| Good morning and welcome to Cynopsis — the media industry’s essential morning read. The Upfront presentations have wrapped, and now the real work begins. Did something stand out to you this season? Share your favorite moment at Lynn@Cynopsis.com. |
 IN THE NEWS |
| Stephen Colbert is closing out his run in style. During his final week on “The Late Show,” Colbert be joined by Steven Spielberg and Jon Stewart, along with musical sets from David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen. Tonight’s episode is billed as the “Worst of the Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS is quick to clarify it’s “not a clip show”). Who will appear on the series finale itself has not been revealed. We’re guessing Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon will be tuning in — Colbert’s fellow late-night hosts are airing reruns in deference to their friend.
Donald Trump holds financial interests in several prominent media companies, according to first-quarter disclosures from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The filings show trading activity across a range of major media and technology firms, reports Reuters.
· Trump purchased at least $571,000 worth of Netflix securities while also selling at least $1.3 million in the same stock.
· He also bought at least $1.08 million in Comcast securities, along with smaller positions in Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance, valued at roughly $30,000 and $15,000 respectively.
· Disney and Fox Corp. also appeared in the disclosures. Trump bought at least $364,000 in Disney securities and sold at least $1.1 million, while purchasing at least $45,000 in Fox Corp. stock and offloading at least $30,000, per Reuters.
A Trump Organization spokesperson said all holdings are managed entirely by independent third-party financial institutions, and that no member of the Trump family plays any role in the investment decisions. |
 A California judge has banned Kars4Kids from advertising in the state, ruling that the charity misled donors through false advertising and unfair competition. The case began in 2021 when donor Bruce Puterbaugh sued after learning his car donation hadn’t benefited needy kids in California, as he’d assumed from the charity’s ubiquitous ads. Funds had actually gone to Oorah, a Jewish heritage organization in New York and New Jersey. In testimony the judge called “strikingly candid,” Oorah’s COO admitted the group doesn’t primarily serve low-income children and that donations had funded teenagers’ trips to Israel, a $16.5 million property purchase there, and matchmaking programs for young adults. The court found the ads misleading by omission. Kars4Kids called the ruling a “lawyer-driven attempt to siphon off charitable funds” and said it expects to win on appeal. |
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| CYNOPSIS SPORTS AWARDS
Don’t Miss the Night That Moves the Industry
With the 2026 Cynopsis Sports Awards just weeks away, final opportunities to put your brand in the room are here.
If you’re not part of it, you’re watching from the sidelines.
Be there June 4 | NYC
EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| For sneak peeks, go to Cynopsis Trailer Park.
BritBox announced period drama “Chocolate Wars” (w/t), a commission with UKTV and Sony Pictures Television. Inspired by Deborah Cadbury’s book and the true story of the Cadbury family, the series, produced by Fable Pictures, in association with Alfresco Pictures, will premiere on BritBox in 2027. |
Today’s Premieres
Acorn TV: You’re Killing Me |
| PRODUCTION |
| View TV Studios is making a major bet on unscripted content. A multi-season deal with producer David Leepson will be worth upwards of $50 million over the next several years. The pact, which spans three original unscripted franchises for View TV ONE, will see Leepson Bounds Entertainment churn out six seasons annually under the arrangement.
For View TV Studios CEO Simon Knight, the partnership reflects a broader shift in what viewers actually want. “Television has become overproduced, overexplained, and predictable,” Knight said. “Audiences are moving toward authenticity, access, and real stories.” Knight framed the deal as a new kind of model for the industry — one where top-tier producers build scalable content businesses and hold onto their IP for long-term library value, rather than signing it away.
After five seasons helming Nat Geo’s “Trafficked,” investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller is launching her next chapter: an independent production company called The Hidden Third — also the name of her true crime podcast. According to Variety, the venture grew out of a desire to keep the core “Trafficked” team intact as they move into new territory.
