07/18/17: Alec Baldwin boards NBC live drama; Says Who? Merriam-Webster shuts down Internet trolls; Game of Thrones reigns in ratings

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM Z LIVING NETWORK
STARTING SEPTEMBER 4
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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
“There is nothing more important to the industry than audience measurement. Each year, tens of billions of dollars are invested based on their results. In the upcoming year, there will be a major transformation.” – Brad Adgate
Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference
Aug. 3rd I Dream Downtown NYC I 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
 
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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

 
Raphael Jackson, Jr. and Damione Macedon inked a 2-year overall deal with Starz. Jackson and Macedon will continue as co-exec producers of Power, as well as develop new projects for the premium cabler.
 
Filmmaker Alex Garland (Ex Machima) signed an exclusive overall deal with FX Productions to develop, write and produce TV projects.
 
Universal Cable Productions and Dark Horse Entertainment renewed their first-look deal to continue developing and producing scripted programming from the publisher’s comic book library, as well as new original material.
 
Nickelodeon has started production in Vancouver on TV movie Inside Voice. The live-action comedy is set to debut in 2018.
 
Season 2 of RTE and Acorn drama Striking Out, focused on a Dublin-based solicitor played by Amy Huberman (The Clinic), started production yesterday. Shooting of 6 new episodes will run for 12 weeks.
 
Doug Robinson (Happy Madison) is launching DRP Doug Robinson Productions, with an overall deal at Sony Pictures Television. Robinson will develop drama and comedy for broadcast, cable and streaming.
 
 
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
 
Reelz has five new original series headed for summer and fall, including The Kitty Kelley Files (July 29 at 10p), Broke and Famous and US Weekly’s Famous Feuds (September 8), and It Happened Here and The Stalker Files on November 10. Also coming up: special Elvis Presley: Behind Closed Doors, hosted by Natalie Morales, on August 13 at 9p.
 
Bravo’s Below Deck is back for season 5 on Tuesday, September 5 at 9p. Season 4 was the show’s highest rated ever, delivering 1.4 million viewers P18-49 (+27% versus the prior season), 1.6 million P25-54 (+27%) and 2.5 million total viewers (+28%).
 
The Tennessee Wraith Chasers traverse the country in new Destination America series Haunted Towns, debuting Tuesday, August 15 at 10p. Series explores places that played roles in dark chapters of American history (hello, Salem). 
 
Guy Fieri fans can get a sneak peek of the debut episode of Guy’s Family Road Trip on Sunday, August 13 at 10p. Official premiere date is Friday, August 18 at 9p.
 
A&E limited documentary series The Murder of Laci Peterson offers interviews from those inside the infamous murder trial, including Scott Peterson from prison. First of 6 episodes debuts Tuesday, August 15 at 10p.
 
On a different note, A&E offers viewers a chance to watch couples on dates, unedited – cringe-worthy moments and all – on Date Night Live, premiering Thursday, July 27 at 10p. Series comes from Big Fish Entertainment, the brains behind A&E cop show Live PD.
 
The season 3 premiere of TLC’s Counting On is followed by the series launch of Meet the Putmans on Monday, September 11 at 9p and 10p. The Putmans might look familiar – the family was featured in a one-off special earlier this year.
 
 
COMING UP
 
Zak Bagans, host of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, wants some company. In a contest Bagans dubs “the extremely haunted version of the Willy Wonka golden ticket,” fans can post videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZaksCastingCall to say why they should be selected to accompany him on a tour of his Haunted Museum on Las Vegas. Episode will air in October.
 
Univision and Fusion Media announced the launch of #ColorofClimate, a cross-platform series focused on raising awareness about climate change and how it impacts people of color. Content will include stories and reports driven by the Project Earth and Univision Planeta edit teams, running on Univision.com as well as Univision and Fusion programming and radio stations. Additional content will be produced by The Root, Gizmodo and Fusion.
 
Nat Geo WILD kicks off its SharkFest, “the no. 2 week of sharks,” on Sunday, July 23 at 8p with Shark v Predator. That’s the same time Michael Phelps races a shark during Discovery’s Shark Week.  
 
In honor of National Parent’s Day (July 23), INSP is featuring viewers’ family photos on-air all day on Friday, July 21.
 
