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For one week in New York, the best of TV comes together in one place.
Some call it the Upfronts, but we know what they really are.
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 IN THE NEWS |
| The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has unveiled its Campaign Data Standards 1.0, marking the first major deliverable from Project Eidos, the organization’s ongoing initiative to modernize the infrastructure underlying digital advertising. The draft standards are now open for public comment. At its core, the proposal addresses a problem that has long frustrated advertisers, agencies, and publishers alike: the lack of a shared language for describing and reporting on ad campaigns. Campaign Data Standards 1.0 aims to fix that by establishing standardized classifications for placements, formats, and media types, along with a consistent set of required data fields to support measurement and reporting. The goal is greater interoperability across platforms and partners, reducing the reconciliation burden that has become a quiet tax on campaign operations. The framework isn’t a new platform or technology layer — it’s designed to fit into existing workflows and tech stacks, lowering the barrier to adoption.
BET is making its move into the microseries space. In partnership with aTwist, the two companies will co-produce original content built to travel across platforms — long-form episodic programming for cable and vertically formatted microseries for the aTwist app. Episodes will debut exclusively on BET before migrating to aTwist’s vertical platform, where they’ll be reformatted for mobile audiences. The deal is built around quality, cost-efficient production that serves both linear TV and mobile-first audiences, while signaling BET’s formal push into microseries and establishing aTwist as the first microseries platform to operate on a windowing model.
Fremantle has entered a strategic partnership with W!ZARD Studios, a podcast and digital content company, aimed at building a scalable system for growing and sustaining video podcast audiences. The deal pairs the agility of an independent digital studio with the reach of a large entertainment producer, and reflects a broader shift in the media industry, where traditional production companies are racing to establish footholds in the podcast and creator space. Video podcasts in particular have surged in relevance as platforms like YouTube and Spotify prioritize long-form video content, creating a window of opportunity for companies that can professionalize production while preserving the authenticity that drives audience loyalty.
Versant Media Group topped Wall Street expectations in its latest quarterly earnings report. While total revenue slipped 1 percent amid weakness in linear distribution and advertising, bright spots offset the decline: content licensing surged 113.5 percent to $121 million, driven largely by “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” and the company’s platforms segment grew 9.5 percent to $192 million. Versant also highlighted growing audiences for MS NOW and CNBC, along with continued traction in golf programming and live sports.
Cynopsis is getting a refresh — and your input matters. What would you change? What topics could we add (or subtract) would make your day-to-day easier? If you’re interested in helping to shape what’s next, email Lynn@Cynopsis.com — we’d love to hear from you. |
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CYNOPSIS SPORTS AWARDS
Where Sports Media Comes Together
Join the executives, creators, and innovators shaping the future of sports media and marketing for an evening of recognition, networking, and industry celebration.
From the Top Women in Sports honorees to this year’s standout finalists, the Cynopsis Sports Awards brings the industry together in one room.
June 4 | New York City
RESERVE YOUR SPOT |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” will return for its seventh and final season on Tuesday, May 20, available on Paramount+ beginning at 12 a.m. and on BET at 9 p.m. The 22-episode season will air weekly, concluding September 30.
Relationship series “Little Singles,” following a group of little people on a getaway, debuts Monday, June 15 at 9 p.m. on TLC.
AMC+ will be the new, exclusive streaming home to 13 seasons of “Doctor Who” (2005 – 2022) in beginning Thursday, June 11. The British science fiction series follows the stories of a regenerating Time Lord who travels on adventures through time and space. The series’ debut on AMC+ coincides with the streamer’s limited-time offer of a one-year subscription for $29.99.
It’s back to work at Magnolia Network. A new season of “Maine Cabin Masters” premieres Monday, May 15 at 9 p.m., following renovations of dilapidated cabins in the woods.
“Paw Patrol,” the No. 1 preschool series, has been renewed for seasons 14 and 15, with spinoff “Rubble & Crew” handed orders for fifth and sixth seasons. New episodes of “Paw Patrol” launch Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. on Nickelodeon, while season five of “Rubble & Crew” kicks off Friday, July 10 at 10:30 a.m.