Overheard, the creator brand that turned viral dating content into a digital franchise, is deepening its push into original programming with the second season of “Relationship Rehab.” The comedy dating series follows comedian Stef Dag as the self-appointed, and entirely unqualified, internet relationship therapist, dispensing dubious advice. The returning show marks a milestone for the brand: “Relationship Rehab” becomes Overheard’s first long-form series on YouTube, while maintaining its cross-platform presence across TikTok and Instagram. |
 The renewal builds on the breakout success of “Hot & Single,” Overheard’s hit digital dating format — also fronted by Dag — which has racked up millions of views, drawn celebrity guests including Dua Lipa, and secured brand partnerships with Match and Tinder. With Season Two, Overheard signals a clear strategic shift: from viral format factory to a destination for serialized original content at scale. |
| THE TOP WOMEN NETWORK
The Momentum Is Already Building
Across media, marketing, PR, and ad tech, the Top Women Network is where women are connecting, mentoring, and moving forward—together. If you’re serious about growth, this is your circle.
Don’t watch from the sidelines—be part of it.
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LEARN MORE |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Spectrum is building on its Seamless Entertainment experience by including the discovery+ app at no additional cost for customers with eligible Spectrum TV plans. |
| COMING UP |
 Warner Bros. Pictures’ movie “The Bride!”, written, directed and produced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will make its global streaming debut exclusively on HBO Max on Friday, May 22, followed by its linear premiere on Saturday, May 23 at 8 p.m. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| Prime Video’s fifth season of exclusive “Thursday Night Football” coverage opens with Detroit at Buffalo as the Bills open their new state-of-the-art stadium. The schedule aso features several cross-divisional games, including an October 15 meeting between the World Champion Seahawks and the Broncos.
As calls grow to revisit the Sports Broadcasting Act — the 1961 law shielding the NFL from antitrust scrutiny — amid the league’s expanding presence on streaming platforms, Chief Operating Officer Hans Schroeder defended the NFL’s distribution approach during a media call Friday tied to the release of the 2026-27 schedule. He argued the league offers the most fan-friendly model in sports and entertainment, noting that all games are available over-the-air in home markets and 87% are distributed primarily through broadcast. At the same time, Schroeder acknowledged that fans are spending more time on other platforms and said the league wants to meet them there, even as broadcast remains its priority.
FOX Sports, embarking on its 33rd year broadcasting the NFL, unveiled an 18-week schedule that includes its first tripleheader in over a decade. Coverage on Sunday, November 15 starts at 9:30 a.m. with an international game from Munich between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions. The slate also includes the Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers in the 1 p.m. window and San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m.
ESPN’s 2026-27 regular-season slate features 26 NFL games — 17 “Monday Night Football” matchups, a Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader and seven games on NFL Network. Ten “Monday Night Football” games will be simulcast on ABC. Capping off the regular season, ESPN’s Week 18 doubleheader will consist of two games (to be announced) with playoff implications, also simulcast on ABC. |
| RATINGS |
| Sports platform OutKick finished April 2026 with 48 million total multiplatform minutes, up 101% versus the prior year. The platform also saw 20 million total multiplatform views and 3.9 million total desktop and mobile unique visitors, according to Comscore.
The season finale of “SNL UK” on Sky One hit a series low 86,420, less than half the audience of the week before, according to overnight ratings. Blame the Eurovision Song Contest on the BBC, which drew an average 5.2 million viewers — and for the first time, crowned a winner from Bulgaria. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Sports platform OutKick finished April 2026 with 48 million total multiplatform minutes, up 101% versus the prior year. The platform also saw 20 million total multiplatform views and 3.9 million total desktop and mobile unique visitors, according to Comscore.
The season finale of “SNL UK” on Sky One hit a series low 86,420, less than half the audience of the week before, according to overnight ratings. Blame the Eurovision Song Contest on the BBC, which drew an average 5.2 million viewers — and for the first time, crowned a winner from Bulgaria. |
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Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In which city was the first season of “The Real World” (1992-2019) set? New York City. Kudos to: Nicole Langella-Two Twelve Direct/Manalapan, NJ; Greg West-WATC/Atlanta; Vince Vincenzo-Omnicom/NYC; Briane Maciejowski-BMZ Producing/Sarasota, FL; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee; April Isera-TRG/Dallas; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Andi Leston-Outdoor Sportsman Group/Waukesha, WI; Julie Martinez-JDA.media/Irving, TX; Creed Heilskoz-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids, IA; Kyle Krebs-NewsChannel 5/Nashville; Rosemary Cunningham-MeTV/Chicago; Ashley Cajthaml-Spectrum Reach/Overland Park, KS; Steve Callahan-Screen Engine/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
What was Andy Richter’s first major acting job after leaving “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”? (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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