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Today’s Premieres
BET: Tyler Perry’s Sistas at 9p
Disney+: Big Shot
MTV: The Challenge at 8p; Love at First Lie at 9:30p
Netflix: Wild Croc Territory; Belascoaran, PI; The Nutty Boy; Easy-Bake Battle: The Home Cooking Competition
Peacock: I Love You, You Hate Me
Smithsonian Channel: Great Lakes Untamed at 8p

Today’s Finales
HGTV: Farmhouse Fixer at 9p
PBS: Rivers of Life at 8p
TLC: Baby Surgeons: Delivering Miracles at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Chris Albrecht, President of Legendary Television and former Chairman of HBO, has been placed on a leave of absence, according to a company spokesperson. The move comes as forthcoming book It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO offers new details about a 1991 incident in which Albrecht choked, then allegedly disparaged a staffer, who left following a settlement brokered by HBO. “After more than 30 years an old, flawed story is now being refurbished and recycled for the sake of sales,” said Albrecht in a statement. “I have sincerely apologized to those whom I offended with disrespect and utterly unacceptable behavior. But that doesn’t sell books or generate media attention.” The book comes out November 1.

Angela Lansbury, beloved star of the stage, film and television, died October 11 at age 96. The five-time Tony winner was best known to TV audiences for her 1985-96 role as Jessica Fletcher on “Murder, She Wrote.” “She, my darlings, was EVERYTHING,” tweeted Harvey Fierstein. Jason Alexander remembered Lansbury as “one of the most versatile, talented, graceful, kind, witty, wise, classy ladies I’ve ever met.”

As more companies are entering the media measurement fray, Nielsen Holdings has completed its sale to private equity investors led byElliott Investment Management and Brookfield Business, in a deal valued at $16 billion. “Nielsen created the blueprint for audience measurement, and we believe it is in the best position to be the leader in measurement for the streaming era and to continue to provide value for the new media ecosystem,” said Senior Portfolio Manager Marc Steinberg and Senior Managing Director Isaac Kim on behalf of Elliott and Evergreen.

Showtime’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth” will end after one season. While Showtime considered continuing with the adaptation of the 1963 novel and 1976 film, the network “ultimately decided to embrace it as a one season story well told.”

H-commerce, the fusion of online and offline shopping, is the gold standard in modern day shopping, according to “Brand Disruption 2023: The IAB Annual Report on the Evolving Consumer Ecosystem.” Brands and retailers should ensure they are connecting the technological convenience of digital with the tactile nature of a physical presence, advises the report. Other insights include:
· The seismic shift in consumer and brand interest driving the Creator Economy is redefining what consumers watch, how advertising is executed, and how consumer products are born. Brands and retailers should embrace a mix of creator-driven and professionally-produced content.
· Beyond the hype, the metaverse will be a shopping medium. Brands and retailers should be testing its potential now and building plans to prepare for the shoppers who will be appearing at their virtual stores.
· Privacy legislation is increasingly threatening businesses both large and small. Successful companies are those that utilize tools and technology to recoup signal loss in a privacy-compliant manner.

Two weeks into its freshman season, Food Network’s “Bobby’s Triple Threat” has been renewed for round two, slated for 2023. “Our viewers embraced ‘Bobby’s Triple Threat’ right away – from episode one, we knew they loved seeing Bobby in a new master-of-ceremonies role showcasing chefs that he is passionate about,” said Jane Latman, President of Home and Food Content and Streaming for Warner Bros. Discovery. “The speakeasy vibe and elite cooking rounds make this show a unique experience that our audience wants more of.” The cooking competition, starring celebrity chef Bobby Flay, is the network’s highest-rated new launch.

Deadline in three days: Cynopsis is producing our annual Holiday Programming Guide, which comes out on November 2 and will be sent to all Cynopsis subscribers. If your network has holiday programming airing from November 2 through January 1, please send your listing to [email protected] and [email protected] no later October 15 with the subject line: Holiday Guide. To be included, programs must be listed by date, title of program, and start times, in the following format: “Thursday, November 19: Network Name: My One Christmas Wish at 9a, Paper Angels at 11a, 12 Days of Giving at 1p”. Holiday-related programs only! A confirmation email will be sent following each submission (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).

