 IN THE NEWS |
| Second-screening isn’t just a young viewer’s game anymore. More than half of US viewers ages 45–54 now watch video on their phones while the TV is on, according to a report from Omdia – up from 39% in November 2020. Viewers 55–64 aren’t channeling one screen either, with 35% reporting mobile multitasking, a 20% jump. Younger audiences still lead the scroll-and-stream set, but their habits have mostly leveled off: among 18–24-year-olds the share edged from 61% in 2022 to 63% in 2025, while 25–34-year-olds ticked up from 60% to 61%. In other words: the second screen is going gray, too. |
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| The Starz board has adopted a shareholder rights plan – aka a “poison pill” – after media mogul Byron Allen acquired a 10.7% stake in the company last week. The move, typically used to fend off hostile takeovers, would be triggered if any shareholder amasses 17.5% or more of the company. “The Board determined to adopt the Rights Plan as they believe it is in the best interest of the Company and allows it to pursue its long-term strategic plan and maximize value for all shareholders,” said Starz. “Poison pills reduce the likelihood that any person or group can gain control of the company’s shares without appropriately compensating shareholders for that control.”
Comedian Nikki Glaser has been enlisted to host the 84th Annual Golden Globes Awards, airing Sunday, January 10, 2027, on CBS. It will be Glaser’s third consecutive turn as host. “I’m thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it’s the greatest gig I’ve ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord,” said Glaser.
Bark TV is unleashing new content. The multiplatform network for dog lovers is teaming with event company DOGZ to fetch a lineup of canine-centric games, contests, and programming focused on dog wellness. Premium content from events run by the Iditarod Trail Committee and other grassroots gatherings will also be part of the pack. “The reach of our channel continues to grow due to the increased consumption of FAST and OTA television by consumers, and adding premium content around events like the Iditarod and competitions like DockDogs will keep viewers coming back,” said Brendan Canning, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Triple B Media, which operates Bark TV. “We want to be the home for all things dogs.” |
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| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Golf comedy “The Hawk,” starring Will Ferrell as a golf legend struggling to make a comeback, is set to debut this summer. Fellow “SNL” alum Molly Shannon plays his wife.
All nine episodes of “Love Overboard” drop Thursday, March 26 on Hulu. Synergy alert: A preview of the reality dating series airs Sunday, March 22 at 10p on ABC, right after the season premiere of “The Bachelorette.” |
 Adult Swim’s #1 series returns with the season nine premiere of “Rick and Morty” on Sunday, May 24 at 11p. “I know it’s my job to say that this show just keeps topping itself, but it also has the benefit of being true,” said Michael Ouweleen, President of Adult Swim. “From the first frame, you’re going to see great high-concept insanity with some of the best character writing ever done.” |
Today’s Premieres
ALLBLK: Wild Rose
BritBox: Mudtown
History: The Proof Is Out There: Alien Edition at 10p
Hulu: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Nat Geo: Ancient Structures: Secrets Revealed at 9p
Netflix: Virgin River; Love is Blind: Sweden |
| PRODUCTION |
| Hulu has ordered a pilot for “Lex,” centered on a disgraced former reality star who uses his TV skills to try and expose a global conspiracy – and get back on television. The comedy comes from Sam Clements (“Severance”), Paul Simms (“What We Do in the Shadows”) and 20th Television.
FOX Entertainment Studios (FES) has entered into a development commitment with comedian, writer, and actor Frankie Quiñones (“St. Denis Medical”). Under the agreement, Quiñones will co-write and star in a scripted comedy developed with FES.
Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”) has joined the season two cast of “The Lowdown.” The FX and Hulu comedy starring Ethan Hawke begins production of its second run this spring in Tulsa.
Magilla Entertainment (“Moonshiners”) has partnered with WWE legend and “Everything on the Menu” host Adam Scherr to launch joint venture Meat Castle Media. The new banner will be run by Scherr and producing partner Nick Antonicelli, in partnership with Magilla.
Production company Ritual announced the launch of Ritual Labs, a creative technology venture to help support a more continuous production model for the AI era. Ritual Labs builds scalable story systems, integrating emerging tools into development in a way it says will allow brands to explore concepts, pre-visualize campaigns and pressure-test story systems.
