| A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PREMION
PREMION
Premium CTV/OTT Advertising
In 2025, without the added benefit of political spending,
local CTV/OTT spending will reach $2.9 billion for a 13.7% YoY growth.
Revised for 2025! PREMION & BIA SPECIAL REPORT
The Streaming TV Playbook
Winning Strategies for Marketers in a Shifting Advertising Marketplace
DOWNLOAD COMPLIMENTARY REPORT |
 IN THE NEWS |
| Comscore has been awarded accreditation by the Media Ratings Council for its household-level TV measurement. The accreditation covers Comscore’s national and local TV Time-Based Grid reports, specifically only, household, age and gender “households with “metrics. “This recognition signifies this National and Local data adheres to MRC Standards and we look forward to our continued work with Comscore to expand the scope of accredited metrics,” said George Ivie CEO and Executive Director of the MRC.
President Trump and Paramount have agreed to use a mediator in Trump’s $20 million lawsuit against CBS News. That’s according to The New York Times, which reports the two sides have picked the mediator, though there is no guarantee an agreement will be reached. Trump has accused CBS News of using deceptive editing practices in a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. |
 NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell will be presented with the Peabody Career Achievement Award and “Saturday Night Live” will receive the Peabody Institutional Award during the 68th annual Peabody Awards ceremony, set to take place for the first time in the West Coast, on June 1. “Andrea Mitchell has been setting the standard for news correspondents with unparalleled coverage of politics and foreign policy for more than three decades. She has quite literally traveled the globe to bring us stories that have shaped history,” said Jeffrey Jones, Executive Director of Peabody. “And ‘Saturday Night Live’ is a cultural touchstone that has kept audiences tuning in for five decades through its cutting-edge sketch comedy, pinpoint political satire, and always relevant musical guests.”
American TikTok users spent an average of 108 minutes per day on the app between January and March, 21 minutes more than second-place app YouTube, according to a report from Guggenheim Partners and Apptoptia. The report shows users spend 63 minutes a day on average on Facebook, and 48 minutes per day on Instagram. |
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| MEDIA IMPACT AWARDS
New Awards. Big Impact.
The all-new Cynopsis Media Impact Awards are here to spotlight the technologies, strategies, and leaders transforming media as we know it.
From ad tech and AI to data, measurement, and brand safety—if you’re driving results and rewriting the rules, this is your stage.
As part of the Cynopsis ScreenShift Summit, we’re celebrating innovation in a $300B+ digital ad ecosystem and recognizing the most impactful ideas, platforms, and people shaping the future.
Ready to lead the next wave of change?
Enter now |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
| Casting is open for the first-ever Canadian version of MTV’s reality “Shores” franchise. “Canada Shore” (w/t) is set to film in this summer, and will be produced by Canada’s Insight Productions. “Canadians have loved this fun, shocking, and authentic format since ‘Jersey Shore’ first debuted in 2009,” said Vanessa Case, VP of Content at Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada. “We’re confident audiences will embrace this Canadian iteration, with its larger-than-life personalities, raw drama, and those unforgettable moments that define what becoming a Shore family is all about.”
Fremantle has launched a London-based sports unit, focused on unscripted and factual documentaries, as well as new digital formats. Owain Walbyoff, former Chief Commercial Officer at Banijay, will lead the effort, which aims to strike first-look and co-production deals with rightsholders and brands. |
| RENEWALS |
| Fox has placed an order for a 15th season of “MasterChef,” with a new theme. In “MasterChef: Duos,” pairs of home cooks will participate together, under the watchful eye of chef and executive producer Gordon Ramsay, who will return as a host and judge alongside restaurateur Joe Bastianich and new judge, Tiffany Derry (“Top Chef”).
CBS has renewed the daytime drama “The Bold and the Beautiful” through the 2027-2028 television season. The renewal will bring the show through season 41. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Season four of “Love Death + Robots” debuts Thursday, May 15 on Netflix. It will be the animated anthology series’ first new batch of episodes in three years.
Comedy series “The Adults” premieres Wednesday, May 28 on FX. The entire eight-episode season will drop May 29 on Hulu and FX on Demand, while FX will air two episodes each Wednesday for the following three weeks.
