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| Wednesday February 19, 2025 |
 IN THE NEWS |
 CBS handed a straight-to-series order for a “Blue Bloods” spinoff titled “Boston Blue,” starring Donnie Wahlberg, for the 2025-26 season. Wahlberg will reprise his role as NYPD officer Danny Reagan as he takes a position with Boston PD. “Boston Blue” is produced by CBS Studios in association with JBTV. Brandon Sonnier & Brandon Margolis will showrun and executive produce. Jerry Bruckheimer, KristieAnne Reed and Wahlberg will also serve as executive producers.
TV, viewed on the TV screen, has the highest reach and time spent of all media platforms studied in the 2025 Media Comparisons Study, conducted by GfK/NIQ and commissioned by TVB. The study measured the viewing of linear broadcast programs on digital devices to get a complete picture of broadcast’s reach: linear viewing on TV and mobile devices, as well as broadcast websites and apps. |
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Additional findings include:
– Linear TV viewing is mostly done on the TV set, but adults also spent about half an hour each day viewing broadcast linear content on computers, smartphones and tablets.
– Local broadcast TV is turned to most for local news and is the most trusted.
– More time is spent with broadcast TV across all devices than with cable and streaming programs.
– Broadcast digital assets alone reach between 34% to nearly half of respondents depending on segment/category.
– Total broadcast assets reach nine out of ten adults 18+ and in key categories.
– Numbers quoted for streaming by the industry include streaming without ads. When looking only at platforms that have advertising, linear TV represents 70% of the viewing time.
Pam Grier has partnered with Free TV Networks for her own FAST Channel, “Pam Grier’s Soul Flix,” in which the actress and activist celebrates the heroes of Black cinema. “Pam Grier’s Soul Flix” is airing now across platforms including The Roku Channel and Plex.tv.
Spectrum Reach, the advertising sales business of Charter Communications, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its nationwide small business initiative Pay It Forward. With this year’s program, Spectrum Reach will invest more than $3.8 million in free TV advertising for 255 eligible small businesses, part of more than $50 million invested over the past five years.
“New York Times” best-selling author and gender equality advocate Lilly Singh and actress, comedian, and equal rights activist Sasheer Zamata will host the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Official Pre-Show, streaming live on Netflix Sunday, February 23 at 8p. |
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| Sports Media Awards
2nd Luminary Announced!
They’re not just a media company—they’re a movement. We’re proud to honor Monumental Sports & Entertainment as this year’s Media Company of the Year!
Join Monumental, PBR, and more industry leaders at this year’s Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. Think your work deserves the spotlight? Enter your campaign today for a chance to take home the win!
ENTER TODAY |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
| Hulu has ordered Mindy Kaling comedy “Not Suitable for Work” to series. The show focuses on “five work-obsessed twenty-somethings striving for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood, Murray Hill.” Kaling is creator of the series and is executive producer, with Charlie Grandy as showrunner and executive producer. Howard Klein of 3 Arts Entertainment also is executive producing. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
 “David Blaine: Do Not Attempt” debuts March 23 at 9p on National Geographic. The six-part documentary series from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries showcases real people performing feats and magic inspired by cultures, histories and ancient rituals in Brazil, Southeast Asia, India, the Arctic Circle, South Africa and Japan.
Am I Being Unreasonable,” the Hulu Original Series created by and starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, kicks off March 12. |
Today’s Premieres
The CW: Good Cop/Bad Cop at 9p.
Netflix: My Family
Disney+: Win or Lose
Fox Nation: The Tides that Bind: Inside Alabama Football
Hulu: Spartans: A True Story |
| COMING UP |
| A24’s “Queer” will make its streaming debut exclusively on Max in the U.S. on Friday, March 28 and will debut on HBO linear on Saturday, March 29 at 8p. The film stars Daniel Craig. |
 Paramount+ began streaming “SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3,” the third feature film installment in the “SONIC THE HEDGEHOG” Cinematic Universe on February 18 in Canada and the U.S. Fans of the video game franchise can catch up on the events leading up to the threequel by checking out the first two films in the trilogy via the streaming service’s Sonic the Hedgehog Collection.
Youth and amateur sports video streaming platform SportsEnginePlay has formed a multi-year partnership to become the official streaming partner of youth baseball organization Canes Midwest. Through the agreement, SportsEngine Play will bring livestreaming capabilities to Canes Midwest’s lineup of baseball and softball games played at its Brownsburg, Indiana sports complex. |
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CTV Connect 2025
ONLY ONE ROUNDTABLE LEFT
This is your final chance to get up close and personal with industry leaders at the 2nd annual CTV Connect Conference. Only one sponsored roundtable remains—your last opportunity to lead discussions, drive engagement, and put your brand in the spotlight. Don’t miss out!
Want more info?
Contact Amy Abbey at [email protected] or 410.979.0171 to secure your spot and make your mark! |
| TECH |
| Marketing and personalization data and AI platform Hightouch has raised $80 million via a Series C offering which values the tech company at $1.2 billion. The round was led by Rajeev Dham at Sapphire Ventures.
