenectady, NY.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played played the boys’ maternal grandfather/housekeeper on “My Three Sons” (1960-92)? WIliam Frawley. Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London; Barbara E. Bevel/Staten Island, NY; David Martinez-Propagate/NYC; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Sarasota; Larry Kahn-Datanautix/Orlando; Kathleen Campbell-Wheat Penny Productions/Hollywood, CA; Jim Himmel-TCB Media/San Clemente, CA; Sandy Spiegel/Chicago; Richard Quan-Heat/San Francisco; John Kukla-KDFW/Dallas; Julie Houston-Tom Scott Agency/Boise, ID; Miriam Falcon-BET Networks/Royal Oak, MI; Tony Wilkins-KGAN/Cedar Rapids; Greg Stewart/LA; Cathy Korda/Honolulu, HI; Tom Boyd-WGN/Chicago

Today’s Trivia Question
Which cable network launched on July 15, 1996? (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