 IN THE NEWS |
| The FCC approved the merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global on Thursday. “Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “That is why I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network.” The thumbs up came after Skydance Media pledged to end DEI policies at Paramount Global and create an ombudsman position to review “complaints of bias” at CBS News. Skydance said the ombudsman would “promote transparency and accountability.” |
 Journalist and producer Tanya Simon has been named executive producer of CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Simon has been with the news program, for 25 years, most recently serving as interim executive producer. She is the fourth executive producer in the broadcast’s 57-year history, and the first woman in the role. “Tanya Simon understands what makes ’60 Minutes’ tick. She is an innovative leader, an exceptional producer, and someone who knows how to inspire people,” said Tom Cibrowski, President and Executive Editor of CBS News. Simon replaces Bill Owens, who resigned in April citing a loss of independence amid President Trump’s lawsuit against over a “60 Minutes” interview. The suit has since been settled for $16 million. |
 “E! News,” launched in 1991, has been canceled, as E!, along with most of NBCUniversal’s other cable networks, prepares to spin off into new company Versant. Episodes will continue to air in the 11:30p timeslot until September 25.
Thirty percent of US internet households subscribe to a direct-to-consumer sports-specific streaming service, according to Parks Associates study, “Streaming Live Sports: Where Opportunity Meets Complexity.” Forty-three percent of consumers in US internet households classify themselves as “Sports Viewers,” and 40% of them watch sports only via streaming services. Highlights of the research include:
· Among “Sports Viewers,” 40% watch sports only via streaming services, including general SVOD services, sports-specific D2C services, streaming pay TV services, and social networks. An additional 30% watch sports content via both streaming and broadcast/antenna or traditional pay-TV services.
· 89% of US internet households subscribe to subscription-based streaming platforms, and 33% subscribe to a D2C sports-specific streaming service.
· D2C sports service viewers are the heaviest spenders on streaming video services; they spend an average of $111 per month on all streaming subscriptions. |
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| To no one’s surprise, the White House was not happy with the season 27 premiere of Comedy Central’s “South Park.” The episode showed President Trump in bed with Satan, who rejects him due to size of his manhood, and had Trump suing the town of South Park for $5 billion when its citizens challenge Jesus Christ’s presence in their elementary school. Jesus urges them to settle. “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” says Jesus. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?” In response to the episode, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, “Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows. This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.” Hours earlier, Paramount had announced that “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker agreed to a five-year deal reportedly valued at $1.5 billion.
Trump was also peeved about Joy Behar’s comments on “The View” on Wednesday – comments FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested on Fox News could have consequences. “It’s entirely possible that there’s issues over there,” he told anchor Bill Hemmer. “And stepping back, this broader dynamic, once President Trump has exposed these media gatekeepers and smashed this facade, there’s a lot of consequences. I think the consequences of that aren’t quite finished.” On her show, Behar had suggested Trump was jealous of former President Barack Obama “because Obama is everything that he is not: Trim, smart, handsome, happily married and can sing Al Green’s song ‘Let’s Stay Together’ better than Al Green.” |
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| CYNOPSIS SCREENSHIFT
SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
Two sessions. One powerhouse perspective.
Catch Horizon Media’s Samantha Rose at ScreenShift on October 14 as she dives into what’s next in Future Forward: Navigating Media’s Next Era—then sticks around for Media Buyers & Planners: Ask Us Anything, where no topic is off-limits.
VIEW THE AGENDA |
| PRODUCTION |
| CBS handed a pilot order for “Eternally Yours,” a comedy about two vampires struggling to accept the human who is dating their daughter. The show comes from “Ghost” creators Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, who are under an overall deal at CBS Studios.
Soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” currently in its 61st season, has been renewed for seasons 62 and 63 by Peacock. The show moved from NBC to the streamer in 2022.
Belfast-based production company Finite Films and TV has optioned Jean-Noël Liaut’s biography, The Many Lives of Miss K, for a TV adaption. The series will depict the life of fashion model and WWII secret agent Toto Koopman. |
| NEW & RETURNING SHOWS |
| Apple TV+ thriller “The Last Frontier,” set in the Alaskan wilderness, premieres with two episodes Friday, October 10.
