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Today’s Premieres
Bravo: Southern Charm at 9p
CBS: Buddy Games at 9p
HGTV: No Demo Reno at 9p
Netflix: Thursday’s Widows; Barbie: A Touch of Magic
ViX: El Apostol

Today’s Finale
LMN: As Luck Would Have It at 8p

IN THE NEWS

“Modern Family” has found a new home on TBS. Starting Monday, September 25, the comedy will air weekdays in the network’s 12:30-3:30p time slot. Starting this week, TBS also will air longer daily marathons of “The Big Bang Theory,” which ranks as the #1 acquired series in cable in 2023. “Our audience continually seeks out popular comedies like ‘Friends,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Modern Family,’ so now that we have all three of these iconic series on TBS, we can build an even bigger, more engaged audience,” said Julie Taylor, Chief of Content Strategy & Insights, US Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery. “We have the best in class content that drives an audience from daytime through primetime and we do that by leveraging our fans’ affinity for comedies and by creating daily destinations.” Peacock and E! will continue to carry “Modern Family,” which aired on ABC from 2009-20 and started in syndication on USA Network.

The impact of Charter’s carriage dispute with Disney was “very, very small” from a subscriber perspective, said CFO Jessica Fischer at a Bank of America investor conference on Wednesday. “We pulled together a package that we think can stabilize the linear video ecosystem and provide a glide path that gets us to the new direct to consumer environment,” she added. Under the new deal, ad-supported Disney+ Basic will be available to Spectrum TV Select package customers in the coming months, and ESPN+ will be provided to Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers as well as the sports network’s flagship direct-to-consumer service when it launches. “They have the linchpin asset in ESPN,” said Fischer. “You could not move to a new model without it.”

Kristen Welker is kicking off her stint as moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” with an interview with former president Donald Trump, scheduled to be taped today at Trump’s Bedminster, NJ golf club. It’s Trump’s first broadcast network sit-down interview since leaving office.

Independent sell-side company Magnite struck a global partnership with Scope3 to make carbon emissions data available across its online video, display and mobile inventory. “Digital advertising is inherently an energy-intensive business given the high level of data processing required,” said Sean Buckley, Chief Revenue Officer at Magnite. “We recognize and seek to minimize our environmental impact as the largest independent SSP and want to help our clients do the same.”

For insights on how to reach sustainability goals, you’ll want to check out this panel at the Cynopsis Big TV Conference, less than two weeks away!

Young generations still watch local news. That’s one of the findings in a report from TVREV. According to “Local TV: Perils and Promise in the Age of Streaming,” while 55% of those aged 25-34 report never, or hardly ever watching, a significant 21% of this Millennial/Gen Z cohort watch local broadcast every day, and another 14% tune in a few times a week. Two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials stream local news across various platforms, but 28% of 25–34-year-olds would be “very or fairly upset’ if they could only find their local broadcast stations on streaming platforms. Contrary to popular belief, local TV viewership does not vary significantly by income level – viewers across all income brackets reported that between 39% and 44% of them watch local TV daily. “In a digital age dominated by global platforms, the survey underscores the irreplaceable power of local outlets,” said one of the report’s authors, Evan Shapiro of ESHAP. “In the new streaming era, it’s good to think globally, but increasingly, for publishers and advertisers, it’s crucial to act locally.”

Warner Bros Discovery U.S. Hispanic is adding CNN en Español to its portfolio, which includes Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia and Hogar de HGTV. “We’re not just adding a remarkable and well-respected brand, we’re paving the way for very unique cross-network advertising opportunities,” said David Tardio, VP of Advertising Sales at Warner Bros. Discovery US Hispanic. “We can now offer bigger, better, and more diversified content tailored to our unique audience. This move undoubtedly bolsters our position in the industry.”

