 IN THE NEWS |
| Comcast’s 4Q24 revenue of $31.9 billion beat analysts’ expectations, with Peacock revenue rising 28%, to $1.3 billion. The company lost 311,000 domestic video customers – better than the year-ago 389,000 – to wrap the year with 12.5 million. Full year results were “the best financial performance in our company’s 60-year history, with record revenue, EBITDA and EPS along with significant free cash flow,” said CEO Brian Roberts.
Meta Platforms has agreed to settle a lawsuit over President Trump’s suspension after the January 6, 2021 riot at the capital by paying POTUS $25 million. Trump claimed in the lawsuit that Meta had violated the First Amendment by banning him. No hard feelings, though. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during his company’s earnings call, “We now have a US administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizing American technology winning, and that will defend our values and interests abroad.”
The new chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, has NPR and PBS in the crosshairs, ordering an investigation into the underwriting sponsorship announcements. “I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” wrote Carr to the heads of NPR and PBS, Katherine Maher and Paula A. Kerger, respectively. Carr also noted, “Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming.” Posted FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, “This appears to be yet another Administration effort to weaponize the power of the FCC. The FCC has no business intimidating and silencing broadcast media.”
A flurry of announcements from the “Next on Netflix” event in London: Comedian John Mulaney will debut a new talk show on March 12 – “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney” – while new seasons of “Stranger Things,” “Love Is Blind,” “Black Mirror” and “Emily in Paris” are all returning for 2025. Season 3 of “Squid Game” will debut June 27. And Tyler Perry signed on for five projects with the streamer – films “Madea’s Destination Wedding”; “Straw”; and “R&B”; a new comedy series “She The People”; and part 2 of the drama series “Beauty in Black.”
Sabio, an adtech company specializing in helping brands reach streaming TV audiences, announced the launch of Creator Television. The FAST channel featuring diverse creators is aimed at bridging the gap between social media storytelling and the streaming TV landscape. Plex will distribute Creator TV internationally. “Creator-led TV or show formats that blend user-generated content with traditional TV narrative techniques, is pushing the boundaries of storytelling,” said Charlie Ibarra, Head of Content at Creator TV. “Much like the introduction of music videos and unscripted show formats, creator-led TV has the potential to completely reshape the content landscape.”
Advertising giants Omnicom and InterPublic Group have called special online meetings for shareholders on March 18 to approve items that are part of their planned merger. Omnicom is looking for shareholder approval of its plan to issue additional shares of its common stock for the merger, reports MediaPost. Upon completion, Omnicom shareholders would own 60.6% of the combined company’s outstanding shares, with IPG shareholders controlling 39.4%. Omnicom proposed combining with IPG in December in an all-stock deal that would create an ad powerhouse with more than $25 billion in annual sales.
Free TV Networks is launching its fourth over-the-air channel, BUSTED, on March 1. It joins FTN’s existing national digital broadcast networks 365 BLK, OUTLAW, and DEFY. |
 |
| CYNOPSIS AWARDS AND EVENTS
Final Call: Save Big Before the Deadline Ends Tonight!
Don’t let this opportunity slip away! Today is your last chance to save up to $2,500 on Cynopsis events and awards. Celebrate achievements, build connections, and kick off 2025 on the right foot—at a fraction of the cost.
Act Now—Savings End Tonight! |
| PRODUCTION |
| Peacock has picked up crime drama series “Superfakes” from creator Alice Ju (“Poker Face,” “Beef”). The series is produced by A24 and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Ju will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie (“The Curse,” “Uncut Gems”) are executive producing, along with Howard Klein (“The Office,” “Parks and Recreation”) and Olivia Gerke (“Fantasmas”) for 3 Arts, Ronald Bronstein and Eli Bush. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| PBS announced its upcoming streaming and broadcast premieres, beginning with Season 2 of “Walters Presents: Velvet” which is available for streaming on January 31. Season 2 of “Funny Woman” makes its debut on the PBS network on February 2 at 10p, while “Independent Lens: The Strike” premieres on February 3 at 10p. “Nova: Dino Birds” debuts February 5 at 9p, followed by “Independent Lens: The In Between” (February 10 at 10p); “Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise”(February 11 at 10p); “Nature: Expedition Killer Whale” (February 12 at 8p); and “Nova: Egypt’s Tombs of Amun” (February 12 at 9p).
