| A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OMEDA |
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| Wednesday September 17, 2025 |
 IN THE NEWS |
| Disney, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery have filed a federal lawsuit against Chinese AI firm MiniMax, alleging “willful and brazen” copyright infringement through its Hailuo AI video and image generator. The studios claim the platform enables users to create downloadable content featuring iconic characters like Darth Vader, Minions, and Wonder Woman while ignoring requests to implement standard safeguards against infringement. It’s an escalation in Hollywood’s battle against AI companies using copyrighted content to train their systems.
Holiday advertising just got more complicated. Per the Q3 State of Digital Advertising Report from AdRoll, the AI-powered connected advertising platform, digital ad demand is rebounding, with display retargeting CPMs improving from an 18% year-over-year decline in Q2 to just 3% in August. And, display prospecting costs narrowed from 31% below last year to 14% below in early Q3. However, B2B marketers face the opposite trend, with account-based marketing CPMs falling 20% year-over-year in Q3 compared to 11% in Q2.
The wild card is AI-driven discovery: traffic from generative AI engines like ChatGPT and Gemini to U.S. retail sites exploded 4,700% year-over-year in July. With September and October projected to capture more holiday sales than the traditional November-December peak, brands that wait too long to build awareness may find themselves playing catch-up in an AI-altered shopping landscape. More than half of US consumers have already used or plan to use generative AI for shopping research this year. |
In research news from Nielsen on total TV and streaming consumption, The Gauge™ report for August indicates that the combined start of a school year and of football season may have impacted summer TV trends: broadcast and cable had viewership gains of 19.1% and 22.5% respectively for the first time since April. August broadcast and cable combined had a full share point gain likely fueled by college football’s return. FOX’s Ohio State vs. Texas matchup on August 30 drew over 16.6 million viewers for the month’s biggest telecast, while ABC dominated with three games pulling in 10+ million viewers each. Cable sports viewing surged 30% month-over-month and represented over 9% of all cable consumption.
August viewing habits got schooled, with a 9% drop in broadcast by younger viewers (ages 6-17) overall and 8% drop in streaming usage among those back-to-school aged viewers. Meanwhile, streaming declined over 4% to represent 46.4% of TV time –though Prime Video bucked the trend by gaining 0.1 share point to reach 3.9%, its best showing this year thanks to originals like “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “Ballard.” Netflix maintained its content crown at 8.7% share, with originals “Wednesday,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” and “The Hunting Wives” dominating streaming slots.
 Separately from Nielsen, their content data business unit, Gracenote, and the independent supply-side platform, Index Exchange Inc., announced the industry’s first SSP integration of Gracenote contextual intelligence and embeds Gracenote’s brand safety segments and granular Do-Not-Air (DNA) controls directly into the Index platform.
Nearly half of marketers (48%) rank video as their most essential tactic, with another 50% placing it among their top few. That’s according to The 2025 State of Video and CTV report from Teads and MMA Global. Additional findings include:
– 9 in 10 marketers plan to maintain or increase video spend in 2025, with 30% expecting a significant increase.
– Connected TV is now seen as the leading environment for reach, targeting, and brand safety, outpacing linear TV.
– 70% of respondents use generative AI for content creation, with many applying it to performance analysis and audience insights.“
This report confirms that video has moved from a supporting channel to the core of marketing strategy,” said Neala Brown, SVP, Commercial Strategy & Advanced Advertising Solutions at Teads. “Marketers are not just increasing their budgets; they are also expanding the use of video across new formats and screens, with CTV emerging as a primary focus for its ability to deliver on reach, targeting, and brand safety.”
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| CYNOPSIS SCREENSHIFT
Get Seen. Get Hired. Get Ahead.
Cynopsis + C2HR are joining forces at ScreenShift, Oct. 14 in NYC, to give you direct access to media recruiters. Learn the latest hiring trends, search tips, and branding moves that get results. You don’t want to miss this! Prices increase 9/26.
