Today’s Premieres
Amazon: Memento Mori
Apple TV+: Curses!; The Enfield Poltergeist
The CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us at 8p; Masters of Illusion at 9p; World’s Funniest Animals at 9:30p
Hulu: Shoresy
Discovery+: Diary of an Old Home
Netflix: Tore
PBS: Great Performances at 9p

Today’s Finale
Apple TV+: Still Up

Saturday’s Premieres
ID: Killer in Paradise at 10p
Netflix: Castaway Diva

Saturday’s Finale
Oxygen: New York Homicide at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres
Discovery: The Garden: Commune or Cult at 9p
HBO: The Gilded Age at 9p
Oxygen: Snapped at 6p
Showtime: Fellow Travelers at 9p

Sunday’s Finales
ABC: The Great Halloween Fight at 9p
Food: Halloween Wars at 9p
Ovation: Murder at My Door at 8p
Showtime: Billions at 8p
Travel: Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror at 9p
UPtv: Heartland at 7p and 8p

IN THE NEWS

Paramount+ has pulled the plug on two series. Spy drama “Rabbit Hole,” starring Kiefer Sutherland, and “Fatal Attraction” will not be back for second seasons. “We want to thank both series’ entire creative teams, crews and the fantastic casts for their dedication to bringing these series to life,” said the streamer’s spokesperson. “Both ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Rabbit Hole ‘will continue to be available on Paramount+ for audiences to discover.”

AMC Networks has enabled programmatic ad buying on AMC, WE tv and BBC America after a successful pilot last month. It’s the first time live linear inventory was able to be purchased programmatically in a real-time, biddable ad environment. The company created and executed this innovation in partnership with FreeWheel, The Trade Desk, a and Canoe Ventures. “During this pilot, we were able to deliver seven distinct creative executions to viewers simultaneously as part of the same national linear commercial slot, through a real-time biddable process,” said Evan Adlman, EVP of Commercial Sales and Revenue Operations for AMC Networks. “This is a huge advance for us and for the industry and, like our pioneering efforts in addressable advertising, makes our inventory even more valuable.”

Jesse Armstrong will receive the 2023 International Emmy Founders Award. The = creator and showrunner of “Succession” will be honored at the 51st International Emmy Awards Gala on Monday, November 20 in New York City. “Since its debut, Succession has entered the cultural zeitgeist – obsessing audiences around the world with its highly original cast of characters and Machiavellian plots,” said International Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisner. “We look forward to honoring Jesse Armstrong’s extraordinary talent and global impact with our Founders Award.”

Kelly Clarkson will host and perform at NBC’s annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special. The two-hour holiday event airs live on Wednesday, November 29 at 8p and simulcasts on Peacock. “Today” anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin will join the tree lighting for a special appearance.

Five names have been added to the list of recipients of this year’s WIF Honors: Linda Yvette Chavez, America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Greta Lee and Celine Song. The organization, formerly known as Women in Film, Los Angeles, will dole out awards at its annual benefit gala on November 30 in Los Angeles, while celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Comscore announced the inclusion of social metrics in its Media Metrix Multi-Platform suite, which provides a deduplicated view of audiences across desktop, mobile, and social to enable publishers and brands to measure their comprehensive total digital population. “We take enormous pride in the scale of our highly engaged audiences on social media. We’re thrilled to finally be able to showcase a holistic view of our readership, no matter where they consume our content,” said Wesley Bonner, SVP Marketing & Audience Development at Bustle Digital Group.

Nickelodeon’s “Burgermobile” will make its first-ever debut at the 97th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 23. The car, from the upcoming sequel to ‘90s cult classic, “Good Burger 2,” weighs 5,000 pounds and has a burger hood and French fry bumper. It is the latest addition to Nickelodeon’s line-up of properties featured in the parade. It joins Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Chase from “PAWPatrol” and Pinkfong’s Baby Shark. “Good Burger 2” debuts exclusively on Paramount+ on Wednesday, November 22.

