Seth Macfarlane opened NBCUniversal’s Upfront event at Radio City Music Hall with the theme song “NBCU has the shi* you’re after,” and Seth Meyers closed it with observations like, “President Trump’s administration is currently suing CBS for $20 billion, whereas NBC has managed to avoid Trump’s wrath by very shrewdly not having $20 billion.” But the show was really about the content, including what Jeff Bader, NBCUniversal Entertainment’s President of Program Planning, called “our biggest new show in the fall” – the NBA. Basketball season starts in October, and Tuesday games will displace “The Voice” and Jimmy Fallon-led “On Brand.” November will bring comedy blocks on Mondays and Fridays. NBC also picked up “The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins,” starring Tracey Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe. Said Donna Langley, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios, “At a moment when attention is being pulled in multiple directions, our ability to collaborate across the company and work together towards a common goal is our superpower. And, that starts with our franchise-first strategy, investing in durable stories and brands that inspire fans everywhere in a multitude of ways. And all of this is supercharged by symphony – our secret sauce, where we rally together to eventize our company’s biggest moments.”

The new programming slate for Comcast-owned Versant will include 16 new series across E!, Oxygen, Syfy and USA. “Our audiences are among the most devoted in the industry, and their passion fuels everything we do,” said Val Boreland, President of Entertainment for Versant. “By uniting the power of our iconic brands with a commitment to bold, original storytelling, we’re deepening our connection with viewers in meaningful ways.” Coming up: E!’s “Plastic Surgery Rewind” hosted by Michelle Versage; USA Network’s series adaptation of John Grisham’s The Rainmaker, and “Revival,” based on the comic book series, for Syfy.

Former NBC reality shows “Weakest Link” and “Fear Factor” have moved to Fox, along with Belgian format “99 to Beat.” “Weakest Link” will take the Monday at 9p slot this fall, while “99 To Beat” will air Wednesdays at 9p. No date has been set for “Fear Factor.” Other shows new to the slate include thriller “Memory of a Killer,” starring Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as a hitman who develops early onset Alzheimer’s; event series “The Faithful”; and comedy “Best Medicine.”

Ad spend is expected to increase 4% in 2025, down from the +9% gains seen in 2024, according to a new report from Guideline. While the US ad market entered 2025 posting a +7% YoY increase in Q1, forward bookings for Q2 indicate a +3% increase. Additional findings from Guideline’s report include:
· Advertisers aren’t pulling back universally; instead, they’re looking to diversify their media mix where possible, moving more dollars into digital.
· As a result, digital’s share of total media spend is now approaching 70% with retail media, social, and CTV also leading growth.
· Linear TV spending is expected to decline 5% YoY in 2025, pressured by ratings erosion and economic restraint, as well as the absence of major tentpole TV events.

Amazon unveiled three new CTV ad formats on Monday: contextually relevant pause ads; shoppable ads for products on Amazon; and shoppable ads for products not on Amazon. “Our ad formats are proven to drive measurable action on and off Amazon,” said Alan Moss, VP Global Advertising Sales, Amazon Ads. “Based on Amazon’s signals and fully addressable and authenticated audiences, we are uniquely positioned to offer viewers scene-aware ads as extensions of the entertainment experience, not interruptions.”

CBS daytime drama “Beyond the Gates” has been renewed for season two. The soap is up +67% in multiplatform viewership from last years’ time period, according to Nielsen.

Think you can’t watch the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs? Think again, but creatively. Cameras prohibited in all federal trials, so Law&Crime is releasing AI-generated recreations of the event. AI-generated segments will depict the exact words spoken by key witnesses, investigators, and legal figures. “Since the public can’t see or hear what’s happening in federal court firsthand, we’re using cutting-edge AI tools to bring these important proceedings to life, based entirely on official transcripts,” said Law&Crime President Rachel Stockman.