Up TV is offering a marathon of baby and kid-themed programming for Labor Day weekend, including a Bringing Up Bates baby special and special airings of the movies Look Who’s Talking and Look Who’s Talking Too. Stunt launches Saturday, September 2 with kid-themed episodes of America’s Funniest Home Videos airing from 9a-11p.
 
HDNet Movies is airing an “It’s Reigning Men” birthday block of films on Tuesday, August 1, celebrating leading men with birthdays next month. Party starts with Robert Redford in Brubaker, at 5p.
 
 
ADVERTISING
 
The majority of digital video ad spending will be on mobile by 2018, predicts Publicis Zenith, driven by the rise in mobile consumption. While videos viewed on fixed devices on larger screens are more effective at conveying brand messages, notes the report, by next year, “that will no longer outweigh the higher volume of mobile video viewing, and mobile video ad spend – at $18.0 billion – will overtake fixed video ad spend – at $15.0 billion.”
 
 
COMIC-CON
 
The stars of CBS Access’ upcoming StarTrek: Discovery will make their first global appearance together at Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 22 on a panel moderated by series guest star Rainn Wilson….Outdoor Channel’s Hollywood Weapons host and firearms expert, Terry Schappert and Larry Zanoff, will appear on Saturday at 5:30p as part of a panel discussion, “The Art and Science of Film Pyrotechnics and Firearms.”
 
 
VIDEOS IN SHORT
 
Shark Week on Snapchat, a short-form series based on Discovery Channel’s summer event, debuts Sunday, July 23, the same day Shark Week kicks off globally. Created for Snapchat’s Discover platform, the show dives in with “Sharks, They’re Just Not That Into You,” explaining that contrary to popular belief, sharks are not naturally attracted to humans as prey.
 
 
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENTS
 
fuboTV has added Fusion TV to its entry level live streaming bundle. The addition of the lifestyle and entertainment cable net complements fuboTV’s sports-first channel line-up.
 
FandangoNOW has added Showtime series to its offerings. Episodes of shows including Twin Peaks, The Affair, Ray Donovan and more will soon be available for purchase, along with Billions, available now “just in time for a summer binge,” said Adam Rockmore, CMO, FandangoNOW.
 
 
CASTING
 
Rapper Tyga (Lagan), and C.J. Wallace (Everything Must Go), son of The Notorious B.I.G., have joined the season 3 cast of MTV’s revamped Scream, returning in March 2018 with a new cast, location (Atlanta) and premise.
 
 
 GOING GLOBAL
 
GRB Entertainment sold 4 documentaries: Globosat Brazil renewed Remembering Whitney; Nippon Television Network in Japan acquired Michael Sam; and Sky TV UK picked up Confessions of a Superhero and The Mona Lisa Myth.
 
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
Passionate about digital innovation?
Cynopsis Digital “It List” Awards is accepting nominations
We’re looking for the most innovative execs in digital media who excel in content, marketing, advertising, social media, and online content to take their place on Cynopsis Digital’s “It List.” Simply login to our submission portal, describe yourself or a colleague, and submit! In addition to receiving this esteemed award, finalists will be honored at our annual awards reception, November 10 in NYC.
 
 
RATINGS
 
The season 7 bow of Game of Thrones delivered 10.1 million viewers on Sunday, reports HBO. Counting replays and early streaming numbers, viewership hit 16.1 million, a single-day record for the show.
 
Up against Game of Thrones on Sunday, CBS’s Big Brother topped broadcast with a 1.8/8 among A18-49, even with the week prior, according to early numbers. CBS’s new Candy Crush dipped to .8, versus 1.1 for its premiere, but the net still won the night in the demo with .9/4. ABC grabbed the most total viewers, with 4.82 million.
 
The double episode premiere of TV One’s Unsung gave the network its #1 Sunday primetime performance among P25-54 year to date, reaching 1.4 million total viewers. Unsung: Jagged Edge grew over its strong Wyclef lead-in among P25-54 (+46% 281,000 versus 193,000) and HH (+25% 320,000 versus 256,000).
 
TLC’s Outdaughtered was back for season 3 with its highest rated episode ever among all key women’s demos, including W25-54 (up +36% versus the prior season premiere, to 1.5), W18-49 (up +44% to 1.3) and W18-34 (up +33% to 1.2).
 
