 IN THE NEWS |
 A week after its debut, Netflix renewed sports comedy “Running Point” for a second season. The series was released on February 27 and attracted 9.3 million viewers in its first weekend, ranking among the top 10 shows in 83 countries.
Paramount and CBS have filed motions to throw out President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes,” calling the suit an “affront to the First Amendment,” according to reports. Trump sued Paramount and CBS in a Texas federal court days before the Presidential election in November, claiming “60 Minutes” had deceptively edited an interview with then-Vice President and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, violating consumer protection laws. Last month, Trump alleged an additional claim of unfair competition under the Lanham Act, a federal trademark law, seeking $20 billion in damages. CBS and Paramount also have objected to the case being filed in the Amarillo federal courthouse, where nearly all the cases are assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee.
Despite restrictions being put in place by emerging state privacy laws designating race and ethnicity as sensitive data fields, Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement, combining data from digital devices with panel data from actual people, can provide for stability, granular reach planning and consistency of multicultural audiences, according to an analysis by datafuelX. The company analyzed Nielsen Big Data + Panel national measurement to assess the ability of the data to define total sports audiences by race and ethnicity and found that the combined scale of 45 million big data households with Nielsen’s 101,000-person panel enabled accurate, representative measurement. “The move from panel only measurement to panel and big data provides the greatest benefit in terms of data utility for the measurement of race and ethnic segments,” said Howard Shimmel, Head of Strategy and Business Development or datafuelX.
Prime Video has issued a series order for “Bloodaxe,” a historical drama from “Vikings” creators Michael and Horatio Hirst. The MGM Television-produced series tells the tale of Viking warrior Erik Bloodaxe and his wife Gunnhild, as they battle for the throne of Norway. |
 Streaming media company Plex has partnered with NBCUniversal to bring a lineup of FAST channels to its platform. Plex Live TV streamers will find Bravo series including “The Real Housewives,” “Top Chef,” and “Million Dollar Listing.” Whodunit and true crime fans can binge on Dateline’s 24/7 channel, Oxygen True Crime Archives, and American Crimes. Sports fans can dive into NBC Sports NOW, with daily sports talk, live events, and highlights, as well as “GolfPass,” which provides golf news, tips, and documentaries.
TelevisaUnivision and DirecTV struck a new, multi-year agreement for expanded distribution of TelevisaUnivision’s properties. Under the agreement, DirecTV satellite, satellite-free streaming, and U-verse customers will continue to have access to Univision, UniMás, TUDN and Galavisión, as well as from its portfolio of owned and operated local stations. In addition, DirecTV is now including TelevisaUnivision’s US properties within its new MiEspañol Genre Pack. MiEspañol will also expand soon to include ViX Premium with Ads. |
| ADVERTISING |
| US local advertising revenue in 2025 is projected to reach $171 billion, excluding political spending, an increase of 6.1% over 2024, according to BIA Advisory Services. The strongest growth is expected in Real Estate (+9.3%), Restaurants (+9.2%), and Retail (+6.8%). “Our latest forecast indicates that local advertising is showing resilience, despite the ongoing changes in the economic landscape,” said BIA VP of Forecasting and Analysis Nicole Ovadia. “Although we expect core advertising to remain stable, we’ve adjusted our outlook to account for various market factors like interest rates and consumer sentiment and significant changes in media consumption patterns that are driving digital growth.”
Publicis has entered into an agreement to acquire identity solution Lotame. The combined data and identity assets of Lotame and Publicis Groupe’s 2.3 billion global profiles will enable clients to reach 91% of adult internet users with personalized messaging at scale. Led by Founder and CEO Andy Monfried, Lotame will be positioned as part of Epsilon, accessible to all Publicis clients and teams to enhance their ability to deliver personalized marketing services at scale. “In the age of AI, the name of the game is connect or die,” said Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO Publicis Groupe. “By connecting Lotame to Epsilon, we’re reinforcing our industry-leading identity graph, giving clients the unique competitive advantage of seeing and engaging with 91% of all adults who use the internet, safely and transparently.