Less than 7% of Gen Zers and Millennials did not recall seeing any LGBTQ+ advertising this year, compared to nearly 20% in 2021, according to a report looking at consumer experiences with LGBTQ+ advertising and brand commitments, from DISQO and Do The WeRQ, in partnership with Omnicom. Other key findings include:
· Only 52% agreed that LGBTQ+ ads were authentic; 64% of LGBTQ+ people agreed with authenticity, while only 49% of non-LGBTQ+ felt the same.
· 85% consider a brand’s social or political activities when making purchases.
58% of GenZers and Millennials have not bought from a brand because they disagree with their stance on an issue; 50% went out of their way to buy a product because the brand supported an issue important to them.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Wiip won a bidding war to option The Memo, the forthcoming novel co-written by Wall Street Journal reporters Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling about a woman given the chance to go back in time and fix her worst mistakes. The story will be developed for television in collaboration with Lean Machine.

Nielsen’s Gracenote has debuted Gracenote Studio Solutions, a portfolio of offerings designed to help Hollywood streamline content operations and optimize internal processes. Gracenote Studio Solutions is anchored by Studio System, the entertainment industry resource for data and business intelligence that enables subscribers to track producers, directors, writers, actors, agents and below-the-line talent and monitor film, TV and digital projects from planning through post-production.

Production is underway on season three of CBC’s “Race Against the Tide.” The sand sculpting competition series has a new format that “takes the series concept to a whole new level,” promises producer marblemedia.

BET+ has acquired animated superhero series “Trill League,” an adaptation of Anthony Piper’s webcomic, to develop as a series. The project, from G-Unit Film & Television, was first in development at Quibi.

Cartuna and Campanario Entertainment are teaming with Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez to develop an adult-animated series inspired by the life and career of the Mexican sports star and four-division boxing world champion. The project is currently in development and will be shopped to networks and streamers later this year. “Telling Latino stories that resonate with global audiences has always been at the center of Campanario’s goals,” said Jaime Dávila, President and Co-Founder of Campanario Entertainment. “To have the opportunity to tell Canelo Álvarez’s story with the help of Erick Galindo, another one-of-a-kind Mexican and esteemed writer, is an incredible honor for us.”

Joining the season seven cast of Starz drama “Outlander,” now filming in Scotland, are Gloria Obianyo (“Dune”); Rod Hallett (“The Last Kingdom”); Chris Fulton (“Bridgerton”); Diarmaid Murtagh (“Vikings”); and Kristin Atherton (“Shakespeare & Hathaway”). Graham McTavish, Nell Hudson, Steven Cree and Lotte Verbeek will reprise their roles.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Taken Hostage: An American Experience Special” follows the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 American diplomats, Marines and civilians were taken hostage at the American Embassy in Tehran. The two-part documentary premieres November 14-15 at 9p on PBS (check local listings).

Tomorrow, October 13 comes the launch of ViX+ reality series “La Noche del Diablito,” part of a first-look deal with 3Pas Studios. The show “closely explores taboo topics in a curious and fun way,” says the streamer.

TLC reality show “Little People, Big World” returns for a new season on Tuesday, November 1 at 9p.

COMING UP

Animated short film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” based on the best-selling book of the same, will be coming to Apple TV+ on Christmas Day. The film is presented in partnership with the BBC.

Halloween classic “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” kicks off Apple TV+’s holiday fare, streaming for free from Friday, October 28-Monday, October 31. Apple TV became the home for Peanuts productions in 2020.

The CW explores the life and legacy of a beloved monarch in new special “Entertainment Tonight Presents Queen Elizabeth II: The Woman Behind the Crown” on Saturday, October15 at 8p.

The lineup for the 2022 “CMT Artists of the Year” celebration, premiering Friday, October 14 at 9p on CMT, includes solo performances from several Artist of the Year honorees: Alan Jackson (“Artist of a Lifetime”), Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson (“Breakout Artist of the Year”), alongside a pair of never-before-seen performances: Walker Hayes teaming up with Ciara, and Riley Green taking the stage for a debut in honor of Luke Combs.