SHAREABLEE SOCIAL TV RATINGS: Top 10 U.S. Shows Overall by Engagement for the week of July 10, 2017
Program, Total Actions (000), Total Content, Actions per Content (000), Fans/Followers (000)
Game of Thrones (HBO) 49043, 177, 28, 30198
E! News (E!) 3988, 761, 5, 30052
Shadowhunters (Freeform) 3175, 270, 12, 3556
America’s Got Talent (NBC) 1674, 204, 8, 9801
TMZ (Warner Bros. synd.) 1285, 962, 1, 13344
Today Show (NBC) 1255, 613, 2, 11851
The Daily Show (Comedy Central) 986, 117, 8, 14761
The Fosters (Freeform) 952, 228, 4, 3950
Good Morning America (ABC) 862, 579, 1, 11868
Fox & Friends (Fox News) 841, 389, 2, 3455
Based on Total Actions (reactions, comments, shares and retweets)
 
NIELSEN SOCIAL CONTENT RATINGS: Top 10 Series and Specials by Total Interactions for the week of July 10, 2017
Program, Total Interactions (000), Facebook (000), Twitter (000)
Game of Thrones (HBO) 5095, 4318, 777
The 25th ESPYS (ABC) 1845, 1217, 628
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (VH1) 596, 480, 116
America’s Got Talent (NBC) 436, 383, 52
Power (Starz) 318, 259, 58
WWE Monday Night RAW (USA) 269, 180, 89
Big Brother (CBS) 258, 149, 109
Big Brother (CBS) 206, 152, 54
Big Brother (CBS) 193, 146, 47
Hannity (Fox News) 182, 38, 143
Source: Nielsen. Uniques and Interactions are a measure of total relevant U.S. social media activity grossed across Facebook and Twitter from three hours before through three hours after broadcast, local time. Includes primetime and late fringe programming with metrics available across social platforms on Broadcast and National Cable and excludes sports events.
 
Live + Same Day Household Viewers (millions): Friday, July 14, 2017 time period averages.
Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated. Live+SD
NBC: 4.03 million
America’s Got Talent 4.08 million, Dateline 3.93 million
CBS: 3.98 million
MacGyver 3.82, Salvation 3.3, Blue Bloods 4.83
ABC: 3.34 million
Shark Tank 3.37, What Would You Do? 3.24 million, 20/20 3.41 million
UNIVISION 1.56 million
Jose de Egipto 1.86, Doble Vida e Carrillo 1.67, Rosario Tijeras 1.17
FOX: 1.52 million
MasterChef .1.65 million, Beat Shazam 1.38 million
TELE: 1.35 million
Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio 1.36, La Querida del Centauro  1.10, El Senor de los Cielos 1.59
CW: 1.01 million
Masters of Illusion 1.01, Penn & Teller: Fool Us 1.09

Friday A19-49:
 NBC .7/3, ABC .6/3, CBS .5/2, FOX .5/2,UNI .5/2, TELE .5/2, CW .2/1
Source: Nielsen
 
 
EXECUTIVE MOVES
 
Discovery promoted Josh Kovolenko to Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Operations for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science ChannelKovolenko joined Discovery in 2008.
 
Katie O’Connell Marsh has been appointed CEO of Platform One Media, a new TV production and distribution studio launched by TPG Growth and Liberty Global that will curate, develop, produce and distribute scripted programming for the U.S. and international markets. Marsh was formerly CEO of Gaumont Television.
 
Crown Media Family Networks named Danielle Mullin as Vice President of Consumer Marketing. Mullin comes from WGN America, where she was Senior Director of Social Media.
 
UK’s ITV tapped Carolyn McCall to serve as CEO, the first time a woman has held the title. McCall, who starts January 8, was previously chief executive at airline EasyJet.
 
John Piccone has rejoined Simulmedia as President and Chief Revenue Officer. Piccone, most recently Chief Growth Officer at Innovid, held several senior roles at Simulmedia from 2010-2016.
 
Ownzones Media Network named Serge Vaguine as Senior Vice President, Business Development. Previously, Vaguine was VP Sales at Paywizard Group.
 
