Tuesday January 2, 2024

IN THE NEWS

Prime Video has informed subscribers that “limited advertisements” will appear in series and movies starting January 29. “This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” said Amazon in a message to subscribers. “We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.” An ad-free option will be available for $2.99 per month. The company announced in September that ads would be introduced in early 2024.

Snoop Dogg has been tapped to serve as Special Correspondent for NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris,” said the rapper/actor, who teamed with Kevin Hart to offer commentary on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked.” The Games begin July 26 on NBC and Peacock.

Comcast and Paramount Global quietly reached a carriage renewal deal for Paramount’s cable channels and CBS-owned stations. The news comes amid rumors that Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance Media and Comcast are contemplating making a play for Paramount.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has stopped spending money on television ads, reports NBC News. ““We are focused on bringing out the voters we’ve identified — best way to reach them is using addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls and doors,” campaign press secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News. “As you know, this isn’t what most campaigns look like. We have intentionally structured this way so that we have the ability to be nimble and hypertargeted in our ad spending.”

Lionsgate closed on its acquisition of eOne (“Yellowjackets,” “Naked & Afraid”) from Hasbro, adding 6500 TV and film titles to Lionsgate’s offerings. “The eOne acquisition concludes a busy year in which we continued to execute our strategy of strengthening our studio business as we prepare for the separation of Lionsgate and STARZ into pure play standalone companies,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “As we’ve conducted our integration planning, our analysis has reaffirmed our conviction that eOne will be a valuable and highly accretive addition to our business.”

Disney Channel’s “Bunk’d” will end with its current seventh season. Production on the final ten episodes of the net’s longest-running live-action series is underway.

Paul Abdul filed a lawsuit against former “American Idol” executive producer and “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Nigel Lythgoe, alleging two instances of behavior that “was inappropriate and even criminal.” In addition to claims of assault, Abdul alleges compensation discrimination. In a statement, Lythgoe called the allegations false, and “deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.” The filing came days before California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which gave a one-year window to file claims that would have been outside the statute of limitations.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper had a spirited New Year’s Eve. CNN brought back the booze – responsibly – after last year’s mandated sober celebration. Cohen had been pushing the network to bring back the booze, citing the audience’s dissatisfaction with abstinence (or maybe it was the shots of pickle juice?).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2024. Cynopsis has so much to share with you this year, including annual and brand-new programs. Take a look at what to expect this year…

Political Ad Spend 2024 Virtual Conference (Feb 15)
CTV Connect (March 13-14)
Sports Media Awards (April)

VIEW THE FULL LIST HERE

The season two finale of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” hit a series viewership high on December 17, and the period drama scored a season three renewal. “We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and ‘The Gilded Age’ family have achieved,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season.”

The head writer of Disney’s animated Marvel series “What If?” will not return for season three. “After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel,” posted A.C. Bradley on X. “It’s been a fun ride, but it’s time for new adventures and mediums. All my love to the cast, crew, & fans!”

TECH

The personal information of over 82,000 people was stolen in a December 2022 data breach of National Amusements, parent company of Paramount Global. In a filing with Maine’s attorney general, the company said it discovered the hack in August. “Based on our investigation, there is no indication of any identity theft or fraud as a result of this event,” said the company in a statement. “However, out of an abundance of caution, we have notified potentially affected individuals to encourage preventative measures. We take information security very seriously and continue to undertake enhancements to our processes and procedures.”

STREAMING

2023 wasn’t Elon Musk’s year, X-wise. Days before the year ended, a California judge dismissed X’s attempt to have the state’s content moderation law repealed on the basis that it violates free speech rights. “While the reporting requirement does appear to place a substantial compliance burden on social medial companies, it does not appear that the requirement is unjustified or unduly burdensome within the context of First Amendment law,” wrote US District Judge William Shub.

Warner Bros. Discovery acquired the 65% stake in Turkish streamer BluTV that it didn’t already own. “The acquisition of BluTV brings Turkey’s first local SVoD player into our portfolio,” said WBD’s Jamie Cooke, GM of Turkey, the Middle East and CEE. “The combination of compelling Turkish content and a broad range of the best international series and shows from WBD is an unbeatable recipe to be locally relevant and successful.”

