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 IN THE NEWS |
| Streaming’s share of total TV viewing reached a record high in April, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. Time spent streaming accounted for 44.3% of total TV viewing, adding a half-point over March and 1.7 points since January. Compared with April 2024, streaming usage has increased 15% and gained 5.9 share points, while broadcast has declined 7% and lost 1.4 share points, and cable has dropped 16% and lost 4.6 share points. These changes have put an even stronger emphasis on media companies’ multichannel and multi-platform content distribution strategies, notes the report, which have contributed to the consistent increases in streaming viewership. Case in point: ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” drew 3.9 billion viewing minutes across Hulu and Netflix in April and continued to engage viewers with new episodes from its current season on both ABC and Hulu. Season 21 streams exclusively on Hulu and accounted for 10% of “Grey’s Anatomy’s” total streaming viewership this month, despite representing just 3% of its episode count. Netflix represented about 60% of its streaming total this month. |
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| Comcast Advertising introduced an AI creative platform that gives brands a simple way to build TV-grade ads to reach audiences across the premium TV ecosystem. The platform is powered by a partnership with Waymark. “Making media buying easy and impactful is a core mission across Comcast Advertising’s portfolio,” said Dawn Williamson, Chief Revenue Officer, Media Solutions. “Thanks to our Waymark partnership, we are excited to extend this mission directly to our Media Solutions offering. Advertisers now have a fast and affordable way to build TV-ready ads for delivery across news, entertainment, live sports, and other premium video destinations.”
Paramount Global’s potential settlement with President Trump over his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS could violate federal bribery laws, three senators warned controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. “Paramount appears to be trying to settle a lawsuit that it has assessed as ‘completely without merit,’ and moderating the content of its programs in order to obtain approval of this merger,” wrote Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a letter. “Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act…. Paramount’s scheme to curry favor with the Trump Administration has compromised journalistic independence and raises serious concerns of corruption and improper conduct.” Trump is suing CBS over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview as Paramount attempts to complete a merger with Skydance Media that has drawn the scrutiny of regulators. |
 As Cynopsis reported yesterday, Wendy McMahon has left her role as CBS News CEO, a departure tied to Paramount Global’s dealings with Trump. McMahon, who became the CEO in 2023, called it both “a privilege” and “challenging” to lead the network. (McMahon is pictured here – the photo used yesterday was incorrect.)
IAB released the updated General Terms & Conditions for digital advertising agreements for public comment, terms meant to replace the outdated 2001 standards. The new framework is modular, built to support both direct and programmatic deals, and aims to cut legal overhead, reduce friction in negotiations, and speed up how media gets bought and sold. “This modular structure gives the industry what it’s been missing: a balance of consistency and flexibility,” said Angelina Eng, VP, Measurement, Addressability & Data Center, IAB. “Once adopted, these terms will help our ecosystem scale more efficiently — with less negotiation, lower legal overhead, and better alignment.”
S&P Global has downgraded Warner Bros. Discovery’ credit rating to BB+. “We lowered our 2025 and 2026 forecast due to continued challenges in WBD’s linear television networks segment, which we forecast will offset growth at its studio and streaming segments,” said the ratings firm in a statement. |
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SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
2 WEEKS OUT: DON’T MISS THE SPORTS MEDIA EVENT OF THE YEAR
The 2025 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards hits the stage June 4 at City Winery NYC—and the room is filling with the biggest names in the game.
190+ Finalists
7 Luminary Honorees
Top execs from brands, leagues, agencies & platforms
Happy hour format, no sit-down dinner—just great conversation, connection, and celebration
If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet… this is your sign.
Two weeks left. Limited seats remain.
Register Now – Or risk watching from the sidelines. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| DIscovery’s “Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch” is back for season five on Wednesday, June 18 at 10p, as Duane and Chad Ollinger and their team continue their quest for missing gold.
Leading PBS America @250, PBS’ celebration of US history, culture, and children’s programming taking place from spring 2025 through America’s semiquincentennial in 2026, is “The American Revolution.” The 10-part docuseries from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt makes its debut Sunday, November 16.
Season two of Apple TV+ comedy “Platonic,” starring Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne, launches Wednesday, August 6 with two episodes.
“Off Script with the Hollywood Reporter” returns to IFC on Friday, May 23 at 12a with an episode focused on standup comedians.
“Hazardous History with Henry Winkler” kicks off Sunday, June 15 at 10p on The History Channel. Hosted and executive produced by the “Happy Days” star, the docuseries tells the stories of things people did that they can’t do anymore (think radioactive toys and dangerous foods).
UK crime drama “Patience” premieres Sunday, June 15 at 8p on PBS (check local listings). The series follows a neurodivergent woman who works in the Criminal Records Office.
Bravo reality show “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys” kicks off Monday, June 30 at 9p on Bravo. This go-round, the race is on during harvest season to save the farm from being foreclosed.
