 IN THE NEWS |
| Skydance Media has pledged to end DEI policies at Paramount Global and create an ombudsman position to review “complaints of bias” at CBS News. Those assurances were made to the FCC, as the agency reviews its proposed $8 billion acquisition of Paramount. Skydance said the ombudsman would “promote transparency and accountability.” The changes were included in a letter sent to the FCC.
Newsmax Media has issued a public challenge to any move that would weaken or eliminate the national television ownership cap, saying efforts to relax the current rules would lead to “dangerous levels of media consolidation, diminish local journalism, and place excessive political influence in the hands of a few large media corporations.” Newsmax’s 33-page filing comes in response to a Public Notice issued by the FCC in June, which invited public comment on whether to retain, revise, or eliminate the cap. The rule currently bars any single broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of US households. “If networks like CBS, ABC, and NBC were allowed to expand their reach unchecked,” the filing warns, “they would have even less incentive to produce programming that reflects the values of local communities, particularly those in America’s heartland.”
Netflix shared its What We Watch report for the first time since 2023. So, who’s on top? Over the past two years, season two of “Squid Game” has drawn the most views for a TV series (a commanding 203.8 million), followed by “Adolescence” (144.6 million), “Fool Me Once” (129 million), and season three of “Bridgerton” 123.3. million).
In more Netflix news, the streamer handed an early season three renewal to “Wednesday.” Season two of the Tim Burton dark comedy will be released in two parts, on August 6 and September 3. |
 Also coming back: Apple TV+ sports comedy hit, “Stick,” starring and executive produced by Owen Wilson and created by Jason Keller. “I am inspired and humbled by the audience reaction to ‘Stick,’ and I’m thrilled to be making a second season with this magical cast, led by the incomparable Owen Wilson, and the wonderful creative team at Apple TV+,” said creator Jason Keller. “It’s a joy to be able to continue this story. Most importantly, however, this season two order will provide me with an undeniable excuse to play even more golf. Thank you, Apple TV+.”
As expected, Paramount Global, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s Park County, and South Park Digital Studios have extended their overall deal – which includes 50 new episodes of “South Park,” as well as all previous seasons – for five years. New episodes will premiere on Comedy Central and join Paramount+ the next day. Said Parker, “We are grateful for this opportunity and deeply honored by the trust placed in us. This is about more than a contract — it’s about our commitment to this organization, our teammates, and our fans. We’re focused on building something special and doing whatever it takes to bring championships to this city.”
Total 2Q25 revenue for YouTube rose 14% over the same period last year, hitting $96.4 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations. Advertising revenue saw a lift of 13%, to $9.8 billion. |
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| Cynopsis Top Women in Media
Wait, what? The deadline’s not over?!
Surprise! We’ve extended Top Women in Media nominations through July 31 at 11:59PM ET. If you’ve been meaning to shout out a powerhouse woman changing the game in media—this is your shot. No excuses now.
Nominate now before the clock really runs out.
NOMINATE NOW |
| PRODUCTION |
| Amid shockwaves over CBS’ cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” set to end its run in May 2026, Byron Allen announced that season 20 of “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” is headed into production and will be added to CBS’ lineup after “Late Show.” “Comics Unleashed” launched as a syndicated series in 2006 and had a run on CBS in 2023, sandwiched between the end of “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and the debut of now-cancelled “After Midnight,” which it replaces starting Monday, September 22.
FS1’s “First Things First” is expanding to three hours, airing weekdays from 3-6p. Danny Parkins will join as a daily presence, contributing to the show’s newly added hour, while Eric Mangini and Greg Jennings will continue as regular contributors.
ITV Studios has taken a majority stake in Spanish scripted production company Plano a Plano. Founded in 2011 and run by owner and Producer César Benítez, Plano a Plano is known for “Valeria,” “El Principe,” and telenovela “Servir Y Proteger.”
Bravo’s “Top Chef” is headed to the Carolinas for season 23, with host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and perennial judge Gail Simmons. Production will commence this summer for a 2026 premiere.
Lifetime has greenlit “Christmas Everyday,” executive produced by and starring singer and actress Brandy Norwood, as the tentpole to its annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime slate. The movie will feature Norwood’s 2023 holiday song of the same name. |
| NEW & RETURNING SHOWS |
| Season two of “Betty la Fea: La Historia Continúa” arrives on Prime Video on Friday, August 15. The series broke a Prime Video record with the largest global viewership for a Latin Ameran title in the service’s history, becoming the most-watched series or movie of all time on Prime Video.
Discovery’s “Expedition Unknown” returns Wednesday, August 20 at 9p, with adventurer Josh Gates and his team chasing down the truth about legends, mysteries and mystical creatures. |
 “Only Murders in the Building” is back for season five on Tuesday, September 9 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu. Bobby Cannavale (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Dianne Wiest (“Mayor of Kingstown”) will guest star, while Nathan Lane, last seen in season two, will reprise his role as Teddy Dimas.
A slate of animated titles from Chinese online video streaming platform Tencent Video are launching on Crunchyroll, including “Lord of Mysteries,” premiering internationally across the summer and autumn in multiple territories. The series will be dubbed in English, Spanish, Hindi, Brazilian, Portuguese, French and Hindi. Tencent Video is also making a trio animation titles available on Crunchyroll: “The Master of Diabolism,” “The King’s Avatar,” and “Honor of Kings.”