COMING UP

“Impact x Nightline” report “On the Brink,” following the stories of pregnant women who had medical emergencies in states restricting abortion, will air as a primetime special on Friday, January 5 at 8p on ABC. The report first premiered on Hulu.

INSP’s “Legend of the Stagecoach” premieres Thursday, January 4 at 8p. The special looks at the “marvel of engineering” that transported people, goods and gold across the frontier.

Three OWN Spotlight specials this month feature the leading ladies from the film “The Color Purple”: Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino. The specials air on three successive Saturdays at 10p, starting January 6.

SPORTS

It’s official: The XFL and USFL have merged, under the name United Football League, with the first season kicking off March 30. The league first announced the combo plan in September. Partners in the venture include former XFL owners Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird’s Gerry Cardinale, former USFL owner Fox Sports, and ESPN. “FOX is football, and the success of the USFL has proven that there’s a bright future for spring football,” said Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks. “The opportunity to bring together our two leagues – each with a commitment to advancing broadcast practices, rule innovations and the community – only furthers the potential of the United Football League and solidifies its spot on the sports calendar.”

Mark Cuban received approval from the NBA Board of Governors to sell a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks – the team he bought in 2000 for $285 million – for $3.5 billion, to Las Vegas Sands Corp. Cuban will reportedly retain 27% of the team.

GOING GLOBAL

Disney has signed a non-binding term sheet with Reliance Industries to merge the companies’ Indian operations. The deal, which gives Disney 49% of the merged entity, is expected to close in February.

Get Your Slice of the Revenue!

As we gear up for 2024’s $10.2B political ad spend cycle, Cynopsis invites you to participate in this year’s Political Ad Spend 2024 Virtual Conference. Connect with 500+ senior executives of the media industry, and position yourself as a thought leader alongside current sponsor Safe Exchange. Albert Nassour, executive director of sales, has the details.

INQUIRE NOW

Fox had its most-watched Christmas Day telecast ever. The NFL’s game between the Eagles and the Giants drew an average 29.02 million viewers, up +29% over last year’s game.

Prime Video’s penultimate “Thursday Night Football” game on December 21 attracted an average audience of 10.20 million viewers, a +23% increase over last season’s comparable game.

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ “Miracle in Bethlehem, PA” was the net’s #1 most-watched original movie premiere of the year and second most-watched in network history among key demographics. The film ranked as the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Thursday and the entire week among key demos, boosting Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to be the #2 entertainment cable network of the week on a Live+SD basis. In Live+3 Nielsens, it grew +40% between in viewership among W25-54.

IN MEMORIAM

Comedian Tom Smothers died December 26 after battling cancer. He was 86. With his brother Dick, Smothers was co-host of the groundbreaking “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” “Tom Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades — but was a true champion for freedom of speech,” said National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson.

Television personality Bobby Rivers died December 26. He was 70. Rivers was a VJ on VH1 in the 1980s, and hosted Food Network specials and VH1’s “Watch Bobby Rivers.” “We will miss him sharing his love of the classics with the #TCMParty community and his thoughtful essays on his blog,” read a statement from TCM.

Actor Richard Romanus passed away December 23 at age 80. Among his television roles was Richard LaPenna, husband of Dr. Melfi, on “The Sopranos.”

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In the season ten Christmas episode of “Frasier” (1993-2004), who did Roz have a crush on? The Santa Claus at the mall (played by Dean Cain). Kudos to: Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Rick Dascher-JCC Summer Camp/Atlanta; Andrew Goldman-CampNova TV/NYC; Charles Mannino-SubCom/Eatontown, NJ; Cindy Schulze-Spectrum Reach/St. Louis, MO; Louis Lewow-TrillerTV/Atlanta; Maggie Takei-Moore Media/Sherman Oaks, CA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
In which sitcom sequel were the two sons of one character played by the actor’s real-life children? (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