In an increasingly crowded and fragmented media landscape, brands face a tough challenge: striking the right balance between reach and repetition. In Cynsiders,
Michael Scott, VP of Ad Sales & Operations at Samsung Ads, maintains ad overload is a challenge that can be solved with thoughtful strategy and execution. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| FloSports “FloWrestling Night in America” will feature Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee facing off against Japan’s 2024 world champion Masanosuke Ono in the main card from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa on February 26, with the undercard featuring top Iowa high school wrestlers starting at 7:30p
Endemol Shine Boomdog and La Jaula Studios have entered into a development deal for a six-episode series covering Mixed Martial Arts fighting “Copa Combate.” Much like international soccer tournaments, Copa Combate pits eight fighters from different countries against one another in a bracket-style, single-elimination format tournament, requiring a fighter to win three bouts in one night to claim the event’s $100,000 grand prize.
Outdoor Sportsman Group’s FAST channel – Game & Fish TV – is now available on Plex. The channel’s lineup of sports and outdoor lifestyle programming can also be found on OutdoorChannel.com, GameandFishMag.com, MyOutdoorTV.com and Samsung TV Plus, with additional outlets coming in the near future.
CAPX has reached an agreement to be the official hat, exclusive headwear marketing partner, and preferred headwear supplier of The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB). CAPX will serve as the official hat provider for AAPB championship teams competing in the WBSC Baseball Champions League (BCL), starting this April with the reigning AAPB Champion Kane County Cougars.
MSG Networks has partnered with the Westchester Soccer Club for exclusive broadcast rights for the club’s inaugural USL League One season. WSC will officially open their first season on March 8 in Greenville, S.C. against Greenville Triumph SC. |
| GOING GLOBAL |
| Banijay Entertainment has picked up “Clone Heads,” from UK production company Objekt. Each episode of the gameshow, which originally premiered on Channel 4, features two content creators leading a team of oversized, balloon-headed clones into three rounds of challenges. |
| RATINGS |
| NBC’s 50th anniversary special for “Saturday Night Live” attracted 14.8 million viewers to the broadcast network and Peacock on Sunday night, 202% above the average viewership of SNL throughout its entire 50th season. Among adults 18-49, the special scored a 2.5 rating. The special was the network’s most-watched primetime entertainment (non-sports, non-news) broadcast since the 2020 Golden Globes Awards, as well as the fourth-most-watched entertainment telecast of all time on Peacock, trailing only three Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcasts. |
 The season 3 premiere of HBO’s “The White Lotus” delivered 2.4 million viewers across platform U.S. viewers on its debut night, a 57% increase over the 1.5 million that watched the season 2 premiere for the series and 155% higher than season 1 (944,000). After 36 hours the Season 3 premiere doubled the Season 2 premiere episode in the U.S. during the same amount of time, and grew 90% since Sunday night, bringing the domestic audience to 4.6 million cross platform viewers. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| New York City-based film and television studio and streaming network FilmRise has promoted Emilia Nuccio to SVP, International Content Sales & Distribution. In her new role, Nuccio will take on additional responsibilities related to the distribution of content to streaming platforms and broadcasters globally.
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) has named former Interactive Advertising Bureau president and COO Patrick Dolan Chief Operating Officer. Dolan will lead OAAA’s operations and finances.
Dick Clark Productions appointed Nick Terranova Senior Vice President, Brand Partnerships. Prior to joining DCP, Terranova held senior leadership roles at Fox and Warner Bros.
After nearly five years as Chief Brand Officer at Revolt, Deon Graham has been named Chief Content Officer. In this position, he will focus on developing content that reflects today’s culture. Graham aims to amplify creative storytelling across platforms, prioritizing cultural relevance and empowering diverse voices in media.
Crossmedia is unifying its global media offering under the leadership of Kamran Asghar, who becomes Global CEO. Kamran will oversee all media operations worldwide as part of a more streamlined, single brand approach to media services. |
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This Day in History
1878 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his cylinder phonograph.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which “The Mary Tyler Moore” star guested on “Ellen” (1994-98), “The Ellen Show” (2001-02), and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (2003-22)? Mary Tyler Moore. Kudos to: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC
Today’s Trivia Question
Before she hit it big as Karen Walker on “Will & Grace” (1998-2006; 2017-2020), Megan Mullally starred as the 25-year-old divorced daughter of a best-selling author on what short-lived sitcom? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. We’ll include a limit of four answers per time zone.) |
DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNER/BUYER >>
BEACON MEDIA GROUP/ LYNDHURST, NJ: Management of paid social media campaigns, strong written & verbal communication skills, knowledge of various targeting methodologies, and basic understanding of traditional media. Familiarity with media planning and buying software. Proficient in website analytics tools. Experience in pixel implementation and conversion tracking. Full info HERE
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 |
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