“Washington Black,” a limited series starring and executive produced by Sterling K. Brown, is set to debut with eight episodes Wednesday, July 23 on Hulu.
HBO’s “Welcome to Derry” debuts this fall. The drama series is set in Stephen King’s It universe and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.” |
Today’ Premiere
BritBox: Make It at Market
Fox: MasterChef at 8p; Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service at 9p
Hulu: Nine Perfect Strangers
Netflix: Nine Puzzles; Real Men; Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark; Newly Rich, Newly Poor |
| PRODUCTION |
| Paramount+ has greenlit season four of “Yellowjackets,” a drama following high school girls stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash. “‘Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut; with season three shattering all previous records,” said Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.
Also coming back for a fourth season is “Karamo,” the syndicated talk show hosted by Karamo Brown (“Queer Eye”). “Karamo’s ability to bond with his guests and his unique storytelling style, combined with our talented production team, has solidified the show as a staple in daytime TV, consistently offering engaging and compelling content,” said Tracie Wilson, EVP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News. “
Spanish-language crime series “Las Azules” (Women in Blue) has been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+. The eight-episode run is in production.
LA mayor Karen Bass ordered city departments to cut regulations and streamline processes for local film and TV production. Bass is also cutting back on the number of city staffers required on set. “The City is taking bold action to support our legacy industry,” said Bass on Tuesday. “Keeping entertainment production in LA means keeping good-paying jobs in LA, and that’s what we are fighting for.”
Darren Aronofsky’s new AI-driven studio, Primordial Soup, has partnered with Google DeepMind to produce short films. Google DeepMind is providing early-stage access to generative-AI video tools, while filmmakers will provide feedback on the AI tools to help guide their development. |
 NBC is developing a US version of British game show “Win! Win!”, where every prize won on the show will also be won by someone playing at home. The US version will be produced by Hello Dolly and Universal Television Alternative Studio. “’Win! Win!’ is a fresh, high-stakes format that delivers on its name by giving viewers and contestants alike the chance to walk away winners,” said Sharon Vuong, EVP, Unscripted Programming, NBC. “We look forward to partnering with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Hello Dolly to further develop this uniquely rewarding game show for our American audience.”
Pocket.watch has expanded their portfolio with nine new creators, edutainment brands ChuChu TV and Super Simple Songs along with Not Enough Nelsons, SuperHeroKids, Tyler & Snowi, The River, Wilder & Archer Show, Pretty Bored, Kylee Makes It, and The Braxton, Ryder & Sawyer Show. |
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| SCREENSHIFT
WHERE MEDIA DEALS GET DONE
Digital is set to claim 60% of TV/video ad spend. Agencies and brands need smarter, faster CTV solutions.
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CONTACT US |
| TECH |
| VideoAmp announced a new deal with Captify to launch a solution that deterministically ties large-scale ad viewership data to real search outcomes. It’s the first time VideoAmp has integrated with a search outcomes provider. The partnership delivers deterministic, privacy-compliant results, showing how media exposure drives consumer action across platforms. “By directly linking ad exposure to real-world search behavior, we can now show how campaigns generate interest and intent, far earlier and more accurately than traditional brand lift or conversion metrics,” said Randy Laughlin, Senior Vice President, Business Development at VideoAmp.
There are significant shifts in ad fraud, brand safety and viewability across global markets, according to IAS’ latest Media Quality Report. Key US insights include:
· Viewability rates for the United States saw mobile app display increasing from 83.5% in 2023 to 86.8% in 2024 – performing above the worldwide average of 74.2%. Mobile web video also increased from 74.2% in 2023 to 79.4% in 2024.
· Time-in-view across the United States came in lower than worldwide averages. Desktop display reduced from 19.88 seconds in 2023 to 16.57 seconds in 2024 – lower than the worldwide duration of 19.17 seconds.
· The US has the second highest share of brand risk relating to violence on mobile web video (64.1%) across the globe, coming in above the worldwide average of 57.3%.
Data collaboration platform InfoSum announced a new set of integrations with Amazon Ads to enable seamless and secure activation of first-party signals across Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud. Leveraging InfoSum’s decentralized architecture with the new Push-to-Amazon functionality, advertisers can unlock advanced capabilities like look-alike modeling, retargeting, and audience suppression. “Advertisers today need a secure and effective way to leverage their first-party insights across media platforms, optimizing both performance and return on investment,” said Valerie Mercurio, VP, Business Development at InfoSum. “In 2025, it’s imperative that the media industry prioritizes privacy, and our new integration with Amazon Ads makes this even simpler, allowing advertisers to activate their customer insights in a privacy-first manner while benefiting from Amazon’s rich audience insights.”