SAVE MY SPOT |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
Today’s Premieres
HGTV: Sin City Rehab at 9p
Netflix: Next Gen Chef; Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen
PBS: Humans at 9p |
 “Our Way of Life,” a new series on the cultural, hunting, and culinary practices of the Tlingit debuts September 29 at 8p. on Outdoor Channel. Exploring and celebrating Alaska’s native cultural legacy of a deep connection to the land, sea, and community, the show is hosted by Tlingit Nation member Heather Douville (“Kootink”). |
| Season three of “Follow Me,” showing the way of life of creators, launches October 7 on Prime Video. Eight episodes of the competition series feature aspiring social media stars competing to develop brand-specific content while gaining followers, cash, and prizes.
Also returning for season three is Hulu legal drama “Reasonable Doubt,” on September 18, with Joseph Sikora pushing for partner.
Prime Video announced an October 23 premiere date for three-part docuseries “Allen Iv3rson,” from Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends (a division of Authentic Studios) and Stephen Curry and Erick Peyton’s Unanimous Media. The show follows the journey of former NBA superstar Allen Iverson.
Netflix and creators Alex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato are taking Spanish TV to a new production level with the thriller “Billionaire’s Bunker,” set for release on September 19. This first series in Spain to make extensive use of virtual production was shot at Netflix’s Tres Cantos European Production Center, its biggest studio complex in the European Union, and most major high-tech hub, some 65,000 square feet in size. Big enough to persuade the series’ billionaires that they could spends months in a bunker.
Ho ho ho! Cynopsis is gearing up for our annual Holiday Programming Guide – dropping November 3 and delivered straight to all Cynopsis subscribers. If your network has holiday programming airing from November 3 through January 1, please send your listing to janetdilauro@gmail.com and Lynn@Cynopsis.com no later than October 22 with the subject line: “Holiday Guide”. To be included, programs must be listed by date, title of program, and start times, in the following format: “Thursday, November 19: Network Name: My One Christmas Wish at 9a, Paper Angels at 11a, 12 Days of Giving at 1p”. Holiday-related programs only! A confirmation email will be sent following each submission (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).
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CYNOPSIS JOBS LISTING
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| PRODUCTION |
| Paramount+ has renewed “Tulsa King” for a fourth season. That’s ahead of season three, which premieres September 21. The sophomore run of the drama had 21.1 million global streaming viewers for the premiere episode and set new record for Paramount+.
Season three of docuseries “Victim to Verdict with Ted Rowlands” will debut on Court TV on September 27 at 8p, and be replaced in the timeslot on October 25 by “Interview With a Killer.”
Casting Roundup: Fox’s upcoming drama “Memory of a Killer” has added “You” star Michaela McManus in a recurring role alongside Patrick Dempsey, Michael Imperioli, Richard Harmon and Odeya Rush. For “Elsbeth” Season 3 Sarah Steele will be the second actor reprising a role from “Good Wife/Good Fight,” appearing as Marissa Gold. And, the lineup for Hulu’s upcoming untitled Dan Fogelman football drama has expanded, with “Vikings: Valhalla” star Sam Corlett set as a lead opposite Christopher Meloni. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| “All My Children” is now available to audiences outside the US for the first time since the soap opera’s cancellation in 2011.The 1995 season will be released in 20-episode drops every month on digital network BeondTV.
The learning-focused entertainment company Sandbox Group is making its African debut, partnering with Kenya’s largest telecommunications provider Safaricom to distribute its PlayKids+ app to millions of families – the first step in a broader regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa. Available through Safaricom’s mobile network, the app delivers games, videos, and activities designed to support early childhood development directly to mobile devices for KES 20 per day. |
 Factual media and entertainment company CuriosityStream Inc. is launching its flagship FAST channel, Curiosity Now, on Prime Video in the US via carousels and live TV-style guides, giving customers always-on access to its documentaries films and series on science, nature, history, tech and lifestyle. |
| COMING UP |
| The HBO Original documentary “Prime Minister,” directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, debuts September 30 at 9p on HBO and HBO Max. The Sundance Audience Award winner for World Cinema Documentary follows the true story of how Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly became New Zealand’s opposition party leader at age 37, just weeks before the 2017 national election.
