Sunday’s Premieres
Adult Swim: The Eric Andre Show at midnight, Dream Corp LLC at 12:30a
Discovery: Alaska: The Last Frontier at 8p
HBO: The Undoing at 9p
HGTV: Show I Stay or Should I Go at 9p
Snapchat: First Person
TLC: I Love a Mama’s Boy at 10p

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CBS News was not amused when President Trump posted raw footage from his interview with 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl, which had been taped on Tuesday for an installment scheduled for Sunday. “The White House’s unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter 60 Minutes from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting which presidents have participated in for decades,” said the network. Trump had tweeted on Thursday he was about to post the “takeout” interview, which he cut short, complaining that Stahl was unfair. “Watch her constant interruptions & anger,” tweeted the president. “Compare my full, flowing and ‘magnificently brilliant’ answers to their ‘Qs’.”

Later on Thursday, Trump posted Stahl’s 14-minute interview with Vice President Mike Pence, during which the journalist told Pence he and the president gave “campaign speeches” instead of answering questions. “I think the both of you, there is this kind of anticipation that people in power are held accountable, and they answer questions for the public, not for me. For the public, and I feel you didn’t do that,” Stahl said. “I’m upset.” Pence responded, “Well, Lesley, I appreciate the speech that you just gave, but I answered all your questions, and I’ve spoken about things Americans care about.”

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize subpoenas for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to testify about their “suppression and/or censorship” of two New York Post articles including unverified allegations about Hunter Biden emails. The CEOs are already scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee next week, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, about alleged privacy matters.

NBC News responded to Fox News host Tucker Carlson “smearing” investigative reporter Brandy Zadrozny during a segment on Wednesday night. After Carlson accused Zadrozny, who has covered disinformation, QAnon, and extremism, of “seeking out personally identifying information about anonymous Trump supporters online,” NBC said, “Over the past several years, journalists from news organizations around the world have put themselves at risk in order to shine a light in the dark corners of society and the Internet – specifically in the realm of conspiracy theories and online extremism… Brandy represents the best of investigative journalism and of NBC News.”

Hulu has dropped Fox regional sports networks from its Live TV packages. But there will still be sports on the service, Hulu assured customers. “While we were unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group to continue offering channels like your Fox Sports RSNs, YES Network, and Marquee Network, the good news is that you will continue to have access to a wide variety of sports from other popular channels including ESPN, TNT, and TBS, as well as FS1 and FS2,” said the streamer. YouTube cut Fox RSNs last month, while FuboTV dropped them in January.

Add Lifetime to the lineup for the 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The net’s first float, “Christmas in Town Square,” is inspired by its It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday movie event.

In addition to the previously announced five consecutive shows, NBC’s Saturday Night Live will add an unprecedented sixth original on November 7. Adele hosts this Saturday, October 24, with musical guest H.E.R.

Hallmark Channel is launching its Very Merry Giveaway Sweepstakes today at 10a, offering the chance to win a grand prize package of $10,000 plus an additional $10,000 to share with a friend, family member, or someone in need. Daily prizes include products from providers like Drybar, Little Free Library, Shutterfly, SiriusXM, and The Republic of Tea.

It’s a rapidly changing world, and more than ever, people rely on local news to keep them informed about the issues closest to home. Join us + our partners from New York Interconnect on Thursday, November 12th for a quick, 30-min. digital discussion: Harnessing the Power of Local News. Register for free!

NBCUniversal has unveiled the 2020-21 classes of its scripted directing initiatives, Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program, which will be unified under new EVP, Inclusion – Talent & Content, NBCUniversal Film, Television and Streaming, Janine Jones-Clark. The programs will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the Global Talent Development & Inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, the entertainment television networks, streaming platforms and Universal Studio Group. “Creating a unified brand for all of our directing initiatives is the first step in creating a clear and expansive approach to representation in the director’s chair across NBCUniversal’s film, television and streaming platforms,” said Jones-Clark. “By sharing resources across NBCUniversal’s vast portfolio, we have a great opportunity to build on the successes of our current film and television programs, expand their reach and exponentially increase impact in our company and across the industry.”

BBC News religion editor and former MSNBC host Martin Bashir is “seriously unwell” with complications from COVID-19. “Everyone at the BBC is wishing him a full recovery. We’d ask that his privacy, and that of his family, is respected at this time,” said a BBC spokesperson.

Alex Livingston is joining Newsy as host of Morning Rush, the network’s morning cable show. Livingston, who will make her debut on air Monday, October 26, will be based in Newsy’s Chicago bureau. Livingston was previously Weekend News Anchor and First Coast Living Lifestyle Host for NBC affiliate WTLV.

The PDF report is only available to our members (

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Netflix unveiled seven originals on the way from Spain, including its first two short format series; a docu-series, 800 Meters, chronicling events in 2017 when a van drove into a crowd in Barcelona; two features; a standup special; and one drama. Sky Rohjo, a series from Alex Pina, creator of hit Money Heist, will be made available “soon,” said the streamer.

