 IN THE NEWS |
| Faced with so many streaming services, viewers are having a hard time determining what differentiates one from another. That’s according to Hub Entertainment Research’s “Evolution of Branding” study, which looks at how branding of networks, providers, and shows impact what viewers choose to watch. Many major streaming services (Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Max) saw year-over-year declines in consumers’ ability to “explain what makes them different from others.” And when services cut back production slates and lean into popular genres of original content to better deliver “something for everyone,” the blur of less distinctive originals appears to soften interest in sign-ups – over the past two years, fewer consumers (37% in 2025 vs. 41% in 2023) report signing up for a new service just to watch a specific show. |
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| “Services that lean into broad-appeal scripted programs may not be enough for viewers who struggle to identify what makes services distinct from one another,” says Jason Platt Zolov, Senior Consultant for Hub. “Emphasizing more brand-defining features and value drivers beyond just exclusive originals could have more upside for streamers looking to improve viewer loyalty.”
CTV is now a regular part of the media plan for candidates, campaigns, PACs, and other organizations looking to reach and influence voters, according to a report from Basis Technologies. Based on an evaluation of more than 1,400 campaigns for state, local and national races that managed their digital ad buying through Basis’ advertising automation platform, Basis saw that:
• Share of CTV ad impressions bought through programmatic channels surged by more than 100% over the 2022 numbers.
• Device ad spend share for CTV in programmatic is now 50%, further reducing desktop share and now leapfrogging mobile.
• Programmatic is growing again in spend share to 56%, and it is taking dollars away from direct buying. |
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| Oracle is talks with the White House to run TikTok in the US, reports Politico. In January, President Trump said he was open to Oracle founder – and Trump supporter – Larry Ellison acquiring social media platform’s US operation. The deadline for a decision about TikTok’s future is April 5.
Diversity matters to Gen Z – 50% of the demo speaks another language, and 47% identify as multicultural, according to Horowitz Research report, “State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Focus Generation Next.” Additionally, 25% identify as LGBTQIA+ or as an ally. How often do they consume content? Gen Zers use social media (72%), stream music (66%), and watch TV content (52%) every day / almost every day.
Netflix shares rose 3% on Monday’s trading session after MoffettNathanson analysts upgraded the company’s stock from “neutral” to “buy” and increased their 12-month price target from $850 to $1100 per share. “Netflix has won the streaming wars. Case closed. But where does the company go from here? How much more runway for growth is ahead?,” the analysts wrote. “Despite all of Netflix’s recent success in reinvigorating growth, we believe its engagement will allow the company to better monetize and unlock greater profits in the years ahead.”
Marcus Espinoza has joined NewsNation as a national correspondent. Based at the network’s New York bureau, Mr. Espinoza began his role on Monday, reporting across the network’s programming. |
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| SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
The Countdown Is On – Entries Close Tomorrow!
The clock is ticking! Entries for the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards close tomorrow at 11:59 PM EST.
This is your last chance to spotlight your groundbreaking campaigns, industry-changing innovation, and standout executives alongside the best in sports media.
Winners will be celebrated in person on June 4th at City Winery in NYC—don’t miss your chance to be part of the action!
Enter Today |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
 It’s official: They really like him. Conan O’Brien will return to host the 2026 Oscars telecast, with producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan onboard as executive producers for the third consecutive year. Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will return as producers for a second time, and Sweeney will also serve as a writer. (“The only reason I’m hosting ‘The Oscars’ next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” said O’Brien.) The 98th Oscars will air on ABC Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7p.
NBC has ordered a comedy pilot set at a Native community center. The project comes from Sierra Teller Ornelas, Jackie Keliia and Bobby Wilson, the team behind “Rutherford Falls.”
Sony Group companies Aniplex and Crunchyroll are teaming to establish an anime production joint venture, Hayate, to develop and produce content for Crunchyroll’s streaming service. Aniplex is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), while Crunchyroll is an independently operated joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex.
Casting notes: Chris O’Donnell (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is the first actor set for Ryan Murphy’s upcoming drama “(9-1-1: Nashville”). ABC handed the series a straight-to-series order last month.
Red Herring Story, a London-based development company, is has launched to develop scripted and unscripted thrillers with an international co-production focus. Red Herring Story is a UK affiliate of GRÓ Studios, the first Faroese film and television studio.
Kanopy has partnered with Atomic Entertainment to co-produce documentary “Banned Together,” focused on the proliferation of book bans. The film will premiere on Kanopy on April 25, marking the first original feature film produced for the entertainment streaming service, which is provided at no fee by public libraries and universities. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| TLC’s “Polyfamily,” following two married couples living together and raising kids as a closed quad, debuts Tuesday, April 29 at 10p.
“Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid” is back for season two Monday, April 14 at 10p on History. The series uncovers the truth behind some of history’s legends and mysteries.
Crime drama “The Chelsea Detective” returns Monday, April 7 on Acorn TV. The remaining episodes of season three will air weekly.
FanDuel TV has launched “The Comeback With Craig Carton,” focused on problem gambling recovery. The show kicked off on YouTube and FanDuel TV Extra, focused on NBA veteran Randy Livingston.