Peacock will be the streaming home of Bravocon 2023. The streamer’s subscribers will have access to the fan experience, including exclusive panels and five episodes of “BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen!”. Content will be available beginning Friday, November 3.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment will be the first distribution point for AI streaming news company Channel 1. It will initially launch as a FAST channel in February, with a dedicated Channel 1 app bowing a few months later, providing advanced news personalization.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and ReachTV are partnering to extend the distribution of NewsNation and the sports programming of The CW Network, including ACC College Football and Basketball and LIV Golf. The new live news programming and sports broadcasts will begin immediately, making ReachTV a leading provider of live sports. NewsNation and The CW’s sports programming will reach more than 50 million viewers per month on ReachTV’s streaming television network, distributed across 500,000 hotel rooms and 2,500+ airport TV screens in more than 90 airports across the U.S.

Newsmax had named Sharla McBride co-host of “Wake Up America,” joining Rob Finnerty. The program airs weekdays at 6:30a on Newsmax. McBride hails from CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington D.C., where she served as a news and sports anchor.

Cynopsis Reaching Audience in 2024

Why you need to attend our free virtual event on December 7th

Informed decision making is the key to developing and implementing a successful ad strategy in 2024. Join us on December 7th from 1-3 PM EST to discover the must-have targeting tools both buyers and sellers need to optimize ad strategy. Get your free and position yourself for success in the new year.

I WANT TO ATTEND

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Keifer Sutherland will narrate “John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial,” a new three-part documentary on Apple TV+. The project features exclusive eyewitness interviews and previously unseen crime scene photos, shedding new light on the life and murder of Lennon and the investigation and conviction of his killer, Mark David Chapman.

HGTV renewed renovation competition series “Rock the Block” for a fifth season. For the first time in the show’s history, the new season, bowing in March 2024, will feature four returning teams competing to add the most value to Florida waterfront homes.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Josh Gates is back with more mysteries and historic finds when “Expedition Unknown” returns. The new season bows Wednesday, November 15 at 9p on Discovery Channel.

“Carol & The End Of The World,” an adult animation limited series from “Community” and “Rick and Morty” writer Dan Guterman, is coming to Netflix. Martha Kelly (“Euphoria,” “Baskets”) will star as the title character in the project that explores the comforts of monotony. It’s set to debut with 10 episodes on Friday, December 15.

“A Brief History of the Future” premieres April 3, 2024 on PBS. Hosted by futurist Ari Wallach, the six-part nonfiction series aims to help viewers imagine and work towards a better tomorrow.

“Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?” debuts on Paramount+ on Tuesday, December 5 in Canada and the U.S. The docuseries features the famed Russian bassist traveling to homes of bass players and digging into the stories that make them stand out.

QVC+ delves into reality competition TV with “The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge,” premiering Monday, December 4. The series features contestants putting their creative skills to the test and battle it out to be crowned the Ultimate Gift Wrapping Champion.

COMING UP

Lifelong friends Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks share an intimate conversation about Brooks’ life and career in HBO documentary, “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.” The project debuts Saturday, November 11 at 8p on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

Paramount+ released the official trailer and key art for original film “Finestkind,” starring Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones. Debuting on Friday, December 15, the crime drama tells the story of two brothers raised in different worlds, who are reunited as adults over a fateful summer.

STREAMING

Amazon soared past its Q3 estimates with total revenue of $143.1 billion, up 13% from the same period last year, and earnings per share of 94 cents. Analysts’ consensus estimate was $133.4 billion with an expected EPS of 55 cents. Shares in the company have gained 40% in 2023 to date. The quarter included the start of a second year of exclusive coverage of NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” franchise.

Future Today and Cake have launched a Total Drama AVOD app to bring a library of content to HappyKids. In addition, Total Drama will be available on both Roku and FireTV as a standalone app.

Common Sense Networks announced the SVOD launch of Sensical, a streaming destination for families. The service is available on Prime Video Channels in the U.S. for $3.99 per month.

TECH TALK

Consumers pay nearly four times more attention to ads that are hyper-relevant to the content they are watching, according to a new study by Alliance for Video-Level Contextual Advertising, titled Driving Viewer Attention and Brand Metrics in CTV Advertising. The study also analyzed how brand suitability impacts CTV viewers’ attention and brand perception and found that 54% of respondents were less interested in the brand and products found in contextually misaligned ads, and more than one-third of viewers liked the brand less and paid less attention when an ad was placed in unsuitable environments. “Attention is a scarce resource and as CTV continues to grow, advertisers need to seek out deep contextual relevance to achieve strong return on ad spend,” said Rohan Castelino, CMO of IRIS.TV, and Principal Member of AVCA.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

TBS and Max simulcast the 2023 NHL Heritage Classic, Flames vs. Oilers, on Sunday, October 29 at 7p. Host Liam McHugh and analyst Brian Boucher will provide studio coverage during first and second intermissions, while Anson Carter joins live from Commonwealth Stadium.

