Wednesday January 10, 2024

IN THE NEWS

iSpot.tv announced it is building on its Unified Measurement platform with the launch of a dedicated streaming measurement offering and new suite of metrics, including on-target delivery; deduplicated, unique audience identification; transparent co-viewing; CTV verification; and a streaming competitive dashboard. “As the market moves towards streaming and increased fragmentation grows, brands need accuracy, consistency, scale and transparency to manage media investments,” said Sean Muller, CEO and Founder, iSpot. “The addition of these new metrics provides a foundation for new currencies and the insights to help drive efficiency and return on investment for both sides of a transaction.”

X has a new option for advertisers, enabling them to target premium subscribers – aka active spenders with more disposable income – when setting up their campaigns. That’s according to a post from Technical Operations Manager of Ads Product Nate Esparza, who posted a screenshot of a new tick box in the ad-creation process.

Max canceled “Our Flag Means Death” after two seasons. “While Max will not be moving forward with a third season of ‘Our Flag Means Death,’ we are so proud of the joyous, hilarious, and heartfelt stories that creator David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Garrett Basch, Dan Halsted, Adam Stein, Antoine Douaihy and the entire superb cast and crew brought to life,” said Max said in a statement. “We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”

Fox Corp. has teamed with Polygon Labs to release an open source protocol called Verify, designed to let media companies register content and grant usage rights to AI platforms, and allow consumers to verify content is authentic. The first Verify application, the Verify Tool, was released on Tuesday, enabling consumers to authenticate online content purporting to be from Fox sources.

The Directors Guild of America announced the nominees for achievements in TV, commercials and documentaries. For details, go here. Winners will be announced Saturday, February 10.

Elevate your campaign game in 2024!

Unlock political insights at the Cynopsis Political Ad Spend Virtual Conference on February 15 from 1-3 PM EST! Join thought leaders, strategists, and experts shaping the future of political advertising. Don’t miss out on key trends and strategies as we head into the next booming political ad spend cycle. Register now for free and fuel your future campaigns for success!

REGISTER NOW

Tina Fey will star in Netflix comedy “The Four Seasons,” which she co-created with Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield (“30 Rock”). Based on the Martin Bregman-produced 1981 film starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett, the series follows three couples who vacation together every year. Alda and Bregman will produce; Fey’s Little Stranger, Inc. is the production company.

X inked a multi-show deal with Range Media Partners, and the first series out of the gate will star sports host Jim Rome. “We’re building out more than just a content offering at X,” said Brett Weitz, Head of Content, Talent and Brand Sales. “We’re building a 360 degree media destination that encompasses the best in sports, news, and a variety of other audio and video categories.”

That X media destination will also include “The Don Lemon Show,” hosted by the former CNN host. “I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned,” said Lemon, who has started a new media company. And speaking of, “Don’s new media company will take his no holds barred approach to storytelling to the next level in this raw and authentic program,” said Oren Rosenbaum, Head of Audio and Partner at UTA, who handled Lemon’s X deal.

Rosie Perez (“The Flight Attendant”) will star opposite executive producer Billy Crystal and Judith Light (“Law & Order: SVU”) on Apple TV+ psychological thriller “Before.” The limited series centers on a psychiatrist whose wife haunts him from beyond the grave.

Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”) and O-T Fagbenle (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) have joined the cast of Netflix dark comedy “No Good Deed,” starring Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Peacock’s “Couple to Throuple” follows four couples navigating the world of polyamory, starting Thursday, February 8. Set at a remote tropical resort, the couples will decide whether to commit as a throuple, go home as they arrived, or leave separately. Scott Evans (“Access Hollywood”) hosts.

Season two of “Tokyo Vice” debuts with two episodes on Thursday, February 8 on Max. One episode will follow weekly for eight weeks.

Teen comedy “Chad” is also headed for a second season. The series, canceled by TBS, then picked up by The Roku Channel, returns Friday, January 19.

“Belgravia: The Next Chapter” premieres Sunday, January 14 at 9 on MGM+. The series picks up in 1871, three decades after the events depicted in the 2020 limited series, which was written by Julian Fellowes (“Downton Abbey,” “The Gilded Age”) and based on his novel of the same name.

Scripps News has three new shows premiering this month. “Main & Wall,” following the economy and how it affects viewers’ lives, arrives Monday, January 15 at 4p. “The Race,” covering the 2024 election, makes its debut the same day, at 6p, while “The Race – Weekend,” featuring reporting from Scripps News and Politico, premieres Saturday, January 20 at 9a.