Banijay Entertainment reality competition format “The 50” is heading to Italy. Banijay Italia will produce a 10-episode series for Prime Video. |
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| CYNOPSIS SPORTS AWARDS
Game-Changing Work Deserves Recognition
If your team pushed sports media forward this year, this is your moment. The Cynopsis Sports Awards spotlight the platforms, campaigns, and innovations redefining the fan experience.
Final entry deadline: TOMORROW — March 13.
Make your mark before the clock runs out.
VIEW CATEGORIES & ENTER NOW |
| COMING UP |
| Documentary thriller “#Skyking” premieres Tuesday, April 14 on Hulu, following its world premiere on March 12 at SXSW 2026. The film tells the story a Horizon Air ground service agent who clocked into work wearing a shirt that said, “the sky’s no limit,” stole a 33-million-dollar plane, and took off into the skies of the Pacific Northwest.
HBO comedy special “Color Theories by Julio Torres” debuts Friday, March 27 at 8p on HBO. It’s Torres’ second HBO special.
Lifetime has two new “Ripped From the Headlines” films on tap for spring. “Rescued by Faith: The Connie and Larry Van Oosten Story” stars Nancy Travis (“Last Man Standing”), while “Kidnapped in her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story” is fronted by Stana Katic (“Castle”). |
| SPORTS REPORT |
Scale and global reach (38.6%) and audience data and insights (36.9%) are expected to be the most important factors shaping the next cycle of sports rights negotiations, according to a new Looper Insights survey of executives across streamers, broadcasters, leagues, and tech providers. Key findings from the report include:
· 36.8% believe global streaming services with large-scale audience data are best positioned to benefit from AI-driven changes in sports media, compared with 17.9% who pointed to sports leagues.
· 40.4% of industry professionals expect YouTube to evolve into a full operating system for sports media, though 38.3% believe the platform will face resistance and remain limited in live sports.
· 38.6% say marquee sports events primarily create short-term subscription spikes, while 36.7% believe they mainly reinforce streaming services viewers already use rather than driving long-term subscriber growth.
· Amazon Prime Video was identified as the streamer most likely to hold the strongest position in sports media, followed by Netflix and ESPN/Disney.
Overtime has renewed and expanded its content partnership with the Association of Tennis Professionals for 2026. As part of the expanded collaboration, Overtime will produce short-form, player-led content across ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events.
With March Madness about to tip off, Nexxen Discovery pulled up data that shows the impact of the NCAA Tournament. Highlights include:
· 45% of March Madness viewers don’t watch regular-season college basketball.
· 89% of live sports fans co-watch with friends or family.
· Gen Z and Millennial sports fans are particularly engaged through brackets, fantasy leagues and micro-betting.
· Engagement with the NCAA Women’s Tournament surged +334% in March 2025.
All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN) will air a special women’s boxing showcase program, headlined by a live televised bout featuring eight-time amateur national champion Alexis Tangaro (16-1, 1 KO), on Saturday, March 14 at 9:15p.
Comcast NBCUniversal and Telemundo Station Group, in partnership with the US Soccer Federation’s Soccer Forward Foundation, are awarding $600,000 in Vamos World Cup Initiative grants to 17 nonprofits using soccer to strengthen and uplift communities. The program builds on the momentum of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ in North America. |
| TECH |
| FreeWheel has launched a new AI agent infrastructure designed to be a build-on platform where agencies and partners can integrate their own systems and workflows. FreeWheel’s MCP Server provides a secure foundation that allows AI agents to talk directly to FreeWheel’s platform and take action. PMG is among the first piloting the infrastructure inside its own platform, Alli.
CANAL+ and Google Cloud have formed a strategic partnership focused on AI. Starting in June, CANAL+ will deploy Google Cloud’s latest generative AI technologies across European and African markets to accelerate the content video indexing of its content library, enabling smarter, more personalized content recommendations on the homepage of the CANAL+ App.
