| A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OMEDA |
 IN THE NEWS |
Skydance Media announced the executive team that will lead the company following the close of its pending merger with Paramount Global. The game plan: The company will be structured into three primary business segments, Studios; Direct-to-Consumer; and TV Media. Skydance Media CEO David Ellison will lead the charge as Chief Executive Officer, along with:
– Jeff Shell, Chairman of Redbird Sports and Media and former CEO of NBCUniversal, who will serve as President;
– Andy Gordon, a Partner at RedBird Capital Partners, who becomes Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer;
– George Cheeks, Co-CEO of Paramount Global, who transitions to Chair of TV Media;
– Dana Goldberg, Chief Creative Officer of Skydance, who takes the role of Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures (with Josh Greenstein) and Chair of Paramount Television, as well as a revived Paramount Television Studios (headed by Skydance Television President Matt Thunell); and
– Cindy Holland, a Skydance advisor and former Netflix content chief, who becomes Chair of Direct-to-Consumer.
Andrew Warren will continue as Interim CFO. “Each member was chosen to align with our goals and with the intention to drive transformation,” said Ellison. “Together, we will foster an environment where creative and technical talent collaborate seamlessly, marrying leading technologies with powerful storytelling and artistic vision to unlock Paramount’s full potential and help shape the future of our industry.”
With entrances, come exits. Leaving Paramount Global ahead of the merger is Tom Ryan, President & CEO, Paramount Streaming. “After 12 phenomenal years entertaining the planet together, the time has come for me to say goodbye,” he wrote in a memo to staff. “I leave with deep gratitude and pride for a team I love and admire, and for Pluto TV and Paramount+, streaming services that started as bold ideas and have since grown into global powerhouses.” Also headed out is Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer for Showtime/MTV. “Change, as we know, is part of this business – and part of growth,” she wrote. “I’m stepping forward with deep gratitude and high spirits, knowing that the impact we’ve made here will keep echoing.”
MSNBC is bolstering its ranks as it prepares to cut the cord with NBC News and spin off from Comcast to become part of Versant. NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff, who joined MSNBC in 2015 and has since reported for both NBC and MSNBC, will make MSNBC his home, as well as Carol Leonnig, a veteran investigative reporter for The Washington Post.
Private equity firm H.I.G. Capital has completed the acquisition of measurement and analytics company Kantar Media from the Kantar Group. “This milestone marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, one where we will sharpen our strategic focus, reinforce our position as a fiercely independent authority in media measurement, and accelerate innovation on behalf of our clients, partners, and teams around the world,” said Patrick Béhar, CEO of Kantar Media. |
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| PRODUCTION |
 NBC has renewed “American Ninja Warrior” for season 18. The current season 17 of the competition series has reached more than 23 million total viewers across NBC and Peacock so far this summer.
Stephen Colbert has filmed a guest spot on CBS murder mystery series “Elsbeth.” Colbert, whose late night ouster (in May 2026) has made headlines, will play the host of fictional late-night show, “Way Late With Scotty Bristol.” “Elsbeth” returns for season three on Sunday, October 12.
Fox Nation ordered two more seasons of “God. Family. Football.”, a docuseries following legendary coach and pastor Denny Duron as he continues his mission to rebuild the football program at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Season three premieres Thursday, August 7.
Crime drama “Killer Class,” centered on high school students working on cold cases, is in development at ABC. Co-creators Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (“God Friended Me”) will serve as showrunners on the 20th Television, In Cahoots and Absecon Entertainment project. |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Docuseries “Let the Devil In,” about a tragedy that destroyed a family and ignited fears in a small town, premieres Sunday, August 31 at 9p on MGM+. Leading into the premiere, a sampling of MGM+ horror titles – including “Helter Skelter: An American Myth”; “Amityville: An Origin Story”; and “Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein,” are available on Prime Video.
Season 14 of “Mountain Men” kicks off Wednesday, September 3 at 8p on HISTORY. Joining the docuseries are Chance and Soraya Painter, both 28 and raising two young kids, who begin carving out a homestead in remote Alaskan bush country.
Norwegian miniseries “Solo,” following student artists, makes its Viaplay debut on Sunday, August 24. |
Today’s Premieres
Discovery: Extreme Detailing at 9p; Red Bull Soapbox Race at 10p
HBO: Hard Knocks Training Camp With the Buffalo Bills
Hulu: Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge
Netflix: Football: Any Given Saturday
Paramount+: Murder 360 |
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Final Deadline: 8/13.
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| TECH |
| Emotional resonance in advertising is a powerful trigger in driving CTV viewer engagement, according to “The Impact of Emotion Alignment on Ad Attention in Streaming,” a report from Wurl in partnership with TVision. The study found viewers paid more attention to 30-second ads that matched the content’s emotion, with attention to the ad jumping from 27% to 66%. The length of the ad didn’t matter – emotionally aligned ads for 15-second spots got similar attention levels to 30-second spots.
Kargo has launched a new Pause Ad activation in partnership with the Ad Council. According to TVision, compared to CTV benchmarks, Kargo’s creatives are 78% more effective at maintaining eyes-on-screen, with 30-second spots driving 74% greater attention than typical CTV ads. |
| COMING UP |
| Documentary “Fame and Fentanyl,” exposing the devastating impact of fentanyl, will be hosted by rapper/producer Ice-T. The special premieres Monday, August 25 at 9p on A&E. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| In a Red Sox first, New England sports network NESN will feature an all-female broadcast team and all-female broadcast booth for tonight’s Women’s Celebration Night at Fenway Park.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Spectrum announced a multi-year marketing partnership that makes the connectivity company the Official Telecommunications Partner of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tennis Channel and the International Tennis Federation have extended their long-running partnership with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup. Under the new multi-year agreement, Tennis Channel will remain the exclusive US home for both tournaments. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Tale Wind animation struck a new distribution deal with Canela TV to bring “Turbozaurs” to Spanish-speaking viewers across the US, Mexico, and Colombia.
TCLtv+ announced a new partnership with IMD with the launch of IMD’s flagship Chinese-language FAST channel Jubao. The channel’s 24/7 lineup of programming includes dramas, movies, and docuseries.
V10 Entertainment has inked an exclusive global distribution deal with MotoAmerica, the US-based motorcycle road racing series. The agreement marks V10 as MotoAmerica’s first outside distributor. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Canela Media has appointed Jose Malina as Chief Financial Officer. Malina most recently served as CFO of Spanish Broadcasting System.
ESPN has promoted Nick Rud to the newly created role of Vice President, Sports Production for Diamond and College Olympic Sports. Rud will be responsible for the creative development and production oversight of multiple sports categories. |
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This Day in History
1861 – The US Army abolished flogging.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who hosted Fox’s revival of “Love Connection”? Andy Cohen. Kudos to: Faye Kulik-Disney/NYC; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Ken DuBow-DuBow Media Distribution/LA; Melissa Friedman/LA; Bob Boden-Allen Media Group; Culver City. CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; John Kukla-KDFW Fox 4/Dallas; Alison White-FOX TV Stations/Leander, TX
Today’s Trivia Question
In which series did Conrad Bain play the role of Phillip Drummond? (Hint: It was more than one.) (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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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
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DIGITAL MEDIA BUYER >>
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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 >>
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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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