Anthology comedy series Miracle Workers got the go-ahead for season three from TBS. This time around, cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan and Karan Soni will be transported to the American Old West. Dan Mirk and Robert Padnick will serve as showrunners.

The BBC ordered a second season of lockdown comedy Staged, starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, from Infinity Hill, GCB Films and No Mystery. Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) will be onboard for season two.

Congratulations to our phenomenal 2020 Cynopsis Digital “It List” Honorees, representing: Bleacher Report, Blue Hour Studios, DAZN, Dotdash, FOX Sports, Fullscreen, Gamut, LIFTOFF, MagicLinks, Mindshare, NBCUniversal, Octagon, R&CPMK, Roku, SpotX, Telemundo, Turner Sports, WarnerMedia, WWE and Xandr. We can’t wait to celebrate you virtually at the 8th Annual Cynopsis Digital Awards on December 1st (click here to register for free).

Adam Klasfeld is joining Law&Crime as a senior investigative reporter and editor. He’ll be covering courts and investigating high-profile legal cases across the country starting October 28. Previously, Klasfeld spent 12 years with Courthouse News.

CASTING

Rosario Dawson has joined the cast of Hulu’s Dopesick in a series regular role. The eight-parter is based on Beth Macy’s bestseller looking at America’s struggle with opioid addiction…Cameron Britton (Manhunt: Deadly Games) will recur in season three of Hulu’s Shrill….Will Peltz (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) has boarded season three of NBC’s Manifest in a recurring role…Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Luke Wilson (Stargirl) have joined the voice cast of New-Gen, based on the Marvel comic book series and produced by Bardel Entertainment.

COMING UP

Limited series Your Honor premieres Sunday, December 6 at 10p on Showtime. The 10-episode legal thriller stars Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as a respected New Orleans judge whose teenage son is involved in a hit-and-run.

Comedy Central’s Daily Show will broadcast live on election night, November 3 at 11p, with “Votegasm 2020: What Could Go Wrong (Again)?”.

Reelz has a killer combo of specials. November 8 brings Drew Peterson: Killer-in-Law at 8p, and Steven Avery: Confessions of a Killer at 9p. Elvis: Are You Lonely Tonight? explores the icon’s path to glory, as well as the tragedy that haunted him, on Saturday, November 28 at 8p.

Holiday musical Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square drops Sunday, November 22 on Netflix. The movie stars Parton, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis and Treat Williams and is directed by Debbie Allen.

Ten-episode season two of Apple TV+ drama Servant premieres January 15, with new episodes each Friday.

ID’s The Witmans exposes the harsh reality of the juvenile criminal justice system, through the eyes of parents on an odyssey to free their child from incarceration. The documentary premieres Tuesday, December 1 at 9p.

Musical animated short “Everybody Gets a Vote” debuts Sunday, October 25 on Disney Junior YouTube and DisneyNow, and Monday, November 1 on Disney Junior.

Bravo is holding drive-in premiere screenings for new series The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, debuting Wednesday, November 11 at 10p. Events take place in LA on November 5 and Salt Lake City on November 7.

ADVERTISING

P&G is doing its best to “level the playing field” when it comes to upfronts, said P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard during this week’s ANA conference. “We’re rejecting the antiquated network upfront system which provides sellers with more information than buyers… Instead, we’re negotiating with as many TV broadcasters as possible, on flexible timing that is right for our business.” Investing in cross-platform measurement and shifting money to programmatic “levels the playing field among thousands of media companies, including many Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American-owned media providers that exist today, enabling more to participate and compete in effectiveness and value.”

Total national TV entertainment advertising dropped 23% in September, to $2.0 billion, according to MediaRadar, with delays in production forcing many 2020-21 fall season shows to get a late start. TV advertising in the first nine months of the year was down 6% from the same period in 2019.

STREAMING SCOOP

AT&T reported 8.6 million customers activated HBO Max in 3Q20, up from 4.1 million in the second quarter. Between linear and streaming, AT&T could count 38 million subscribers for HBO and HBO Max as of September 30, besting its internal target of 36 million. CEO John Stankey told analysts that except for the impact of COVID-19, the progress of HBO Max since launch has “played out as we expected.”

Soon-to-be-shuttered short-form video streaming service Quibi spent $63 million on advertising across TV, Digital and Print, making it the fifth largest advertiser in the streaming category, year-to-date, after Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Peacock (in alphabetical order), according to MediaRadar. Even as discussions were underway about its future, Quibi was still spending – as recently as October 18, for Wireless – reports MediaRadar, but “efforts were trailing off.”

Verance, a provider of standards-based watermarking solutions, said it has developed a mechanism to prevent issues emerging with the use of fingerprint-based Dynamic Advertising Insertion technologies with Netflix and other SVOD content. The solution would enable Netflix, Hulu and others to privately identify their content to TVs to ensure that each service’s content is neither measured nor manipulated via the insertion of unauthorized dynamic ads, said the company, which could help alleviate industry fears over Nielsen’s fingerprint-based Dynamic Advertising Insertion technology.