The “Real Housewives” universe is expanding with “Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition,” premiering October 14 on Bravo. Angie Katsanevas, Emily Simpson, Melissa Gorga and Dr. Wendy Osefo will trade places with non-television stars. Each of the standalone four episodes will follow a different Real Housewife and real wife as they swap everyday comforts and luxuries and vastly different familial experiences. |
| TECH |
| Integral Ad Science, in partnership with responsible media platform Good-Loop, is now enabling advertisers to directly and seamlessly measure emissions of every ad impression delivered across the open internet, at no additional cost. “Sustainability in advertising requires more than promises – it needs accountability,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO at Integral Ad Science. “We’re proud to take this next step with Good-Loop so that every impression we measure across the open internet is backed by tangible data on its environmental impact as part of its media quality metrics.”
Consumer purchase insights company Affinity Solutions has launched the Outcomes Marketing Council, a collaborative forum of industry leaders set to tackle measurement challenges as global media advertising spend approaches $1 trillion this year. The council currently includes executives from DoubleVerify, Claritas, Lexitas, and former professional soccer player turned BreakAway Data ambassador Kelley O’Hara, all focused on identifying shifts across areas like live sports and CTV and moving the industry to verified, purchase-based outcomes, and promoting best practices amid marketers’ lack of confidence in measuring campaign impact.
Ventura Growth, a Certified Service Partner of The Trade Desk supporting over 500 advertisers, has rebranded to Mogl and launched three new business units to expand its programmatic technology and training services. The new divisions include Mogl Data for data enablement and cloud architecture support, Mogl Retail for strategic retail media services across major networks, and Mogl UK for localized support in London. These units complement Mogl Growth, the company’s original programmatic media service and one of The Trade Desk’s largest certified partners. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
 Tom Brady, Fanatics, FOX Sports, and OBB Media are joining forces for a global flag football showcase on Saturday, March 21, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, part of this year’s Riyadh Season. The Fanatics Flag Football Classic will feature a round-robin tournament with three teams made up of current and legendary pro football players alongside elite athletes. Brady is suiting up for his first official return to the field since retiring in 2023. The event airs live on FOX Sports and Tubi, with Kevin Hart hosting. |
| Madhive has expanded its Local Live Sports Marketplace with FOX Television Stations, opening premium live sports inventory – including NCAA college football on FS1 – to local advertisers through a single CTV and audio solution. Enabling more turnkey access to premium live sports products like Monday Night Football, NBA, NHL, and MLB, powered by Madhive’s Maverick AI for predictive audience targeting, it’s the proverbial game-changer for local advertisers who want to play in the big leagues.
Versant has struck an exclusive media rights deal for League One Volleyball. The women’s games will air on USA Network beginning in January. |
 REVOLT, the youth culture multimedia company, has partnered with Naomi Osaka’s media company Hana Kuma to bring women’s sports content to REVOLT Sports. The collab will spotlight female athletes making waves, offering fresh perspectives on their journeys and celebrating their broader impact. “REVOLT Sports is dedicated to elevating the athletes who are flipping the script and shaping culture,” said Chief Content Officer Deon Graham, emphasizing the platform’s focus on athlete-led storytelling. |
| In more good news for coverage of women’s sports, ESPN and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) kicked off a supplemental media rights agreement that expands coverage of the league for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. ABC and ESPN networks will carry 16 more regular-season games each year, upping the NWSL matches available on The Walt Disney Company networks from 17 to 33 per season. A major score is also the launch of NWSL’s “Match of the Week” series throughout the season on ABC or ESPN networks.
Prime Video heads to the greens as a first-time streaming partner of Augusta National for the Masters Tournament April 6-12, adding two hours of exclusive first and second round streaming coverage to complement the traditional CBS Sports and ESPN broadcasts. Starting with the 2026 tournament, Prime Video will stream live coverage on Thursday and Friday, leading into ESPN’s afternoon broadcasts. CBS will continue its weekend coverage on Saturday and Sunday, with Paramount+ offering pre-broadcast streaming from noon to 2p both days.
FloHockey is marking the start of hockey season by streaming select games for the USHL, OHL and QMJHL, live and free across social platforms starting today. Game broadcasts will begin shortly before puck drop and air in their entirety across FloHockey social platforms including YouTube, Facebook and X.