Boston Consulting Group and Pencil, the Gen AI-powered marketing platform from The Brandtech Group, struck a strategic partnership to help global brands swiftly transition from AI marketing pilots and trial initiatives to full-scale deployments. “CMOs are under pressure to prove AI’s value beyond pilot programs,” said Nicolas de Bellefonds, Managing Director and Senior Partner, and global lead for AI at BCG. “Through this partnership with Pencil, we’re empowering clients to move from experimentation to adoption at scale – unlocking measurable value and supporting the end-to-end transformation of marketing in the service of performance and brand building.”
GenAI studio Promise has expanded its investor base through a new strategic investment and partnership with Google’s AI Futures Fund, joined by Crossbeam Venture Partners, Kivu Ventures, and Saga Ventures. “Since our launch last year, we’ve made tremendous progress in building a studio where imagination, artistry, and GenAI technology come together,” said George Strompolos, Co-Founder and CEO of Promise. “We’re fortunate to have investors who believe in the path we’re forging and the possibilities of this new era.” |
| COMING UP |
 “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” premieres Friday, July 18 on Apple TV+. The 40-minute special, under the “Snoopy Presents” banner by Peanuts and WildBrain for Apple TV+, is the first Peanuts musical in 35 years.
Big hair alert: AXS TV is presenting an “Absolute ‘80s Week” marathon, airing daily at 11a from Monday, June 2 through Sunday, June 8.
Speaking of the 80s – and ‘70s and ‘90s – Rod Stewart will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the “American Music Awards” on Monday, May 26 at 8p on CBS. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| Bluesky is beta testing a new feature with the NBA. During games, a red border with a “live” designation will appear around posts from the NBA’s account. Users who click on the NBA’s profile picture will be redirected to the event they’re promoting, even if that means they leave the platform. “We aren’t trapping you in Bluesky,” posted Rose Wang, COO of Bluesky. “We want you to use Bluesky to discover what’s happening.”
FOX Sports will air the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge live on the monster “MEGA-ZILLA” screen in New York’s Times Square, in addition to broadcasting the event for the first time across its networks, including Fox, Fox Deportes and the Fox Sports app on Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 10a.
The NYC-based Entertainment Football Association announced that MSG Networks will be the television home for the team’s 2025 season, beginning with the home opener and the return of the New York Dragons at Nassau Coliseum, Saturday, June 14 at 6p. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Sabio is partnering with Anoki to distribute Sabio’s FAST channel, Creator Television, through LiveTVx, Anoki’s AI-powered native FAST service on Google TV devices. “Anoki’s LiveTVx provides a unified and intuitive user experience, helping users find the content they want to watch – a perfect environment for Creator TV to thrive,” said Joe Ochoa, Co-Founder and General Manager, Creator TV. |
| RATINGS |
| “American Idol” wrapped season eight on ABC with 6.51 million Total Viewers, rising over the previous week (+24%; vs. 5.27 million) to score the show’s most-watched telecast in two years.
With the launch of its second season, Peacock’s “Poker Face” is a top five original title across all of streaming based on minutes viewed for the week of May 5, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. The sophomore season also debuted as the number two streaming original based on average audience in that same week.
The first game WNBA coverage on ION on Friday night was up +121% P2+ versus the 7:30p game of the first ION doubleheader last season, and delivered the second most-viewers ever for an WNBA game on ION that did not feature the Indiana Fever.
Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of May 12
P2+ AA (000)
Primetime
ESPN 2975
Fox News 2499
TNT 2044
MSNBC 811
HGTV 561
TBS 483
History 418
INSP 417
TLC 417
USA.409
Total Day
Fox News 1591
ESPN 880
MSNBC 532
TNT 519
CNN 341
HGTV 292
TBS 246
USA 243
Hallmark Channel 242
Hallmark Mystery 235 |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| MSNBC has tapped Marcus Mabry to serve as Senior Vice President of Content Strategy. Mabry joins from CNN, where he was SVP of Digital Editorial and Programming. |
| IN MEMORIAM |
| Actor George Wendt, best known for his role as Norm on “Cheers” (1982-93), died on May 20. He was 76. “From his early days with The Second City to his iconic role as Norm on ‘Cheers,’ George Wendt’s work showcased how comedy can create indelible characters that feel like family,” said National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson in a statement “His work is proudly featured in the National Comedy Center, and we honor his legacy and the joy he brought to generations of fans.” |
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This Day in History
1914 – The Greyhound Bus Co. began in Minnesota.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which 1960s sitcom had two theatrical movie spinoffs during its run? “McHale’s Navy” (1962-66). Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Art Salisch-SMRC/West Windsor, NJ; Andrew Goldman-Phanes Funding Group/NYC; Ed Horowitz-Witz End Productions/LA; Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/San Francisco; Kevin Moran-Blarney Productions/Pasadena, CA; Ken DuBow-DuBow Media Distribution/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
What was the name of the bus company Ralph Kramden worked for on “The Honeymooners” (1955-56)? (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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