Season 16 of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” premieres on March 9 at 8p with a supersized episode that has Porsha Wiliams making her return alongside Drew Sidora and new housewives Shamea Morton Mwangi, Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley. Southern Belle, Ms. Phaedra Parks, also is scheduled to make a return later in the season and fan-favorite Cynthia Bailey returns as a friend.
Future Today is launching two original game shows on the Fawesome streaming channel – “Southern Food Truck Wars” and “Fawesome Family Game Show.” “Southern Food Truck Wars” is a six-episode series that takes place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where food trucks compete for the title of Southern Food Truck Champion. Hosted by TV celebrity chef Jay Ducote, the competition features chefs battling over their signature dishes to impress the judges on three key criteria: presentation, taste and execution. Quiz show “Fawesome Family Game Show” is hosted by LaTangela Fay with two teams competing in fast-paced reimagined classic games, including Pictionary, Boggle and Family Feud. |
Today’s Premieres
PBS: Firing Line with Margaret Hoover at 8:30p
Food: Guy’s Ultimate Family Cruise at 9p
Max: The Eastern Gate
Prime Video: Tom Green: Country
Apple TV+: Vietnam: The War That Changed America
Saturday’s Premiere
Oxygen: New York Homicide at 9p
Sunday’s Premieres
Animal Planet: Dog Detectives at 10p
PBS: Funny Woman at 10p
Adult Swim: Common Side Effects at 11:30p |
| COMING UP |
 “Big Family, Big City” premieres on TLC February 25 at 10p. The one-hour special follows the de la Mottes, a conservative family of 13 who relocate from San Diego to Harlem, NY.
“Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story”, will debut February 2 on Lifetime TV at 8pm. Jearnest Corchado, Bre-Z and Lisa Velez star, with Matt Borlenghi.
“Jim Beckwourth: War Chief of the Crow” airs Saturday, February 1 at 4p as part of a month-long stunt, “Legacy on the Range: Black Cowboys of the Wild West,” on Western Bound. |
 The nine-episode fourth and final season HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” will debut March 9 at 10p and will be available to stream on Max. |
 Concert special “The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl” comes to Disney+ on Friday, February 7, featuring a 70-person orchestra, dancers, state-of-the-art projection mapping images, and the Broadway show’s costumes and puppetry. Stars include Lebo M, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Jason Weaver, Ernie Sabella, Billy Eichner, and stage musical alumni Heather Headley and Bradley Gibson, with special guests North West and Jennifer Hudson. |
 New Discovery Channel series “Filthy Fortunes” premieres March 9 at 10p, as modern-day treasure hunter and the “King of Hoards,” Matt Paxton, travels around the country in search of rare, big-ticket items hidden in some of the most cluttered, filthy homes imaginable
Lifetime announced its slate of upcoming movies, kicking off with “Trapped in the Spotlight” premiering Saturday, February 15 at 8p. The movie follows two R&B singers kidnapped and held hostage to finish their incomplete album. The following weekend, Saturday, February 22 at 8p, Lexi Minetree (“Law and Order: SVU;” “The Paramedic Who Stalked Me”) and Rachel Coopes (“Chicago P.D.;” “Phoenix”) star as Amish girls drawn to the “forbidden world,” only to stumble upon a murder in “My Amish Double Life.” Sunday March 2 is the debut date for “Killing the Competition,” starring Melissa Joan Hart, followed by “Abducted in the Everglades” airing at 8p, starring Tori Spelling (“90210;” “Dancing with the Stars”) as a mother searching for her missing daughter in the Everglades. |
 Student shopping spree “Say Yes to the Prom” will return for its 13th year. Monte Durham of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” and Warner Bros. Discovery employees in New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles will help 1,500 students assemble prom looks with a full day of shopping, and provide exposure, mentorship, and resources for careers in entertainment.
