Thursday September 2, 2021

Today’s Finales
Food: Bobby and Giada in Italy at 8p
Freeform: grown-ish at 8p
TBS: The Cube at 9p
WE tv: The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Broadcast networks scored a win against Locast. A judge from the Southern District of New York granted a motion by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC to throw out Locast’s claim that its streaming service is legally exempt from copyright infringement liability because it collects donations, not fees. In fact, Locast, which characterizes its $5/month charge for service as a recurring gift to a charitable cause, is using the money to bankroll expansion, taking in “far more money from user charges than was necessary,” said the judge. In their lawsuit, the networks claim Locast is violating their copyright by stealing their local TV streams.

In response, Locast cried foul. The ruling “treats copyright law not as an engine of progress but a moat protecting the most privileged position of the four giant broadcasting networks,” said the company.

The Writers Guild of America was among a coalition of 34 groups urging the FTC to block Amazon’s proposed $8.45 billion deal to acquire MGM. “With more control over the streaming, advertising, and media distribution ecosystem Amazon can extract unfair concessions from independent content producers and workers in the industry,” said a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan. “All of this means Amazon can exert greater control even outside of the portions of commerce it directly owns. And ultimately it means consumers, businesses, and the workers that depend on them are subject entirely to Amazon’s whims.” The deal would give Amazon the rich content library of MGM, including the James Bond and Rocky franchises.

The Media Rating Council is suspending its accreditation of Nielsen’s National Television service, as well as its Local People Meter and Set Meter Markets services, effective mid-September. Suspension can occur when a company is found to have “material standards non-compliance or operational issues that are deemed to have exerted an adverse effect on the service,” said the MRC. Responded a spokesperson for the measurement company, “Nielsen remains the currency of choice for media companies, advertisers and agencies. We are committed to the audit process and during this pause in accreditation we will work with the MRC on resolving this suspension. We will also take the opportunity to focus on innovating our core products and continue to deliver data that clients can rely on, ultimately creating a better media future for the entire industry.”

Cynopsis and Discovery are bringing you The Discovery and Inclusion Virtual Conference on September 13 from 1-3:30 PM ET. Hear executives from P&G, Food Network, TLC, HGTV, ANA, OWN, Sparks & Honey and more discuss Programming, DEI: The Activation Conversation, and Authenticity in Storytelling. Save your free seat now!

www.cynopsis.com/resource-center

Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions (“Candyman”) inked a new multi-year TV overall deal with Universal Studio Group. Monkeypaw previously had a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios.

Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Dopesick”) is attached to direct “One Giant Leap,” telling the story of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The limited series is being executive produced by Kevin Costner.

Netflix struck a multi-year partnership with Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Mumbai-based Excel Entertainment (“Dil Chahta Hai”). Projects fall under Excel’s series banner Excel Media and Entertainment.

Netflix also renewed its “Unsolved Mysteries” reboot for a third season, set to launch in summer 2022. “The massive success of our last two volumes on Netflix proved that there is enduring and passionate love for this iconic franchise, and we can’t wait to dig into more of the stories that ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ tells so uniquely well,” said EPs Shawn Levy and Josh Barry.

The CW is developing “The Girls on the Bus,” a series from Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti based on a chapter from Chasing Hilary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns and One Intact Glass Ceiling, by Amy Chozick. Netflix ordered the drama, from Warner Bros. Television, to series in 2019, but has dropped the project, according to Deadline. The drama, following four female journalists, will be reworked for The CW’s audience.

Dana Ledoux Miller and Micheal Russell Gunn (“Designated Survivor”) will serve as showrunners for Netflix’s miniseries dramatizing the 2018 Thai cave rescue of 12 young football players and their coach. “Beam” Papangkorn Lerkchaleampote (Thai series “The Stranded”) will star as Coach Ek, with Thai newcomers playing the rescued boys.

In the works at Legwork Collective is docuseries “Catching a Shadow,” highlighting a diverse group of people who broke boundaries. Attached to narrate are Zach Barack, Rosario Dawson, Ken Jeon, Debra Messing, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Norman Reedus.