The American Association of Professional Baseball has partnered with LingoPal to broadcast the 2025 Miles Wolff Cup Final games in Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese, in addition to the league’s traditional English coverage. |
| RATINGS |
| Emmy wins led to some next-day streaming viewership surges. HBO Max drama “The Pitt” rose 142%; Apple+ comedy “The Studio” saw a 254% lift; and Netflix limited series “Adolescence” was up a whopping 416%.
Year-over-year, FOX News was up 65% for YouTube views, and for the summer continued to trend up, finishing August with 386.2 million views. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Digital ad platform GumGum has named Katy Loria as its new CRO to lead global revenue strategy and growth. The appointment follows GumGum’s recent hiring of Amazon adtech veteran Marcus Startzel as CEO. Loria most recently served as US CRO at FreeWheel.
Shari Redstone has been named Chair of the Board of Directors of Sipur (“story” in Hebrew), the entertainment studio founded in 2019, and already known for the Emmy-winning documentary “We Will Dance Again” and Netflix’s “Bad Boy”. Redstone, longtime chair of Paramount Global and chair and CEO of National Amusements, both sold earlier this year, will work with co-founders CEO Emilio Schenker and Gideon Tadmor to guide the studio.
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This Day in History
1972 – M*A*S*H debuted. The show ran for 11 seasons.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
How many remakes of the original “The Fugitive” (1963-67) TV series aired? Two: On CBS (2000-01), and Quibi/The Roku Channel (2020). Kudos to: Jackie Howell- Nexstar WCMH-TV/Columbus, Ohio; Andrew Goldman-Phanes Funding Group/NYC; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum- Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
Which 1980s variety show starred sisters? (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.) |
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER>>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC:
Oversee daily sales pipeline operations focused on national sponsorships, integrations, and branded content tied to unscripted programming. Manage and coach the Business Development team, drive outbound activity, shape proposals and pricing, and lead CRM strategy, reporting, and optimizations via Salesforce. Full info HERE
MANAGER, CONSUMER INSIGHTS & BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE>>
SESAME WORKSHOP/NEW YORK, NY:
Support the Research & Insights team in understanding the behaviors, motivations, and needs of children, educators, and caregivers—especially as they interact with TV shows, digital content and experiences. This role will help execute research initiatives that inform content strategy, digital product development, marketing, and audience engagement. Full info HERE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER >>
NTD/WASHINGTON, DC:
Pitch story ideas and write scripts/segment outlines as well as research guests and interview topics. Book guests and coordinate interviews. Help with logistics and sometimes field production. Support shoots and ensure production runs smoothly. Review footage and work with editors to shape final episodes. Write headlines, teasers, and social posts. Full info HERE
INTEGRATED MEDIA PLANNER >>
VLADIMIR JONES/DENVER, CO:
Responsible for preparing and implementing client media plans of all types for existing and prospective clients. This includes audience identification, research, development, presentation and purchasing of media plans & buys as well as an expert at understanding emerging trends and best practices across the omni-channel media world. Full info HERE
MOTION DESIGNER (FREELANCE) >>
LONG STORY SHORT/WASHINGTON, DC: Collaborate closely with our creative team to develop high-quality motion graphics for a variety of projects. Deliverables could include lower thirds, kinetic text, full-screen visuals, logo animations, infographic animations, bumper/intro sequences, social media graphics, and event or presentation graphics. Full info HERE
DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION >>
THE JIM HENSON COMPANY/HOLLYWOOD, CA: Responsible for all HR functions and oversight of administrative and management needs. This strategic role is charged with operating from a customer service driven viewpoint that prioritizes employee satisfaction as well as enforce legally compliant policies, increase efficiency by implementing administrative and record-keeping best practices. Full info HERE
RIGHTS AND CLEARANCE SPECIALIST (FREELANCE) >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/GLENDALE, CA: Spearhead rights management for all contracts, including but not limited to network, distribution, acquisitions, production partner, sponsorship, and talent agreements, maintaining a system that streamlines the process of identifying terms, rights, avails, participations, holdbacks, and territories. Input rights information into our software. 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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