HGTV stars and home renovation experts Ben and Erin Napier will complete the whole-town renovation of historic Sebring, Florida, in a new season of the network’s “Home Town Takeover” premiering Sunday, March 9, at 8p. The pair will take on more than a dozen renovation projects across homes, local businesses and public spaces. |
 Brothers Jake and Logan Paul, with more than 150 million followers online, will step into the reality arena with a new Max Original series “Paul American,” which debuts March 27. Featuring archival and never-before-seen footage, the eight-episode series debuts weekly on Max leading up to the season finale on May 15. |
 Peacock will stream “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” live from Radio City Music Hall on February 14 at 8p, bringing together legendary “Saturday Night Live” hall-of-famers and surprise special guests. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the show will also play at fan screening events in select IMAX theaters at Regal Cinemas across California (Regal Edwards Ontario Palace), Pennsylvania (Regal UA King of Prussia), Texas (Regal Lone Star), New York (Regal Deer Park), and Florida (Regal South Beach). Following “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” SNL will continue its celebratory weekend with a live primetime broadcast, “SNL50: the Anniversary Special” on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8p, simulcasting across NBC and Peacock. Fans can also stream the collection of original documentary programming celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” exclusively on Peacock, including “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” and NBC’s “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music.” |
|
| SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
Who Will Be Our First Luminary of 2025?
The big reveal happens next week! Here’s a clue: this honoree has mastered the art of the 8-second thrill, bringing excitement and adrenaline to arenas across the country. Any guesses?
Join us in celebrating their remarkable achievements and the best in sports media on June 4 in NYC. Entries close March 11th, but why wait?
Enter Today to Be Part of the Celebration! |
| SPORTS REPORT |
 The European League of Football (ELF) and DAZN have signed a new eight-year partnership that makes the sports streamer the exclusive OTT provider with a new “ELF Game Pass” product and airing all 101 games of the 2025 season. The existing ELF direct-to-consumer OTT product will be shut down and the channel will be fully aggregated into the DAZN ecosystem.
FloSports has partnered with NASCAR to distribute the inaugural Cook Out Madhouse Classic at Bowman Gray Stadium to FloRacing and on the NASCAR Channel on Tubi, Saturday February 1. The 125-lap race will feature 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, and multi-time Bowman Gray winner and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ryan Preece, in addition to the regular stars of Bowman Gray like 12-time champion Tim Brown, and 11-time champion and arch-rival, Burt Myers. |
 MLB Network will broadcast the entire 2025 Caribbean Series in English beginning today, January 31. With teams from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and, for the first time Japan, the 67th edition of the international tournament will consist of 14 live games over eight days at the El Nido de los Aguilas in Mexicali, Mexico. The action begins with Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic on Friday, January 31 at 4:30p, followed by Puerto Rico vs. Mexico at 11p. The Championship game of the tournament is scheduled for Friday, February 7 at 10p. |
 TNT Sports is launching a NASCAR Driver Cam experience — exclusive to Max — offering motorsports fans an all-access pass to every driver for every race throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Beginning with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray this Sunday, February 2, NASCAR Driver Cam on Max will give users access inside each driver’s car — up to 40 drivers each race — including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, all synced up with a 1080p Driver Cam feed on supported devices.
FOX Sports is airing the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina Pro Plan, on February 8, 10 and 11, with the event showcased across FOX Sports’ family of networks, digital platforms, and WestminsterKennelClub.org. The canine competition will kick off with the 12th Annual Masters Agility Championship live from the Javits Center on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:30p on FOX, with Best of Breed judging from the Javits Center on Monday, February 10 at 1p on FS2, moving to Madison Square Garden for Group judging at 7p on FS1, featuring a 30-minute pre-event program. Group judging continues in primetime on February 11 at 7p on FS1 with a 30-minute pre-show, culminating with the highly anticipated Best in Show. |
| GOING GLOBAL |
 BBC Studios and iHeartMedia have inked a multi-year deal making iHeartMedia the exclusive third-party advertising reseller of BBC podcasts to the U.S. market. iHeartMedia’s audio sales force will work closely with BBC Studios to represent its slate of premium podcasts and to amplify BBC’s content portfolio.
