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| Wednesday January 21, 2026 |
 IN THE NEWS |
| Netflix revised its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max streaming and studio operations. Amid a hostile takeover bid for WBD by Paramount Skydance, Netflix amended its original deal to offer all cash rather than a mix of cash and stock. The transaction’s value remains $72 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery’s board unanimously approved the new offer, according to a Tuesday SEC filing. The company also submitted a preliminary proxy statement seeking shareholder approval, saying the revised structure “simplifies the transaction, provides greater certainty of value for WBD stockholders, and accelerates the path to a WBD stockholder vote.”
CNN is projected to see $1.8 billion in revenue and $600 in adjusted profit in 2026, according to an SEC filing from Warner Bros. Discovery. Those numbers accompanied the announcement of the revised Netflix deal, which will send WBD’s cable networks spinning off into a separate company, Discovery Global. CNN’s revenue is expected to rise to $2.2 billion by 2030, as EBITDA falls to $500 million next year and remains at $600 million through 2030. WBD projected its overall networks business will decline as CNN rises, with Discovery Global set to hit to $17 billion in total revenue and $5.4 billion in adjusted EBITDA for 2026.
Netflix and Paramount may be battling it out for Warner Bros. Discovery, but it’s all quiet on the distribution front. A new content licensing deal will bring about 20 Paramount TV shows to Netflix, including “Mayor of Kingstown,” “Watson” and “SEAL Team.”
Streaming viewership captured 47.5% of television in December, the largest share ever reported in Nielsen’s The Gauge. On Christmas Day, streaming usage surged to 55.1 billion viewing minutes, up +8% from December 25, 2024. Back-to-back NFL games on Netflix followed by the release of new “Stranger Things” episodes, along with Prime Video’s late NFL game, contributed to the jump – combined, Netflix and Prime Video commanded 22.5% of total TV usage across the day. Streaming levels overall on Christmas Day accounted for a record 54% of daily TV usage. |
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| Black audiences are looking for more thoughtful representation in media, according to Nielsen’s 2026 Black Diverse Intelligence Report. Black consumers are the most likely to expect the retailers they buy from to support the causes they care about with nearly 1 in 4 saying they strongly agree versus 17% overall. For advertisers taking an uninformed or surface-level approach, this is a risk, notes the report – Black viewers are among TV’s most-addressable audiences with nearly four out of five minutes they view being ad-supported. |
| NBC mockumentary “Stumble” will have a special post-Olympics telecast on Friday, February 20 at 10:30p. The cheerleading comedy airs Fridays at 8:30p with encores on Mondays at 8:30p.
Spectrum plans to award $1 million in Spectrum Digital Education grants in 2026, pushing the program’s total investment beyond $12 million since 2017. Working with local nonprofit partners, the initiative empowers community members to build digital skills. |
CONVERGENT TV AWARDS: INFLUENCER LIST
2026 Convergent TV Influence Awards Honorees Announced
Meet the industry leaders redefining convergent TV. The 2026 Influence Awards honor innovators across streaming, media investment, measurement, creative, and platform strategy—shaping performance across every screen.
Honorees span companies including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Google, Roku, Omnicom, Paramount, and more.
VIEW THE LIST |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Tuesday, February 17 is premiere night for two Telemundo series. Reality show “La Casa de los Famosos” returns for a new season at 7p, and thriller drama “Lobo: Morir Matando” debuts at 10p.
Apple TV shared the trailer for season two of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” starring and executive produced by Jennifer Garner. The eight-episode sophomore run will launch Friday, February 20.
Season three of reality series “House of Villains” premieres with three episodes on Thursday, March 5 on Peacock. The show previously aired on E! Entertainment Network.
WNBA star Angel Reese has joined the season two cast of “The Hunting Wives.” The hit Netflix drama follows an elite circle of women with dangerous secrets.