Wonder Project original series “I Gotta Ask,” hosted by bestselling author and podcast host Annie F. Downs, will premiere with its first two episodes on Wonder Project’s subscription service on Prime Video on Friday, May 28. |
Today’s Premieres
CBS Sports Network: Creator Poker Championship at 9 p.m.
Discovery: The Last Woodsman at 9 p.m.
Hulu: Rivals
Netflix: The Wonderfools
Paramount+: Couples Therapy; Dutton Ranch
Sunday’s Premieres
Discovery: Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown at 8 p.m.; In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers at 10 p.m.
GAF: County Rescue at 8 p.m.
Oxygen: The Killer Among Us at 7 p.m.
Showtime: Couples Therapy at 10 p.m. |
| TECH |
| Meta’s ad business is expected to grow 22.3 percent this year to reach $240 billion, according to WARC Media forecasts. Credit goes to considerable AI investments post-pandemic that now have the company focused on optimizing monetization efficiency rather than pumping up overall ad load. And Meta plans to spend up to $600 billion on AI development through 2028. “Meta’s flywheel is spinning faster than ever,” wrote Alex Brownsell, head of content at WARC. “The company’s AI-driven automation is transforming how brands connect with audiences, driving rapid growth in advertising spend with Facebook and Instagram.” |
| THE TOP WOMEN NETWORK
The Women Moving Forward Are Already Here
The Top Women Network connects women across media, marketing, PR, ad tech, and communications through recognition, mentorship, programming, and year-round community.
Powered by the Chief Marketer Network ecosystem—including PRNEWS, Chief Marketer, Cynopsis, AdExchanger, AdMonsters, CFX, and more.
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| CREATORS |
| Podcast monetization is becoming increasingly fragmented, scattered across platforms, tools, and revenue streams. To address that, DAX US, Global’s digital advertising exchange, and Captivate, Global’s podcast hosting and distribution platform, have announced a fully integrated partnership. Through Captivate’s Ad Marketplace, creators now have a single, streamlined hub for monetization, backed by DAX’s programmatic advertising infrastructure. The integration gives creators broader access to advertiser demand at scale, while giving advertisers a direct line to premium podcast inventory. The goal: more revenue options for creators, with less friction in accessing them.
Volt Factor, a platform designed to turn creator IP into global brands, officially launched with an inaugural roster of partners, including TheBurntPeanut, Alan Chikin Chow, and That’s Amazing. “Enduring franchises don’t happen by accident — they are built with intention,” said co-founder Elan Freedman. “The top creators are building IP with unrivaled audience development capabilities and Volt Factor exists to bring this community into the franchise world.”
YouTube announced a slate of Creator Shows at its Brandcast event this week. Highlights include “Jesser’s Summer of Soccer” premiering next month; Quen Blackwell’s “Feeding Starving Celebrities 2.0,” arriving in the fall; “Road to World Cup” on the Erling Haaland channel, starting in June; “Unwell Games,” hitting the Unwell YouTube channel in late summer/fall, along with Thanksgiving weekend’s “Pot Stirrer”; Dude Perfect’s “Squad Games” in 2027; and travel series “Trevor Noah’s World Tour,” among others.
Samsung TV Plus anthology series “Unlikely Romances,” from creator Dhar Mann, ” premieres Friday, June 5 at 9 p.m. on Samsung TV Plus. “To become the first creator-led company to develop original scripted content for Samsung TV Plus is an incredible milestone for our studio,” said Mann, who serves as writer and executive producer. “We’re excited to bring our style of uplifting, audience-first storytelling into a new format.”