Retailers will be able to expand their retail media campaigns to CTV inventory via a partnership between French ad technology company Equativ and technology and advertising company Titan OS, which has developed an independent Operating System for CTV. The partnership enables brands to deliver highly targeted, outcome-driven campaigns. “CTV is one of the fastest-growing advertising channels, and when combined with retail media’s powerful first-party data, it creates an unmatched opportunity for brands to connect with targeted consumers at the right moment,” said Teiffyon Parry, Chief Strategy Officer at Equativ. “This new strategic partnership represents a significant stride in evolving our programmatic TV advertising services across Europe and continued expansion into the US.” |
 WPP and Stability AI have struck a strategic partnership that will have WPP leverage Stability AI’s open visual media models to craft brand narratives. By establishing a joint R&D pipeline, WPP will gain access to Stability AI’s models and workflows, integrated directly within WPP’s AI-driven operating system, WPP Open, to explore new ways to ideate, perform concept testing, and develop new solutions. “Not only will this partnership accelerate the adoption we’re already seeing, but it’ll also enhance our ability to develop innovative products customized for creative professionals’ unique needs,” said Prem Akkaraju, CEO of Stability AI. “We’ve spent years building the foundation for enterprise-grade creative tools, ensuring they are responsible, scalable, and ready for real-world applications. Now is the time to bring our models and workflows to even more brands globally.”
OOH advertising revenue hit a record $9.1+ billion in 2024, up 4.5% from the year prior, according to the Out Of Home Advertising Association Of America (OAAA). Digital OOH accounted for 34% of total OOH ad spend, a 7.5% lift.
The fusion of art and science drives stakeholder value, says Lauren Zweifler, Consultant and Former SVP Insights & Research, NBC Universal. Zweifler shares her thoughts on achieving Brand Love in Cynsiders
Want to hear the quiet part said out loud? The aforementioned Lauren Zweifler will be moderating a panel at the CTV Connect event next week, focused on streaming vs. linear TV – and judging from the group’s prep call, it will be a provocative discussion. To register, go here. |
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| CTV Connect 2025
The Great TV Debate—Linear vs. Streaming
Is linear TV still the king of reach, or does programmatic streaming offer the best precision and efficiency for advertisers? As the media landscape evolves, the debate rages on.
Join industry heavyweights as they go head-to-head in a lively discussion about the strengths, challenges, and future of linear vs. streaming TV in today’s market.
Be there for this industry showdown!
REGISTER NOW |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| OWN’s “Love & Marriage: Detroit” returns with all-new episodes Saturday, April 12 at 8p. The series follows a group of African American couples with deep ties to the city of Detroit. |
 “Collector’s Call” returns to MeTV for its sixth season Sunday, April 6 at 6:30p. In each episode of the series, host Lisa Whelchel (“The Facts of Life,” “Survivor”) travels across America exploring the private collections of the nation’s biggest collectors of pop culture and nostalgia memorabilia.
TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” returns April 5 at 8p, with Randy Fenoli and the Kleinfeld team.
AMC+ Original mystery drama, “The Last Anniversary” will premiere in the US and Canada on Sunday, March 30, with new episodes dropping weekly. Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling novel from Liane Moriarty and from the producers of “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” the six-episode drama stars Teresa Palmer (“A Discovery of Witches,” “The Fall Guy”) as Sophie Honeywell, a young woman finding herself drawn into a complex web of family secrets after inheriting a house on a remote island. |
 “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa premieres April 3 at 9p on HGTV, with Tarek meeting first-time flipper Dan, who is determined to learn the business from the ground up.
“Dongjae: The Good or the Bastard” will premiere on Paramount+ March 28. The drama series from South Korea is a spin-off of Korean thriller series “Stranger.” Lee Jun Hyuk reprises his role as the titular character: the corrupt prosecutor Seo Dongjae.