Coinbase is aiming to reach younger, digital-first sports fans with “NBA Rookie Firsts,” a four-part series launching with Charlotte Hornets rookie and 2025 NBA Draft 4th overall pick Kon Knueppel. The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the league’s most talked-about newcomers are navigating the NBA season. |
Today’s Premieres
Apple TV: Drops of God
CW: Police 24/7 at 8p
FX: The Beauty at 9p
Netflix: Queer Eye
Prime Video: Steal
RFD-TV: Made for More: The CLAAS Story at 9p
Vice: Chasing Speed at 9p |
| PRODUCTION |
| Prime Video has greenlit adult animated series “Lore Olympus,” based on the comic by Rachel Smythe. The reimagining of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone comes from Webtoon Productions, The Jim Henson Company, and Amazon MGM Studios.
YouTube megastar Alan Chikin Chow (130 million followers) is teaming with Netflix, in collaboration with HybeAmerica, to develop a Korean scripted series centered on K-pop. The show will follow a misfit crew of aspiring pop idol rejects who have enrolled at an arts academy to form a co-ed band.
McG (“Charlie’s Angels”) has been tapped to direct the first episode of Fox’s lifeguard drama reboot, “Baywatch.” He is also an executive producer through his Wonderland Sound and Vision company and has signed a development deal with Fox Entertainment.
Zoë Worth and Chris Kaye (“Thelma”) announced the launch of Bandwagon, a production company for original film and television projects with a focus on comedy. The inaugural slate of projects includes a follow-up to “Thelma” and a women’s basketball comedy produced by Worth and Kaye alongside Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”). |
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CONNECT WITH TALENT |
| SPORTS ROUNDUP |
| ESPN has a docuseries about Nick Saban in the works. “Saban,” a six-parter from ESPN and Word + Pictures, tells the story of the coach who won seven college football championships. The series will include “more than 30 hours of interviews with Saban, and more than 80 interviews with former players, assistant coaches, rivals, family, friends, and observers, the series offers a rare look at how he became the most successful and influential figure that the game of college football has ever known,” said ESPN.
Sports Illustrated has launched SI TV, a new FAST channel featuring original shows, live events, and a mix of sports lifestyle and archival content – marking the latest evolution of SI’s editorial business under operator Minute Media. Programming includes shows like “College Road Trip,” fantasy football cheat sheet “Fantasy Dirt,” and “Mountain West Conference Network.”
Streaming network wedotv has acquired sports programming rights for its FAST channel wedotv sports, available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, including
renewed agreements with HBA Media, distributor of international horse racing rights. In addition, wedotv sports will have the Asian Tour, including the Saudi Open, the Jakarta International Championship, Philippine Open, New Zealand Open, and the International Series Japan; SailGP, the annual international sailing competition featuring high-performance F50 foiling catamarans; Power Slap; and Pro Bull Riding.
Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy announced the launch of TYPTI, a new racquet sport played on a standard pickleball court with a 22-inch strung racquet, a 3.5-inch diameter channeled foam ball, and a new scoring system. A combination of badminton and tennis, TYPTI is nearly noiseless (unlike pickleball), with low shock on impact and no overhead serve. Strategic investors include Tony Robbins, Drew Brees, Chris Pine, JJ Abrams, Tiffany Haddish, Kyle MacLachlan and Giovanni Ribisi, to name a few. |
| TECH |
| The Media Rating Council has granted initial accreditation to the ARF DASH TV Universe Study, which provides estimates of consumer television footprints across connections, services and devices. “Universe estimates are industry infrastructure, essential for calibrating viewership data and projecting audiences. DASH provides the industry with an unbiased enumeration standard,” said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the MRC. “We believe this is an important foundational data set for the industry.”
As CTV brings creative and targeting together in a single environment, attention is increasingly shaped by where and how ads appear, not just how often, according to The Art & Science of the CTV-First Era: Part 2, commissioned by LG Ad Solutions. Key findings include:
· Advanced creative paired with targeting delivers +62% higher unaided recall and makes viewers 51% less likely to feel overwhelmed.
· Interactive formats drive 2X higher engagement and +138% higher unaided recall.
· Smart TV Home Screen ads generate +61% higher unaided recall, +66% higher ad favorability, and +31% higher likelihood to visit a website versus standard creative.
“Connected TV is finally delivering on what the industry has long promised – the emotional power of television combined with the precision and accountability of digital,” said Ioanna Protogiannis, Sr. Director, Measurement and Reporting Solutions, LG Ad Solutions. “This research shows that when sight, sound, and motion are powered by robust first-party data at global scale, advertising performs better.”
