Today’s Premieres
Acorn TV: Mayflies

IN THE NEWS

Actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends” (1994-2004), died October 28 of apparent drowning at his home. He was 54. After “Friends,” Perry starred on shows including “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “Go On,” and “The Odd Couple,” and was twice nominated for an Emmy for his dramatic role in “The West Wing.” In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote about his struggle with addiction and the life-threatening medical complications it caused.

“All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives,” said a statement from “Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart…This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

Disney+ has doubled down on advertising automation and measurement. Nearly one year since launching its ad-supported tier, the streamer announced it plans to develop “advanced audience targeting, additional programmatic marketplaces, expanded ad formats and enriched measurement across verification, identity, effectiveness and attribution.” Said Disney President of Global Advertising Rita Ferro, “Consistent with Disney’s strategic approach, we spent the last 10 months testing, learning and listening to our consumers and clients. That’s how we continue to create viewer-first experiences while simultaneously introducing new capabilities, functionality and formats.”

Charter’s carriage battle with Disney may have cost the company subscribers in 3Q23, when a 10-day blackout left customers without ESPN and other stations on Charter’s Spectrum systems, but the new deal “better aligns video content and DTC apps, which will be included for free in our video packages,” said Charter CEO Chris Winfrey during an earnings call. Charter lost 320,000 subscribers in the quarter, with about 100,000 defections tied to the blackout

NBCUniversal and Visa have partnered to send a content creator to Tahiti to cover the Olympic Games Paris 2024. “Tap Into Tahiti” will take the creator to French Polynesia to cover the men’s and women’s surfing competition July 27-30, 2024. The talent will be chosen after a casting process that evaluates storytelling skills, style, technical expertise and ability to inspire. “With ‘Tap Into Tahiti 2024,’ anyone can earn a once-in-a-lifetime role at next summer’s Olympics,” said Molly Soloman, EP and president of production at NBC Olympics and Paralympics.

Paramount Global and Sinclair announced new CBS Television Network affiliation agreements. The multi-year deals span 23 CBS Affiliates, including six top-50 market affiliates.

Peacock is offering a discount to first responders to thank them for their service. In honor of National First Responders Day this past Saturday, first responders can subscribe to Peacock Premium for $1.99 per month (down from $5.99) for a year.

CBS has kicked off the second cycle of its Performers with Disabilities Talent Initiative. This year’s cycle will also include panels and workshops across New York and LA, and an internal task force.

The new Cynopsis DOOH newsletter launches this Wednesday, with news, updates and insights on one of marketing’s fastest-growing mediums. If you haven’t subscribed yet to the free weekly edition, you can do so right here.

First Look 2024: Political Ad Spend

Let’s Get Political

Political ad spend is expected to smash records by the end of the year’s election cycle, topping more than $10 billion. With that said, it’s essential to understand where these dollars are flowing and how to take advantage of the wave. More information on this virtual event is coming soon!

VIEW 2024 CYNOPSIS EVENTS

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Amazon Freevee renewed “Tribunal Justice” for a second season. The order for the Judy Sheindlin-created courtroom program was announced ahead of the conclusion of the show’s first season, which runs weekdays through December 1.

Nelvana and Toikido have partnered to launch six new “Piñata Smashlings” shorts. Based on the Toikido video game that launched this summer on Roblox, the shorts follow five friends thrown together by fate who form a team of unlikely heroes.

MagellanTV has secured the global distribution rights to “The City of Human Chess.” The documentary short had its world premiere at Italy’s Nòt Film Fest in August and is a DOC LA Official Selection.

Launched late last year with the goal of fostering civil discussion, Post was designed for premium publishers to meet and monetize new audiences on social media. Noam Bardin, CEO & Founder of Post, offers his thoughts on the future of news on social media, in Cynsiders.

COMING UP

Timothée Chalamet will take his second turn as host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on November 11, almost three years after his debut in the role. Musical guest: Boygenius.

Looks like he made it: Barry Manilow is set to star in an NBC Christmas special. “Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas” arrives December 11 at 10p.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” streams on Peacock starting November 3. The Focus Features film follows the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Spectrum SportsNet and the Los Angeles Lakers are teaming for a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription service. Spectrum SportsNet+ will run a 24/7 feed of SportsNet programming, including live Lakers games, for $19.99/month. “With the start of the NBA regular season, the launch of Spectrum SportsNet+ will allow even more fans to enjoy live Lakers games and in-depth, unique coverage of their favorite team, with or without a pay TV subscription,” said Dan Finnerty, SVP and GM, Spectrum Sports. “By offering a variety of packages, we’re giving fans more choice and flexibility and taking another step towards evolving the Regional Sports Network model in this new era of sports viewing.”

Fox Sports announced the expansion of its “Gamechanger Fund” Community Impact Initiative, to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Fox Sports World Series Scholarship honors the accomplishments of the group’s National Youth of the Year.

GOING GLOBAL

Fox continues to expand internationally through its deal with Bell Media. Together, the companies will develop English-language scripted drama, comedy, unscripted competition and docuseries for Fox in the US and Bell’s CTV and Crave in Canada; Fox Entertainment Global will handle international sales.

The BBC has found its “Kin.” The RTÉ series, produced by Bron Studios and Headline Pictures, is the latest AMC+ project to make an international move to the BBC, following in the footsteps of “Interview with the Vampire.”

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RATINGS

Last week’s “Thursday Night Football” match–up on Prime Video was up +12% year-over-year, and up +15% from the prior week’s “TNF” contest. According to Nielsen National TV Ratings (panel only), the game averaged 11.22 million viewers.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Amy Israel is the new president of television at The North Road Company. The former Showtime executive will oversee the company’s global scripted division.

Amid a restructuring, Sumithra Barry is leaving NBCUniversal after 19 years. Barry most recently served as SVP, Content and Consumer Insights, Entertainment Networks at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Richard Moll died October 26. He was 80. Moll was best known for his role as bailiff Bull Shannon on the original “Night Court.”

This Day in History
1921 – “The Sheik” premiered in Los Angeles.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which U.S. college did Rob Lowe’s character, Sam Seaborn, graduate from and often reference on “The West Wing” (1999-2006)? Princeton University. Kudos to: Elizabeth Nielsen-GMMB/Washington, DC, Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA, Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta, Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA, Joe Lyons-Back Nine Productions/FL, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./New York, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
What is Luke’s last name on “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2007)? (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