Tubi picked up season two of Channel 4 UK comedy “Big Mood,” and ordered docuseries “Destination World Cup 2026” (w/t). They join animated series “Breaking Bear,” starring Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Annie Murphy, Elizabeth Hurley and Josh Gad. “Ad-supported streaming has gone from emerging to essential, and Tubi is leading the way with culture-setting Originals, World Cup programming and product innovation,” said Anjali Sud, Chief Executive Officer of Tubi. “In an intensely competitive market, we surpassed a billion dollars in ad revenue and continue to accelerate our traction as brands, agencies and partners increasingly look to resonate authentically with young, hard-to-reach audiences.”

“The Paper,” set in the same universe as NBC 2005-13 comedy “The Office,” will premiere on Peacock in September. The mockumenary comes from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman.

Jessica Biel serves as narrator and executive producer for ID’s “Fatal Destination,” following idyllic getaways that unravel. The true crime series premieres Tuesday, June 3 at 10p.

FOX Advertising announced the launch of the OneFOX converged media platform, powered by AdRise built on a foundation of AI-driven technology and tools. The intelligence platform will harness audience & contextual signals along with behavioral, creative and campaign analytics to create more personalized ad experiences for consumers and increase ad efficacy for advertisers. “There is a lot of buzz about AI, but we’re actually seeing a growing number of partners and customers experiment with AI-driven audience modeling and advanced targeting that will dramatically enhance current identity-based infrastructures,” said Stephano Kim, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, FOX Ad Sales. “As we lean into protecting consumer data and their privacy, we are looking for better alternatives to connecting brands and their consumers in a safe and compliant way.”

Canela Media shared audience engagement and data innovation at its annual Upfront Lunch in NYC, positioning itself as a premier partner for advertisers seeking scaled, authentic connections with US Hispanic audiences. On offer: expanded proprietary data offering Canela Audience Solutions and new original content from Canela Studios. In addition, Club Canela launched a first of its kind reward program, providing users a way to win while they watch. With more partners coming on board soon, the program made its premiere with McDonald’s, Hyundai and Coca-Cola leading the way “Our commitment to a premium, evolving experience is reflected in continued investment across our ecosystem – from our AVOD platform Canela.TV, to our proprietary data and audience solution Canela Audience Solutions, to the culturally resonant and branded content created by Canela Studios, and our new loyalty initiative, Club Canela,” said Philippe Guelton, Global President of Canela Media.

DISH Media introduced AdvantEdge, a suite of solutions for linear and CTV media buying aimed at helping advertisers achieve greater ROAS. Built on verified, first-party data, DISH reports its addressable campaigns delivered higher lifts vs. industry benchmarks, including a +34% lift in pharma prescriptions, +26% lift in auto sales and +17% lift in travel bookings. “Reaching audiences at scale remains difficult for advertisers amid changing media habits and platform fragmentation,” said Tom Fochetta, SVP, DISH Media. “From real-time buying to cutting-edge audience segmentation and expanded reach, AdvantEdge delivers a unified, data-driven approach that simplifies and amplifies campaign performance.”

Added to the stars slated to be on hand for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, airing Sunday, May 25, are Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin and screenwriter Zak Penn.

Miss Universe titleholders Alicia Machado and Zuleyka Rivera will join “Miss Universe Latina, El Reality” as captains to mentor contestant vying for the Miss Universe Latina on Tuesday, June 3 at 7p on Telemundo.

In honor of National EMS Week, FETV is airing a six-hour rescue-thon of “Emergency!” on Sunday, May 18. The stunt includes interstitials from the show’s stars, Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe, discussing the impact of the show on adoption of EMS services across the country.

The Western Canadian Baseball League announced a new media rights partnership with FloSports, providing FloSports’ FloCollege platform access to stream and provide coverage to more than 350 WCBL regular season and playoff games from May through August, as well as the league’s All-Star Game festivities on July 19.

Today’s Trivia Question
Which TV character’s son, born in season six of one series, did not exist in the show’s spinoff? (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.)