| A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OMEDA |
 IN THE NEWS |
| Streaming viewership surged in June to represent 46.0% of television usage, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. Time spent streaming was up +5.4% over last month, with Netflix recording the largest monthly uptick among streaming platforms, +13.5% over May, and adding 0.8 share points to command 8.3% of TV. Credit for Netflix’s upswing goes to original series “Ginny & Georgia,” which was the most-streamed title of the month with 8.7 billion viewing minutes, as well as the popularity of acquired series “Animal Kingdom “and “Blindspot,” which earned the second and third most-streamed titles in June and combined for 11.4 billion viewing minutes. Not to mention the release of the third season of “Squid Game,” which generated nearly a billion viewing minutes per day across the series in the final three days of the June interval. |
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| The Primetime Emmy nominations were announced on Tuesday, and Apple TV+’s “Severance” led the pack with 27 nods, followed by HBO Max’s “The Penguin” (24), and Apple TV+’s “The Studio” and HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” (23 each). Of note: Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) is the first woman ever to be nominated in the same year in both acting and directing for a comedy series; “The Studio” tied the record for the most Emmy nominations ever in the comedy category; HBO/HBO Max landed the most nominations overall, with 142 – the most it has ever received in a single year; and, with nomination #10, RuPaul Charles now holds the record for the most noms ever for a reality show host. For a complete list, go here.
NBCUniversal announced the close of its 2025-26 Upfront negotiation cycle, which – propelled by live programming, the launch of the NBA, and streaming – generated the company’s highest ad sales volume ever. Broadcast dayparts rose +15%, and Peacock was up +20% year-over-year, representing almost one third of NBCU’s total Upfront commitments. “This year, we went to the market earlier than ever to strategically align our powerful content slate with our clients’ goals,” said Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “The response has been extraordinary, and we are incredibly grateful for our partners’ trust and collaboration.”
Gaming platform Roblox has launched a new licensing platform enabling IP holders to self-serve through Roblox’s creator community and integrate IP into games and experiences. Roblox is launching the License Manager and Licenses catalog with Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game,” along with titles from Lionsgate, Sega and Kodansha.
FOX Sports’ FS1 cut three shows from its weekday lineup. “Speak,” “Breakfast Ball” and “The Facility” have been canceled due to low ratings, reports The Athletic. The end of “Speak” means Joy Taylor is off the network. Taylor was named in a lawsuit that accused former programming exec Charlie Dixon of sexual battery; Taylor allegedly advised the alleged victim to “get over it.” |
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Cynopsis Top Women in Media
Help us spotlight the trailblazers.
Cynopsis is looking for seasoned pros to help select this year’s honorees for the Top Women in Media Awards, celebrating leaders across media, AI, esports & beyond.
Lend your voice to the judging panel.
INQUIRE NOW |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
| UK indie Dash Pictures has launched a scripted arm. The first production from the new venture is psychological thriller feature film “Better.” starring Tom Hopper (“The Umbrella Academy”), which has just completed filming. |
| NEW & RETURNING SHOWS |
| Season two of music competition series “Deb’s House” launches Friday, August 22 at 9:30p on We TV AMC+ and streaming on ALLBLK. Following its hip-hop focused freshman season, the show shifts gears to shine a spotlight on R&B. |
Today’s Premieres
BET: Sistas at 9p
Hulu: Bullet Bullet; Low Life
Nat Geo: To Catch a Smuggler at 9p
Netflix: Amy Bradley Is Missing
Prime Video: The Summer I Turned Pretty |
| COMING UP |
| Clear the Shelters, NBCUniversal Local’s pet adoption and donation initiative, is returning for the 11th consecutive year from August 1-31, with an extended fundraising effort taking place now through September 15. NBC- and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations across the nation are partnering with animal shelters in their communities to promote pet adoption and raise funds for animal welfare. |
 Antenna TV is celebrating the 60th anniversary of “I Dream of Jeannie” with the “Still Dreaming of Jeannie 60th Anniversary Marathon.” Sixty back-to-back episodes of the 1965-70 sitcom kick off Saturday, August 16 at 10a, with Jeannie herself, Barbara Eden, on hand to host.
Three networks in the Weigel Broadcasting family are rolling out Christmas in July programming stunts. Catchy Comedy offers a holiday binge on Sunday, July 20; and it’s Christmas in July on Dabl and MOVIES! on Friday, July 25. |
| TECH |
| Google said it will invest $25 billion in AI infrastructure and data centers in the US over the next two years, as well as $3 billion in updates to two hydropower plants in Pennsylvania to serve AI data centers. The company is also launching an initiative to train workers and small businesses in AI skills.
