| A Cynopsis Message From Future Today Inc. |
 IN THE NEWS |
| The Federal Communications Commission has ordered Disney’s ABC to renew its broadcast licenses ahead of their 2028 expiration date, alleging “unlawful discrimination.” The FCC’s Media Bureau, invoking the Communications Act’s public interest standard, directed Disney to submit renewal applications for all its licensed TV stations within 30 days.
The order comes amid prolonged friction between Disney and the Trump administration. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has repeatedly targeted the company’s diversity programs and raised the prospect of challenging ABC’s licenses. But tensions escalated further after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had a “glow like an expectant widow” — a joke that landed two days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, drawing sharp condemnation from President Trump and the First Lady, who called for Kimmel’s firing.
Disney pushed back, saying ABC and its stations have consistently operated within FCC rules and have a strong record of serving local communities through news, emergency information, and public interest programming. The company said it is confident that record demonstrates its qualifications under both the Communications Act and the First Amendment, and that it is prepared to defend that position through the appropriate legal channels.
“Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85” has been renewed for a second season by Netflix. The order for the animated spinoff comes just days after the series’ premiere on April 23.
Online and in-store shopping are increasingly connected, indicates research from Kroger Precision Marketing powered by 84.51° that shows how omnichannel shoppers are balancing convenience and control as they move across digital and physical shopping experiences. Highlights include:
· 39% of those surveyed discover products online and then buy them in-store.
· 34% discover products in-store and later purchase them online.
· 30% search for coupons on their phones while shopping in-store.
· Fill‑in and urgent trips are primarily in‑store experiences, with shoppers entering the store to solve an immediate need. |
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| YouTube TV is officially rolling out its fully customizable multiview feature for subscribers, first announced in a January blog post by CEO Neal Mohan. The feature enables users to mix and match up to four live streams across packages to build a personalized viewing experience. |
| CYNOPSIS SPORTS AWARDS
An Evening Celebrating the Best in Sports Media
Join us for the Cynopsis Sports Awards Gala—where the industry’s top leaders, innovators, and teams come together to celebrate excellence across sports media and marketing.
June 4 | New York City
Be part of the night that honors what’s next.
RESERVE YOU SPOT |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso” returns for its fourth season on Wednesday, August 5, with new episodes dropping weekly through October 7. Ted is back in Richmond, this time coaching a second division women’s soccer team.
On the documentary side, “Welcome to Wrexham” kicks off its fifth season on FXX on Thursday, May 14 at 9p. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds return as the unlikely co-owners of one of the world’s oldest professional soccer clubs.
Another soccer doc, HBO’s “US Against the World: Four Years With the Men’s National Soccer Team,” premieres Tuesday, May 12 at 9p. The five-part series offers an inside look at the US men’s national team as they build toward hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And for those who need a soccer fix sooner, “Destination World Cup 2026” hits Tubi tomorrow, April 30. The docuseries tracks Weston McKennie, Marc Cucurella, and Harry Wilson as each fights to earn his place on the World Cup stage.
Season two of “Castle Impossible” debuts Tuesday, May 26 at 9p on HGTV. The renovation series attracted 14.1 million viewers across linear and streaming for its first run.
History’s new digital-first series “Mistakes That Made America” takes a bite-sized look at the accidents and misunderstandings that quietly reshaped American culture. The show’s 6-to-10-minute episodes debut Wednesday, May 13 on HISTORY.com and History’s YouTube channel – starting with the origin story of Play-Doh, which was originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner.
YA series “Sterling Point” binge-drops Wednesday, August 5 on Prime Video. The drama centers on a 17-year-old who inherits her grandfather’s island in Canada.
“Crime and Punishment in America” will air over four consecutive nights on PBS beginning Monday, November 16. The docuseries explores how a nation founded on the ideals of liberty, justice, equality, and freedom became the world’s leading incarcerator.
“Car 54, Where Are You?” premieres Tuesday, May 5 on FETV, and will air weekdays at 8:10a. The 1961-63 sitcom, following two mismatched policemen in NYC, will air in its original, uncut format. |
Today’s Premieres
Apple TV: Widow’s Bay
Netflix: Should I Marry a Murderer?; Envious
PBS: Shared Planet at 10p
Prime Video: The House of the Spirits |
| PRODUCTION |
| Laura Dern is set to reteam with longtime collaborator Mike White — the duo previously worked together on “Year of the Dog” and the HBO series “Enlightened” — for the fourth season of “The White Lotus,” reports Deadline. Dern joins the cast following Helena Bonham Carter’s exit; HBO explained that Bonham Carter’s character hadn’t fit the direction of the story. Dern will portray an entirely new role.
