A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY

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Today’s Premieres
Discovery: Street Outlaws: Locals Only at 8p
Food Network: Summer Baking Championship at 9p
HGTV: Celebrity IOU at 8p; Renovation Wild at 9p
PBS Passport: Our House

Today’s Finales
CW: The Flash at 8p
Fox: 9-1-1 at 8p
NBC: That’s My Jam at 10p
Univision: Mujer at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Friday’s news that Linda Yaccarino has left her job as chairman of global advertising at NBCUniversal to become CEO of Twitter shook the media industry. Yaccarino “will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology,” tweeted Elon Musk. Said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation, “Linda has made countless contributions to the company during her twelve year tenure, and we wish her the best.” Mark Marshall, former President, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, is now interim Chairman of NBCUniversal’s Advertising and Partnerships group. The timing’s touchy, given that this is upfront week, but it’s drummed up even more interest for NBCUniversal’s event this morning at Radio City Music Hall.

Meanwhile, Yaccarino saw a surge of Twitter followers after the news broke. “I see I have some new followers,” she tweeted. “I’m not as prolific as @elonmusk (yet!), but I’m just as committed to the future of this platform.” And Musk addressed worries that courting advertisers could lead to a curtailment of freedom of speech on the platform. “I hear your concerns, but don’t judge too early,” he replied. “I am adamant about defending free speech, even if it means losing money.”

David Cohen, CEO of IAB, expressed optimismabout Yaccarino’s new job, which she’s expected to start in about six weeks, but noted that, “Twitter must start acting with a renewed sense of responsibility around Brand safety and suitability as opposed to free speech at all costs. They also have an opportunity to broaden their advertising base to mid and long tail advertisers in order to diversify their revenue opportunity. The good news is that Linda has experience doing all of these things, and if given the latitude and control, can really turn things around.”

Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives agrees, calling Yaccarino’s move a “home run hire” for Twitter. “While overseeing billions in annual ad revenue and keeping tight relationships with marketers and ad agencies globally, we believe that Linda Yaccarino … [will] fit in very well to the overall Twitter strategy and monetization,” Ives tweeted.

There have been a wave of TV series productions temporarily shutting down amid the Writers Guild of America strike, and now it appears the show will not go on for the Tony Awards. The guild denied Tony Awards producers a waiver for the ceremony, which had been scheduled to air live June 11 on CBS. The Tonys does more than celebrate excellence, it boosts ticket sales to Broadway shows, so the scramble is on for Plan B. The Tony Awards Management Committee is meeting today to go over contingency plans, which include proceeding with a show made up of pre-recorded segments, or postponing a live event until the strike is over.

The WGA has created a website where members have been instructed to report strike breakers. “You must inform the Guild of the name of any writer you have reason to believe is engaged in scab writing or other strikebreaking activity,” according to Strike Rule #9.

“61st Street,” canceled by AMC in January, has been picked up by The CW. Two seasons of the thriller starring Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis were shot, but only the first aired on AMC. Season one kicks off in the fall on The CW, followed by season two in 2024. “There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making ‘61st Street,’” said Vance. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of ‘61st Street’ a network home. With The CW, I’m confident that we will engage a universe of viewers who will celebrate the series with us.

ABC has canceled Milo Ventimiglia drama “The Company You Keep” and “Alaska Sky” after one season each, and David E. Kelley’s “Big Sky” after three seasons. “Alaska Daily” and “The Company You Keep” were produced by 20th Television, while “Big Sky” is a co-production of 20th TV and A+E Studios.

Also canceled is Netflix supernatural detective series “Lockwood & Co.”, after one season. Said producer Complete Fiction in a statement, “Making this show was one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers and we will forever treasure it.”

NBC picked up seasons three and four of Canadian medical drama “Transplant,” which slipped onto the net’s Covid-impacted 2020 fall schedule. Season two of the show aired on NBC in spring of 2022. The series focuses on a Syrian doctor struggling to build a new life in Canada.

Disney Advertising is working with four diverse-owned media companies – COCINA, equalpride, Group Black, and UnitedMasters – in deals that call for each company to develop custom short- or long-form branded content for advertisers, to amplify various dimensions of diversity and culture. “These collaborations are a natural extension of our ongoing commitment to reflect the diversity of our audience, the workforce, and the world in which we do business and are part of our multifaceted, long-term approach to intentionally and authentically reach our viewers,” said John Campbell, SVP, Client Partnerships, Disney Advertising.

In response to a Rolling Stone article that reported a toxic work environment on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” NBC issued this statement: “We are committed to a safe and respectful work environment and take workplace complaints very seriously and to insinuate otherwise is untrue. When issues are reported they are promptly reviewed, investigated and acted upon as appropriate.” Clarkson, who was not blamed for the reported negative environment on her syndicated show, posted a statement of her own on Instagram: “To find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable. I have always been, and will continue to be, committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment at ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show.’”