 
IN MEMORIAM
 
Martin Landau, best known to television audiences for his role on Mission: Impossible, died July 15. He was 89. Landau won an Oscar for the role of Bela Lugosi in the movie Ed Wood.
 
Sports announcer Bob Wolff died July 15. He was 96. Wolff was a member of both the baseball and basketball halls of fame. Said the Yankees organization, “Beyond his lifetime of professional accomplishments, he was a man of great grace and dignity, serving his country with honor, and proudly calling New York home.”
 


This Day in History: 1925 – Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” was published  (original title: “Four and a Half Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice”).
 
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: Which actress appeared on a series as a saloon girl, then later played the main character’s sister? Alley Mills, on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993-1998). Kudos to: Gayathri Jayakumar-THREE/Saratoga Springs, NY, Cynthia New-Spectrum Reach/Cape Girardeau, MO, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
 
Today’s Trivia Question – No Googling the Answer Theme Week: Which sitcom’s star, brother of a more famous actor, left the show after just 6 episodes? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: A limit of four correct answers from each time zone will be selected.).
 
Answer to Our Last Anagram: Wept On Jury Car = Project Runway. Kudos to Lauren Alberti-Bray Entertainment/Hoboken, NJ, Maitlyn Phan-Viacom/NYC
 
True Crime Series Anagram: Oh Die A Mimic (Email [email protected]; first three respondents with the correct answer who aren’t in trivia will be posted in tomorrow’s newsletter.)

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CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, please visit Cynopsis.com
JOB OPENING: PRGRM ACQUISITIONS MGR/Films Media Group/NY: 3+yrs exp acquisi.; factual prgmng knwlg; solid ind contacts; exp: educ & learning; self-starter & deal-maker; BA/BS req, Res to:

[email protected] EOE (7/26)

JOB OPENING: SR MANAGER, DIGITAL AD PRODUCTS/A+E Networks/NY: Help diversity A+E Networks ad product line up, by creating ground breaking ad products, certifying new partners, devices and points of distribution, and owning the product education, maintenance, and specification process. Full Info/Apply HERE (7/26)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER, NEWS/NYC: Plan & coord production of NewsHourWeekend – story dev thru post-prod & delivery; min 4yrs multimed exp, incl exp in dealing w/a wide range of contemporary issues; news exp a must. Exceptional written/verbal comm & presentation skills. Full info/apply HERE (7/26)

JOB OPENING: SR ANALYST, TV RESEARCH/CAA/LA: Produce written analysis & presentations for represented properties for brdcst/cbl/synd/OTT programs. Min 3 yrs exp TV rsch related to synd TV pref’d. Brdcst/cble ntwk exp a +. BA deg required. Full info/apply HERE (7/26)


JOB OPENING:
DIRECTOR PRESENTATION DESIGN & CREATIVE SERVICES/CBS/NYC: Design, produce & edit sales materials. Min 6 yrs industry exp. Ability to communicate media research. Advanced skills in PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign. Full info/apply HERE (7/25)

 
JOB OPENING: SR. PICTURE EDITOR/Photography/A+E/NY: Develop & evolve the photographic direction across all editorial platforms. 5+ yrs exp in either the photographic, design or art industries. Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite. Est’d vendor relationships & contacts. Apply: HERE (7/25)  

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, INTEGRATED SPONSORSHIPS & SALES/PAC-12/LA: Drive team performance and sales of AE’s the LA office. You will also be an evangelist for, and successfully sell, all of Pac-12 Networks properties including national and local TV, digital, and sponsorships. For full posting/apply HERE (7/25)  

JOB OPENING: SR BUSINESS ANALYST/WIDE ORBIT/NYC: Gather requirements from customer re: new features. Create documentation and user stories. 5+ yrs of exp cable ntwrk ind w/focus in pricing & plan’g, and sales. Full info/apply HERE (7/22)

JOB OPENING: MGR, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/AMC Networks/NYC: Draft & negotiate high volume of content license agreements & interpreting contractual rights. 2+ yrs legal exp in-house or law firm drafting IP contracts. J.D. degree is pref. Full info/apply HERE (7/22)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AD OPERATIONS SENIOR ASSOCIATE/A+E Networks/NY: Coordinate detailed implementation for complex online campaigns across all A+E Networks non-linear properties, including desktop, mobile/tablet, OTT and STB-VOD. Full Info/Apply HERE (7/22)  