Comscore has struck a multi-year partnership with Data-as-a Service company HyphaMetrics. The deal aims to enhance Comscore’s proprietary industry personification methodology by leveraging HyphaMetrics’ proprietary Unified Individual Media Metric, a unified view of audience behavior across every monitored screen and streaming platform within a household. This includes deterministic Viewers-per-Viewing-Household data and person-level co-viewing insights across devices.
Generative AI is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of video ad creation, with 86% of buyers using/planning to use it to build video ad creative. That’s according to IAB’s 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, which also found:
· CTV and social video are the top “must-buy” channels for advertisers in 2025.
· Although content quality is the top criterion in digital video buys, failure to deliver outcomes is what limits deals with streaming partners.
· Nearly half of CTV inventory is expected to be biddable.
· As live content moves to streaming, buyers have higher expectations in the partnerships with the streaming platforms vs. linear TV.
“The economics of advertising are being transformed. As the costs of production fall, the opportunities for advertisers multiply,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “The pool of potential advertisers is growing, as it is easier than ever to plan, buy, optimize and creatively connect with consumers utilizing new technologies across all forms of media. The democratization of advertising and marketing is entering an exciting new phase, and the outlines of a new future are coming into view fast.” |
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| Viant Technology announced a strategic integration with LG Ad Solutions aimed at accelerating addressable advertising in the CTV ecosystem by making LG’s premium smart TV inventory fully addressable via the Viant DSP. “Identity is the backbone of effective advertising in a fragmented ecosystem,” said Kelly McMahon, SVP Global Operations, LG Ad Solutions. “By integrating the Viant Household ID into our platform, we’re empowering buyers to scale Viant-driven audiences across the LG Smart TV environment – unlocking greater precision, reach, and performance while keeping privacy at the core.” |
Cablefax Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards (Formerly The Diversity & Pride List)
Your culture tells your story—make sure it’s heard.
The Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards honor leaders and programs driving inclusion, innovation, and real business results. Nominations extended to July 25.
ENTER NOW |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| FloSports has added the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, Northwest Conference, Ohio Athletic Conference, and Old Dominion Athletic Conference to its fall season slate, bringing the total number of NCAA conferences available on FloCollege to 18 across all NCAA divisions.
Zone·ify has expanded its relationship with TNA Wrestling to become an official sponsor and streaming partner. The deal gives Zone·ify access to a slate of TNA+ programming, with a seven-day re-air window for select events and hundreds of hours of matches available on demand. Additionally, it also includes original social content and co-branded digital campaigns.
Portland’s WNBA expansion team unveiled its new name and brand identity: the Portland Fire. Portland was awarded the League’s 15th expansion team in fall 2024. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Streaming TV network wedotv struck a licensing deal with New Regency for a package of more than 80 films. Said wedotv co-CEO Chris Sharp, “As wedotv grows globally, our mission stays clear: deliver quality movies and shows people truly want to watch – for free. We curate our wedotv services by territory, and New Regency’s outstanding catalogue fits that perfectly.”
French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo inked broadcast deals for preschool series “PongPong Dino,” created and produced by Korean animation IP creator Dream Factory Studio. The CGI series has been acquired by Sky UK and is set to premiere later this year on Sky Kids and NOW. |
| RATINGS |
 ABC’s “Celebrity Family Feud” returned for season 11 on Thursday, July 10, ranking as the top program of the night in Total Viewers (4.16 million).
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Showdown on The CW drew 972,000 Total Viewers, making it the most-watched NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Sonoma to date. The audience was up +27% compared to last year’s race from Sonoma.
Game 1 of the State Farm WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION, featuring the Atlanta Dream taking on the Indiana Fever, averaged nearly 1.5 million viewers 2+ across the game, peaking with 1.8 million viewers (9:15-9:29p), making it the most-watched WNBA game on ION this season, and the second most-watched game on ION ever.
The audience for the BBC in the Americas has risen by +5% over the past year to 83 million people, according to data from the BBC’s Global Audience Measurement 2024-2025. Thirty-one million adults in North America visit BBC News’ digital platforms each week, up +39% from 2023/2024.
