Max: The One To Watch

With sponsorships and high-impact media available across culture-defining originals,
blockbuster movies, fan-favorite series, and now, live sports and news – Max offers ONE
streaming destination to connect with audiences you can’t find anywhere else.

Upcoming Sponsorship Opportunities Include:
Sports: 2024 NCAA Men’s March Madness (March 19 – April 8)
Max Original Series: Hacks Season 3 (May)
HBO Original Series: House of the Dragon Season 2 (Summer)
News: 2024 CNN Election Coverage (’24 Election Cycle)

IN THE NEWS

CBS renewed drama “Fire Country” for a third season, and comedy “Ghosts” for a fourth. “Fire Country” is averaging 9.21 million viewers in live 7-day multiplatform viewing, up +7% from last year, and “Ghosts” is averaging 10 million.

In comments filed with Federal Trade Commission, the Association of National Advertisers protested an FTC proposal that would require opt-in consent from parents before websites and apps could serve behaviorally targeted ads to children under age 13. “Unnecessary and overly burdensome parental consent requirements hinder children’s access to online products and services,” said the ANA. “Burdensome requirements cause consent fatigue rather than providing parents with meaningful control over personal information associated with children.” In December, the FTC issued a proposal to update the 24-year-old Children’s Online Privacy Act, last updated in 2013.

DoubleVerify and NBCUniversal have expanded their partnership to provide program-level measurement solutions across OTT devices. “With the rise of streaming, it’s imperative that publishers provide brands with the data they need to be sure they’re running their media in environments that are both brand-safe and brand-suitable,” said Dominick Vangeli, SVP and General Manager, Advanced Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal “With this new partnership with DoubleVerify, we’ll be able to offer our advertising partners a new level of transparency against these metrics and more, with granularity down to the program level.”

Let’s make a deal: Apollo Global Management has reached out to Paramount Global about buying all or some of its holdings, reports Axios. The private equity firm would face competition from Byron Allen and Skydance Media, who have also been circling.

CBS will broadcast the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 7 at 8p, from LA’s Westin Bonaventure. It’s the net’s 18th turn airing the ceremony.

For Your Consideration ad spend for Academy Award contenders was up 21% year over year, reports MediaRadar, with nearly $16 million invested from November 2023 through January 2024. Three top studios from the data sample – Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Searchlight Pictures – spent $8.6 million, or 55% of tracked spend, with each spending over $1 million. Paramount invested in national broadcast TV ads this season for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which accounted for 65% of its FYC spend. Last season its FYC spend was less than $50,000.

Rob McElhenney has launched More Better Industries, a film, television and multimedia company that includes McElhenney’s More Better Productions (“Welcome to Wrexham”), More Better Advisory and More Better Ventures. Jackie Cohn, who previously ran Red Hour, will head the new outfit.

Talpa (“The Floor”) has teamed with survival expert Bear Grylls and his Natural Studios and Bunim/Murray Productions for European format “No Way Back.” “You mix adventure, hard cash and even harder decision making under pressure and you have the ingredients for drama,” said Grylls. “I’m excited and proud to be bringing this show to new territories and reminding global audiences that the wild takes away, but it also rewards.”

Writer/producer Beau DeMayo has been let go from “X-Men 97,” the Disney+ series he created. The Marvel Studios production debuts Wednesday, March 20.

Psychological thriller “Fear,” following a couple whose dream home turns out to be anything but, landed a green light from Prime Video. The series comes from Wild Mercury and Capricorn Productions.

Scholastic, the children’s publishing, education and media company, has signed a definitive agreement to invest in 9 Story Media Group. Scholastic will acquire 100% of the economic interest in and a minority of voting rights in 9 Story. “At its core, Scholastic’s 360° content creation strategy is about engaging children with reading, and we have introduced our stories to generations of kids by reaching them where they are,” said Peter Warwick, Scholastic President and CEO. “We are thrilled to build upon our more than 20-year relationship with 9 Story’s exceptional management team and employees, whose culture and values could not be better aligned with our own.”

Owen Wilson (“Wedding Crashers”) is set to star in and executive produce a comedy for Apple TV+. Wilson will play an over-the-hill golfer in an untitled series from Jason Keller (“Ford v Ferrari”). Apple Studios is producing.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Medical transformation series “Take My Tumor,” featuring three doctors removing tumors from patients with extreme cases, debuts Wednesday, April 3 at 10p on TLC.

ID has expanded its partnership with executive producer Holly Madison with “Lethally Blonde,” premiering Monday, March 25 at 10p. In the series, Hugh Hefner ex Madison introduces viewers to starry-eyed aspirants who find themselves in a dark world that exploits their sexuality.

The US broadcast TV premiere of drama series “The Porter,” inspired by the early days of the formation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, is set for Tuesday, May 1 on select public TV stations (check local listings). The eight-episode series stars Aml Ameen (“Sense8”), Ronnie Rowe (“Star Trek: Discovery”) and Alfre Woodard (“Black Panther”).

“Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed” premieres Monday, March 18 at 9p on Reelz. In the three-parter, “The Masked Magician” discloses industry tricks.