IAB Tech Lab announced a new standard, the Event and Conversion API (ECAPI), focused on simplifying how advertisers share event and outcome data with platforms and partners to improve measurement and performance. The ECAPI, defining a standardized set of full-funnel events, from upper-funnel engagement through lower-funnel conversion activity, will be available for public comment until February 20. |
| COMING UP |
| “Marty, Life Is Short” debuts on Netflix on Tuesday, May 12. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan (“The Big Chill”), the film documents the story of comedian Martin Short. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Rosalyn Durant, EVP of Programming & Acquisitions at ESPN, has been named Chair of the Board of Directors at the T. Howard Foundation. It’s a full-circle moment – as a college student, Durant was selected for the T. Howard Foundation’s Internship Program (1997) and placed at Turner in network sales before joining ESPN in affiliate sales and marketing (1998).
Matt Fanelli has joined Digital Remedy as CRO. Prior to joining Digital Remedy, Fanelli served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Media Now Interactive.
FOX News Media has signed Reince Priebus as a political analyst. Priebus, formerly President of the Republican National Committee, currently serves as President of Michael Best & Friedrich, Chairman of Michael Best Strategies and is a senior adviser to Centerview Partners. |
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This Day in History
1976 – Supersonic luxury jet Concorde began regular service.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the first series to air on Nickelodeon? “Pinwheel.” Kudos to: Ed Horwitz-Witz End Productions/Hollywood, CA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Anne Thomason-Canvas Worldwide/Atlanta
Today’s Trivia Question
In what year did Notre Dame upend the college football world by leaving the College Football Association to ink an exclusive deal with NBC? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com 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.) |
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, MULTI-EPISODE TELEVISION PRODUCING >>
BOSTON UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION/BOSTON, MA: Develope, produce, and manage scripted and unscripted multi-episodic series for linear television and/or streaming. Qualified applicants will be distinguished multi-platform practitioners with a significant body of “boots on the ground” work in the TV and streaming industry. The position will require in-class instruction and on-set exercises. Full info HERE
STUDIO AND/OR FIELD DIRECTING; MULTIPLE CAMERAS >>
BOSTON UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION/BOSTON, MA: We seek a colleague with a significant body of practical work in television directing using multiple cameras for linear television and/or streaming platforms. Familiarity with visual effects and AI-supported tools is considered a plus. This position includes teaching directing of scripted and/or unscripted content using multiple cameras at many levels. Full info HERE
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE: VERTICAL FILMMAKING/CONTENT CREATOR >>
BOSTON UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION/BOSTON, MA: We seek a colleague with a professional track record in the creation and development of original short-form content aimed at promoting, activating, and motivating young people through social activism, experimentation, entertainment, brand building, and audience engagement across today’s leading content platforms and social media ecosystems. More info HERE
SALES MANAGER – AP AD INSIGHTS HUB >>
ADVERTISER PERCEPTIONS/NEW YORK, NY: Drive direct sales of the platform offering, focusing heavily on new client acquisition. Reporting to and working closely with the GM of the Ad Insights Hub, this individual contributor will partner cross-functionally with Sales, Business Intelligence, Operations, and Client Services teams to build awareness and engagement with new clients. Full info HERE
SALES DIRECTOR – OMG
MOONBUG ENTERTAINMENT
NEW YORK, NY
Deliver and exceed sales revenue targets as well as build, manage and grow a strategic account list with a focus on Omnicom agencies and their clients directly, within the northeast. Ability to navigate holding company structure and negotiate strategic partnerships with key stakeholders (ratecards, preferred programmatic deals, content deals, etc.). More info HERE
DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE MARKETING >>
ATHLETE TO ATHLETE/SANTA MONICA, CA: Lead the performance marketing team across Meta Ads and new paid digital channels (TikTok, YouTube, Google, etc.) as well as build and execute a roadmap for channel expansion and profitable scale. Develop and run structured testing frameworks. Partner with Creative Strategist on ad briefs, testing priorities, and creative feedback loops. Full info HERE
SENIOR MANAGER, TRAFFIC >>