Court TV is relaunching “VPI: Vinnie Politan Investigates” with a new season and reimagined, creator-first video podcast format. The revamped show, set to debut Monday, May 18, will center on direct engagement with the network’s YouTube community of over 2 million followers, giving true crime fans a more interactive role in shaping coverage. “Launching VPI with a YouTube-first strategy is part of our broader vision to expand Court TV on the platforms where audiences are consuming true crime today, while staying true to the credibility and legal expertise that have made the brand iconic,” said Rachel Stockman, president of Law&Crime and Court TV. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| The CW Network and ESPN announced a new sublicense broadcast agreement for The CW to televise ACC football and men’s and women’s college basketball games through the 2030–31 season. The deal includes 14 regular season football games, 30 men’s basketball games, and 10 women’s basketball games each season. All games will be available to watch nationwide live on The CW’s linear broadcast network, and for the first time, stream live on the ESPN App with the ESPN Unlimited plan. The CW first began broadcasting ACC games during the 2023-24 season, with the ACC serving as the network’s entry into live college sports.
LM52 is coming to U.S. screens. Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Hispanic is launching the Mexico-based lucha libre league on Discovery en Español this Sunday, May 17, at 9 p.m., showcasing the next wave of Mexican wrestling talent through weekly programming that runs through mid-December.
DAZN’s Team Whistle is launching three new original content series focused on the World Cup. Shows include travel series “Boots Across America”; fan-driven vodcast “Supporters Section”; and “Homegrown With the Yedlins,” following DeAndre Yedlin and his family.
Tracy McGrady’s Ones Basketball League and FuboTV struck a streaming deal for “OBL: Battle of the Cities” on Fubo Sports Network. The season will be held across three event days: today, May 15, June 12 and July 1. The season marks the first time the league is available to streaming TV audiences. |
| RATINGS |
| In Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round action on ESPN, the Colorado Avalanche–Minnesota Wild Game 4 averaged 2.4 million viewers (up 104 percent vs. ESPN’s Second Round Game 4 average last year), earning ESPN’s best-performing Game 4 on cable. Through seven games, the Second Round on ESPN is averaging 2.1 million viewers, up 84 percent year over year.
“Rooster” averaged 6.5 million viewers for its first season, making it the most-watched comedy debut on HBO since “Hung” in 2009.
HBO Max’s The Pitt wrapped season two with a new weekly high of 1.39 billion minutes, and a third consecutive week at No. 1 overall o Nielsen’s streaming chart for the week of April 13. A look at the medical drama’s weekly viewership in Season 1 vs. Season 2 illustrates the success of the show’s sophomore run: While the first season experienced a slower build, the second was strong out of the gate after establishing a following. |
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| Prime Video had powerful week, too. “The Boys” notched 918 million minutes and maintained its No. 2 overall position for the second consecutive week, while another superhero title, “Invincible,” enjoyed its fifth consecutive week on the Originals chart. |
Top 10 Broadcast Networks for the Week of May 10
P2+ AA (000)
CBS 3,961
NBC 3,899
ABC 3,368
FOX 1,197
Univision 1,027
Telemundo 835
MeTV 588
CW 430
ION 359
Grit 334
Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, Live + Same Day
Broadcast Evening News Viewership for the Week of May 4
ABC World News Tonight: Total Viewers 8,183,000; A25-54 976,000
NBC Nightly News: Total Viewers 6,125,000; A25-54 903,000
CBS Evening News: Total Viewers 3,702,000; A25-54 473,000
Source: Nielsen Live + Same Day Big Data + Panel |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Keith Cox, President of MTV Entertainment and former President, Development and Production for Paramount Network and TV Land, is leaving the company on June 5, after 20 years. Deadline reports Cox is in negotiations to join former Paramount co-CEO Chris McCarthy at NBCUniversal.
Adam Gerber has joined Media.net as head of strategy. Gerber was most recently head of ads commercialization at Netflix. |
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Friday Fun Fact
Nomophobia is the fear of being without your smartphone.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which character does the show title “Wildfire” (2005-08) refer to? The horse Kris saved from being slaughtered. Congrats to: Rory Rosegarten-The Conversation Company/Manhasset, NY; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Becca Vesperino-FatShiba/Brooklyn, NY; Judy Margolis- TBS Marketing and Promotions/Addison, TX; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg- M and S Entertainment/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
In which city was the first season of “The Real World” (1992-2019) set? (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.) |
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