WildBrain has secured global distribution rights for the musical preschool series “Songs from the Bright Side,” produced by Canadian animation and music duo, Goddard/Brown. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Disney Entertainment & ESPN has created a new Product Engineeringo rganization, unifying many of its engineering teams into a single team focused on digital products and platforms and led by Andre Rohe as EVP, Product Engineering. Rohe joins Disney after more than two decades leading engineering teams at Meta, YouTube, Google, and Tabula.
Brain Power Studio has promoted Nancy Yeaman to Chief Operating Officer and named Rimma Belau Director of Finance. Yeaman was formerly EVP of Kids and Original Content at Brain Power, while Belau previously served as Finance Manager at TimePlay Inc.
GameSquare Holdings, Inc. has made several additions to its management team. Matt Mayer has been appointed EVP, Brand Marketing, Jonathan Murnane was named EVP, Gaming & Entertainment, Malia Jennings was picked as Director, Brand Marketing and Briana Kornegay is its new Director, Brand Experience.
Fandom announced a trio of executive appointments: Regine Weiner was named Senior Vice President of Community & Commerce, overseeing its community platform and e-commerce gaming retailer Fanatical; Bethany Eppner was appointed Vice President of Global Business Marketing, and Robert Kamphausen was selected as Vice President of Product Management for User Experience.
Pantheon Media Group named Kelly Mullen as Head of Brands. Mullen, based in London, will oversee efforts to connect Pantheon’s 20+ labels with global brands.
Wheelhouse has named Courtney White, president of Wheelhouse Entertainment. The former president of Food Network and GM of HGTV will continue to run the company’s Butternut label and will add oversight of all Wheelhouse U.S production labels including flagship Spoke Studios, new True Crime production company Twist and Wheelhouse DNA. She will also help manage Wheelhouse’s physical production partnerships, including Chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media, and NBA star Anthony Edwards’ Three Fifths Media. In addition, Glenn Hugill, who joined Wheelhouse in January 2023 to head the company’s UK operations, while also serving as Wheelhouse Entertainment’s chief content officer, is expanding his role, becoming chief creative officer at Wheelhouse Entertainment and president of Wheelhouse Studios, the company’s new international content hub. |
|
This Day in History
1865: Congress passed, by a vote of 121-24, the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States.
Friday Fun Fact
Salvador Dalí designed the logo for Spanish lollipop brand Chupa Chups.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who played the daughter of Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer) in “The Last Tycoon” (2017)? Lily Collins. Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
What short-lived NBC horror/sci-fi series featured Robert Englund and was produced by “Nightmare on Elm Street” director Wes Craven? (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.) |
VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Focus on FCC compliance, brand integrity for all current series and day-to-day business affairs for development and production. Strategize with management and outside counsel on business issues, and draft, review and execute various short-form business documents. Legal background and/or related media experience is required. 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
VICE PRESIDENT, POLITICAL SALES >>
NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP, INC./WASHINGTON, DC: Lead the company’s political advertising revenue across its dynamic portfolio of broadcast stations. Responsible for developing sales strategies tailored to the fast-paced, high-stakes political advertising market. You will possess an understanding of the political advertising landscape, and the ability to forge strong relationships with campaigns. Full info HERE
COUNSEL, LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
MLB NETWORK/SECAUCUS, NJ: Responsible for a variety of matters, including services agreements, production related agreements, talent agreements, software and other technology related agreements, licensing and programming agreements, third party rights clearances, distribution agreements, contract summaries, confidentiality, and general contract matters. Full info HERE |
|
|