Bravo’s “Next Gen NYC” kicks off Tuesday, June 3 at 9p. The new reality show follows a group of friends, raised in the spotlight, trying to figure out how to be adults. |
 Phylicia Rashad (“The Beekeeper”), Wendy Raquel Robinson (“The Game”), and Karrueche Tran (“Bel Air”) have joined the season seven cast “The Chi.” The drama returns Friday, May 16 on demand and on streaming for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, May 18, at 9p on Showtime.
Two part serial killer drama “Sur la dalle” (“On the Slab”) premieres Tuesday, April 15 at 11:30p on TV5Monde USA. |
Today’ Premieres
Netflix: Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing |
| DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES
Maximize Your Impact during the
2025 Upfront
With branding, newsletters, eblasts, and custom content, Cynopsis offers unmatched opportunities to amplify your Upfront message, showcase your ad sales superstars, and connect with key players in the industry.
New this year: Virtual Upfront Summaries!
Share your presentation highlights during a 7-min live video to Cynopsis’ 85k audience.
Contact Amy Abbey at aabbey@accessintel.com or 410.979.0171 to secure your spot and make your mark! |
| COMING UP |
| National Geographic documentary “Titanic: The Digital Resurrection” uses cutting-edge underwater scanning technology, including 715,000 digitally captured images, to produce a full-scale, 1:1 digital twin, accurate down to the rivet. The 90-minute film premieres Friday, April 11 at 9p.
“My Mom Jayne,” a film by Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: SVU”), debuts this June on HBO. The documentary delves into the story of Hargitay’s mother, Jayne Mansfield, almost sixty years after her tragic death.
FOX Nation is premiering “Rebound: A Year of Triumph and Tragedy at Yeshiva University Basketball” today. The documentary spotlights Yeshiva University’s basketball team, the Maccabees, as they navigate their season following the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
Belinda, Ha*Ash and Natti Natasha have joined the list of honorees for the third annual “Billboard Latin Women in Music” special, airing live on Telemundo on Thursday, April 24 at 9p. |
| TECH |
Adtech company Ogury announced the launch of its new client-facing platform empowering brands and agencies to leverage its Personified Advertising technology. Available as both a self-serve portal and API-integrated solution, Ogury One offers three core capabilities:
· Multiple approaches to unlock the full potential of persona-based targeting,
· Campaign set-up and optimization through the intuitive Ogury One dashboard or advertisers’ preferred campaign management tool or DSP.
· Detailed analytics for campaign monitoring and optimization, available both within the platform or through direct integration with clients’ business intelligence tools.
“Ogury One is a ground-breaking user-friendly tool that simplifies campaign management while delivering unprecedented on-target performance and scale for brands and agencies,” said Anthony Flaccavento, General Manager Americas.
LG Ad Solutions announced a new integration with Amazon Publisher Services. The integration enables advertisers, brands, and agencies on Amazon DSP to engage audiences with increased precision across LG Channels premium inventory, leveraging advanced targeting capabilities and reporting tools. “This extension of our programmatic offering unlocks new opportunities for marketers to blend data, creativity, and personalization at scale to drive meaningful outcomes with engaged audiences on the biggest screen in the home,” said Kelly McMahon, SVP of Operations at LG Ad Solutions. “We’re excited to expand our relationship with Amazon as part of our continued commitment to a DSP-agnostic strategy.”
Local video solutions provider Locality announced the launch of media planning and buying platform LocalX. Backed by Locality’s tech-enabled consultative approach, the platform combines automation, real-time optimization, and local market expertise to deliver more efficient outcomes across premium streaming inventory. “LocalX will provide direct access to premium streaming inventory through an intuitive, AI-powered platform that streamlines local media buying,” said Keith Kazerman, President of Streaming at Locality. “What makes LocalX unique is how closely it aligns with the way our teams work with agencies, advertisers, and broadcast partners every day—combining technology with hands-on expertise to help reach local audiences with greater precision, speed, and results.” |
| DISTRIBUTION |
 Cox Media Group’s The $pend $mart Stream has launched on Amazon Fire TV Channels. “We’re always trying to listen to what our audiences want, and $pend $mart is a direct result of what they told us,” said Marian Pittman, President of Content for CMG. $pend $mart, which provides access to financial experts and resources, is part of a line of content channels distributed by CMG that includes StreamAmerica, Gusto TV, Cheddar, Curiosity Now, and more.