Spectrum announced the Durango Arts Center will receive $10,000 through the 2022-2023 Stand for The Arts Awards, a partnership with Ovation TV that recognizes local arts, cultural and educational organizations and programs.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Fox has renewed “LEGO Masters” for a fifth go-round, to premiere in the 2024-2025 season. Will Arnett is returning as host and executive producer, and Brickmasters Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard will be back as judges. “’LEGO Masters’ has become a foundational property of FOX’s robust unscripted slate and a fast-growing franchise on our schedule,” said Allison Wallach, President, Unscripted Programming, FOX Entertainment. “This upcoming season is its biggest yet, with the most amazing brick challenges and creative builders ever.”

Strong Global Entertainment has acquired Unbounded Media Corporation. UMC will operate under SGE’s production and distribution arm, Strong Studios, headed by David Ozer.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Among the celebs set to cha-cha in season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” are Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”), Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”), singer Jason Mraz, Alyson Hannigan (“How I Met Your Mother”) and comedian Matt Walsh. Premiere date: Tuesday, September 26 at 8p.

“The Surreal Life” has also set its new cast. MTV announced the season eight of the reality show, set to start production this month, will include singers Macy Gray and Ally Brooke, actor (and son of Tom) Chet Hanks, actor/rapper O.T. Genasis, reality star Kim Zolciak, Olympian Johnny Weir, and model Josie Conseco.

Singer Rita Ora is joining Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Robin Thicke as a panelist on season eleven of Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” arriving in 2024. Ora is swapping places with Nicole Scherzinger, who will join the panel on the show’s UK edition as she appears in the West End revival of “Sunset Boulevard.” But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – season ten premieres Wednesday, September 27.

“Skin in the Game with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi” debuts on ESPN+ on Wednesday, September 20. The series, exploring the challenges racial stereotypes in the sports world, was co-produced by ESPN+ Originals and Andscape, in association with Religion of Sports.

Seasons two and three of “Senda Prohibida” premiere Friday, September 15 on ViX. The series is based on the 1958 Mexican telenovela of the same name.

“My Son Jeffrey: The Dahmer Family Tapes” starts streaming Monday, September 18 on FOX Nation. The four-part series features never-before-heard conversations between serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and his father Lionel, along with exclusive Dahmer family home movies.

Season four of Apple TV+ space drama “For All Mankind” takes off Friday, November 10. The action starts in 2003, as the focus of the space program turns to mining mineral-rich asteroids.

Nacho Lozano has joined Telemundo’s “La Casa de los Famosos,” slated to premiere in early 2024. The Mexican host and journalist returns to Telemundo to join Jimena Gállego for season four of the reality show.

Fox’s new animated comedy “Krapopolis” has a stellar cast of guest stars, among them Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, Joel McHale, Dave Franco, Yvette Nicole Brown, Will Forte, Jane Lynch, Daveed Diggs and Steve Buscemi. The series from Dan Harmon (“Rick and Morty”), telling the story of a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters, premieres Sunday, September 24.

Season two of Acorn TV’s “Harry Wild” launches Monday, October 9. The Irish mystery thriller stars Jane Seymor.

Streaming service In the Black Network (ITBN) is debuting “Crowned,” hosted by Vivica A. Fox, Syleena Johnson, Chanel Nicole Scott and Kendra G., on Monday, October 2, the day of ITBN’s official launch. “Crowned” will air weekly on Mondays.

ADVERTISING BY THE NUMBERS

Consumers find streaming TV ads more helpful than mobile ads for informing holiday purchases (39% streaming, 28% mobile), reflecting a 2.3X increase compared to the prior year, according to LG Ad Solutions new Holiday Shopping study. Streaming also ranks as the number one method for watching holiday content, with 54% doing so during the season. “This Holiday Shopping research shows the continued rise of streaming as the dominant method for holiday TV viewing and indicates that streaming ads are now for the first time more influential for informing holiday purchases than mobile ads,” said Tony Marlow, CMO at LG Ad Solutions. “Interestingly, the vast majority of people do some type of online holiday shopping while watching TV and despite some headlines suggesting continued economic uncertainty, more than three quarters of Americans intend to spend the same or more this year on holiday purchases compared to last year.”