Tennis Channel’s coverage Down Under starts Saturday, January 13 at 5p, with nightly show “Tennis Channel Live at the Australian Open.” Former champs Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier and Lindsay Davenport are part of the on-air team.

TECH

At CES, Panasonic announced a global collaboration with Amazon that will introduce new Panasonic smart TVs that carry Fire TV as its operating system starting this year. At CES, Panasonic unveiled two new flagship OLED TVs for 2024, the Z95A (65 inches and 55 inches) and Z93A (77 inches) smart TVs with Fire TV built in. The new OLEDs are the first from Panasonic to feature far-field voice control with Alexa.

Waymark and The E.W. Scripps Company signed a local advertising deal that will feature Waymark’s Generative AI technology rolled out across all 61 of Scripps’ owned and operated broadcast stations. Waymark’s AI-powered video platform enables local businesses to generate high-quality commercials with voice-over in five minutes or less. The agreement does not involve Scripps newsrooms.

Listeners to TuneIn can now stream audio content on VIZIO. The TuneIn app’s complete catalog of over 90,000 global radio stations, podcasts, audiobooks and more is now available on-demand. “As the TV is the focal point of the home, VIZIO users can continue to enhance their streaming experience by accessing music, sports, news, podcasts and more through services like TuneIn,” said Seta Goldstein, Senior Director of Business Development and Partnerships at VIZIO.

STREAMING

The Independent Streaming Alliance announced its newest members: FilmRise, Gusto TV, Gunpowder & Sky, DangerTV, and Graham Media. The new members join Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Cineverse, They join Future Today, kweliTV, Revry, The E.W. Scripps Company, Tastemade, TMB (Trusted Media Brands), and Vevo, who founded the industry forum in June 2023.

MagellanTV is launching a Spanish-language FAST channel in February on The Roku Channel. Naturaleza Salvaje, powered the streamer’s recently announced translation and dubbing technology, Magellan VoiceWorks, offers nature documentaries and series translated from English to Spanish.

COMING UP

Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani will announce the nominees for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards today, via Instagram and Netflix beginning at 10a. The awards show streams on Netflix on Saturday, February 24 at 8p.

Mary J. Blige will receive the Entertainment Icon Honoree award at the “Urban One Honors.” The two-hour show premieres Sunday, February 25 at 8p on TV One and CLEO TV.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

No thanks, said Major League Baseball to Amazon’s offer – in the neighborhood of $150 million – to bail out regional sports network Diamond Sports from Chapter 11. According to the New York Post, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred declined the offer because in return for their investment, Amazon wanted a streaming deal for the 11 teams Diamond carries for more than a year.

“That wasn’t even on linear TV. I didn’t know anybody was going to hear it because it was just on digital.” That was Pat McAfee explaining his on-air criticism, on ESPN+, of an executive he suggested was trying to sabotage ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” “There’s certainly people that we don’t like and they do not like us. That’s how it’s going to be and I don’t take back anything I said about said person,” said McAfee on his talk show. “But the overall storyline about us and ESPN, I think people need to remember, is that we’re strong, baby.”

Meanwhile, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to “The Pat McAfee” show, after causing a kerfuffle last week by suggesting that Jimmy Kimmel was associated with the late, alleged pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Rodgers’ remarks fell short of an apology, but he did acknowledge, “I don’t think [Kimmel] is the P-word.”

TNA Wrestling has extended its partnership with the NFL Alumni to present PPV event, “Hard To Kill,” airing live from Las Vegas on Saturday, January 13 at 8p. In support of the NFLA Health’s “Huddle For Health” initiative, TNA Wrestling will host the NFLA’s Las Vegas chapter on-site at The Palms, bringing together NFL Alumni and TNA Wrestlers to launch this initiative.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

TheGrio has put out a call for nominations for the theGrio Heroes initiative. Submissions for people who have “demonstrated outstanding goodwill and achievements for the benefit and welfare of our communities,” will be accepted through February 9.

Lifestyle channel Create TV announced the launch of the 2024 Create Cooking Challenge. This year’s theme is “Easy Peasy,” focusing on cooking demonstrations of recipes consisting of six ingredients or less. Create is looking for new talent for an opportunity to record a Create digital video short series.

GOING GLOBAL

Firecrest Films continues of its “Murder Trial” series with the commission of “The Killing of Dr. Brenda Page” for BBC Scotland and BBC Factual.