TECH TALK

Video advertising platform SpotX signed a strategic agreement with GroupM to serve as the primary partner for all programmatic digital video and OTT inventory. The partnership will begin in the US, with the intention to scale it globally. As part of the agreement, SpotX will also develop unique programmatic solutions for GroupM clients aimed at streamlining the ad planning, buying, decisioning, and optimization processes. “As the largest media advertising company in the world, GroupM is continually looking for the most efficient ways to reach high-quality inventory while providing full transparency to our clients,” said Esra Bacher, Managing Partner – Programmatic Investment Lead at GroupM. “Viewership is dramatically increasing in streaming video, and we have chosen to partner with SpotX due to their strong relationships with the supply-side of the video ecosystem.”

VIZIO announced that SmartCast users in the US and Canada can now access the Facebook Watch TV app, with personalized recommendations. “Bringing Facebook Watch to SmartCast furthers our mission to provide VIZIO customers with direct-to-device access to all of their favorite apps and channels in one place,” said Mike O’Donnell, CRO of VIZIO.

Verizon and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s Interaction Lab are calling on creators and technology entrepreneurs to build interactive tools that redefine the way people visit museums. Launching later this fall, Activating Smithsonian Open Access will award $10,000 commissions to up to six teams to build working prototypes. Using 2D and 3D digitized collection objects from the Smithsonian Open Access Initiative, the selected teams will develop experiences with support from Verizon, Cooper Hewitt, and be given the opportunity to develop and test their applications at Verizon’s 5G Labs.

GOING GLOBAL

Viasat World has secured the rights to drama content from ITV Studios for Epic Drama, Viasat World’s drama channel and SVOD brand in Central and Eastern Europe. The new slate includes Singapore Grip, Murdoch Mysteries, and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, among others.

China’s Tencent Video has co-production deals with European studios Zeilt Productions, Sixteen South, and Silvergate Media to develop and produce kids properties with global appeal.

UK’s Blink Films is producing a three-part series for Channel 4. Royals Declassified (wt) will use declassified documents along with interviews with royal insiders, historians and politicians to tell three stories about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

ITV has commissioned Spun Gold TV to produce a special in which Stephen Fry takes viewers through his top 21 “firsts” of the 21st Century – before smart-phones, sat-nav and selfies.

French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has sold the new 2D animation series Stinky Dog to German broadcaster SWR. SWR plans to broadcast the series on the children’s channel KiKA.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT: Cross Media Measurement – Where are We Today?

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WE tv’s Love After Lockup followed up its season three midseason premiere with its highest rated episode since its second season finale. The Friday, October 16 airing was the highest rated episode among key demos with over 1.3 million total viewers, 833,000 A25-54, 621,000 W25-54, and 529,000 W18-49 in Nielsen Live+3 ratings.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, October 21
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Goldbergs 4.13 (0.8), The Conners 4.90 (0.9), black-ish 3.09 (0.6), The Con 2.72 (0.5)
CBS Big Brother 4.18 (1.0), Amazing Race 3.30 (0.7), S.W.A.T. 1.70 (0.3)
CW: Devils 0.54 (0.1), Coroner 0.76 (0.1)
FOX: World Series 8.95 (2.3)
NBC: The Wall 3.59 (0.6), American Ninja Warrior 2.59 (0.5)
Telemundo: Premios Billboard de la Musica Latina 1.64
Univision: Medicos Linea de Vida 1.43 (0.5), Imperio de Mentiras 1.31 (0.4), Dulce Ambicion 1.04 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Emily Powers has been promoted to EVP and Head of BritBox, spearheading the business for North America. Powers adds editorial and creative to her purview; currently, she is also overseeing much of the business operations for the launch of BritBox in Australia.

Synamedia has appointed Paul Segre as CEO. Segre joins from customer experience software firm Genesys, where he was CEO.

ViacomCBS Networks International has promoted Lee Sears to EVP and General Manager, Digital and Ad Sales for ViacomCBS Networks International. Sears was previously SVP of Velocity International.

Takis Candilis is rejoining Banijay as senior advisor. Candilis, who left Banijay in 2018, previously served as the group’s Head of Scripted before departing to France Télévisions.

Friday Fact
More people die from taking selfies than from shark attacks.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which actor appeared in every episode of Dynasty (1981-1989)? John Forsythe. Kudos to: Peter Hazell-Discovery Communications Europe/London, Barbara E. Bevel/Staten Island, NY, Natasha Manners-Floy-ABC-TV/Disney/NYC, Cheryl Green-Broadbeam Media/Boston, Lori Paterson-Spectrum Reach/NYC, Larry Hutchings/Nipomo, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA

Today’s Trivia Question
In which sitcom did Wendie Malick play a role in the pilot that was recast with Jane Seymour? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four.)