09/21/17: Sean Penn onboard new Hulu series

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
Cheers to the Winners of the Kids !magination Awards!
Sponsored by Universal Kids
 
Cynopsis Kids honored the year’s best in children’s, tween and family content at the 6th Annual Kids !magination Awards during a breakfast and networking reception September 19 in NY. In addition to our 2017 finalists, Cynopsis Kids honored three Luminary Award winners. 
 
 
PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
 
CBS gave a 13-episode series production commitment to a new scripted drama from Dick Wolf. F.B.I. (wt), a co-production of Universal Television and CBS Television Studios, will focus on the inner workings of the New York office of  the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Wolf, Craig Turk (The Good Wife), Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski will serve as executive producers, while Turk will serve as showrunner and is writing the pilot episode. Uber-producer Wolf has his  hands full, with 5 dramas on NBC, as well as nonfiction Cold Justice and Criminal Confessions on Oxygen and Nightwatch on A&E.
 
CBS also gave a pilot production commitment to I Mom So Hard, a comedy from Michelle Nader (2 Broke Girls) and Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars), based on the web series. Warner Bros. Television is producing.
 
A spin-off of Riverdale is in development at The CW. Based on the Archie Comics character, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina would offer a decidedly darker take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch than Melissa Joan Hart’s sunny portrayal in that 1996-2003 series, which  migrated from ABC to The WB during its run.
 
Global indie studio Propagate Content and Charles Wachter are teaming to launch a new production company, Hard Twenty. Based in LA and Toronto, Hard Twenty is the first production company to launch under the Propagate umbrella.  Propagate and Hard Twenty have an exclusive co-production agreement, with Propagate retaining all international distribution rights for content developed by Hard Twenty. Wachter will serve as Founder and President.
 
A fifth Game of Thrones prequel is being written by Thrones co-exec producer Bryan Cogman, reports EW. Cogman worked closely with author George R.R. Martin to develop the project. None of the prequels in development are done deals, and none would air until the end of GoT’s final season in late 2018 or 2019.
 
Sony Pictures Television acquired a minority stake in Stolen Picture (Slaughterhouse Rulez), and struck an exclusive distribution deal with the UK-based company. Bad Wolf’s Miles Kentley has been named CEO of Stolen Picture. 
 
Australian comedy Rosehaven is making the move to the U.S., debuting on SundanceTV September 27. Writers and stars Luke McGregor and Celia Pacquola talk about drawing laughs from their own lives, and what it’s like to have a series in the States versus international, in the latest Cynsiders.
 
An untitled comedy from Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black), Leslye Headland (Bachelorette) and Amy Poehler scored a straight to series order from Netflix. Comedy centers on a woman (Lyonne) on her way to a party in NYC.
 

NEW & RETURNING SERIES
 
OWN’s Queen Sugar is getting the royal treatment with a 2-night season premiere Tuesday, October 3 and Wednesday, October 4 at 10p. The series’ regular timeslot is Wednesdays at 10p.
 
A new season of DYI home renovation show Texas Flip N Move launches Friday, October 6 at 9p. During the season, new flipping teams go Texas big to transform houses.
 
Families from Long Island, Rockland, Connecticut and New Jersey will join home improvement guru George Oliphant in season 8 of George to the Rescue. Series premieres on NBC stations on Saturday, September 23 (check local listings). 
 
Nonfiction limited series The Eleven, following investigators as they re-examine the murders of eleven teenagers after discovering a confession letter, launches with back-to-back episodes Thursday, October 19 at 9p on A&E. New episodes will continue in the 10p timeslot the following week and for the remainder of the series.
 
The 6th Annual Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards drew SNL’s Kenan Thompson, a fabulous kids musical quintet, 3 Luminary Award winners and, of course, some of the shining-est stars in the kids content business. Among the winners was Music Together Worldwide for their Helllo Everybody mobile app. “We’re thrilled to be honored with a Cynopsis Kids !magination Award,” said director of global marketing Mary Beth Weil. “It’s our mission to make the world a better place by making it more musical, and our app helps us do that by making it fun and easy to play with our music. We’re grateful to be recognized alongside the other incredible nominees. Thank you, Cynopsis!” For a complete list of winners and honorable mentions, go here.
 
Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap) will help unwrap some of the mysteries behind what we eat in a new season of Cooking Channel’s Food: Fact or Fiction?, premiering Sunday, October 22 at 10p. “Three years ago, my only questions about food were ‘What time’s dinner?’ and ‘Who ate all the leftover chili?'” said Michael McKean. “Now I’m able to expound upon some tantalizing mysteries and myths regarding what we eat, where it came from, why it’s good for us, and most importantly, when dinner is. Still no word on who polished off the chili.”
 
COMING UP
 
American Heroes Channel special Unabomber: 20 Years of Terror premieres Sunday, September 24 at 10p, examining the 18-year, dogged pursuit of killer Theodore John Kaczynski.
 
Katherine McPhee (Scorpion) plays The Lost Wife of Robert Durst in the Lifetime movie about the real estate tycoon’s missing spouse, debuting Saturday, November 4 at 8p.
 
 
SOCIAL GOOD
 
UN Environment and Discovery Communications are partnering to create and distribute original content about the natural world and conservation. “Telling the most important stories about our natural world is part of Discovery’s DNA, and shining a light on what we can do to protect our planet is core to who we are as a purpose-driven company,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO, Discovery Communications. Content will be distributed through linear, digital and social media channels from Discovery and the United Nations.
 
Also at Discovery Comm., donations raised through Project C.A.T.’s Global Tiger Day will help fund protection of endangered tigers in a 988,422 acre reserve in India. Launched in July, the campaign drew donations from corporate partners as well as individuals in 58 countries.
 
TLC is hosting its first Give a Little Awards, an extension of its “Give a Little TLC” campaign dedicated to empowering viewers to make a difference by giving time, support and compassion to others. The awards ceremony, in partnership with Redbook Magazine and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, takes place September 27 in LA.
 
 
ADVERTISING
 
Insurance company Aflac has signed on as sponsor of Disney XD’s recently revived animated series DuckTales. The deal includes a co-branded commercial featuring an animated version of the Aflac duck, set in the world of DuckTales (ha!). The 30-second spot premieres today at 7a during Good Morning America.  
 
What do advertisers want from upfronts presentations? Not a shorter line at the bar. (Or maybe that, too.) According to a survey by Advertiser Perceptions, 36% of respondents expressed a desire for “better ways for advertising effectiveness” and “cross-platform measurement.” They’re also interested in hearing more about viewability (31%) and brand safety (30%). For more on the subject, look for Cynopsis’ Advertising Week daily afternoon editions, starting Monday.
 
 
VIDEOS IN SHORT
 
Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) will guest in an episode of animated short series Explosion Jones. The show, from El Rey Network Studios, is available on go90.
 
A new season of Aspire web series The Graduates, The Graduates ATL, will premiere inside the net’s coverage of HBCU football games, starting Saturday, September 30 during halftime of the Miles College versus Albany State game at 6p.
 
 
CASTING
 
Sam Waterston, who spent 16 seasons on NBC’s Law & Order, will reprise his role as Jack McCoy in a guest spot on Law & Order: SVU later this season.
 
Nora Arnezeder (Mozart in the Jungle), Gabriel Byrne (Usual Suspects), Justin Chatwin (Shameless), Tomiwa Edun (Bates Motel) and Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad) have been cast in upcoming Crackle thriller In the Cloud….Bryant Tardy (Logan) landed a series regular role in TNT drama pilot Deadlier Than the Male (wt)….Alex Meneses (Telenovela) will recur on season 4 of the CW’s Jane the Virgin.
 
 
DIGITAL DATA
 
Fox is premiering new comedy Ghosted on Twitter, with the first episode streaming nightly at 9p, tonight through September 24, followed by a Twitter Q&A with cast members. Linear premiere is October 1. A pre-show for Fox’s Empire will also stream on Twitter, on Wednesdays at 7:30p ahead of the drama’s new 8p time slot. “With so much competition out there, it’s more important than ever to create innovative ways to promote our shows and connect directly to our viewers,” said Shannon Ryan, chief marketing officer of Fox Television Group.
 
For the first time, all 194 of the1998-2006 episodes of Will & Grace are available to stream and on demand, on the NBC app, Hulu and via satellite, cable and telco pay TV providers. “To be able to bring such an iconic show into the streaming universe for the first time ever is an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” said Joel Stillerman, Chief Content Officer, Hulu. “This landmark deal will allow fans to re-watch their favorite moments ahead of the series premiere, as well as bring Will & Grace and its cast of characters to a whole new audience.” When the revived W&G begins its 16-episode run on Thursday, September 28, new episodes will also be available to stream. Comcast, which owns NBC, is a co-owner of Hulu.