Apple TV+ limited series “The Savant,” starring and executive produced by Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), debuts with the first two episodes on Friday, September 26, followed by new episodes every Friday through November 7. |
Today’s Premieres
BET+: All the King’s Men
BritBox: Code of Silence
Netflix: Hitmakers; My Melody & Kuromi; The Sandman
Peacock: Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Park |
| Cablefax Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards (Formerly The Diversity & Pride List)
Where impact meets performance.
The Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards celebrate those proving that strong culture and smart business go hand in hand. Whether you’re elevating voices, driving DEI forward, or creating space for talent to grow—this is your stage. Enter by August 1st.
FIND OUT MORE |
| TECH |
| The likelihood of an American Google user clicking on a search link after reading an AI summary, versus a user who did not read a summary, drops by almost half, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. “Users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a traditional search result link in 8% of all visits,” noted Pew. “Those who did not encounter an AI summary clicked on a search result nearly twice as often (15% of visits).” Only 1% of Google users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a link in the summary itself.
Xfinity has launched StreamStore, aimed at making discovering, purchasing and managing streaming apps, channels and networks simpler. “We believe that technology should work for you – not the other way around,” said Jon Gieselman, Chief Growth Officer, Connectivity & Platforms, Comcast. “Xfinity StreamStore is taking the complexity out of finding the content you love and putting the power back in the hands of our customers. It’s an important advancement in harnessing tech to make the complicated easy and entertainment smarter, simpler, and more connected.”
A federal judge has ruled that the LiveRamp must face privacy-related claims over its alleged data collection practices. “The court finds that the tracking of individuals’ activity across thousands of websites, combined with extensive offline records gathered over decades, to generate uniquely identifying profiles on those individuals is sufficient to allege intrusion into privacy,” ruled US District Court Judge Jon Tigar in the Northern District of California last week. LiveRamp is accused in a class action suit of creating “a network that tracks in real time and records indefinitely the personal information of hundreds of millions of people.” |
| COMING UP |
 Happy birthday, Bugs! MeTV Toons is celebrating the 85th birthday of the wascally wabbit with its annual Bugs Bunny’s Birthday Bash, a 24-hour marathon event starting Sunday, July 27 at 6a.
Ovation TV announced the launch of Ovation Arts, a new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service for the arts. Audiences will have access to hundreds of concerts along with family-friendly arts programming, commercial-free. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| Peter Rice, former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, will serve as Head of Ceremonies and Content for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Peter is one of the rare individuals whose expertise seamlessly combines creativity, operational insight and production excellence to deliver Ceremonies that will captivate audiences around the world,” said LA28 president and chairperson Casey Wasserman. “He’s been a leading figure in shaping the modern television and film landscape and is the perfect asset to reimagining the delivery of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the digital age.”
World Rugby and Samsung TV Plus have teamed up to launch RugbyPass TV. The FAST channel offers live international matches, rugby sevens, original series, and classic games, curated for both longtime fans and curious newcomers.
Spectrum, Xumo and EverPass Media announced the launch of the EverPass app on Xumo Stream Box for Spectrum Business TV customers who subscribe to Spectrum Sports Fan TV, the Company’s sports video package for bars and restaurants. Xumo Stream Box for Business streams a lineup of more than 45 sports networks and Amazon Thursday Night Football on the Spectrum TV App. With the addition of the EverPass app, users will also have seamless access to NFL Sunday Ticket and Peacock Sports Pass subscriptions on the same device.
LIV Golf will return to JCB Golf & Country Club for the third edition of LIV Golf UK by JCB. Through an exclusive partnership with ITV, viewers in the UK have access to free-to-air live coverage of all LIV Golf events via ITV and ITVX. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Wedotv and Italian digital TV platform tivùsat have expanded their channel distribution partnership to include wedotv’s FAST channel wedotv BIG stories. The platform, which serves all of Italy, Vatican City, and San Marino, is also moving up the EPG slot for wedotv movies for increased visibility. “Until recently, you wouldn’t have heard ‘streaming’ and ‘satellite’ mentioned in the same conversation about channel distribution strategies, but we have proven that the two can not only co-exist, but work together very successfully for real mutual value,” said wedotTV Co-CEO Philipp Rotermund. “Our agreement with tivùsat is a clear and compelling example of that synergy. tivùsat is thriving by including local and international channels – both broadcast and streaming – via Eutelsat’s powerful Hotbird satellite.” |
| RATINGS |
| The final round of the 153rd Open Championship averaged a total audience of 4.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, up 21% from last year, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. Viewership peaked at 6.1 million during the 1:30-1:45p window. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Sony’s Maxine Productions has appointed Anneka Jones as EVP of Development and Current Series. Previously, Jones served as Left/Right’s Chief Content Officer. |
This Day in History
1866 – Tennessee became the first Confederate state readmitted to the Union.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the name of Oliver’s cow on “Green Acres” (1965-71)? Eleanor. Kudos to: Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/San Francisco; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Ken DuBow-DuBow Media Distribution/LA; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Tom Boyd-WGN/Chicago; Ray Mendelsohn-FanDuel Sports Network/Cincinnati
Today’s Trivia Question
Which series centered on a family that operated a funeral home in Memphis? (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 >>
All3MEDIA 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 5 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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