Two new shows launch on Game Show Network on Monday, April 14. An updated “Tic Tac Dough” starts its weeknight run at 7p, followed at 7:30p by “Bingo Blitz,” hosted by Valerie Bertinelli.
Season two of French series “bref” drops Wednesday, March 26 on Hulu. “Bref.2” has a longer format than 2011’s season one – 30 minutes – allowing for deeper exploration of zee existential challenges. |
Today’ Premieres
Food Network: House of Knives at 9p |
| COMING UP |
| An ITN Productions documentary about the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni legal brawl has been acquired by ID and is set to air Monday, March 31. “He Said, She Said” premiered in 90-minute form last night on UK’s Channel 5, but will be cut to 60 minutes for its Stateside debut.
Things are hopping at Family Entertainment Television, which is celebrating the Easter season with FETV’s airing of “King of Kings” (1961) on Palm Sunday, April 13 at 3p, followed by FMC’s “The Passion” on Easter weekend. Other classic offerings include “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965), “Barabbas” (1962), and “Salome” (1953).
AXS TV is marking National Record Store Day (yes, it’s a thing, launched in 2008) with a “Vinyl Obsession” marathon on Saturday, April 12. Rock trailblazers tour the aisles of Grimey’s in Nashville and The Record Parlour in Los Angeles and discuss their careers and select the five albums that have impacted them the most. |
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| CTV CONNECT 2025
Got FOMO? We’ve Got You Covered!
Missed CTV Connect? Don’t worry—we wouldn’t want you to miss out! That’s why we’ve created a Videos on Demand page just for you.
Catch up on insightful sessions, industry-shaping conversations, and game-changing keynotes—all on your schedule.
Visit our site to purchase access today! |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Big Media true crime series “Has#tag,” currently in production and slated to be delivered in Q4 this year, has been picked up by FAST channel provider FilmRise, as well as by UKTV.
OUTtv launches today in Taiwan, with the linear channel available on Chungwha IPTV service Multimedia On Demand. OUTtv viewers on Chunghwa will have access to the service’s LGBTQ+-targeted original programming, as well as library content from OUTtv’s original series, documentaries, films and specials |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| It’s Madness! Comcast has expanded Xfinity Multiview to more X1 devices, just in time for the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament. With Xfinity Multiview, X1 customers can watch up to four live games at once, on the same screen. “With 164 basketball games airing over the course of a few weeks, March is the perfect time to introduce Xfinity Multiview to more customers in a big way,” said Vito Forlenza, VP, Sports Entertainment, Comcast. “Now, they don’t have to choose between games, miss a buzzer beater when flipping channels, or set up another TV on a makeshift stand in their living room – all the action is right there on the same screen.”
Fox Sports’ 30th season of Major League Baseball coverage will include analyst John Smoltz, and play-by-play announcer Joe Davis to call the top regular season and playoff games. Field reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci provide additional coverage on the ground. A.J. Pierzynski is joined by Jason Benetti for Game 1 of the Tokyo Series between the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, March 18 at 6p on Fox. |
 MLB Network is expanding its early edition of “MLB Tonight” to a two-hour, daily national pregame show, beginning at 5p. The program will be rebranded as “MLB Tonight: National Pregame Show,” premiering on MLB Network’s “Baseball Eve,” Wednesday, March 26, the night before MLB’s 2025 Opening Day.
Women’s hockey league PWHL achieved the one millionth fan with a crowd of 14,288 during the Takeover Tour™ Detroit Presented by Ally featuring the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens on March 16. The PWHL regular season concludes on Saturday, May 3 with the playoffs beginning the week of May 5. |
| RATINGS |
 “Moana 2” garnered 27.3 million views in its first five days on Disney+, the third-highest launch for a theatrical film on the service. The original “Moana” has surpassed 1.4 billion hours streamed on Disney+, which Disney notes is like streaming the film over 735 million times or playing “How Far I’ll Go” on repeat for more than 50,000 years.
Hallmark Channel’s “The Way Home” finished season three as the #1 most-watched original series on entertainment cable among Women 25-54, repeats included. The season reached 4.2 million Unduplicated Total Viewers. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Goodway has appointed Ante Lisnic as Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Lisnic served as CFO at Cramer-Krasselt.
John Curbishley, former EVP of Corporate Strategy at Paramount Global, will join the BBC as Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer next month. Curbishley began his career at the BBC before moving to the US. |
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This Day in History
1944 – Nazi Germany occupied Hungary.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the catchphrase during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s season as host of “The Celebrity Apprentice” (2009-17)? “You’re Terminated.” Kudos to: Glen Freyer/NYC; Creed Heilskov-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids; Lori Paterson-Spectrum Reach/NYC; Joe Lyons-Back Nine Productions/LA; Neal Steffin-NBCUniversal/Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Jackie Howell-Nexstar WCMH-TV/Columbus, OH; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
What is the name of the game show Sophia got the gang tickets for on “The Golden Girls” (1985-92)? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com 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.) |
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VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
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