Season three of Comedy Central’s “Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head” is set to debut Wednesday, September 3. The original “Beavis and Butt-Head” ran for seven seasons, from 1993-1997, on MTV.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” returns to Disney+ for season two on Wednesday, December 10. The news broke during a San Diego Comic-Con panel. |
Today’s Premieres
CBS: Big Brother: Unlocked at 8p
Netflix: Trigger; Mandala Murders; The Winning Try
Roku: Solo Travelling with Tracee Ellis Ross
Sunday’s Premieres
Discovery: Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse at 8p
Nat Geo: Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time at 8p; Border Security at 9p |
| Cablefax Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards (Formerly The Diversity & Pride List)
Good news: You’ve got more time.
Nominations for the Voices of Impact & Workplace Culture Awards are now open through August 1st. This is your chance to recognize the people and programs making media more inclusive, connected, and culture-driven.
Final honorees will appear in Cablefax: The Magazine on October 20.
ENTER NOW |
| TECH |
| Viant Technology announced an advancement with IRIS-enabled™ Content Report and Pre-Bid Targeting within the Viant Demand-Side Platform (DSP). The IRIS-enabled Content Report offers advertisers real-time insights into how their ads perform across various contextual and emotional content categories. Buyers can compare KPIs such as conversion and video-completion rates to identify which categories and placements drive superior outcomes. By utilizing the Pre-Bid Targeting feature in tandem with the IRIS-enabled Content Report, advertisers are empowered to turn insights into action. High-performing contextual and emotional categories surfaced by the report can be instantly applied as video-level targets within the Viant DSP, improving relevance and performance in CTV campaigns.
When platforms each define identity differently, marketers can’t unify the customer journey, validate outcomes, or pinpoint which signals are driving success, notes Chris Hogg, CRO at Lotame. But he says there’s a better way – to get the details, go to Cynsiders. |
| RETAIL MEDIA |
| Teads and and Pentaleap have partnered to deliver a real-time bidding integration for retailers’ onsite Sponsored Product Ads (SPAs). The solution makes it possible for advertisers to programmatically activate SPAs across multiple retail networks, all managed through a single platform, Teads Ad Manager. “For the first time, advertisers can activate retail media alongside their broader omnichannel campaigns in Teads Ad Manager,” said Craig Hughes, EVP Corporate & Business Development at Teads. “We’re reducing complexity for advertisers, enabling activation across multiple retail environments alongside their existing upper-funnel campaigns.”
DAIVID has updated its Creative Data Feed API to enable RMNs and ad platforms to evaluate retail media creative at scale across a range of effectiveness metrics, including predicted attention, emotional impact, brand recall and purchase intent. DAIVID’s Creative Data Feed API, which can be integrated into RMNs and ad platforms, injects real-time creative intelligence into retail media. “It’s not just about reaching shoppers, it’s about converting them; winning ‘carts and minds,’” said Ian Forrester, CEO and founder of DAIVID, “With DAIVID’s Creative Data Feed API, we’re giving RMNs the power to evaluate every single creative in real time, helping marketers to make smarter, data-driven decisions and continuously optimize the performance of their creative second by second.” |
| MEASUREMENT |
Streaming’s rising and linear’s holding reach, but most measurement still lags behind the pace of real campaigns, according to iSpot’s “H1 2025 TV Transparency Report.” Findings include:
· For an iSpot sample of 60 top brands, share of OTT ad impressions have grown from 11.49% vs. linear in January, to 16.49% in June 2025.
· Linear TV ad spend is up 3.3% YoY (to $21.85 billion), while primetime reach on Big 4 networks grew 3.2% and spend in that daypart climbed by 13% YoY.
· The top five networks by TV ad impressions SOV all saw reach increase YoY. Audiences continue to consolidate around premium programming like live sports and news (news also grew ad impressions significantly – for Fox News, up 35%, and CNN, up 16%)
· Entertainment grew TV ad reach for Spanish-language networks like Univision and Telemundo; Univision saw ad impressions grow by 16% for telenovelas, while reality TV ad impressions jumped by 4x on Telemundo.