Lifetime’s annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime stunt kicks off November 5 with new movies every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the holiday season. First up is “Merry Swissmas,” starring Jodie Sweetin (“Full House”), whose character learns Christmas with her mother in Switzerland will be shared with her best friend and her ex.

TECH TALK

Vevo has launched Out Loud, an advertising solution for brands to target audiences enjoying official music video content from LGBTQ+ artists. With the year-round offering, brands can align their messaging with LGBTQ+ music videos and connect with the audience of viewers who seek out and watch LGBTQ+ content on Vevo. “This new, exclusive ad product blends Vevo’s editorial curation with the power of data science, and ultimately gives brands the ability to elevate and engage with the LGBTQ+ community by shining a light on the influence, success and importance of queer artists and fans all year long,” said Julie Duhen, Director, Media & Distribution Marketing, and Out Loud Creator, Vevo

Tubular Labs has expanded its premium AI ContentGraph™ technology across its product suite. The feature enables brands to identify audiences across 1,500 different video categories, topics, and genres, and identify the most relevant trends. Videos and creators across the top social video platforms can be classified under multiple categories and topics. “Enhancing the capabilities and structure of our content taxonomy is foundational to Tubular’s success,” said Greg Coleman, CEO of Tubular Labs. “By leveraging our technology, marketers and media companies alike can stay on the pulse of culture as it expands, to gain further insight into social video audiences throughout the customer journey.”

Amazon is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that the company wrongly uses voice recordings captured by Alexa to target ads, arguing that the allegations in the complaint would only show that the company targets ads based on transactions people make via Alexa, not to record of users’ conversations. “In their complaint, plaintiffs conspicuously never allege facts showing that Amazon uses Alexa recordings to serve interest-based ads (because they have no good-faith basis for that allegation),” the company says. “The complaint instead uses the intentionally vague term ‘voice data’ for the notion that certain transaction data resulting from Alexa interactions is sometimes used for advertising. Yes, it is, and Amazon widely and clearly discloses that fact.”

Clinch, creator of Flight Control, the omnichannel campaign activation platform, has struck a new relationship with Sojern, provider of digital marketing solutions for travel, to bring enhanced workflow automation and omnichannel dynamic creative optimization capabilities to travel marketers. Clinch’s platform Flight Control streamlines the process of building, serving and measuring complex, data-driven campaigns across all channels, which complements Sojern’s multichannel travel marketing platform.

STREAMING

Netflix could draw 7.5 million subscribers to its ad-supported tier in 2023, projects JP Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth, and $600 million in ad sales. By 2026, the estimate jumps to 22 million subscribers and $2.65 billion in ad sales. “Given Netflix’s recently muted sub growth, advertising is critical to re-accelerating revenue, expanding Netflix’s SAM [subscription addressable market], and driving greater profitability,” said Anmuth. “The Netflix narrative has shifted from slow/no sub growth on the current business to advertising and paid sharing coming in 2023.”

Hallmark Media has partnered with Canela Media’s Spanish-language AVOD service, Canela.TV, in a first-time outreach to US Spanish-speaking viewers. “Our storytelling revolves around those elements that reflect the heart and soul of the Hispanic community – love, family, traditions, celebratory gatherings, and joy,” said Judi Lopez, EVP, Distribution, Hallmark Media. “This important partnership with Canela Media allows us to deepen our connection with our existing Hispanic viewers, while expanding that audience.”

“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” now ranks as Netflix’s second most popular English-language series ever, with 701.4 million hours viewed. Number one remains “Stranger Things 4,” with 1.35 billion viewing hours.

YouTube is introducing handles on channel pages and Shorts, to make it “simpler and faster” for users to mention each other in comments, community posts, video descriptions and more. For every existing channel, the platform will create a matching URL that will direct visitors to the channel page.

SPORTS STATS

NFL Network reports that viewership for Sunday’s game featuring the Giants’ win over the Packers in London hit 5.5 million viewers across TV+Digital, making it NFL Network’s most-watched International Series game on record. The 5.5 million viewers for Giants-Packers on TV and Digital up 55% versus last year’s Week 5 matchup in London between the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons.