Casting notes: Peacock’s reimagining of UK series “Queer As Folk” has added four actors. Joining as series regulars are Candace Grace (“Acts of Crime”), Johnny Sibilly (“Pose”), Devin Way (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Fin Argus (“The Gifted”)…Jon Bass (“Miracle Workers”) has boarded the cast of Showtime anthology series “Super Pumped.”…Linda Lavin, David Anthony Higgins and Darryll Stephens have been elevated from recurring to series regulars for season two of CBS comedy “B Positive.”…Jane Krakowski has joined the cast of “Annie Live!” as Lily St. Regis. Krakowski’s “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” castmate Titus Burgess is also starring in the NBC special.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Sports docuseries “Level Playing Field,” from HBO Sports and Vox Media Studios, premieres Tuesday, September 14 at 8p on HBO and HBO Max. The four-parter features stories that illuminate how public policies have contributed to inequities in the sports landscape and society at large.

The backstories of some of America’s oldest homes get a fresh look in HGTV renovation series “Houses with History,” premiering Wednesday, September 29 at 9p.

“Seinfeld” makes its Netflix debut – all 180 episodes – on Friday, October 1, as part of a deal announced in 2019. Netflix nabbed rights from Hulu, which streamed the classic 1989-1998 comedy until earlier this year. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Nickelodeon has renewed “Side Hustle” for a 20-episode second season. The live-action buddy comedy returns with new episodes Saturday, September 11 at 8p, leading into the season two premiere on Saturday, October 2.

The eight-episode fourth season of USA Network’s “The Sinner” debuts Wednesday, October 13 at 10p. This time around, the the now-retired Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) travels to Hanover Island in northern Maine for a recuperative getaway with his partner, Sonya (Jessica Hecht), when an unexpected tragedy occurs.

The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal,” the first nationally syndicated Broadway entertainment program, returns September 4 and 5. The series, formerly titled “Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal,” airs in over 100 television markets weekly.

COMING UP

WarnerMedia Kids & Family announced the launch of ACME Night, Sundays starting September 19 at 6p on Cartoon Network. The programming block – named after the fictional corporation made famous by the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons – kicks off with the premiere of the Warner Bros. DC superhero feature film, “Shazam.” Part of the WarnerMedia Kids & Family content commitment to appeal to everyone in the household, ACME Night will feature a lineup of library favorites and upcoming new originals, and be available on HBO Max starting next year. Greenlights for new animated movies include “Merry Little Batman,” “Did I Do That to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story” and an untitled Looney Tunes Cartoons movie that has Porky Pig and Daffy Duck fending off an alien invasion.

The Dodo is also launching a family-inclusive experience with its new “Family Room” entertainment destination designed for co-viewing. The vertical on The Dodo’s website is sponsored by Paramount+ and Target and will feature family-friendly video programming, children’s focused activities and parent-oriented content.

Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween” returns October 1. Films new to the lineup this year include “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Fright Night” (2011), “Jaws,” “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Men in Black II,” among others.

“The Show,” a look into the making of the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, will premiere Friday, September 24 at 9p on Showtime. The 90-minute feature chronicles the undertaking behind this year’s spectacle, starring The Weeknd.

Circle Network is partnering with Wounded Warrior Project for “Circle Remembers 9/11 presented by Wounded Warrior Project,” programming airing from 8a-10p on Saturday, September 11. The daylong network takeover will feature storytelling from veterans, their families and friends, culminating with two primetime specials.

Fox News Media will present special live coverage in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Friday, September 10 and continuing through September 11. Network personalities and correspondents will be live from various locations in NYC and Washington, DC. In addition, in the week leading up to the anniversary, FNC will present themed packages and guest interviews to honor those who lost their lives.

TNT and investment company Invesco QQQ have teamed with Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther”) for a men’s college basketball showcase for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The games, previously called the Hoop Dreams Classic, has been rechristened the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic. “I am thrilled to finally announce the four HBCUs that will be competing in the inaugural Legacy Classic,” said Jordan. “Invesco QQQ and Turner Sports have been amazing partners in helping bring this experience to life. I grew up watching basketball games on TNT, so I am confident they will deliver this set of games to a true audience of basketball fans and their families in an exciting way.”

AXS TV will mark the 50TH anniversary John Lennon’s 1971 work Imagine on September 6 at 8p. The special event will be hosted by Ahmet Zappa (“Rock My Collection”) and Katie Daryl (“The Top Ten Revealed”).

Justin Bieber returns to MTV’s “VMAs” for the first time in six years when the show airs Sunday, September 12 at 8p. Bieber leads this year’s nominations with seven nods.

Funimation is kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 -October 15) with an anime binge, adding 1,000+ new episodes in Spanish and Portuguese with subtitles and more than 600+ episodes dubbed in Spanish and Portuguese, all beginning in September.

Cinelatino will air the US television premiere of “No Manches Frida 2,” sequel to 2016’s “No Manches Frida,” on Sunday, September 5 at 9p.