Agentic AI platform BrandComms.AI announced its US launch, offering brands a platform that applies validated brand and consumer decision-making intelligence directly to creative development. “The industry doesn’t have an AI problem, it has an effectiveness problem. Generative and agentic AI has made it easy to produce more advertising, but not better advertising,” said Isobell Roberts, Chief AI Officer at BrandComms.AI. “The BrandComms.AI platform applies existing brand insights, governance, and proven consumer decision-making science to ensure creative is built to perform before it reaches the market, not after.” |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Samsung TV Plus has added three of Fremantle’s game show channels as part of their FAST lineup: “Family Feud (hosted by Steve Harvey),” “Family Feud Classic” and “The Price Is Right: The Barker Era.” |
| RATINGS |
| The 2025-26 men’s regular college basketball season was the most-watched ever on Fox and FS1, averaging 1.216 million viewers on Fox (up +38% year-over-year) and 234,000 on FS1 (up +25%).
CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday delivered 7.32 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel Live + Same Day ratings. That’s up 20% in viewers versus the same night last year.
Viewership for last weekend’s race at COTA averaged 1,159,000 Total Viewers on The CW, up +8% compared to last week’s race. Adults 25-54 grew +28% compared to prior week at COTA and +11% compared to same weekend in Phoenix in 2025, according to Nielsen Panel + Big Data.
Basic Cable Top 10 for the Week of March 2
P2+ AA (000)
Primetime
Fox News 3113
MS NOW 1354
ESPN 1264
CNN 1264
HGTV 611
TBS 575
Hallmark Channel 545
TLC 544
History 531
Food Network 514
Total Day
Fox News 2042
MS NOW 796
CNN 724
ESPN 608
HGTV 335
TBS 300
Food Network 291
Hallmark Channel 279
GSN 270
History 254
Source: Nielsen |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Sony Pictures Television’s Eli Holzman, President, Nonfiction, and Aaron Saidman, Co-President, Nonfiction, are leaving the company, reports Deadline. In a note to staff praising Holzman and Saidman for their contributions to the business, Keith LeGoy, Chairman of SPT, said the role of Katherine Pope, President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, will expand to include nonfiction.
The International Advertising Association (IAA) has appointed Kirsty Giordani as Global Managing Director. Giordani has served as the Executive Director for the IAA UK since 2019. |
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This Day in History
1894 – Coca-Cola was served in bottles for the first time, in a candy store in Mississippi.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which game show, whose initial run was from 1956-59, was revived by GSN in 2025? “Tic Tac Dough.” Kudos to: Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Carl Mayer-AMS/Pearl River, NY; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Mark Selby-Melbar Entertainment Group/Toronto
Today’s Trivia Question
Which series focused on a show that aired on a cable channel owned by the fictional Continental Corp.? (Email your answer to trivia@cynopsis.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone – a limit of four answers per time zone.) |
EXECUTIVE >>
TBS INTERNATIONAL/LOS ANGELES, CA: Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of entertainment and media agreements, with a primary focus on unscripted television, format licensing, and intellectual property distribution. Handle development, production, and co-production agreements, including situations where TBS is designated as the production entity providing production services. More info HERE
PRINT TRAFFICKER AND TECHNICAL COORDINATOR >>
FILM FEST DC/WASHINGTON, DC: Coordinate direct communication between print sources and the festival to ensure the on-time inbound and outbound delivery of all film materials and work with venue staff to deliver and test each film and KDM. Request and collect KDMs for all encrypted DCPs and maintain a spreadsheet that contains all the aspects of the film. Full info HERE
MANAGER, MEMBER ENGAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS >>
TELEVISION ACADEMY/NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA:
Lead the execution of initiatives such as the Peer Circle program and Your Voice Matters, reviewing data to enhance program participation and ensure metrics are achieved; collaborate with the Senior Director of Engagement and Retention and stakeholders across marketing to manage delivery and optimization of the Member Benefits Perks newsletter. Full info HERE
BROADCAST ENGINEER >>
HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY/HIGH POINT, NC: Ensure high-quality production environments and provide technical leadership to faculty, staff, and students in live and recorded productions and play a role in supporting the school’s mission to provide industry-standard production experiences for students and will have opportunities to contribute to the development of emerging media technologies. More info HERE
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
PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE: 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
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
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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