A big weekend in college football drove viewership gains. ESPN reports that week 6 saw College GameDay at Kansas deliver the show’s top viewership of the season, with an average of nearly 2.3 million viewers, up 22% over year ago figures. Meanwhile, ESPN’s biggest college football audiences of week six saw the Ohio State/Michigan State matchup average 4.4 million viewers, while Texas and Oklahoma averaged 3.4 million for the blowout, and Tennessee/LSU named 3 million.

Around the dial, FOX Sports saw just over 4 million viewers tune in on average for Michigan’s game against Indiana on Saturday, up 40% over year ago scores. Oklahoma State/Texas Tech earned 1.633 million viewers, to rank as the most-watched Big 12 game on FS1 since Nov. 2017.

Speaking of FOX Sports, the company reports that the U.S. Women’s National Team’s match vs. the Lionesses on FOX averaged 726,000 viewers on Friday afternoon to register as the most-watched soccer match of the week in the U.S. on English-language TV. It was FOX’s best performance for a Women’s International Friendly since 2017.

On the sponsorship front, Sage, specializing in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, is teaming up with Major League Baseball in a multi-year sponsorship deal that will see Sage sponsor pitching decisions and manager interviews, providing fans insights into their decisions during games. Sage will also support MLB’s Diverse Business Partners Program.

The Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network announced the addition of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association as an official partner of the Big Ten Conference. TIAA will return as the presenting sponsor for the 2023 Big Ten Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments and become the first-ever sponsor of Big Ten Basketball Media Days.

GOING GLOBAL

ITV Studios has acquired the exclusive rights to produce Tuesday’s Child’s upcoming primetime celebrity drag contest “Queens For The Night” in each territory it has a non-scripted production base, as well as distribution rights for the format and finished versions worldwide (excl. UK). In the US, ITV America and Tuesday’s Child will co-produce.

Catalyst, the Toronto-based development and funding company focusing on content created by women, has announced that its latest commission for a new female-led unscripted comedy series, the untitled Carolyn Taylor project, is currently in production.

ComediHa! Distribution and Bell Media announced that “Snowball Effect” will air in France and Belgium. An adaptation for the American market is also planned for later this year.

Pinterest and food-themed studio and entertainment brand Chefclub, have formed a strategic partnership to develop food content. For starters, Chefclub is creating cooking series, with initial programming launching this month.

Hat Trick International has added two new entertainment formats to its MIPCOM roster: “Strangers on a Plane” from Strawberry Blond for Channel 4, and “Screen Grab from Beezr” for BBC Scotland.

Woodcut Media and Abacus Media Rights announced new feature length Amazon exclusive documentary film, “The Murder of Meredith,” ordered by Prime Video for the UK and Ireland and scheduled to premiere in November 2022.

GRB Studio is bringing a variety of new series, and new seasons of series, to MIPCOM. New shows include docuseries “Icons Unearthed: Star Wars” and “Music’s Greatest Mysteries.”

French animation studio Xilam Animation has secured its first deals for the new season of comedy series “Zig & Sharko.” Season four has been acquired by Gulli (France), while Xilam has sold the new installment to existing partners VRT-Ketnet (Belgium), Discovery (Italy), DeA (Italy), Nickelodeon (India) and Nova TV (Israel).

“Sullivan Sails” has been commissioned by Ireland’s RTÉJr and Italy’s KidsMe, and was funded by Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann and Northern Ireland Screen. Superights will represent worldwide rights excluding Italy and Ireland.

All eight of Insight TV’s channels will be on display at MIPCOM 2022, including Inultra, Inplus, Infast, In.TV, Inwild, Inwonder, Introuble and Inspotlight.

Brain Power Studio landed global rights to the Channel 5 Milkshake! commissioned “Tweedy and Fluff.

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RATINGS

CBS drama “East New York” leads the pack with the biggest seven-day audience of any new show this season, adding 1.9 million viewers to its Live+SD count of 5.27 million (streaming not included).

ABC has a solid story to tell for a freshman drama, too. “The Rookie: Feds” delivered 2.17 Live+SD viewers, then almost doubled the number, rising to 4.31 after seven days.