Despite the industry’s ongoing concerns around privacy and ad fatigue, consumers are watching video ads and they are willing to exchange data for access to video content, according to a survey from Connetix. Key takeaways from Consumers Are Watching: Here’s How They Want Their Video Ads include:
* 46% of survey respondents reported spending more than 10 minutes up to an hour a day consuming video, with 27% reporting that they spend more than an hour watching.
* 75% made at least one purchase as a result of watching a video ad within the last year.
* 49% of consumers are willing to share information regarding their age and gender identity to access desired video content.
* 24% of respondents would be willing to disclose more personal information, such as size of family, height, weight, and address, to access desired video content.

RMN ad buyers are projected to increase spend by 11% year-over-year in 2023, according to a new IAB report, Retail Media 2023: Operational Strategies to Meet the Growth Potential. To fund increased RMN investment, 62% are reallocating funds from across digital platforms, including social, search, and digital video/CTV while more 36% are reallocating funds from linear TV, print, and out-of-home. Sixty-two percent cited the lack of measurement standards as a top challenge to continued growth, followed by nearly 60% wanting greater transparency.

TECH

Locality has expanded its partnership with FreeWheel to offer the ability to better plan, forecast, activate and report on local audience activations across streaming television inventory. “Going targeted, at scale, is a must-have and a critical advantage in local advertising,” said Keith Kazerman, President of Streaming at Locality. “FreeWheel’s technology gives us unparalleled access to reach across local markets. It is our intent that this collaboration further demonstrates our commitment to unlocking the tremendous power of local and driving dollars to local video providers nationwide.”

OOH company Talon has formed a strategic North American partnership with Mediaplus to develop and execute data-driven, creative, and measurable OOH campaigns for advertisers. “OOH remains a strategically essential medium for our clients to create real-world and human connections with their audiences and drive brand and business outcomes,” said Tamara Alesi, CEO of Mediaplus North America. “With this partnership, we are advancing our clients’ access to a highly evolved, digitized, and innovative offering enabling differentiation of their brands.”

Vistar Media, provider of programmatic technology for DOOH, announced their ‘countdown’ dynamic creative capability to create urgency for tentpole events by including real-time countdowns embedded in DOOH creative. “Centering creatives on countdowns or count-ups is an excellent way to create anticipation and drive action around time-sensitive events, product releases or other tentpole moments,” said Leslie Lee, SVP of Marketing at Vistar Media. “Whether you’re promoting the eagerly-awaited launch of a new consumer electronic device, the playoffs for a professional sports league, or anything in between, embedding a real-time countdown in DOOH creative is an incredibly engaging way to remind consumers about the forthcoming launch, release or event in the real world.”

Programmatic consultancy AI Digital has partnered with video advertising platform KERV Interactive to equip advertisers with differentiated capabilities to create and implement interactive and automated campaigns that drive consumer purchase behavior across video and CTV. “As video and CTV channels become increasingly crowded, advertisers are struggling to break through the noise and establish meaningful connections with their target audiences,” said Jay Wolff, CRO of KERV Interactive. “Combining AI Digital’s programmatic and trading expertise with KERV AI’s interactive video advertising technology now gives brands the ability to accelerate business outcomes and drive active attention from their static video assets.”