STREAMING

Black News Channel announced the launch of BNC GO, a new streaming product that will host a slate of content separate from its linear programming offerings. Aimed at Millennial and Gen Z audiences, BNC GO launches on more than 200 million internet-connected devices via agreements with Amazon Fire TV, Pluto, Roku, Tubi, Samsung, Vizio and more, streaming 24/7 with 18 hours of original content every weekday from 6a-12a. “As younger viewers increasingly shift their content consumption to digital programming, BNC GO provides another opportunity for Black and Brown audiences to stay connected and engage with our network’s unique and culturally specific storytelling,” said Princell Hair, President and CEO of BNC.

Tubi has added more than a dozen Fox titles to its library in Canada. New titles available on the Fox Entertainment division include “The Masked Singer,” “The Masked Dancer,” “Mental Samurai,” and “Name That Tune,” among others.

TECH TALK

Twitter is allowing a limited group of users the opportunity to offer a customized range of monthly subscriptions, and keep up to 97% of the revenue, after fees. The feature, “Super Follows,” enables bonus content, subscriber-only conversations and Super Follower badges. “During this initial phase, we hope to learn how people are using Super Follows and get their feedback on new features we add along the way,” said Twitter.

There has been a shift in how people watch video, with the growth of CTV viewership and the launch of new streaming platforms offering more TV-quality programming, according to FreeWheel’s latest Video Marketplace Report. Key takeaways include:
· Streaming services account for 45% of ad views, overtaking TVE.
· Programmatic represents 24% of premium video ad views, up 84% year-over-year.
· The entertainment vertical continues to lead the premium video ecosystem, with 92% of ad views.
· CTV accounts for 60% of total ad views, led by Roku (43%) and Fire TV(26%).

Globo, Univision’s VIX and Onza have joined the Whip Media Exchange, Whip Media’s data and AI-powered content rights marketplace aimed at making global film and TV content licensing faster and more efficient. Whip Media also announced the appointment of Jaime Otero as Vice President of Business Development and Content Strategy to lead the Exchange’s global expansion.

Synamedia announced it has integrated a broad range of its video offerings with Android TV and extended its Infinite cloud TV platform to support Android TV devices. Using Google’s Broadcast Stack for hybrid set top boxes powered by Android TV, Synamedia has developed pre-integrated solutions including user interfaces, watermarking and broadcast/OTT security, Clarissa business insights, and Synamedia Iris addressable advertising.

GOING GLOBAL

UK’s Office of Communications cleared Piers Morgan in an investigation over his comments on “Good Morning Britain” about Meghan Markle’s mental health. While Morgan drew criticism for questioning Markle’s credibility, the regulator said, “Ofcom is clear that, consistent with freedom of expression, Mr. Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account.”

French scripted label Endemol Shine Fiction has rebranded as Shine Fiction, and signed its first development deals. In addition to landing the rights to adapt novels by Pierre Lemaitre, the company also has projects for French broadcasters in the pipeline, including a four-part series for M6 and a 90-minute special for France 2.

Keshet International has completed its first pre-sale for “Furia,” the drama co-produced by Norway’s Monster Scripted and Germany’s X-Filme Creative Pool for Viaplay and ZDF, with Australia’s public service broadcaster SBS.

STARZPLAY is partnering with French broadcaster TF1 on the upcoming anthology series “A French Case,” produced by Cheyenne Federation in coproduction with TF1. The deal marks STARZPLAY’s continued dedication to local language content, enabling the streamer to air the series in a second window beginning as early as 14 days after the last episode airs on TF1 in France and Belgium and Luxembourg, along with French & German-speaking Switzerland, and one day later in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

A new windowing strategy from Warner Bros. will make blockbusters such as “The Suicide Squad” available to stream on HBO GO as early as 45 days after their in-market theatrical premiere in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The first movies out of the blocks are “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” – available now in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia – followed by “Space Jam: A New Legacy” on September 3 in Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, and October 17 in Thailand.

Xilam Animation is amplifying the global expansion of its non-dialogue comedy franchise, “Where’s Chicky?” with the production of fresh content, new broadcast partners, a growing digital presence, and growing footprint in China. Production on a new third season of episodes is now underway and is slated for delivery in December 2021

The Cynopsis Top Women in Media honorees have been announced! See the

full list and join us for a special in-person Awards Gala October 27 in NYC. Secure a table for your team before this event sells out.

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The August 18 premiere of E!’s “We Got Love Teyana and Iman” had the largest time-shifting gains for a series debut in E! history. The show more than doubled its audience from Live+SD viewing to Live+3 among both 18-49 (+153%) and total viewers (+127%).