2023 Best of the Best & Rising Star Awards

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Fox handed “Next Level Chef” an order for two more seasons, through season four. “It’s the culinary gauntlet of cooking competition shows, and we’re excited to continue to raise the bar,” said host and executive producer Gordon Ramsay.

“Lopez vs Lopez” has made it to a second season on NBC. Season one averaged 2 million total viewers and a 0.27 rating among A18-49, and boasts the highest portion of long-tail viewing among all NBC comedies on Peacock.

NBC summer game show “Password” has been renewed for a second season, but production has been delayed due to the writers’ strike. Last August, the show averaged 4.2 million viewers.

Natural history series “The Americas” has landed on NBC’s midseason schedule. The ten-parter from BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio will be narrated by Tom Hanks.

NBC’s midseason/summer plans also include an extension of its “America’s Got Talent” franchise, and the revival of “Deal or No Deal” as “Deal or No Deal Island,” set on the Banker’s private island with a hint of “Survivor”-like intrigue. The original game show premiered on NBC in 2005, where it ran until 2009, then had another run on CNBC from 2018-19.

Producer, director, host and comedian W. Kamau Bell has launched Who Knows Best Productions, a production company committed to fostering a diverse creative community and telling revolutionary non-fiction stories. Bell is launching the Oakland-based outfit with a multi-year overall deal with Boardwalk Pictures (“Welcome to Wrexham”). The deal reunites Boardwalk and Bell, who partnered on the Showtime docuseries “We Need to Talk About Cosby.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Docuseries “How to Create a Sex Scandal,” focused on a pedophile sex ring in small-town Texas in 2005, premieres May 23 on Max.

Season two of “Heels” debuts Friday, July 28 at 10p on Starz. The drama is based on a wrestling league in Georgia.

AMC’s “Dark Winds” returns for season two in July. Jeri Ryan (“Star Trek: Picard”) will guest star as an ambitious femme fatale.

An adoption gone awry is at the center of “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” premiering on ID Monday, May 29 a 9p.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprised their “Doctor Who” roles as the tenth Doctor and Donna Noble in a new trailer for the show. Tennant and Noble will star in three specials celebrating the show’s 60th anniversary, slated to air in November: “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder” and “The Giggle.” The trailer also stars Yasmin Finney (“Heartstopper”) and Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”), who are joining the franchise. Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the 15th Doctor at the end of the year.

STREAMING

BET+ is launching an ad-supported tier on June 25. BET+ Essential will cost $5.99/month, versus $9.99 for the standard plan. Content will be the same, but with ad spots that play before and after programming.

NBCUniversal and Amazon announced 15 new NBC and Telemundo owned stations’ local news channels on the Amazon News app on Fire TV. NBC owned stations are also now available on Echo Show devices. “We are excited to grow our existing partnership with Amazon, expanding the reach of our local news content to millions of people on Fire TV and Echo Show devices,” said Matt Schnaars, President, NBCUniversal Content Distribution. “News continues to be a top choice for viewers, and we are proud to reach new audiences with best-in-class journalism from our local stations.”

UPFRONTS UPDATE

NBC is proud as a you-know-what to show off three new series this morning. Set to premiere in the fall: drama “The Irrational,” starring Jesse L. Martin, slated for Mondays at 10p; Jon Cryer comedy “Extended Family” on Tuesdays at 8:30p; and missing persons drama “Found,” set for Thursdays at 10p. As part of NBC’s rolling development cycle, the following projects have been picked up to pilot: comedies “Non-Evil Twin” and “St. Denis Medical,” and dramas “Wolf” and an untitled pilot from Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. If picked up to series, the shows could be possibilities for later in the 2023-24 season or roll over to the 2024-25 season.

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises revealed its upcoming 2023-24 multiplatform programming lineup, as well as new details for Tplus productions on Peacock. At its upfront presentation today, the network will invite brands to “Come With Us.” Just a few of the highlights: All 64 matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 will be televised across Telemundo and Unverso; Series “El Senor de los Cielos” has been renewed for a 9th season; reality show La Casa de Los Famosos is returning for a fourth season, along with new reality series “Paraiso de los Famosos” (w/t). In the AVOD space, Tplus will expand its FAST channel offerings. In addition to the news-focused Noticias Telemundo Ahora channel, Tplus will launch a sports-focused channel, Telemundo Deportes Ahora. “Latinos continue to fuel the demographic and economic growth engine of our country as one of the most important opportunities for business in America,” said Beau Ferrari, Chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “Latinos are transforming our society and shaping mainstream culture. As America’s #1 Spanish language content powerhouse, we are excited to present a robust content offering across entertainment, news and sports featuring premium properties, the biggest stars and tentpoles designed to reach and engage the full spectrum of Latinos at scale, in both languages and across all platforms.”