Basic Cable Top 10 for the week of July 7
P2+ AA (000)
Total Day
Fox News 2436
MSNBC 888
ESPN 571
HGTV 545
Hallmark Channel 501
CNN 484
History 481
TBS 462
INSP 437
USA
Primetime
Fox News 1544
MSNBC 531
ESPN 512
CNN 368
Hallmark Channel 327
HGTV 304
TBS 274
GSN 233
History 227
Hallmark Mystery 224
Source: Nielsen |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| WPP has appointed Baiju Shah as Global CEO of AKQA, WPP’s design and innovation company. Baiju joins from Accenture Song, where he was most recently Global Chief Strategy Officer.
Porter Berry, who currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief of FOX News Digital, will add New Media to his role as the company expands with a licensing deal for the “Ruthless” podcast. |
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This Day in History
1790 – Congress declared the city of Washington in the District of Columbia the capital of the US.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which television series won the first Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series? “Pulitzer Prize Playhouse.” Kudos to: Rosemary Cunningham-MeTV/Chicago; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Wendy Holmes/Denver
Today’s Trivia Question
A title character in which ‘90s series had a purple nose? (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.) |
VP SALES, NORTH AMERICA >>
A113MEDIA INTERNATIONAL/NEW YORK/HYBRID: Responsibility for covering format sales in the territory, liaising with the EVP Formats & Licensing as well as All3Media America, as well as Licensing finished program/tape sales in the United States and Canada. Also take ownership of and implementing the agreed sales strategies, reporting on progress and any issues preventing implementation. Full info HERE
SENIOR DESIGNER >>
REELZ CHANNEL/ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Responsible for the concept, design and execution of various motion graphics projects for on-air promo and sales presentations. Will be required to design and create graphics for social media, digital and print. Must be able to follow brand guidelines and expand and change the brand look when necessary. Full info HERE
EVP, COMMERCIAL & TECHNOLOGY TRANSACTIONS, LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
A+E GLOBAL MEDIA/NY(HYBRID): Oversee the three major areas of commercial transactions (comprised of supporting the Distribution, Total Media Solutions and Global Content Sales divisions) and the adjacent areas supported by the attorney teams that principally support those divisions (including vendor management and privacy). Full info HERE
SR. DIRECTOR OF SALES, KSTU & KUPX >>
THE E.W. SCRIPPS COMPANY/SALT LAKE CITY: Leverage our suite of advertising solutions to unlock growth opportunities for local and national businesses. Play a role in driving the station’s revenue goals as well as serving as the home station for Utah’s new NHL team. Collaborate with our production team to create campaigns that connect our clients with their customers in meaningful ways. Full info HERE
DIGITAL MEDIA BUYER >>
FURMAN ROTH ADVERTISING/NY(HYBRID): Plan, launch, and optimize digital marketing campaigns across various paid media channels (including Display, Google products, Paid Social, CTV, and Programmatic, etc.) while managing budgets effectively. Support the execution of media plans across platforms, overseeing targeting, budget allocation, and performance tracking to drive campaign success. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR; CTV BRAND PARTNERSHIPS – MID WEST/WEST COAST
FUTURE TODAY
REMOTE
Build, maintain and expand a pipeline of sales targets, contacts, and sales opportunities leveraging your relationships with a heavy focus on new business revenue. Build/nurture relationships with the investment, strategy, precision and digital agencies as well as clients. Also maintain an ongoing knowledge of the streaming media landscape. Full info HERE
DIRECTOR, AD MARKETING & SALES >>
THE SHADE ROOM/REMOTE: Develop and execute a revenue growth strategy to drive direct advertising, branded content, and sponsorship sales as well as lead the development of compelling advertising and branded content offerings tailored for TSR’s audience and cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key advertisers, media agencies, and brand partners. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/NY(REMOTE/HYBRID): Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: required: BA Degree, Min 2 yrs DR Experience. Wide Orbit Exp a +. Full info HERE
PROFESSIONAL LECTURER OF COMMUNICATION/SPORTS BROADCASTING >>
MARIST UNIVERSITY/ POUGHKEEPSIE, NY: Teach studio and field broadcasting and new media courses in sports media and journalism as well as be able to teach a studio course on producing a newscast and help students live stream a podcast or produce short-form feature content suitable for social media streaming. Also demonstrate through their teaching, professional activity, and service. Full info HERE
SALES LEAD – AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
UPWAVE
NEW YORK, NY
Build and manage relationships with our agency partners – mostly targeting media buyers and planners – and help them see the value of adding Upwave measurement to The Trade Desk campaigns. You will both leverage your existing network and open new doors to achieve aggressive but achievable sales targets. Full info HERE |
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