“Constables on Patrol” premieres Tuesday, March 11 at 9p on the Discovery Channel. The series depicts constables – elected law enforcement officers responsible for protecting legal processes and enforcing laws within their jurisdiction – patrolling the streets of Pennsylvania and deploying undercover schemes to lure people suspected of committing crimes out of hiding and serve them warrants.
Nat Geo’s new three-part docuseries, “Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America” will premiere April 2 at 8p on National Geographic and stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. |
Today’ Premieres
PBS: Firing Line with Margaret Hoover at 8:30p
Starz: Power Book III: Raising Kanan at 8p.
Roku: Visionaries
Max: When No One Sees Us
Netflix: When Life Gives You Tangerines; Formula 1: Drive to Survive
Saturday’s Premiere
BritBox: Travels with Agath Christie and Sire David Suchet
Sunday’s Premieres
ABC: American Idol at 8p; $100,000 Pyramid at 10p
Adult Swim: YOLO: Rainbow Trinity at 12a; Oh My God… Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances at 12:15a
AMC: Dark Winds at 9p
Bravo: The Real Housewives of Atlanta at 8p
CNN: United States of Scandal at 9p; Twitter: Breaking the Bird at 10p
Discovery: Naked and Afraid at 8p; Filthy Fortunes at 9p
HGTV: Home Town Takeover at 8p
HBO: The Righteous Gemstones at 10p
Nat Geo: Crash Course Cuisine with Hudson Yang at 10p
USA: Poker Face at 10p |
| COMING UP |
| INSP stunt “Heroes Wear Heels: Women of the West Weekend” kicks off Saturday, March 8 at 9p with “The Guns of Fort Petticoat”, followed by “Pioneer Woman” at 10:46p. The weekend continues March 9 at 12p with special airings of Daniel Boone (“Sweet Molly Malone”) and Bonanza (“Three Brides for Hoss”), and feature films “Buffalo Girls” at 2p and “the Second Time Around” at 9p. |
| Cynopsis Media Summit
Register Now: The Cynopsis Media Summit is Here!
The 2025 Cynopsis Media Summit is happening September 11th, and you won’t want to miss this must-attend event for media and advertising professionals.
This year, we’re taking engagement to the next level with small-group workshops, interactive polling, feisty debates, gamified learning, and more—ensuring you don’t just attend, but actively participate in the discussions shaping the future of media.
Secure your spot today and be part of the action!
REGISTER NOW |
| TECH REPORT |
| Premion been awarded Platinum status from the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), after successfully recertifying for the Brand Safety Certified BSC Seal, and receiving two new certifications – the Certified Against Fraud (CAF) Seal and the Certified Against Malware Seal. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
Audiences are becoming comfortable watching sports on streaming platforms, just as they did with scripted TV, only much more quickly. That’s according to “What’s the Score?”, Hub’s study tracking the evolution of sports fan and media. Key findings include:
· Sports fans are just as likely to watch live games on streaming platforms as they are on broadcast or cable networks. In 2025, 69% said they watch at least some live games on SVOD platforms – on par with broadcast (66%) and cable networks (63%).
· Last year, 23% of sports fans said streaming was their first stop for sports content – far behind cable (37%) and broadcast networks (30%). One year later, 30% of fans said a streaming platform is their first stop for live sports.
· Young people and minorities are more likely to follow their sports to streaming platforms. Fans under the age of 35 are much more likely (48%) than those 35+ (29%) to have signed up for a streaming service specifically to watch sports. And subscribing specifically for sports is also more common among Hispanic (46%) and Black fans (38%) than Caucasian viewers (33%). |
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| A new documentary from FOX Sports Films, “Destined to Drive: Patrick Dempsey’s Return to Racing” will premiere March 16 at 7p on FS1, immediately following the network’s live coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The film features Golden Globe nominated actor Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as he makes his anticipated return to race car driving after a nearly decade-long hiatus
Peyton Manning topped the list of sports personalities Americans picked as their dream drinking buddy, in Hirsch Leatherwood’s “2025 Celebrity Index.” Manning was followed by LeBron James, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce and Shaquille O’Neal. Manning was also #4 on the list of all celebrities (topped by Zendaya, Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg).