 

Listen up: Comedy Central has launched a global podcast network. The Jim Jefferies Show Podcast kicked things off yesterday, available on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and Stitcher. Among shows to come are The Daily Show, the Comedy Central Roast franchise and CC: Stand-up.
 
TCM is expanding its Noir Alley franchise with immersive brand extensions including a virtual experience. Seven-episode online feature Noir Alley: 360 Degrees of Noir will give fans a chance to search for clues, meet new characters and try to figure out who the culprit is.
 
 
GOING GLOBAL
 
DCD Rights added thriller Romper Stomper and season 2 of legal drama Striking Out to its scripted slate ahead of MIPCOM.
 
KABO International secured worldwide distribution rights (outside of Canada and France) to hospital ER documentary series On Duty 24/7 and true crime docu-series Solved! Forensic Police Files, both produced by Canada’s Avanti Cine Video.
 
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
Save the Date
Cynopsis Digital’s Model D & “It List” Awards
 
The  Cynopsis Model D Awards   brings together innovators and creators at the forefront of online video, elevating the industry with their contributions to branded content, technology, ad campaigns and original content. We’ll also be celebrating our honorees who will be named to the  Cynopsis Digital “It List” , recognizing digital media’s movers and shakers.
 
“It List” Honorees and Model D Finalists will be announced soon – Stay tuned!
 
RATINGS
 
Tuesday’s America’s Got Talent delivered 14.3 million viewers and a 3.0/12 rating among A18-49, the NBC show’s most-watched telecast in 6 years and highest-rated in 3.
 
During the week of September 4, syndicated Live with Kelly and Ryan kicked off the new season with a new 14-week high in Households and 16-week high in W25-54. In addition, Live drew its largest overall audience in 18 weeks, since the debut week of Ryan Seacrest as co-host. Dr. Phil, still in repeats, remained the top talker and rose 11% from last year, while Ellen DeGeneres rose 40% over the prior week’s reruns to hit 2.1.
 
Top 12 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 9/4/17 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Judge Judy (CTD) 6.5 AA
Family Feud (2/T) 6.0 AA 
Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.4 AA
Jeopardy (CTD) 5.1 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 4.7 AA
Dr. Phil (CTD) 3.0 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 2.9 AA
Inside Edition (CTD) 2.7 AA
Modern Family (2/T) 2.7 AA
Live With Kelly & Ryan (DAD) 2.2AA
Hot Bench (CTD) 2.2
Two And A Half Men (WB) 2.2 AA
 
Top 11 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 9/4/17 ranked in order by A18-49 Rtg
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 2.0 AA
Family Feud (2/T) 1.6 AA 
Judge Judy (CTD) 1.4 AA
Modern Family (2/T) 1.4 AA
Family Guy (2/T) 1.2 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 1.1 AA
Jeopardy (CTD) 0.9 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 0.8 AA
Two And A Half Men (WB) 0.8 AA
The Cleveland Show (2/T) 0.7 AA
Dr. Phil Show (CTD) 0.7AA
 
NIELSEN SOCIAL CONTENT RATINGS: Top Series and Specials by Total Interactions for the week of September 11, 2017
Program, Total Interactions (000), Facebook (000), Twitter (000)
Primetime Emmy Awards (CBS) 5973, 1964, 4009
Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief (TV event) 803, 363, 440
Big Brother (CBS) 470, 162, 308
Big Brother (CBS) 359, 185, 174
WWE Monday Night RAW (USA) 340, 155, 185
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) 326, 65, 261
11th Annual ACM Honors (CBS) 312, 273, 39
Bachelor in Paradise (ABC) 287, 38, 249
Teen Wolf (MTV) 254, 16, 238
WWE SmackDown! (USA) 250, 73, 177
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.
 