COMING UP

“The Truth vs. Alex Jones,” directed by filmmaker Dan Reed ( “Four Hours at the Capitol”) debuts Tuesday, March 26 at 9p on HBO. The doc chronicles the courtroom drama of two defamation lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ families against Alex Jones and his website, InfoWars.

Slime time: The “Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2024” will air Saturday, July 13 at 8p, returning after over a decade to Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA.

New Line’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 bestselling novel Salem’s Lot debuts on Max in 2024. The story follows author Ben Mears as he returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.

TECH TALK

Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit from two Prime Video users. The complaint: Amazon Services allegedly regularly discloses personally identifiable information to its parent company, Amazon Inc., as well as users’ personally identifiable information non-Amazon affiliated parties for audience measurement purposes and market research. “Amazon Services – the video service provider for United States Amazon Prime Video consumers – does not comply, and has never complied, with the VPPA’s requirements for informed written consent,” reads the suit.

Roku revealed that over 15,000 accounts were compromised in a data breach between December 28, 2023 and February 21, 2024. “Unauthorized actors separately obtained, from third-party sources that are unrelated to Roku, login information (combinations of sign-in email addresses and passwords) that they then used to access certain individual Roku accounts,” said a letter to Roku customers. The company did have some good news: “Access to the affected Roku accounts did not provide the unauthorized actors with access to social security numbers, full payment account numbers, dates of birth, or other similar sensitive personal information requiring notification.”

Proximic by Comscore and Epsilon announced a partnership that will have Epsilon utilize Proximic by Comscore’s AI-powered contextual classifications for Epsilon Digital, the company’s adtech platform for performance-based, personalized digital media at scale. Proximic by Comscore will deliver Epsilon insights into content across thousands of touchpoints with a focus on brand suitability, inventory quality, IAB and GARM categorizations. “As the industry moves towards an alternative signal-based future, rich contextual data is more vital than ever before as marketers seek to maximize the value of inventory available to them in biddable environments,” said Kathryn Roganti, SVP, Commercial at Proximic by Comscore. “Our partnership with Epsilon will enhance ad quality line of sight for supply available via Epsilon’s expansive adtech stack, unlocking new efficiencies and increasing performance for clients activating with Epsilon Digital.”

Attributy announced an exclusive partnership with OOH ad platform AdQuick, enabling advertisers to measure how OOH and other channels impact each other for return on ad spend and conversions. “Omnichannel advertisers haven’t been able to measure their out-of-home campaign data availability,” said Andreas Eisermann, Founder and President, Attributy. “Advertisers can now leverage our shared next-gen insights for unparalleled clarity on how out-of-home performance impacts, and is impacted by, holistic marketing performance.”

Adjust announced a first-of-its-kind integration with Google Play Games on PC, empowering gaming app developers, marketers and studios to seamlessly distribute and measure their marketing campaigns across a diverse range of platforms. Adjust is enhancing PC | console measurement with the addition of Google’s Play Install Referrer API to directly attribute installs to PC campaigns. The integration helps app developers understand which channels deliver the most users to their apps from the Google Play store.

STREAMING

Nearly 100% of consumers have heard of the major streaming services, but as many as half are not confident they could explain to someone else what makes each streamer unique, according to Hub’s annual “Evolution of Video Branding” study. So without a clear identity for platform brands, viewers make choices based on the shows themselves. Almost 40% of viewers say they’ve signed up for a new subscription just to watch one piece of content. Young people (50%) and households with kids (49%) are even more likely to sign up just to watch one show. “As big streamers aim to be all things for all people, viewers are struggling to identify what distinguishes them from each other,” said Jason Platt Zolov, consultant for Hub. “Until streamers develop more brand-defining features, viewer loyalty is at risk and consumers will continue to churn as they chase shows across services.”

Fifty-six percent of viewers stream one to three hours of programming in one sitting, while 40% are streaming three or more hours at a time, according to Tubi report, “The Stream 2024: Streaming Insights for Marketers.” Consumers estimate using about four different streaming services (3.8 average), with heavy streamers (15+ hours/week) using about five (4.7 average). To keep them streaming, viewers want a vast selection of shows and movies (69%), new or original content (61%), and different genres or categories (50%). Additional insights include:
· Gen Z and millennials want original, diverse content from independent creators, with 74% preferring originals to remakes.
· Nearly all (96%) of Americans are interested in nostalgia watching, streaming shows that are 10+ years old; 67% of Gen Z and millennials turn to content that’s 10+ years old because “the style and quality is good.”
· 68% of Gen Z like watching live sports or sports programming, such as NFL weekly game previews (45%) or the NBA G League (31%), and 42% dedicate three or more hours each week to live sports streaming, eclipsing those watching on traditional cable and satellite TV (24%).

Max inked a multiyear agreement with GKIDS to extend the exclusive US film streaming rights for Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. As part of the deal, Max will be the future home of the Oscar-winning film “The Boy and the Heron,” with a streaming premiere date coming later this year. The hand-drawn, original story is Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years.

