Good morning and welcome to Cynopsis — the media industry’s essential morning read. Today:
· Letterman Goes Global
· Miss USA Returns to TV
· “Ponies” Gets Put Out to Pasture |
 IN THE NEWS |
 NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution and David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants have partnered with digital monetization firm Merzigo to expand “The Late Show with David Letterman” across global digital platforms.
· The multi-year deal gives Merzigo access to more than 6,000 episodes from the run of the show (1982–2015).
· Merzigo will remaster archival interviews with celebrities, musicians, and world leaders into HD content for distribution on YouTube and Facebook.
· The rollout launches first in the U.S. before expanding internationally, with the company deploying its own tech infrastructure and localized audience-growth strategies.
· The Takeaway: Legacy TV libraries are increasingly becoming digital revenue plays, and the Letterman archive — one of late night’s most storied — represents a significant catalog asset. The deal signals growing appetite from rights holders to activate dormant IP through platform-native distribution rather than traditional syndication.
Walmart struck a deal to acquire Vibe.co, a self-serve connected TV advertising platform built for small and mid-sized businesses and mid-market brands.
· The acquisition is intended to strengthen Walmart Connect, the company’s commerce media business, by pairing Vibe.co’s accessible CTV buying tools with Walmart’s first-party shopper data, closed-loop measurement, and growing media portfolio, including VIZIO.
· Vibe.co’s platform offers self-serve campaign activation, direct supply partner integrations, proprietary advertising technology and performance-driven optimization that helps advertisers access premium connected TV inventory more efficiently.
· The goal: make it easier for a broader range of advertisers to launch CTV campaigns and tie spend directly to business outcomes.
· The Takeaway: Walmart is pushing Walmart Connect further up the competitive ladder by bringing self-serve CTV capabilities in-house — a clear signal that it wants a bigger slice of ad dollars flowing from SMBs and mid-market brands, not just enterprise clients. With VIZIO already in the fold, Vibe.co adds the demand-side infrastructure to match.
The pageants will be televised. After a turbulent time marked by executive chaos and abuse allegations — which prompted both 2023 titleholders to give back their crowns — the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants are returning to The CW. Under new owner BDE Miss USA, the network will air Miss Teen USA live from Miami on August 26 and the Miss USA 75th Diamond Celebration the following night, both at 8 p.m. The CW had inked a three-year deal in 2024 to air the pageants but bowed out amid the chaos. The shows ran on the Queen Beauty Network instead, the first time since 1965 that Miss USA wasn’t broadcast on a major network.
Cynopsis is evolving right alongside the media industry. In the coming weeks, we’re rolling out a reimagined newsletter — new look, new feel, new cadence — built to deliver everything you need to get ahead of the day. Got some ideas? Input is welcome: Lynn@Cynopsis.com. |
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| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
 Brooke Shields is stepping into the hosting chair for Season 8 of first responder series “Hearts of Heroes,” premiering Saturday, July 11 on ABC stations. Shields takes over from Ginger Zee (“Good Morning America”) on the weekend morning educational block, joining the series’ disaster recovery expert Sheldon Yellen. Shields has a packed slate — she’s also starring in and exec producing Acorn TV’s “You’re Killing Me” and appearing on Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart.”
“The Man Will Burn,” an HBO docuseries offering a behind-the-scenes look at the Burning Man spectacle, premieres Thursday, July 9 at 9 p.m.
Digital entertainment studio Wall of Entertainment has two new series premiering on Tubi this summer. Character-driven comedy game show “Substitute Teacher” kicks off tomorrow, June 25, while “House Rules,” a game show pitting two couples against each other, arrives Thursday, July 16.
NASCAR docuseries “Rising” is back for Season 2 — and it’s heading to Xumo Play. New episodes drop monthly starting in August, with each one hitting NASCAR’s YouTube channel two weeks after its Xumo debut.
“DIY House Call With Kylie Katich” premieres Friday, June 26 at 8.p. on The Design Network. The show follows DIY personality Katich as she helps her influencer friends with their design dilemmas.
The July slate for Viaplay, streaming home of Nordic and European fare, includes the U.S. debuts of the period assassination drama “The Activists” on Thursday, July 16 and contemporary immigrant family drama “Home in You” on Thursday, July 30. |
Today’s Premiere
Bravo: Next Gen NYC at 9 p.m.
BritBox: A Woman of Substance
Discovery: Expedition Unknown at 9 p.m.
Disney+: Behind the Attraction
Netflix: The American Experiment; Another Self
Paramount+: Wild Cherry |
| PRODUCTION |
 Peacock has canceled “Ponies” after one season. While well received — with a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the Cold War thriller never cracked Nielsen’s list of Top 10 streaming shows.