Top 10 U.S. Primetime Shows Video Power Index: Week of September 11, 2017
Teen Wolf (MTV) 3081, 1.5M, 885K, 4.4M
American Horror Story (FX) 1124, 439K, 1.2M, 1.2M
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) 570, 96K, 1.7M, 403K
Outlander (Starz) 417, 163K, 3M, 560K
Tucker Carlson Tonight (Fox News) 332, 74K, 1.5M, 74K
America’s Got Talent (NBC) 290, 623K, 23.9M, 1.6M
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) 251, 273K, 6.2M, 338K
Life of Kylie (E!) 240, 282K, 1.9M, 301K
Impractical Jokers (truTV) 226, 101K, 3.4M, 117K
Cake Boss (TLC) 212, 41K, 3.1M, 42K
Based on Shareablee’s Video Power Index, which combines viewing, consumer interactions and audience scale across all active platforms and includes the video performance of primetime TV shows.

 

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions): Tuesday, September 19, 2017 time period averages
Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD

 

NBC: 11.41 million
America’s Got Talent 14.70, The Paley Center Salutes the Best of Will & Grace
CBS: 5.93 million
NCIS 6.60, Bull 5.55, NCIS: New Orleans 5.65
ABC: 2.29 million
The Middle 3.27, Fresh Off the Boat 2.26, black-ish 2.21, black-ish 2.24, Somewhere Between 1.88
4.85
FOX: 1.79 million
Lethal Weapon 1.95, The Orville 1.62
UNIVISION: 1.49 million
Primer Impacto 1.85, Terremoto en Mexico 1.39, Terremoto en Mexico 1.24
TELEMUNDO: 1.12 million
Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio 1.00, Sin Senos si Hay Paraiso 1.12, El Senor de los Cielos 1.25
CW: .66 million
The Flash .69, Legends of Tomorrow .62
 
Tuesday A18-49 Rating: NBC 2.4/10, UNI .9/4, TELE .7/3, CBS .6/3, ABC .6/3, FOX .5/3, CW .2/1
 
 
EXECUTIVE MOVES
 
Otto Bell was elevated to the position of Chief Creative Officer for CNN’s Courageous, where he will continue to lead CNN’s brand studio. Before joining Turner to launch Courageous, Bell was the Creative Director and a founding member of OgilvyEntertainment.
 
National Geographic Channels tapped Christian Drobnyk to serve as Executive Vice President, Programming Strategy and Acquisitions. Drobnyk joins from A+E Networks, where he was SVP, Programming, Strategy, Acquisitions.
 
Abbey MacDonald has been promoted to Vice President of Original Programing for Katz Networks’ Bounce, Escape, Grit and Laff. MacDonald joined Katz in 2015 as Director of Comedy Acquisitions for Laff.
 
Neha Tiwari has joined Fandom as Vice President of Video Strategy and Operations. Tiwari had served as Strategic Partnerships and Programming Manager at YouTube.
 
Cross MediaWorks has expanded its executive team with the addition of Paul Alfieri as CMO, Cross MediaWorks and Madhusudhan Reddy as SVP, Head of Engineering, Cadent. Previously, Alfieri was the SVP of Worldwide Marketing for the Turn Platform, and Reddy was VP of Global Engineering at Nielsen.
 
fuboTV appointed Yale Wang as Vice President, Head of North American Marketing. Most recently, Wang was VP and Head of Marketing for OTT network DramaFever.
 

This Day in History: 1938 – A hurricane walloped parts of New York and New England, claiming over 600 lives.
 
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question:  What magazine appeared in Josh’s in box with his face on the cover, during the pilot episode of The West Wing (1999-2006)? George. Kudos to: Holly Hearn-H2 Concierge Marketing/Sarasota, FL, Beth Krinock-Discovery/NYC, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Gretchen Brady-KTVT/Dallas, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank,
 
Today’s Trivia Question: Which actress starred as a waitress and a ghost in 2 1980s-era sitcoms? (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 Yesterday’s Switcheroo: Diane Cunningham = Edie Falco played Diane Whittlesey on Oz and Celeste Cunningham on 30 Rock. Kudos to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
 
Reality Show Anagram: How Hippo Purging (Email [email protected]; first three respondents with the correct answer who aren’t in trivia will be posted in tomorrow’s newsletter.)
 