Mario Lopez (“Access Hollywood”), Tony Danza (“Who’s the Boss?”), and Mario’s real-life son Dominic Lopez (“Once Upon a Christmas Wish”) will star in the upcoming Great American Media holiday film “Christmas at The Starlight.” The movie is set to debut as part of the Great American Christmas programming event, airing across Great American Family, Great American Pure Flix, and GFAM+. Danza will play Mario’s father, with Dominic playing Mario’s son.
As the media landscape fractures and Gen Z rewrites the rules of attention, ShowUp Studios is betting on a new model — one that blends the agility of the creator economy with the craft of premium storytelling. CEO Carolina Lightcap talks about why the legacy media world might want to pay attention, in Cynsiders. |
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| CYNOPSIS JOBS
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The difference between good and great? The people behind the work. Discover 85K+ media professionals ready to help you scale, execute, and grow.
Find your next standout hire.
Post your job today.
CONNECT WITH TALENT |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| All of WWE’s NXT Premium Live Events (PLEs) are heading exclusively to The CW. Starting this summer with The Great American Bash, the network will carry 20 PLEs over the coming years, among them Stand and Deliver, Deadline, and Vengeance Day. “The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT’s Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” said Shawn Michaels, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
The NHL has over 30 partners activating NHL-themed advertising, promotion, and contests/sweeps during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Some highlights: Tim Hortons will continue the Tims NHL Hockey Challenge, encouraging fans to make their picks in the Tims app for a chance to win $5,000; Rogers’ Beyond The Seat contest, featuring a grand prize trip to the Stanley Cup Final; Geico’s 4th Star of the Year campaign, celebrating the NHL’s most dedicated fans; and Norqain, a new partner this year, enhancing the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge Grand Prize by gifting the winner an Adventure Chrono NHL Limited Edition Watch. |
| COMING UP |
| Tony Award nominations will be revealed Tuesday, May 5, with some categories shared live on “CBS This Morning” at 8:30a. Uzo Aduba (“The Residence”) and Darren Criss (“Glee”) will make the announcement. The ceremony itself, hosted by Pink, is set for Sunday, June 7 on CBS.
“Forever Young: A Grammy Salute to Rod Stewart Live” airs Tuesday, May 1 at 8p on CBS. The special features archival footage of the “Maggie May” singer as well as interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
Free TV Networks (FTV), a Versant division, is bringing its FAST channel lineup — including 365BLK, Outlaw and Pam Grier’s Soul — to Philo. The expansion adds to a string of recent platform launches for FTV, which has also landed its channels on CBS Owned & Operated Stations, Sling Freestream and Prime Video.
Liberated Syndication is rolling out video publishing across all its hosting plans, giving creators a single platform to publish, distribute, and monetize both audio and video content. Libsyn creators can now distribute video podcasts directly to Spotify – along with other major channels – through a newly completed integration with Spotify’s Distribution API. |
| RATINGS |
| Season two of Netflix’s “Running Point” debuted to 5.3 million views, enough to land it in the #2 spot on Netflix’s Top10 English TV list. Season two of “Beef” moved from seventh place to third with 4.1 million views, while spinoff “Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85” premiered to 2.8 million views, placing seventh.
Netflix Top 10 for the Week of April 20
Show, Views 000)
Unchosen 10,400
Running Point 5,300
Beef 4,100
Raw: 2026 3,300
Hulk Hogan: Real American 3,000
Salish & Jordan Matter 2,900
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 2,800
Trust Me: The False Prophet 2,600
The Staircase 2,600
Million Dollar Secret 2,6000
Spectrum News reports it was the most-watched news network among Spectrum households in April, averaging 1.9 million daily viewing households across its linear and digital platforms. The network really took off for its special live coverage of the Artemis II launch, which made it the most watched news network by a long shot in Orlando (+411%) and in Tampa (+218%) on April 1 from 6-7:30p. |
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This Day in History
1932 – “One Man’s Family” premiered on NBC radio and ran until 1959.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which sitcom focused on two Las Vegas showgirls caring for younger siblings? “Who’s Watching the Kids?” (1978). Kudos to: Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Greg West-WATC TV/Atlanta; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Andrew Goldman-Phanes Funding Group/NYC; John Kukla-KDFW Fox 4/Dallas; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
In which series did Ed Asner’s character work for a newspaper called The Dispatch? (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
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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