Westwood One’s nationally syndicated radio host Rich Eisen was named “Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year” at the 2023 Marconi Radio Awards. “The Rich Eisen Show” blends sports, pop culture, humor and interviews, discussing topical and difficult issues not commonly addresses by sportscasters. Eisen also hosts pregame and halftime shows for Westwood One’s syndicated coverage of NFL’s Monday Night Football.

Captivate has added Tennis Channel and Stadium to its content portfolio. The action starts with exclusive clips from the WTA Finals in Cancun, premiering Sunday, October 29, and the coverage continues with clips from the ATP Finals in Italy, beginning Sunday, November 12.

Mission Foods secured a multiyear deal as title sponsor of NHRA’s premier professional series. It will be known as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series beginning with the 2024. As part of the partnership Mission Foods will fully integrate at all NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events and will have a strong presence on the midway, on social media and digitally, and as part of every FOX broadcast.

Coca-Cola signed on as an official global sponsor for UEFA EURO 2024, which takes place in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024. The pact includes exclusive pouring rights at the 10 stadiums, fan zones and fan villages during the tournament, as well as LED pitch-boarding exposure and digital rights.

United States Military Academy at West Point is joining the American Athletic Conference. AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announced the approval of Army West Point Athletic Association Inc.’s application for membership in the conference. The move gives the conference an institutional presence in five of the top 10, eight of the top 25 and 13 of the top 51 Nielsen markets. The annual Army-Navy game will not be counted as a conference game as the rights remain with both institutions.

CynPros

Claim your spot on our home page

Share advice, morning rituals and fresh thinking on the Cynopsis website, with CynPros. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Email Charlotte Dulany for more information.

READ THE Q&A’S

RATINGS

The Arizona Diamondbacks Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS averaged a combined 8.99 million viewers across TBS (8.89 million) and truTV (103,000), according to Nielsen. It hit 9.09 million including Spanish-language coverage on MLB Network.

ESPN’s presentation of the first-ever Frozen Frenzy tripleheader averaged 432,000 total viewers, a rise of 11% over last season’s NHL on the network’s coverage. As part of the programming, the Toronto/Washington matchup landed as the most-watched regular season game featuring a Canadian team since 2017. Meanwhile, ESPN2’s whip-around show averaged 196,000 total viewers.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Cosm hired Corey Breton as its first-ever Head of Venues. The exec joins from Legends, where he served as Chief Revenue Officer for its Global Attractions division.

Greenfly named Josh Semless as Head of Analytics and Business Intelligence. He was previously led global sports and media partner solution teams at Meta.

MiQ has bolstered its executive team, appointing Canadian CEO Alfie Atkinson to CEO of UK. Other new hires include Suzanne Strasser as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Agencies and Partnerships, Danny Hopwood as Global Chief Commercial Strategy Officer; and Mauricio Leon as Global Chief Commercial Trading Officer.

IN MEMORIAM

Pam Jackson, longtime executive of the former 20th Century Fox International Distribution division of 21st Century Fox, died on September 27 in Los Angeles, after a long battle with cancer. She most recently served as Vice President, Publicity and Marketing for Fox television studio’s international distribution team.

This Day in History
1966 – The animated TV special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” aired for the first time.

Friday Fun Fact
The real name for a hashtag is an octothorpe.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which sitcom was set in Victory, Missouri? Answer: “Grace Under Fire” (1993-1998). Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./New York, NY; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta, GA; Vasoula Plakas-Crazy Legs Productions/New York, NY; Rosemary Cunningham/New York, NY; Maggie Takei-Moore Media/Paducah, KY; Justine Pierce-JP Consulting Group/Los Angeles, CA; David Garbert-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/Los Angeles, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/Los Angeles, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question
Which U.S. college did Rob Lowe’s character, Sam Seaborn, graduate from and often reference on “The West Wing” (1999-2006)? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team