Lynn Leahey
Editorial Director
@Lynn_Leahey
Roberta Caploe
Publisher
@robertacaploe 		Diane K Schwartz
Senior Vice President
Media Communications Group		 Cynopsis Ad Sales
Mike Farina | 203-218-6480
VP, Sales		 Cynopsis Job Listings Sales
Trish Pihonak | 203-899-8459
Director of Operations
CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, please visit Cynopsis.com
JOB OPENING: DIR, DIGITAL ANALYTICS/A+E Networks/NY: Oversee reporting & analysis for A+E Networks’ portfolio, drive growth in Digital business by delivering recommendations that influence content, prod. & distribution strategy across the organization.  Full Info/Apply HERE (9/28)
JOB OPENING: SALES ASSOCIATE PROGRAM/NBCU/NYC: Accelerated development exp for early-career sales professionals. This highly competitive program identifies outstanding aspiring media sales professionals who bring diverse backgrounds to the org. Min 1-5 yrs exp work exp, sales related pref’d. Full info: HERE (9/28)
 
JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER, AD SALES/Outdoor Channel/CHI: 2 yrs exp. sales asst or media plan’r/buyer. Resp for dvlpmnt/fulfillment of integrated media plans, all platforms. Monitor/steward accounts, support Account Execs w/mktg, rsrch projects. Solid understanding of media math. Wide Orit exp a +. Full info/apply HERE (9/28)

JOB OPENING:

DIGITAL ACCOUNT MANAGER/FOX/Chicago: Ownership of post-sale client relationship. Responsible for creation of all proposals/media plans. 2-5 years’ operating in an Agency- Account Management role. Digital Advertising experience preferred. Full info/apply HERE (9/27)

JOB OPENING:

MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS/NBCU NBC Owned Stations/NYC: Responsible for managing various systems, tools and processes to support traffic, sales, research, finance & mktg users across our division. 2+ yrs at a station, similar sales operations function, or a related vendor role. Full info/apply HERE (9/26)

JOB OPENING:

DIGITAL SPECIALIST/NYRA/NYC: Act as primary web editor for daily updates. Maint both NYRA.com & BelmontStakes.com. Asst Social Media team w/mngmnt of social media channels. BA deg & 2-4 yrs work exp req’d. Exp w/CMS Sys, SEO, SEM, basic HTML, Photoshop, InDesign & Illustrator. Full info/apply HERE (9/23)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER/ASPIRE TV/ATL: Dev. content strategy across digital platforms; understanding of digitl analysis; exp. w/using digitl platforms to drive brand awareness; 4+ yrs strategic content plning & exec.; prof. w/Google Analytics, Photoshp, WordPress. Res: HERE (9/23)

 

JOB OPENING: AD SALES PLANNER/Baby First TV/NY: Reports to AE & EVP Ad Sales. Home office flexibility. 2-3 Years Direct Response experience required. Detailed & organized. Entrepreneurial environment. Must have Excel experience. Reply to [email protected] (9/23)


JOB OPENING: MGR SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT/REELZ/Albuquerque: Develop, execute and report social media marketing campaigns for national television network. Engage fans. Relocation offered to Albuquerque, NM. 2 years social media marketing exp. Apply: HERE (9/22)

JOB OPENING: SR ANLYST RESEARCH & ANALYTICS/SPE/NY: Consumer/Industry/Program insights for SPT Research; supports sales, production and distribution across all platforms of television: Network, Cable, SVOD & Synd. Exp. In TV Research, Nielsen & MS systems. Resume & cover HERE (9/22)

 

JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLANNER/RPM/NYC: Dvlp overall mktg campaign objectives/strategy along w/internal team members. Monitor, analyze & optimize campaign performance and synthesize into client-facing reporting. 3+ yrs media plan’g exp & digital media planning exp req’d. Client mngmnt exp a +. Resume/cvr HERE (9/22)
 
WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – Thursday September 21
ABC: Grey’s Anatomy [r], Scandal [r], How to Get Away With Murder [r]
CBS: The Big Bang Theory [r, Mom [r], The Big Bang Theory [r], Mom [r], Zoo
CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Who’s Line Is it Anway?, Who’s Line Is it Anyway? [r]
FOX: Gotham [ p ] , The Orville
NBC: American Ninja Warrior [r], Chicago Fire [r]
PBS: The Vietnam War, The Vietnam War [r]
Telemundo: Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio, Sin senos si Hay Paraiso, El Senor de los Cielos
Univision: Enamorandome de Ramon, Mi Marido Tiene Familia, Hoy Voy a Cambiar
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