JOB OPENING:
COMMUNITY PRESS MANAGER/NBCU/San Diego: Act as primary liaison to community groups and internal liaison with both NBC 7 & Telemundo 20 news, sales and promotion departments on community projects. Full info/apply HERE (7/22)

 
JOB OPENING: BRAND MARKETING COORD/NBCU/SYFY/NYC: Assist in the execution of all off-air marketing efforts and brand initiatives, including multi-platform media campaigns and cross promotions.1-2 yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (7/22)
 
JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR/SR COORDINATOR/Sirius XM Radio/NYC: Assist Acct mgrs in maintaining client relationships. Research prospective clients & ad sales opps upon request. Min 2 yrs exp working in a sales or media/entertainment envir. Strong interest in sales & strong comm skills a must.  Full info/apply HERE (7/22)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC, DIRECT RESPONSE/DIRECTavenue/Carlsbad CA: Build deep understanding of each client’s bus. & category needs. DR exp, pref Short Form. 10+ yrs exp mktg/Advrtsng DR TV pref’d. Job based out of San Diego office. Full info/apply HERE  (7/21)

 
JOB OPENING: MGR, CONSUMER MARKETING/NICKELODEON/NYC: Responsible for leading the marketing strategy, tactics and audience engagement for Nickelodeon series, tentpole events and TV movies. 3-5 yrs exp. Interest in Ent/TV, Marketing/Advertising, Children’s media. Full info/apply HERE (7/21)


JOB OPENING:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER-DIGITAL CONTENT/Spectrum Networks NY1/NYC: 5-10 yrs digital content leadership exp. Preferred exp with website (re) launch and rebranding process, newsroom exp and a strong track record working with sales/creative/finance to drive a digital strategy forward. Full info/apply HERE http://bit.ly/2uJCnAy (7/20)

JOB OPENING: SR ANALYST DIGITAL ANALYTICS/CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ: Collect/analyze user data across platforms (website, app, synd, social platforms) to grow digital audience, better understand user segments, & identify bus. opps. 3+ yrs exp digital analytics &/or data analysis. Full info/apply HERE (7/20)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/MARATHON VENTURES/NYC: Join team-oriented leader in national direct response TV ad sales. Attention to detail, min. 2-3 yrs experience in TV traffic or sales support required. Wide Orbit a plus. Resumes: [email protected] (7/20)

JOB OPENING: MUSIC PRODUCT MANAGER/Discovery/LA: Resourceful self-starter resp for all digital music asset and metadata mgmt for in-house production library of 110K+ tracks. Extensive exp w/Soundminer req’d. 3+ yrs exp working w/production libraries, pltfrms or TV music dept. Full info/apply HERE (7/20)

JOB OPENING: VP MARKETING & BRANDING/NBCU/NECN/BOSTON:  Lead creative svc providing overall creative services, mktg strategy & brand direction to drive viewership for NBC Boston, necn & Telemundo. Min 10 yrs relevant, successful  & progressive creative services &/or mktg exp. Full info/apply HERE (7/20)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST/TV ONE/SILVER SPRING MD or NYC: Assist Sr. Rsrch, Dir w/interpreting media rsrch results & effectively communicating results. Strong knwlg Nielsen software & 3rd party systems. BA/BS deg & 2+ yrs rsrch expe @ media co., agency or advertiser. Full info/apply HERE (7/20)
 
WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – TUESDAY, JULY 18
ABC: The Middle [r], Fresh Off the Boat [r], black-ish [r], black-ish [r], American Housewife [r], The Middle [r]
CBS: NCIS [r], Bull [r], NCIS: New Orleans [r]
CW: The Flash [r], Hooten & the Lady [r]   
FOX: The Simpsons [r], The Mick [r], Family Guy [r], The Mick [r]
NBC: America’s Got Talent, World of Dance  
PBS: Weekend in Havana, Rare – Creatures of the Photo Ark [p], Frontline [r] 
Telemundo: Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio, La Querida del Centauro, El Senor de los Cielos
Univision: Jose de Egipto, La Doble Vida de Estala Carrilo, Rosario Tijeras

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