TeamTO and The Tetris Company are teaming up for “Tetris™: World Builders,” a new CG-animated adventure series for children ages 6+ that blends storytelling with STEAM-inspired problem-solving. |
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| SPORTS REPORT |
| The American Association of Professional Baseball’s (AAPB) 2026 All-Star Game will be carried live on MLB Network for the first time on Wednesday, July 15. The game will be held at Haymarket Park, the home of the Lincoln Saltdogs in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 8:30 p.m. It’s the first time MLB Network has aired an All-Star Game of a Major League Baseball Partner League.
ESPN and Disney Jr. are joining forces again to get the tiniest sports fans off the couch and onto the field. For the second year running, the “Take Back Sports” and “Disney Jr. Let’s Play!” teams are combining their powers to make youth sports accessible for preschoolers everywhere. Partnering once more with national nonprofit Every Kid Sports, the initiative will dish out grants to help families who need it most cover the cost of signing their little all-stars up for sports.
mickey
Linda Cohn is retiring from ESPN after a landmark career — including anchoring more episodes of “SportsCenter” than anyone else. But her greatest source of pride is watching young girls grow up with the show, go on to enter sports media themselves, and find success there. “If my journey helped make that path a little easier for them, then that’s the achievement I’ll cherish most,” she said. Said Burke Magnus, ESPN president, content, “Linda Cohn is a legend and a major part of the history of ESPN. She has brought enthusiasm, personality and her love of sports to our audience for more than 30 years and her contributions to ESPN both in front of and behind the camera would make a very long list.”
FOX One and the USO are making FOX One available at USO Centers around the world to give U.S. service members and their families access to the FIFA World Cup 2026™. FOX One is the official English-language streaming platform for the event. |
| TECH |
| Amazon chose the first day of Prime Week to introduce Alexa+ Agentic Ads, a new format that lets customers browse, ask questions, and buy products entirely within the ad itself, without navigating away. The experience is conversational: shoppers interact with Alexa to explore options and complete a transaction in one place. Initial launch partners include Papa John’s for food ordering, and musicians Beck, Jill Scott, and Omar Courtz, whose upcoming concert tickets are available through the format.
Havas took the Cannes Lions stage Tuesday to unveil new research advancing the next phase of its Converged.AI ecosystem — one that pairs emotional connection with data, technology, and AI to drive long-term client performance. At the center of the announcement: The Science of Desire, a study examining why desire has become a critical engine of brand growth. Key findings include:
· Brands that build desire deliver 2.2x more fame, 87% more pricing power, and 2.4x more sustained growth.
· That edge carries into AI environments as well, where desirable brands are up to 4x more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated responses.
· Despite those stakes, 84% of brands remain stuck in a middle ground of indifference, achieving just 61% of their potential.
· The Takeaway: “Being seen is not enough. You must be desired,” said Global Chief Strategy, Data and Innovation Officer Mark Sinnock. “Creativity is what creates connection, builds desire and drives growth. Technology may amplify brands, but desire gives them gravity.”
Culture Hive Media Group and Subjective have teamed up to launch a Cultural Relevance Score (CRS), a new metric designed to measure how well brands connect with audiences across social signals, behavioral patterns, community identity markers, and shared values. The tool evaluates cultural fit at the impression level, scoring dozens of dimensions before a buying decision is made. “That is what agentic optimization looks like in practice,” said Ashley Petrekovic, Co-Founder and COO of Subjective.
OpenX has launched OpenX IQ, a suite of AI and machine learning tools designed to give buyers more quality, control, and performance across the media buying workflow. The platform taps high-fidelity supply-side data and built-in automation to let advertisers, agencies, and publishers customize buying decisions at scale. |
| COMING UP |
Disney+ and Hulu will drop “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on Wednesday, July 29. The hit sequel has crushed over $675 million at the box office since its May 1 release.
That’s all.
“The Drama” makes its streaming debut on HBO Max on Friday, July 31, followed by its linear premiere the following evening on HBO. The film, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, was released in theaters on April 3.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Great American Media. “The Trouble with Mistletoe” starts streaming on Great American Pure Flix beginning Thursday, July 9, and premieres on Great American Family and GFAM+, Saturday, July 11 at 8p. The movie is part of the company’s Great American Christmas in July offering, kicking off June 26. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| BET has appointed Keke Palmer to its newly formed Board of Advisors. Established earlier this month as a strategic and cultural sounding board, the Board will provide insight, perspective, and accountability. Palmer, an actor, host, and producer, also helmed BET’s “Just Keke.” |
| RATINGS |
| Tuesday’s episode of ABC’s “The View” — with guest Vice President JD Vance — saw its most-watched telecast (3.331 million viewers) since November 2024. Week over week, the show was up 22%. |
Today’s Trivia Question
What was the first U.S. primetime drama to be broadcast in high definition? (Email answers to trivia@cynopsis.com and include your name, company and city. Answers limited to four per time zone.)
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which pay-TV service ran from 1979-81? Take 2.
Congrats to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Roger Furman-Sports Marketing Communications/Greentown, PA; C. David Schneider-PTC/St. Petersburg, FL; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA |
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