Fox News Channel’s breaking news coverage surrounding Hurricane Ida topped the cable news landscape in total viewers on Sunday, August 29, according to Nielsen, delivering 1,538,000 in total day viewers.

Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” closed out the month of August with 192,000 total viewers, while FBN delivered six of the top 20 most affluent programs in the A25-54 cable news category year to date.

Spectrum Networks recorded a 3% year-over-year increase in household ratings across the 11 metered markets where Spectrum News is available. Including the Spectrum News App in Maine, which launched August 16, more than 2.7 million viewing households turned to Spectrum’s linear and digital platforms daily in August across its 10-state footprint.

Top 5 Most Engaging Summer Broadcast Primetime Programs
Presented by EDO, Inc.
Program (Network), % higher Search Engagement than average Broadcast Primetime Program
The Bachelorette (ABC), 39% higher Search Engagement
Beat Shazam (FOX), 37% higher Search Engagement
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC), 25% higher Search Engagement
The Ultimate Surfer (ABC), 23% higher Search Engagement
Bachelor in Paradise (ABC), 17% higher Search Engagement
Click here to see more programs.
Footnote: Search Engagement is EDO’s proprietary measure of the increase in online search activity for a brand or product in the minutes immediately following a TV ad airing.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, August 31
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Bachelor In Paradise 2.70 (0.7), The Ultimate Surfer 1.14 (0.2)
CBS: NCIS 3.84 (0.3), FBI 3.24 (0.3), FBI: Most Wanted 2.86 (0.3)
CW: DC’s Stargirl 0.68 (0.1), Supergirl 0.59 (0.1)
ION: Chicago Fire 1.08 (0.2), Chicago Fire 1.14 (0.2), Chicago Fire 1.14 (0.2)
FOX: Lego Masters 1.48 (0.4), Fantasy Island 1.58 (0.3)
NBC: America’s Got Talent 7.19 (0.7), Capitol One College Bowl 2.40 (0.3)
Telemundo: Las Casa de los Famosos 1.08 (0.3), Hercai: Amor y Venganza 1.23 (0.3), Cafe con Aroma de Mujer 0.96 (0.3)
Univision: Disenando Tu Amo 1.63 (0.5), Si Nos Dejan 1.86 (0.6), La Desalamada 1.87 (0.6)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Geoff Daniels has joined Nutopia as EVP, Unscripted Entertainment. Daniels left his position as EVP, Global Unscripted Entertainment at National Geographic in December amid a corporate restructuring.

John Weiser, President, First-Run Television at Sony Pictures Television, is leaving the company he joined in 1988. “I’m proud to have contributed to the company’s success, and I believe Sony is best positioned to continue to grow and have its brightest future,” said Weiser.

One Animation is expanding its digital team with the appointment of Kelly Joeman as Senior Manager, Audience Development and Tuan Nguyen as E-Commerce Manager. Joeman joins One Animation from eOne/Hasbro, where she was Channel Manager. Nguyen most recently served as Manager and EU Expansion Project Management at Amazon.

Jennifer Mathieu, Ph.D., has been named Chief Technology Officer at Graphika. Most recently, Mathieu served as Chief Technologist for Social Analytics and Integrity.

Yahoo Finance has added six new journalists to their roster: Taylor Clothier, David Hollerith, Padraic Judge, Kyle McKee, Vanessa Prado, and Jennifer Schonberger.

Fox Business Network has signed Madison Alworth as a New York-based correspondent and Kelly O’Grady as a LA-based correspondent. They will begin their new roles this month.

StoryFit has tapped Marina Kosten, Senior Fellow at Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, to serve as Head of Research & Strategy. Kosten’s entertainment experience includes more than a decade with 20th Century Fox.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
The pilot episode for which series featured spoof commercials for funeral homes and products? “Six Feet Under” (2001-05). Kudos to: Ray Giacopelli-MI7 Media Intel/Sonoma, CA; Adela Del Rio-Fox/LA; Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA; Miriam Falcon-BET/Detroit; Sandy Spiegel-WTTW/Chicago; Joel Maxwell-Marks, O’Neill,O’Brien, Doherty & Kelly/NYC; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; John Hayden-JHM Creative/Fort Lauderdale, FL; Sasha M. Wolff-Discovery, Inc./NYC; Glen Freyer/NYC; Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago

Today’s Trivia Question
Which two short-lived sitcoms, one that aired in the 1980s and one that ran in the 1990s, shared the same name? (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.)