 IN THE NEWS |
| Disney Advertising reports its biddable and programmatic ad inventory is now available across Canada, Latin America and select European regions, a move helped by an extension of Disney’s deal with Magnite. “Our job is to create value for our agency and brand partners,” said Jamie Power, SVP of Addressable Sales, Disney. “With access to over 35 demand-side platforms in the US and continuous global growth, we empower agencies to make smarter buys with deeper insights, leveraging technology and data to enhance their advertising strategies.”
Warner Bros. Discovery has cancelled all travel that is not “business-critical,” according to a memo sent to employees. Amid the roller coaster stock market, WBD cites “market volatility and reduced consumer confidence” as the reasons for minimizing “discretionary spending” – a pause that could foreshadow industry belt-tightening to come. Let’s hope the market rally continues….
VideoAmp’s “Vampfront” featured a tech-forward program highlighting the measurement company’s platform advancements, and insights into the growing role of advanced audience targeting and outcome-based measurement. “The data, operations and workflows are ready to scale,” said Aaron Lilly, EVP, Client Success and Growth at VideoAmp, from Mercer Labs in NYC. “We can’t think of a better time to shift to VideoAmp and let us prove the difference by delivering.” Paramount EVP of Advanced Advertising Travis Scoles was on hand to offer his thumbs up – Paramount moved to VideoAmp last year during a contract dispute (resolved in February) with Nielsen.
What’s the future of FAST? Rosy, says Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder of Future Today, whose Fawesome just launched seven new channels. “The promise of FAST has always been cost, choice and convenience for the consumer,” Mathur told Cynopsis. “As viewers increasingly seek alternatives to costly subscription services, FAST platforms like Fawesome are uniquely positioned to deliver premium content without financial barriers. The market has clearly validated this model—we’re seeing tremendous growth as consumers embrace quality programming that’s freely accessible, while content partners and advertisers discover new opportunities to connect with engaged audiences. This intersection of accessibility and quality content isn’t just a trend—it’s the future of how people will experience television.” |
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| SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
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| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
| AMC’s upcoming Silicon Valley drama has a name – “Audacity” – and a new series regular, Zach Galifianakis. The series focuses on characters navigating the real life issues associated with the real world impacts of AI, big data, and the accelerating tech revolution.
Fremantle has launched Imaginae Studios, designed to harness the power of AI. The company will “leverage all AI solutions, technologies and tools for the creative community, embracing experimentation, innovation and vision,” said Fremantle in a press release. The production company’s on a roll – Fremantle Sports was also launched this week.
Paramount+ has picked up a third season of the original comedy series “Colin from Accounts” for Paramount+ in the US. Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer return to write, executive produce and star in the new season. |
 Also renewed for a third season is “The Last of Us.” That’s ahead of the HBO drama’s season two debut on Sunday, April 13 at 9p.
Bounce TV has renewed comedy “Mind Your Business.” Season two kicks off Saturday, June 7 at 8p. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Discovery’s “Ghost Adventures” returns with a two-hour episode chronicling the first-ever paranormal investigation inside the legendary Poltergeist House in Simi Valley, CA, on Wednesday, April 16 at 10p.
“The Waterfront,” a family drama from Kevin Williamson (“The Vampire Diaries”), makes its debut Thursday, June 19 on Netflix.
True-crime series “Interview With a Killer” returns Sunday, April 13 at 8p on Court TV, with a two-hour premiere featuring an interview with the self-described oldest serial killer in America.
“Rocky Mountain Wreckers” makes its US debut on The Weather Channel on Sunday, April 13 at 8p and 9p. The series takes viewers behind the scenes of the world of heavy recovery specialists working in the American Rockies.
“Let Frankie Cook,” Frankie Celenza’s fourth series with Tastemade, is set for an August debut. Celenza won an Emmy for his stint hosting “Struggle Meals.”
A week of new episodes of puppet series “Donkey Hodie” kicks off Monday, April 14 on PBS KIDS!. Included is a special, “A Donkey Hodie Road Trip,” on April 17. |
Today’ Premieres
A&E: First 48 Presents Critical Minutes
BYUTV: The Wizard of Paws at 8p
Max: Gremlins: The Wild Batch; Hacks
Netflix: Black Mirror; Moonrise; North of North; Pop the Balloon Live
TV One: Savor the City at 8p |
| CTV CONNECT
Missed CTV Connect 2025? Catch the Replay!