Ad measurement company iSpot.tv announced the acquisition of measurement and attribution company 605. The deal bolsters iSpot’s measurement solutions for video and TV advertising effectiveness in the areas of business outcome attribution, advanced audience measurement, media planning and data science managed services. “We launched 605 seven years ago with the idea that high-quality data and advanced analytics would make television advertising even more effective,” said Kristin Dolan, founder of 605 and currently the CEO of AMC Networks. “iSpot has built a large and loyal customer base, particularly with large brand advertisers, and is a pioneer in the measurement space. I can’t wait to see the things this powerful combination of technology and talent can achieve.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Crackle Connex has implemented a streamlined integration path between Elemental MediaTailor from Amazon Web Services and Amazon Publisher Direct, opening up supply to Amazon DSP advertisers across more devices. In addition, CSSE’s Redbox will launch a stand-alone app on Fire TV later this year, expanding the Crackle Connex premium AVOD inventory. Streaming service Crackle will support Amazon’s Interactive Video Ads, enabling Amazon DSP advertisers to activate these ads via Amazon Publisher Direct.

STREAMING

For the first time, Hispanic adults’ streaming time has surpassed 50% of total time spent TV viewing, 13% higher than the general population. That’s according to a new Nielsen report, which notes 61% of Hispanics say streaming is their primary destination for TV, and underscores the importance of representation, the portrayal of values and cultural understanding. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed express a higher inclination to support brands that align with their representation. “The ‘Trust in media – key factor driving shift to streaming’ report is more than a reflection of the current state of media consumption among Hispanics,” said Stacie de Armas, SVP, Diverse Insights and Intelligence at Nielsen. “The report marks a significant milestone in the Hispanic community’s affinity towards viewing platforms, while the insights captured provide an in-depth understanding of the unique authenticity signals and credibility markers that drive choices with media and brands.”

Apple TV+ is scoring the most hits with US and global audiences in terms of having the highest percentage of original shows with demand greater than 2x the market average, according to Parrot Analytics. More than half of Apple TV+ originals (50.8%) generate US demand at or above this level, followed by Paramount+ at 41.4%. While “Stranger Things” is the most in-demand streaming original Parrot Analytics has ever measured, Netflix stands out in the percentage of originals with average demand (0.1x-2x), with 68.5% in the US and 76.6% globally. Netflix’s originals catalog is nearly 12x larger than Apple TV+’s, and nearly 15x higher than Paramount+’s. Streamers with a smaller output – Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock – are doing a better job of releasing series that are resonating with audiences on a per capita basis.

Local Now announced its partnership with CBS, expanding its local news footprint with the launch of 14 FAST channels from CBS Stations. In addition to local news content, Local Now has added to its lineup CBS News Streaming; CBS Sports Golazo Network, a 24/7 streaming channel dedicated to soccer; as well as channels featuring CBS Media Ventures’ Inside Edition; and Dabl.

COMING UP

Telemundo and NBCUniversal are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a campaign that includes activations, special content and programming across the company all month. Telemundo will kick off the next iteration of its bilingual campaign, “Be the Next Story Told” (El Futuro Lo Escribes Tú), a multiplatform initiative honoring and recognizing the culture, spirit, and achievements of Hispanics in the US by inviting Latinos to play a part in shaping their narrative by sharing their stories as inspiration for future generations.

Spectrum marks Hispanic Heritage Month with an On Demand collection of movies available to customers for free and for rent, featuring actors including America Ferrera, Antonio Banderas, Michael Peña, Salma Hayek and Leslie Grace. Spectrum TV customers can find free movies under the National Hispanic Heritage on Demand category.

The second Republican Presidential Primary debate, hosted by FOX Business Network on Wednesday, September 27 at 9p, will be simulcast on FOX News, with additional coverage on FOX News Digital and FOX News Audio. FOX News Media’s Stuart Varney and Dana Perino and Univision’s Ilia Calderón will co-moderate the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

“The Lady Bird Diaries,” from filmmaker Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), premieres Monday, November 13 on Hulu. The documentary features audio from the 123 hours of personal diaries Lady Bird Johnson began recording after JFK’s assassination and continued throughout her husband’s administration.