INSP, LLC./CHARLOTTE, SC: Oversee the Traffic staff and manage and monitor the day-to-day operations. Responsible for the prompt and accurate execution of broadcast logs for three networks. The manager assumes a leadership role within our Network Operations and consistently looks to streamline processes and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Traffic department. Full info HERE
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER>>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Oversee daily sales pipeline operations focused on national sponsorships, integrations, and branded content tied to unscripted programming. Manage and coach the Business Development team, drive outbound activity, shape proposals and pricing, and lead CRM strategy, reporting, and optimizations via Salesforce. Full info HERE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER >>
NTD/WASHINGTON, DC: Pitch story ideas and write scripts/segment outlines as well as research guests and interview topics. Book guests and coordinate interviews. Help with logistics and sometimes field production. Support shoots and ensure production runs smoothly. Review footage and work with editors to shape final episodes. Write headlines, teasers, and social posts. Full info HERE
DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION >>
THE JIM HENSON COMPANY/HOLLYWOOD, CA: Responsible for all HR functions and oversight of administrative and management needs. This strategic role is charged with operating from a customer service driven viewpoint that prioritizes employee satisfaction as well as enforce legally compliant policies, increase efficiency by implementing administrative and record-keeping best practices. Full info HERE
SENIOR DESIGNER >>
REELZ CHANNEL/ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Responsible for the concept, design and execution of various motion graphics projects for on-air promo and sales presentations. Will be required to design and create graphics for social media, digital and print. Must be able to follow brand guidelines and expand and change the brand look when necessary. Full info HERE
EVP, COMMERCIAL & TECHNOLOGY TRANSACTIONS, LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
A+E GLOBAL MEDIA/NY(HYBRID): Oversee the three major areas of commercial transactions (comprised of supporting the Distribution, Total Media Solutions and Global Content Sales divisions) and the adjacent areas supported by the attorney teams that principally support those divisions (including vendor management and privacy). Full info HERE
SR. DIRECTOR OF SALES, KSTU & KUPX >>
THE E.W. SCRIPPS COMPANY/SALT LAKE CITY: Leverage our suite of advertising solutions to unlock growth opportunities for local and national businesses. Play a role in driving the station’s revenue goals as well as serving as the home station for Utah’s new NHL team. Collaborate with our production team to create campaigns that connect our clients with their customers in meaningful ways. Full info HERE
DIGITAL MEDIA BUYER >>
FURMAN ROTH ADVERTISING/NY(HYBRID): Plan, launch, and optimize digital marketing campaigns across various paid media channels (including Display, Google products, Paid Social, CTV, and Programmatic, etc.) while managing budgets effectively. Support the execution of media plans across platforms, overseeing targeting, budget allocation, and performance tracking to drive campaign success. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR; CTV BRAND PARTNERSHIPS – MID WEST/WEST COAST
FUTURE TODAY
REMOTE
Build, maintain and expand a pipeline of sales targets, contacts, and sales opportunities leveraging your relationships with a heavy focus on new business revenue. Build/nurture relationships with the investment, strategy, precision and digital agencies as well as clients. Also maintain an ongoing knowledge of the streaming media landscape. Full info HERE
DIRECTOR, AD MARKETING & SALES >>
THE SHADE ROOM/REMOTE: Develop and execute a revenue growth strategy to drive direct advertising, branded content, and sponsorship sales as well as lead the development of compelling advertising and branded content offerings tailored for TSR’s audience and cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key advertisers, media agencies, and brand partners. Full info HERE
PROFESSIONAL LECTURER OF COMMUNICATION/SPORTS BROADCASTING >>
MARIST UNIVERSITY/ POUGHKEEPSIE, NY: Teach studio and field broadcasting and new media courses in sports media and journalism as well as be able to teach a studio course on producing a newscast and help students live stream a podcast or produce short-form feature content suitable for social media streaming. Also demonstrate through their teaching, professional activity, and service. Full info HERE
SALES LEAD – AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
UPWAVE
NEW YORK, NY
Build and manage relationships with our agency partners – mostly targeting media buyers and planners – and help them see the value of adding Upwave measurement to The Trade Desk campaigns. You will both leverage your existing network and open new doors to achieve aggressive but achievable sales targets. Full info HERE |
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