Reigning WNBA Champion New York Liberty and WNYW FOX5 New York have inked a multi-year partnership extension where WNYW will continue as the Official TV Partner of the team and broadcast locally televised Liberty games across FOX5 and My9, with all local games streaming on the FOX Local App.
VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, will debut “Sharp Week” beginning March 16. VSiN will broadcast from its downtown Las Vegas Circa studio during “Sharp Week,” as well as Sirius XM’s Wynn studio on the Vegas strip. The network will offer a free preview of its VSiN Pro premium content beginning now through March 16.
On the heels of the recent announcement of the 2025-26 College Basketball season schedule, CBS said its annual Thanksgiving Classic will pit the Duke Blue Devils against the Arkansas Razorbacks on November 27 at 8p. The game, from the United Center in Chicago, will be broadcast nationally on The CBS Television Network and be available to stream live on Paramount+.
The first monthlong Body Check Cup challenge launched on March 6, an initiative of the NHL and AstraZeneca to create awareness of and encourage proactive cancer screenings. The NHL will host a live leaderboard on which fans can track the point totals of all 32 teams. When a participant completes his or her Body Check pledge, their points (25) will be added to their team’s leaderboard. Their team will also receive extra points (50) when fans share their pledges on their social media.
TNT Sports and Max announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 from Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag:
· Denny Hamlin, named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers of All Time in 2023
· Joey Logano, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion
· Chris Buescher, coming off posting a Top 10 finish at last Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas
· Ryan Blaney, currently second in NASCAR Cup Series points and 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion
Max will also spotlight Katherine Legge’s historic start this Sunday as a Featured Driver within NASCAR Driver Cam. Legge will be the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick at the Daytona 500 in 2018. |
| RATINGS |
| In its first week, CBS daytime soap opera “Beyond the Gates” drew 2.28 million viewers in Live+3 Nielsens, up 78% from the numbers “The Talk” had been getting in the timeslot. Live+7 viewing totaled 3.0 million viewers, besting the debut of the last new soap, “Passions,” which delivered 2.96 million back in 1999. |
| GOING GLOBAL |
 Telemundo and Universo will be the official broadcasters for the 12th edition of the “Premios PLATINO,” the international awards for Spanish and Portuguese-language cinema and series, Sunday, April 27 from Madrid. The nominations will be announced on Friday, March 14. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Spectrum has promoted Keith Dardis to Executive Vice President, Spectrum Business – the Company’s new business operation combining Charter’s legacy SMB and Enterprise groups.
Clear Channel Outdoor America appointed Eric Hamme as President of its Chicago market. In this role, Hamme will oversee all aspects of the market’s operations, including sales, marketing, real estate, public affairs, operations and finance.
Ad agency Saylor has appointed Raul Rios SVP of Strategy. Rios joins Saylor from Walton Isaacson, where he spent over ten years leading initiatives for a variety of brands. |
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This Day in History
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone in the U.S.
Friday Fun Fact
Allodoxaphobia is the fear of other people’s opinions.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On “The Good Place” (2016-20), Jason was a fan of which NFL team? The Jacksonville Cougars. Kudos to: Janine Harm-NBCUniversal/NYC; Jordan Farbowitz-Mod Op/NYC; Joel Maxwell-Cozen O’Connor/NYC; Lou Vazquez-OMD/NYC; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee; Lucie Prann-Dallas Zoo/Dallas; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Kerri Huyck-Kennewick, WA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
Before he played scary crime lord Marsellus Wallace in “Pulp Fiction” (1994), Ving Rhames had hair and a role in this short-lived drama series, playing a criminal lawyer named Charlie who reconnects with three high school buddies after the death of their friend, policeman Tom McDaniel. (Email answers to Trivia@Cynopsis.com and include your name, company and city. Answers limited to four per time zone.) |
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
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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
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 |
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