Feature-length documentary “Milli Vanilli” premieres on Paramount+ on Tuesday, October 24. The film debuted at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Nickelodeon announced the return of its global Worldwide Day of Play campaign, in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums. WWDoP will take place September 30. “Through Worldwide Day of Play, Nickelodeon has fueled a generation who values playing and being active,” said Jean Margaret Smith, SVP, Public Affairs, Nickelodeon.

Two-hour special “Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure” premieres Saturday, September 23 at 8p on Discovery Channel. The documentary follows Ellen DeGeneres as she builds The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. In honor of World Gorilla Day, the special will have an encore presentation on Sunday, September 24 at 10p on Animal Planet and will be available to stream on Max and discovery+.

Netflix stand-up special “Chappelle’s Home Team – Luenell: Town Business” premieres Tuesday, September 26. The special is one of a series of specials produced by Dave Chappelle.

“CMT Crossroads: Hozier & Maren Morris” premieres Friday, September 22 at 10p on CMT, with an encore at 11p and on Saturday, September 23 at 12p.

FOX Nation landed rights to the annual CrimeCon event, taking place in Orlando September 22-24. Twelve presentations from the true crime experience will stream exclusively to FOX Nation subscribers.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

“Thursday Night Football” viewers on NBC were 64% more likely to engage online with the brands advertised than viewers of the average ad during primetime broadcast, according to data from EDO. “Sunday Night Football” viewers on NBC were 24% more likely. The top 5 brands advertised by engagement were YouTube TV; Hyundai; Toyota; Subway; and DraftKings.

GOING GLOBAL

Paramount+ in Canada and the Black Screen Office are partnering to support the Black Creators Festival Initiative, a platform for Black Canadian content creators. The initiative enhances its ability to support selected participants by providing festival accreditation, travel and accommodation assistance, and pre-festival guidance to empower creators during industry events.

Banijay Nordic struck two deals for factual entertainment format “Portrait Artist of the Year.” In Norway, Nordisk Banijay is producing a first season for NRK, and in Denmark, Mastiff Denmark will bring the show back to DR1 after a year-long hiatus.

Fremantle has acquired the global distribution rights for feature documentary “Sisters Interrupted,” telling the story of two sisters and the hidden world of epilepsy.

Synamedia announced that Asia Pacific broadcaster GMA Network has deployed PowerVu to move distribution of its global GMA Pinoy TV service from satellite to the cloud.

“Turbozaurs” started a partnership with Bongo, the VOD streaming platform in Bangladesh. The animated series has already undergone translation into 20 different languages and is available across the globe.

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RATINGS

The CW’s first live ACC college football game delivered 617,000 Total Viewers. The net’s Saturday primetime was up +142% in Total Viewers versus the week prior, and was its most-watched since the network began broadcasting on Saturdays in October 2021. Saturday’s game ranks as CW’s #2 original series in A18-49 this season, behind “All American.”

The “VMA Awards” on MTV were the highest-rated in three years among A18-49, with a rating of 1.03, according to early Nielsen numbers – up 77% from last year. Among A18-34 the show hit a rating of 1.14, the best since 2019. The show drew 865,00 total viewers, up 37% from 2022.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Premion has named Al Behmoiras as Head of Political Sales. Behmoiras joins from Freewheel, where he served as North American Head of Sales, Demand Ad Tech.

Sezin Cavusoglu has been promoted from VP to SVP, Unscripted Current Production at NBCUniversal.

Marc McCollum has joined Raptive as EVP, Innovation. He joins from Red Ventures, where was President of Media and Commerce.

This Day in History
1812 – The Great Fire of Moscow began, as Napoleon approached the city and retreating Russians burned it.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which series featured recurring cast members Griffin Dunne, Mo Gaffney and Wanda Sykes? “House of Lies” (2012-16). Kudos to: Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford, CT; Marni C. Gold/Hawthorne, NJ; Craig Kallin/Orlando; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Andy Ehlen-Grady Britton/Portland, OR

Today’s Trivia Question
Which drama series, based on a 2012 novel, premiered in 2019 and was canceled after one season? (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