Forty-eight percent of TV viewers regularly engage with social media during or after a show, according to Horowitz’s latest annual report, State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Viewing Behaviors 2025. Additional findings include:
· Younger audiences over-index on social engagement with TV content: 55% of viewers ages 18-34 and 53% of 35–49-year-olds report using social media in connection with TV content, compared to 39% of viewers ages 50 and older.
· A growing audience of consumers are actively engaging with content in real time. For example, over a third (36%) of viewers share live reactions such as emojis and comments while watching a show or event on a platform.
· Nearly 3 in 10 viewers report hosting or joining virtual meetups or watch parties using services like Hulu Watch Party. These online gatherings appeal especially to younger viewers, with slightly over 4 in 10 of those ages 18-34 engaging with content in real time, compared to one-third of 35–49-year-olds and just over 1 in 10 viewers ages 50+.

NFL Chief Data and Analytics Officer Paul Ballew told journalists there’s more work to be done to achieve accurate measurement data, but Nielsen’s move to a Big Data + Panel is “something we strongly support.” Added Ballew, “It remains ‘a journey with Nielsen,’ is probably the right way to describe it. We’re going to continue to work with Nielsen, and we’re going to continue to work with other partners to accelerate the measurement innovation even further.”

Speaking of the NFL…The league’s equity stakes in Paramount and ESPN will not affect its distribution or editorial decisions, said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s EVP of Media Distribution. “We have had equity in some of our media partnerships over the years, and I think we know how to balance that at an arm’s length way and both be great partners on the equity side but also think about where and how we need to evolve our business, if appropriate,” he told reporters.

Disney will pay $10 million for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. The FTC accused the company of failing to properly label pandemic-era YouTube-uploaded videos as “Made for Kids,” enabling the collection of data from children under 13. “Supporting the well-being and safety of kids and families is at the heart of what we do,” said a Disney spokesperson. “This settlement does not involve Disney owned and operated digital platforms but rather is limited to the distribution of some of our content on YouTube’s platform.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is still stinging from Congress’ vote to defund the organization, but there’s one little bright spot: CPB will be the recipient of the Governors Award from the Television Academy. “The Governors Award recognizes and celebrates extraordinary contributions that transcend television and transform society,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego. “For more than half a century, CPB has been a steadfast champion of storytelling that informs, educates and unites us and ensures public media remains a vital space where diverse voices are heard and communities are served.” The award will be presented during the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, held Saturday, September 6, and Sunday, September 7.

Spectrum News NY1 announced a slate of events and political programming scheduled between now and the November 4 elections, including free access to NY1’s journalism, debates, a live podcast event, and more. “Providing free access to Spectrum News NY1 during an election year is crucial for empowering our community with the information they need to make informed decisions,” said Sam Singal, Group Vice President, News and Content, Spectrum News. “We are ensuring that every New Yorker has the opportunity to engage with the electoral process and stay informed on the issues that matter most to them.”

Five new cast members have been added to the “Saturday Night Live” lineup. Onboard are Ben Marshall, cofounder of comedy troupe Please Don’t Destroy; Tommy Brennan (Just for Laughs 2023); Jeremy Culhane (Dropout TV); stand-up comedian Kam Patterson; and Instagram and TikTok star Veronika Slowikowska. The comedy sketch show returns October 4.

Empower Media and Ocean Media have merged to create Empower Ocean Media Group. The move has resulted in the second-largest full-funnel independent media agency group in the US, managing $1.5 billion in media billings. The partnership will centralize technology, media negotiations, and procurement while aiming to preserve each agency’s culture. Empower Media continues under the leadership of CEO Ashlee Clarke, and Ocean Media will continue to be led by long-term CEO, Jay Langan.

“Portobello,” an Italian production telling the true story of a TV presenter falsely accused in a mafia investigation, will launch on HBO Max in 2026.

Season eleven of Sinclair’s weekly investigative series “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson” launches Sunday, September 7.

Syndicated daily talk show “Tamron Hall” returns for season seven on Monday, September 8. “This season promises our biggest exclusives yet – featuring not only today’s most celebrated names but also extraordinary people with unforgettable stories that remind us why we gather here every day,” said Hall.

“The Drew Barrymore Show” also returns on September 8, for its sixth season. First on the couch: Halle Berry and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Greece’s J K PRODUCTIONS SA / Kapa Studios has licensed yes Studios format “Your Honor.” Greece is the 13th country to adapt the scripted show.

Production has begun on season four of Paramount+ medical drama “Skymed.” The eight-episode season, shooting in North Bay, Ontario and Manitoba, starts streaming in 2026.

Europe’s identity aggregator Roqad has acquired Zeotap-Data, Zeotap’s third-party audience business. “The strengths of Roqad and Zeotap-Data perfectly complement each other in addressing the critical challenges of privacy-compliant identity resolution, data onboarding, and data activation in digital advertising,” said Carsten Frien, Founder and CEO of Roqad.

OptiMine Software has been acquired by Uptempo, a marketing performance platform. The acquisition strengthens Uptempo’s analytics capabilities with OptiMine’s advanced Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM).

Presenters set for the VMAs, airing Sunday, September 7 at 8p on CBS, include Ashlee Simpson Ross, Brittany Snow, Ciara, Drew Barrymore, “KPop Demon Hunter’s” EJAE, REI AMI + Audrey Nuna (Huntr/x), Ice Spice, Jessica Simpson, Latto, Livvy Dunne, Malin Ackerman, Meg Stalter, Nikki Glaser and Paris Hilton.

Neuro-contextual advertising company Seedtag has appointed Joseph Meehan to the newly created role of Chief Exchange & Supply Officer. Meehan was previously EVP, GM of Global Supply at Criteo.

Autentic has promoted Julian Althaus to Director Channels & Digital Sales for the Channel Division. In addition, Thomas Handl is the new YouTube Manager, effective in October.

Today’s Trivia Question
Which sitcom premiered on UPN on September 11, 2000, and was canceled on The CW in 2008? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Limit of four answers per time zone.)