FOX Nation has expanded distribution to DISH TV and SLING TV. Beginning mid-March, DISH customers will be able to add FOX Nation for $5.99 per month.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Fubo has added MASN, the regional sports network that’s home to the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, to its local sports lineup. Fubo will stream MASN’s coverage of every available game of both the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, pre- and postgame shows, and NCAA Division I men’s and women’s sports, totaling more than 500 live events annually.

Collegiate Sports Management Group announced that the Big Esports Conference will be qualifying schools at the upcoming live championship event at The Ohio State University and Game Arena on April 12-13. Winners head to the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup in May. Game Arena will join the event as a presenting sponsor.

FIFA World Cup champion and former US Women’s National Team star Ali Krieger has joined ESPN to headline the company’s coverage of women’s soccer, including the upcoming NWSL season. Krieger will serve as studio analyst across all soccer programming on ABC and ESPN platforms.

Pixellot struck strategic partnerships with two organizations in German basketball: the Baden-Württemberg Basketball Association (BBW) and the Westdeutscher Basketball Association (Basketball WBV). The partnerships will see Pixellot’s newest AI-driven cameras used in multiple venues.

The BIG3 announced its seventh season will launch at Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA on June 15, at 3:30p on CBS and Paramount+. The 10-week season will make stops in Tampa, FL, Baltimore, MD, Newark, NJ, Anaheim, CA, Portland, OR, Cincinnati, OH, and San Antonio, TX, before closing out the season with the playoffs at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Sunday, August 11, and the 2024 BIG3 Championship Game at TD Garden in Boston, on Sunday, August 18. Games will air live on CBS, Paramount+, and X,

Telemundo, home of Chivas de Guadalajara in the US, presents El Clásico De México featuring Liga MX rivals Chivas and América on Saturday, March 16 with a pregame show at 10p. The match will be simulcast across Telemundo, Universo and Peacock with English-language coverage available on SiriusXM.

GNC, in collaboration with Whistle, will integrate into Whistle’s “No Days Off,” launching around March Madness. “No Days Off” features athletes whose drive and motivation have allowed them to overcome barriers.

GOING GLOBAL

All3Media International will handle global distribution for two upcoming Stan Original dramas: “Exposure” from Thirdborn and “Critical Incident” from Matchbox Pictures. All3Media International also return as global distributor for the second season of Goalpost Pictures’ “Black Snow.”

Titan OS S.L., the technology, entertainment, and advertising company based in Barcelona, has announced partnerships including Euronews, Bloomberg TV, Red Bull TV, CHILI, FUNKE Digital, Blue Ant Media, Insight TV, and Love TV Channels, among many others.

Banijay announced a new Banijay Germany joint venture. Berlin-based Dynamic Ally Pictures is founded and led by Helgoland 513 executive producers Veronica Priefer and Johannes Kunkel.

The total mobile communications services revenue in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4% from $321.9 billion in 2023 to $388.7 billion in 2028, mainly driven by the 5G mobile data services segment, according to GlobalData. An analysis of GlobalData’s Asia-Pacific Mobile Broadband Forecast Pack reveals that mobile data services will remain the largest revenue contributing segment to the overall mobile services market in the region during 2023-2028.

The two series on the MIPTV slate of Poland’s TVP are comedy drama “We Shall Live Together,” revolving around the Russia-Ukraine war, and “Matylda,” a drama set against the backdrop of Poland’s 19th century the January Uprising.

Sinking Ship Entertainment struck three new deals for the PBS KIDS animated series “Alma’s Way.” TFI in France, TFO in French Canada, and ONCE/ONCE Niñas y Niños in Mexico have bought the series, which follows a six-year-old as she learns to think for herself.

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ABC’s Oscars telecast drew an four-year high of 19.5 million total viewers, and scored a 3.81 rating among A18-49 based on Fast National Live+Same Day program data.

During the week of March 4, Telemundo’s “La Casa de los Famosos” and “El Señor de los Cielos” delivered an average of 383,000 A8-49, 137,000 A18-34 and over 1.2 million total viewers in 7p-11p primetime.

Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of March 4
P2+ AA (000)
Primetime
Fox News 2604
MSNBC 1625
ESPN 1173
HGTV 799
History 795
CNN 761
TBS 659
Hallmark Channel 628
USA 610
TNT 590
Total Day
Fox News 1461
MSNBC 916
ESPN 582
CNN 482
HGTV 418
History 362
Hallmark Channel 358
TBS 334
INSP 331
Food Network 317
Source: Nielsen

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Nora Skinner has joined Netflix as VP on the streamer’s drama series team. Skinner joins from HBO, where she was SVP of Drama Series.

The Media Rating Council has named Hannah Bolcar as Director, Measurement Audit Operations. Bolcar was most recently Senior Manager, Sales Development, for SiriusXM/Pandora.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In what year did Columbia Broadcasting System shorten its name to CBS? 1974. Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Kathryn Tesoriero-GroupM/NYC; Maggie Takei-Moore Media/Paducah, KY; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
One of the main characters of which TV drama had the last name Springsteen for one of the show’s two seasons? (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.)