Ad-supported streaming platform Fawesome has expanded its FAST channel lineup, with seven new channels across the News, Sports, Weather, Culinary and Entertainment categories. Partners include Blue Ant Media, Movieshpere and Ebony by Lionsgate, Bold Baking Network, Sports TV Plus, Tastemade, GoPro TV, Voice of America, and Gusto TTV. “With this expansion, we’re strategically positioning Fawesome at the intersection of premium content and accessibility,” said Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder of Future Today. “Our growing FAST channel portfolio directly addresses evolving viewer preferences while creating valuable new opportunities for advertisers seeking engaged audiences across diverse demographics.”
Maybacks Global Entertainment is teaming with Lime X, a global developer of TV streaming services on Android, iOS, Smart TV, Android TV and Web, to bring its iDreamCTV app’s 42 channels to a wider audience. “Our partnership with Limex aligns with one of our core missions—to meet audiences where they are,” said Maureen Cooper, Program Director of Maybacks Global Ent. “Together, we are building a global community where Limex collaborates with content partners like Maybacks Global Ent. to complement each other and offer a rich, diverse array of entertainment options.”
Iceland’s film and TV production company Glassriver announced its new original series “Hot Stuff,” a co-production with Romania’s Idea Film. Icelandic media company SÝN has commissioned the series for their Channel 2 and Oble has picked up global distribution rights. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| Fubo Sports Network is broadcasting Baseball Champions League games featuring the American Association of Professional Baseball champions, Kane County Cougars. The Cougars will represent the AAPB in the tournament now through April 13 in Mexico City.
The United States’ women’s national tennis team will face Denmark and Slovakia in the qualifying round of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup tournament April 12-13, live on Tennis Channel. The winner of the three-country, round-robin competition will advance to the tournament finals and a chance to win the annual championship later this year.
NATAS announced the nominees for the 64th Annua Sports Emmys. The ceremony will take place Tuesday, May 20 in NYC. Up for the Outstanding Personality/Emerging On-Air Talent awards are Ryan Fitzpatrick (Prime Video), Jason Kelce (ESPN/ESPN2/ABC), Nick Saban (ESPN), Richard Sherman (Prime Video) and Jay Wright (CBS/TNT). Live series contenders include “College Football on CBS,” “Fox NFL,” “Monday Night Football,” “NFL on CBS,” “SEC on ABC,” and “Sunday Night Football.” For complete list of nominees go here. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Jon Gieselman has joined Comcast Corp. as Chief Growth Officer. Most recently, Gieselman was President of Expedia Brands.
Madeleine Haeringer has been named SVP of Digital Audio and Longform at MSNBC. Haeringer joins from Crooked Media, where she was EVP and GM.
iCvicScience, a consumer analytics and advertising platform, has appointed Gretchen Tibbits as President and Chief Operating Officer. Most recently, Tibbits led Media & Entertainment practices as a Managing Director at investment banks Capstone Partners, DC Advisory, and Progress Partners.
Dr. Phil’s Merit TV has named Irv Schulman as EVP/Head of Sales and Deb Gerry as VP Ad Sales & Sponsor Solutions. Schulman had been SVP, National Sports Sales at Tennis Channel, while Gerry was SVP Ad Sales at CBS-Paramount. |
| RATINGS |
| FS1 drew 2.517 million viewers for its NASCAR Cup Series weekend, up 15% from the equivalent period last year, and ranked as the most-watched cable telecast on Sunday.
On The CW, The NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Darlington drew 1.123 million total viewers, up +44% compared to last year’s Darlington race and the most-watched Darlington non-playoff race in total viewers since 2019.
Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of March 31
P2+ AA (000)
Primetime
Fox News 2802
ESPN 1495
MSNBC 1237
HGTV 602
CNN 7272
TNT 539
TBS 508
History 492
USA 485
Food Network 458
Total Day
Fox News 1745
MSNBC 701
ESPN 547
CNN 440
HGTV 319
Hallmark Channel 280
TBS 260
Food Network 255
TNT 250
Hallmark Mystery 246
Source: Nielsen |
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This Day in History
1914 – The first color film, silent drama “World, the Flesh & the Devil,” was shown in London.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Producers Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas first collaborated on which TV series? “The Guns of Will Sonnett” (1967-69). Kudos to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Joel Dearing-Virtual News Center/Indianapolis; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
Which animated children’s show had four episodes banned by PBS? (Email your answer to trivia@cynopsis.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.) |
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
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/NY(REMOTE/HYBRID): Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: required: BA Degree, Min 2 yrs DR Experience. Wide Orbit Exp a +. 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
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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