· Local targeting helps boost streaming value for brands in industries like QSR – McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell all showed higher SOV on streaming than linear, with Taco Bell jumping the most (No. 100 on linear, to No. 14 on streaming)
VideoAmp announced a multi-year agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that calls for WBD to leverage VideoAmp’s advanced data and measurement solutions across linear, digital, and cross-platform campaigns to support planning, optimization, and currency use cases for the 2025 Upfront season and beyond “VideoAmp has been at the forefront of helping the industry evolve beyond legacy measurement models,” said Bryan Goski, Chief Revenue Officer at VideoAmp. “Our continued collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery reinforces the momentum toward a more modern, more accurate, and advertiser-aligned approach to currency and measurement.” |
| THINK FAST |
| Content distribution service Stingray has announced the launch of six new FAST channels on WatchFree+, VIZIO’s free streaming service. Catering to “a diverse range of musical tastes and moods,” says the company, the channels include Stingray Flashback 70s, Stingray Remember the 80s, Stingray Country Greats, Stingray SPA, Stingray Easy Listening, and Stingray Nothin’ But the 90s. |
| COMING UP |
| TV One will celebrate the life of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner with two tribute marathons of “The Cosby Show” beginning today at 6p, and Sunday, July 27 beginning at noon. Both marathons will include memorable episodes featuring Warner’s character Theo.
The 78th Annual DGA Awards event is set for Saturday, February 7. Deadline for submitting TV entries: Friday, November 14.
Documentary “From Rails to Trails,” chronicling the movement to convert abandoned railroads into public trails, premieres Wednesday, October 15 on PBS (check local listings).
ABC News Studios and CBC announced the small screen premiere of feature-length documentary “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” which tells the story of the music festival featuring only women artists. The film will premiere in Canada on Wednesday, September 17, on CBC and CBC Gem and on Sunday, September 21 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the US. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| WNBA team sponsorship revenue climbed to $76 million for the 2024 season, according to SponsorUnited’s inaugural WNBA Marketing Partnerships 2024–25 Report. Teams averaged 44 sponsorship deals each, up from 29 two years ago, with average spend per deal reaching $143K and total revenue per team averaging over $6 million. The surge in revenue reflects a major influx of brand interest, with over 450 brands activating across WNBA teams in 2024, totaling 531 sponsorship deals.
The New York Giants announced an extended partnership agreement with NBC 4 New York/WNBC and Telemundo 47/WNJU today, including the first preseason Spanish-language preseason broadcast, which will air on Telemundo 47 on Saturday, August 16. |
| RATINGS |
| The fifth episode of season three of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” had series-high viewership of 4 million viewers across its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, according to data from Warner Bros. Discovery. Episode 5’s audience built on last week’s high of 3.8 million viewers.
The premiere of Showtime’s “Dexter: Resurrection” has drawn 4.4 million cross-platform viewers in its first seven days, up 41% from its 3-day tally.
NewsNation’s afternoon program “NewsNation Now,” anchored by Nichole Berlie, delivered 149,000 viewers and 44,000 among adults 25-54 from 12-3p on Wednesday, during special coverage of the Bryan Kohberger sentencing hearing. It was the highest-rated show ever for “NewsNation Now.” |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Wilfried Schobeiri is joining Criteo as Senior Vice President, Head of Product, Performance Media. Prior to joining Criteo, Schobeiri served as Chief Technology Officer at Ogury.
MiQ has named Matt Speiser as General Global Counsel. Speiser was previously EVP, General Counsel at Stagwell Brand Performance Network. |
| IN MEMORIAM |
| WWE legend Hulk Hogan died July 24 at age 71. In addition to his wrestling fame, Hogan became a reality TV star, starting with “Hogan Knows Best.” |
This Day in History
1997 – Howard Stern was fired from radio station KEGL in Dallas.
Friday Fun Fact
Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on TV, in 1952.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which series centered on a family that operated a funeral home in Memphis? “Buried by the Bernards” (2021). Kudos to: Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
Which series centered on postal workers in the dead letters office? (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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