From ADT and Netflix to Horizon Media and Inspire Brands, the insights didn’t stop—and now you don’t have to miss a moment.
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| COMING UP |
| The IAB NewFronts are just weeks away, May 5–8 in NYC. Google kicks things off Monday, and the IAB Main Stage is set to return on Wednesday, spotlighting breakthrough content, technologies and solutions. Additionally, IAB will showcase findings from its annual IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, which includes full-year 2024 results and an outlook for 2025.
Streamer UP Faith & Family is celebrating the Easter season with 40 titles about prayer, forgiveness, compassion, redemption and miracles. Among the “Easter Lives Here” offering are “The Thorn” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
Jennifer Lopez has a return engagement as host and performer for the “American Music Awards,” set to air live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, on CBS.
Reality TV star Alana Thompson, aka “Honey Boo Boo,” narrates behind-the-scenes Lifetime biopic, “I Was Honey Boo Boo.” Premiering Saturday, May 17 at 8p, Thompson reveals how her on-screen confidence concealed a harsh reality.
HBO comedy special “Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life” premieres Saturday, April 26 at 10p. This is the “Ted Lasso” star’s first standup special for HBO. |
| TECH |
| PubMatic and Spectrum Reach, the advertising sales business of Charter Communications, struck a new partnership aimed at bringing increased demand and efficient buying to Spectrum Reach’s advertising inventory while strengthening PubMatic’s curated packages with local news and live sports offered through its CTV Marketplace. PubMatic will connect advertisers to audiences across Spectrum Reach’s entire footprint.
Clear Channel Outdoor announced a new partnership that offers brands the opportunity to capture business consumers in downtown Chicago. The PRU electric bus fleet reflects large-scale moving OOH displays along Michigan Ave and throughout the key business districts during peak drive times.
BrightEdge launched AI Catalyst, a feature enabling marketers to track and understand how their brands are perceived across generative AI search engines. The feature focuses on presence, perception, and performance by identifying brand sentiments across multiple engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Family Entertainment Television’s FETV and FMC have launched on Breezeline, the eighth-largest cable operator in the US. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| ION will be the exclusive television home of the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, an early season college basketball tournament, for the next five years as part of a new multiyear agreement between Scripps Sports and agency Intersport, which manages the tournament. The agreement begins with this year’s edition of the Thanksgiving weekend tournament, November 28-29.
NBA veteran Dwight Howard has signed with the BIG3’s Los Angeles Riot and will play his final season of professional basketball this summer. Howard will tip off the league’s eighth season on Saturday, June 14, in Chicago, at Allstate Arena at 4p, live on CBS. |
 Sports Illustrated has entered a multi-year partnership with Scripps Sports for ION to be the exclusive US broadcast home of the SI Women’s Games, a new, biennial all-star competition featuring elite athletes across six sports. The participating athletes will have an opportunity to earn prize money based on competition results, while competing for the title of SI Women’s Games Champion. |
| RATINGS |
| Monday’s March Madness matchup between Florida and Houston drew 18.1 million viewers on CBS, according to Nielsen Live+SD data, up 22% from last year’s NCAA championship game and the largest audience since 2019. Final Four weekend averaged 16.4 million viewers, with the most-watched games in eight years. The tournament averaged 10.2 million viewers across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, up 3% from last year. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Guru Studio has named Steven Sherman as VP of Finance. Sherman most recently served as Director of Finance at Sinking Ship Entertainment.
Cherie Cohen, most recently the Global Chief Revenue Officer at World Surf League, is joining X Games as Global Chief Revenue Officer and Keith Senglaub, a 35-year veteran of corporate finance, has been appointed Global Chief Financial Officer.
Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial/Gen Z-driven mental health technology non-profit all, has appointed Matt Fischer to its Board of Directors. Fischer retired from Apple last year. |
| IN MEMORIAM |
| Dana Barakat passed away April 6. She was 43. Barakat, who had been VP of Marketing and Communications at NYI, also served on the Committee of St. Jude Hope and Heritage and was a member of the Board of Directors of SEAL USA. |
This Day in History
1815 – Austria declared war on the Kingdom of Naples.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which animated children’s show had four episodes banned by PBS? Canadian series “Caillou.” Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
Which series was set on Iron Horse Ranch? (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.) |
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DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNER/BUYER >>
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VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
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