The “BET Hip Hop Awards” 2022 drew 2 million total viewers P2+ as it was simulcast across BET, BET Her, MTV2, and VH1, with 1.7 million total viewers tuning in on BET alone. On linear, “BET Hip Hop Awards” 2022 garnered a .72 P18-49 rating, 455,000 viewers P18-49, during premiere night, up +3% year-over-year on ratings.

In syndication, amid the widespread Hurricane Ian news preemptions in the week ending October 2, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (18-week high 1.6 Live+SD national Nielsen, up 7% from the week before) notched its strongest ratings since last May and ranked as the #1 talk show for a 19th straight week, including ties. The biggest audience draw of the week was its interview with Kim Kardashian, which shot up to a 1.8 on September 26.

Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of September 26 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Jeopardy! (CMV) 5.0 AA
Family Feud (CMV) 5.0 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 4.7 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.2 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.3 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 2.1 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 1.9 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.6 AA
Dr. Phil (CMV) 1.4 AA
Hot Bench (AT) 1.2 AA

Nielsen Basic Cable Ranker for the week of October 3
Network, P2+ AA (000)
Prime Time
ESPN 3257
Fox News 2250
MSNBC 1211
ESPN2 815
HGTV 787
Hallmark Channel 777
TLC 704
INSP 640
Discovery 637
CNN 631
Total Day
Fox News 1468
ESPN 1023
MSNBC 746
CNN 530
Hallmark Channel 449
HGTV 433
INSP 368
Food Network 363
TV Land 361
ID 338

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, October 10
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Bachelor in Paradise 1.93 (0.4), The Good Doctor 3.18 (0.3)
CBS: The Neighborhood 5.00 (0.5), Bob Hearts Abishola 4.79 (0.4), NCIS 6.60 (0.4), NCIS: Hawai’i 4.57 (0.3)
CW: All American 0.45 (0.1), All American: Homecoming 0.35 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1 4.90 (0.6), The Cleaning Lady 2.46 (0.4)
NBC: The Voice 6.48 (0.7), Quantum Leap 2.58 (0.4)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 0.95 (0.2), Fuego del Destino 0.88 (0.2), Infiel: Historia de un Engaño 1.01 (0.2)
Univision: La Herencia un Legado de Amor 1.42 (0.5), Ricos Tambien Lloran 1.48 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Brooke Karzen is stepping down as EVP and Head of Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. “In the last few weeks, Brooke came to me with her desire to try something new with her career after a hugely successful 22-year run at the company,” said Warner Bros. Unscripted Television president Mike Darnell. “We could not be more grateful to Brooke for her creativity, leadership, and dedication to Warner Bros. On a personal note … I will miss her dearly.”

Netflix has tapped Billy Wee to serve as Director of Adult Animation Comedy Series and promoted Jermaine Turner to Director of Adult Animation Action Series. Wee, previously SVP of Comedy and Animation at HBO Max, replaces Mike Moon, who exited in July.

Carsey-Werner Television has tapped EVP Paul Schreiber, who joined the company 26 years ago, to lead all day-to-day distribution operations, as President, North America.

Webtoon has hired Jessica Turner as VP of Marketing. Turner most recently was Vice President, Brand Development & Marketing for the global Wizarding World franchise at Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Dana DeSanto has been named SVP of Sales & Marketing at 1895 Films. DeSanto’s recent development deals for the new division include tech company Cisco and the Parks Channel.

UK’s Tin Roof Media has appointed Charisma Jones as its first Head of Legal and Business Affairs. Jones joins from her role as Senior Legal Counsel for Warner Bros. International Television Production UK.

This Day in History
1960 – Japanese politician Inejiro Asanuma was assassinated with a sword during a televised debate live on TV.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In which TV-movie did two future “Charlie’s Angels” stars play college classmates? “Satan’s School for Girls” (1973), starred Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd. Kudos to: Rachel Hixson-Charle LTD/Honey Brook; Toni Perling-Femme Critic/Atlanta; Fred Cerullo/NYC; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Which short-lived series centered on a veterinarian raising an adopted boy from China? (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