Place your brand in front of 40,000 Cynopsis readers

Reach 40,000 engaged readers weekly in Cynopsis’ Digital out of Home (DOOH) newsletter. Secure premier ad spots with tech-driven solutions and connect directly with influential buyers from brands and agencies. Got questions?

CONTACT ALBERT NASSOUR

ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” delivered its most-watched season in 23 years, reaching 124 million fans. Games averaged 17.4 million viewers (up 29% year-over-year), and were up in every key demo by double-digits, including a rise of 40% in Teens and Females. Four games’ viewership surpassed all previous “MNF” games dating back to the 2000 NFL season (we’re talking 395+ games).

Twenty-five million people tuned in to watch Michigan clinch its first national title in 26 years on Monday. The telecast across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN Deportes. was the most-watched title game in four years.

The first movie of Hallmark Channel’s New Movie New Year! stunt, “Love on the Right Course,” was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Total Viewers, Women and Persons 18+ and 55+. The programming event lifted Hallmark Channel to be the #1 network on entertainment cable in Weekend Prime with Households, Total Viewers, and Women and Persons 18+.

The NFL on FOX wrapped its 30th regular season with its best national window since 2015. “America’s Game of the Week” finished with an average of 24,622,000 viewers; up +2% over last season.

The season four debut of TLC’s “90 Day: The Single Life” was the series’ highest rated season premiere among P25-54, W25-54 and W18-49, averaging a Live+3 0.95/1.23/0.92, respectively. The episode was viewed by over 3 million people across linear and streaming and was the #1 non-sports cable program of the night among P/W25-54/W18-49/W18-34 & P2+.

The season finale episodes of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” earned a season-high 0.87 Live+3 rating among A25-54 and was the highest-rated episode for the series in over four years. The episode was Wednesday night’s #2 non-sports cable program among Men 25-54, and #4 non-sports cable program among A25-54.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Jon Wax has been named EVP, International Original Television for Disney Entertainment. Previously, Wax oversaw the genre development division at Amazon.

Extreme Reach announced its rebrand to XR, along with hires including Jo Kinsella, who has joined as President of Source; Meredith Brace, Chief Marketing Officer; Donna Kladis, Chief Information and Security Officer; Eric Rubenstein, Chief Legal Officer; and Simon Sikorski, President, Global Operations.

Scout Productions has named Alex Mohler as Head of Partnerships. Mohler was previously Senior Director, Business Development & Partnerships at Westbrook Media.

Sinclair, Inc. has named Ryan Moore SVP and Chief Revenue Officer. Moore was previously the company’s SVP and Chief Revenue Officer of Sports and Digital.

LG Ad Solutions has named Mike Brooks as Global Head of Business Development and Partnerships. Brooks was most recently Chief Operating Officer for Verve Group.

Two moves at CBS News and Stations: Sahand Sepehrnia will take on a new role as EVP of Digital Content Strategy and Business for CBS News, Stations, Entertainment and Sports, and Jamie Reysen will serve as SVP Digital Editorial, Growth & Engagement for CBS News & Stations.

Bavaria Fiction’s Development Division will be restructured early this year, expanding Thomas Kren’s area of responsibility to accelerate and coordinate discussions with broadcasters and creatives.

Visual entertainment services company DNEG has hired producers Ron Ames and Jesse Kobayashi (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”). In their new roles as In-House Filmmakers at DNEG, the pair work with DNEG’s in-house teams to improve and advance the company’s service offerings.

IN MEMORIAM

Actor Adan Canto died January 8 after battling cancer. He was 42. “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Adan Canto. A wonderful actor and dear friend, we were honored to have him as part of the Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment families since his U.S. debut in ‘The Following’ more than a decade ago,” read a statement from Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment. “Most recently, he lit up the screen in ‘The Cleaning Lady’ with a powerful performance that showcased his artistry, range, depth and vulnerability. This is an unfathomable loss, and we grieve alongside his wife Stephanie, their children and loved ones. We will miss Adan dearly.”

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On “Family Guy” (1999-), where was Peter born? Mexico. Kudos to: Dave Braxton-DaveBVO/Salt Lake City; Eric Jackson-BikeMart/Dallas; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Maggie Takei-Moore Media/Paducah, KS; Mark Mondry-MSG Networks Alumni/NYC; Craig Kallin-Schellman/Orlando; Lily Farizon/NYC; Mark Prince-dentsu/NYC; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Anderson Angad-Iprospect/Palm Springs, CA; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which sitcom character gave himself the nickname “Big Tasty”? (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