SPORTS ROUNDUP

The NFL’s Kickoff Game, featuring Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions, is set for 5:20p on September 7 on NBC. The first “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN takes place September 11 at 5:15p, with the Buffalo Bills meeting the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. There will be five international NFL games this season: Three in London (Atlanta-Jacksonville on October 1on ESPN+; Jacksonville-Buffalo on October 8 on NFL Network; Baltimore-Tennessee on October 15 on NFL Network); and two games in Frankfurt, Germany (Miami-Kansas City on November 5 and Indianapolis-New England on November 12). All five Euro matches start at 6:30a.

Fox Sports unveiled its broadcast schedule for the 2023 NFL season, an 18-week slate with a regular season lineup that includes a league-high number of appearances from the Dallas Cowboys (9), New York Giants (9), Philadelphia Eagles (9) and San Francisco 49ers (9). The Fox NFL schedule includes at least 140 total appearances by NFC teams, and over 90% of Fox NFL games feature at least one NFC team. “We’re thrilled to kick off our 30th season of NFL coverage with a schedule that maintains our long-standing, traditional identity as home of the NFC and our industry’s most powerful markets,” said Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks.

Prime Video’s second season of “Thursday Night Football” includes matchups featuring all 14 playoff teams from last season, as well as the presentation of the first NFL Black Friday game on November 24. TNF’s 16-game regular season schedule debuts on Thursday, September 14. “We are excited to feature a schedule filled with the game’s brightest stars and many marquee matchups,” said Marie Donoghue, VP of Global Sports Video, Amazon. “We start with two tremendous NFC battles, as the Vikings visit the Eagles and the Giants face the 49ers.”

Dan Snyder and his wife have agreed to sell the Washington Commanders to an investment group led by Josh Harris for $6 billion. If approved by the NFL, it would set a record price for a sports franchise. Snyder had reached a tentative deal in mid-April. The NFL is currently looking into allegations of sexual harassment and financial malfeasance at the club.

Tom Brady, who is reportedly discussing becoming a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders, has secured permission to do so from Fox, according to ESPN. In 2024, Brady starts his job as lead NFL analyst for the network.

When it comes to live sports in 2023, Pharma Rx spots during MLB programming are about 3x more effective than the average primetime ad, according to EDO, and 14% more effective than the category’s ad performance in the NFL TV environment. Pharma ads airing during MLB programming so far this season are performing 71% better than pharma ads aired during last year’s regular-season games.

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RATINGS

Fox is poised to end the 2022-23 season as the #1 ranked broadcast network in the young adult demo, averaging a 1.1 Live+7rating among A18-49. “Accused” ranks as 2023’s #1 series in the category, while “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” ranks #1 new unscripted series.

The season finale of CBS comedy “Ghosts” saw a 28% increase in live streaming viewership across Paramount+ and CBS apps versus the season one ender. On linear, the episode drew 6.51 million viewers.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, May 11
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Station 19 3.51 (0.42), Grey’s Anatomy 2.99 (0.38), This Is Revenge 2.00 (0.22)
CBS: Young Sheldon 6.69 (0.56), Ghosts 6.51 (0.62), So Help Me Todd 4.53 (0.42), CSI: Vegas 3.29 (0.32)
CW: Walker 0.50 (0.07), 100 Days to Indy 0.21 (0.04)
ION: Chicago P.D. 0.88 (0.13), Chicago P.D. 0.90 (0.13), Chicago P.D. 0.83 (0.12)
FOX: Next Level Chef 1.85 (0.37), Next Level Chef 1.65 (0.34)
NBC: Law & Order 3.93 (0.33), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 4.24 (0.45), Law & Order: Organized Crime 3.48 (0.36)
Telemundo: Top Chef VIP 0.91 (0.26), El Señor de los Cielos 1.06 (0.34), Juego de Mentiras 0.74 (0.19)
Univision: Perdona Nuestros Pecados 1.42 (0.36), Amor Invencible1.34 (0.37), Cabo 1.64 (0.47)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Louisa Wong has been named CEO of Extreme Reach. Wong joins ER from Wavemaker, where she has served as CEO, The Americas Region, since 2020.

This Day in History

1817 – The first private US mental hospital – Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason – opened in Philadelphia.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What is Gordo’s real name on “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-2004)? David Gordon. Kudos to: Stephanie Nolan-A3/NYC; Della Watson-Fox44 KWKT/Waco, TX; John Carlo-Up Entertainment/NYC; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford, CT

Today’s Trivia Question
In which drama series did a CIA trainee pose as an employee at the Smithsonian Museum? (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