In more union news, the Teamsters report they have not only failed to reach a new casting agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers despite marathon bargaining sessions, but they “remain far apart on fair compensation across all classifications.” Discussions are expected to continue this week “with dates and times to be determined,” said a Teamsters statement.

Warner Bros. Discovery board member and investor John Malone isn’t expressing concern about the health of the company, despite turmoil in the industry. In a research note released by MoffettNathanson yesterday, analyst Craig Moffett quotes Malone as saying, “They’re not going to run out of cash anytime soon. So they don’t have to do anything while they sit and watch this consolidation in the industry move forward.” International is the path to success, Malone told Moffett. “They’ve got a long way to go in terms of monetizing international and they’ve got great creative talent,” Malone noted. But beware of big tech: “Big tech will end up eating everything – our industry and every other one – simply because they have such immense scale, immense economic power,” said Malone. “Anything they want to get into, they’re going to be very hard to keep out of.”

Elon Musk and X asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit from Don Lemon which claims they defrauded the former CNN anchor by canceling a partnership on the platform. Lemon got the boot after he conducted what Musk described as “an invasive and inappropriate interview” with him. Musk also said he did nothing wrong by allegedly telling Lemon there was “no need” to sign a contract, and the situation “may be grounds for upset feelings” but not a lawsuit. Responded a lawyer for Lemon, “X’s response confirms the company terminated its contract with Don after he asked interview questions that Musk didn’t like. This comes after months of X courting Don relentlessly to boost their tanking ad sales.”

What a difference a decade makes. Key reach metrics for the largest broadcast networks have dipped below 50%, down from 70% to 75% ten years ago, according to MoffettNathanson research. As of 2Q24, ABC has a projected reach for P18+ of 46%, followed by 41% for CBS and NBC, and 34% for FOX. Cable networks are under 30%, with the strongest, ESPN, clocking 28%, down from 44%.

That said, even amid cord cutting, millions of households still subscribe to cable television. Which networks are considered “must-haves”? The 2024 EMR (formerly Beta Research) Cable Subscriber Study revealed top basic networks were ESPN (73%), ESPN2 (68%), Disney Channel (67%), Nat Geo (66%), Weather Channel (66%), Discovery Channel (66%), and ID (66%). The top ranked on percent of total adults rating them as important to their enjoyment of cable were ESPN (48%), Food Network (45%), History (43%), Weather Channel (43%), Discovery Channel (42%), FX (42%), and Nat Geo (39%). Results by gender are below.

Eight months after Interpublic Group sold sister agency Deutsch NY to Attivo Group, Deutsch LA has officially rebranded to Deutsch. “We are a company that has a history of reinventing itself because it’s just who we are,” said Kim Getty, CEO of Deutsch. “We don’t know what’s next but we’re ready for it. This rebrand positions us with future big swings in mind.” As part of the news, the agency announced that its Blackness in Full Bloom program, supporting local Black-owned businesses, will expand to provide support to Hispanic founders as well.

Harriet Dyer, star and co-creator of Paramount+ comedy “Colin From Accounts,” landed a lead in CBS comedy pilot “DMV,” from Dana Klein, Kapital Entertainment, TrillTV and CBS Studios.

Michelle Nader has joined upcoming ABC comedy “Shifting Gears” (w/t), starring Tim Allen and Kat Demmings, as executive producer and showrunner. It’s Nader’s first project under her overall deal with 20th Television to write, develop and produce comedy, drama and limited series, but her third with Demmings, with whom she worked on “2 Broke Girls” and “Dollface.”

Lifetime has greenlit “A Very Merry Beauty Salon,” following women in an Atlanta salon, starring and executive produced by Tia Mowry. Produced for Lifetime by Mar Vista Entertainment in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment, it’s the third film in Mowry’s three-picture deal with the network.

Dynamic Television has optioned the rights to The Kingdoms of Savannah, the Southern Gothic crime novel by George Dawes Green, with writer Sheri Holman (“Palm Royale”) penning the pilot script and attached as showrunner and EP. Daniel March and Carrie Stein will produce for Dynamic.

Peacock psychological thriller “The Good Daughter,” picked up straight-to-series in March, has lost star and executive producer Jessica Biel, reports Deadline. The search for a new star for the project from Fifth Season and Made Up Stories, based the novel by Karin Slaughter, is underway.

“Nature” returns to PBS for season 43 starting Wednesday, October 23 at 8p (check local listings). In the opener, “Silverback” follows filmmaker Vianet Djenguet as he comes face to face with a 500-pound gorilla in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today’s Premieres
ABC: 9-1-1 at 8p; Doctor Odyssey at 9p; Grey’s Anatomy at 10
Fox: Hell’s Kitchen at 8p; Crime Scene Kitchen at 9p
Nat Geo: Defending Europe at 8:30p
Netflix: Nobody Wants This
Paramount+: Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy; Colin From Accounts
Peacock: Tea Town Teddy Bears
Prime Video: Killer Heat
Sundance Now: Wisting

Burke came to Amazon from Peacock in January, and notes that while both companies offer premium content, Amazon’s reach of over 115 million paid Prime members is a differentiator. “What’s really unique to Amazon is the consumer touchpoints we have across a consumer’s life, particularly with the store and shopping, that then enables more signals to find audiences for the most relevant ads. And we’re able to utilize those signals in streaming and measurement, to measure those outcomes with our ad technology.”

The fact that consumers are used to purchasing from Amazon no doubt contributes to the success of shoppability. “Shopping on Amazon is innate to the consumer,” notes Burke. “When you’re viewing on Prime Video and you have a shoppable format, we’ve found through research that that’s a very intuitive format, which is why our metrics are proving out. Interactivity is quite strong around either engaging or learning more about the product in the format, or adding to cart.”

Pause ads is one of the formats Burke is excited about. “Our shoppable formats are shoppable via the remote,” says Burke. “We’ve moved in most cases beyond the QR code. It’s a very usable format.”

The shoppable carousel, a format that pulls in products from the Amazon store, is also generating excitement, along with interactive video ads using the remote control. “They’re really working,” says Burke. “The last one I’ll call out is our first impression takeover. With the reach we have in the United States of 150 million, reaching consumers with that first ad when they come to the service is a big reach play.”

Ultimately, it’s all about the consumer. “We know a lot about the consumer because they spend so much time with us, whether it’s in the store or Prime Video, and we have those signals to know what they’re shopping, what they’re browsing, what shows they’re engaging with. We’re able to utilize those signals to serve that relevant ad format,” says Burke. “We are obsessed with the user experience, and then the advertising follows suit. That’s where the future of streaming has to go, and we’re leading. That’s what guides us: consumer first, make the experience great, and make the ad experience great.”

Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Julia Roberts, Keith Urban, and Kenny Chesney are among those joining the lineup for the induction ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, streaming live on Disney+ Saturday, October 19.

LGBTQ+ streaming service Revry’s 9th annual QueerX Awards, set to premiere on October 11 in celebration of National Coming Out Day, will be hosted by Percy Rustomji (“Culture Q”) and Daniel Franzese (“Looking”). Making special appearances are Carmen Carrera, The Queen of Melrose (Cosmo Lombino), Jake Dupree, Love Bailey, Marval Rex, and Biqtch Puddin’.

Roku introduced upgrades to the Roku Ultra including an updated backlit remote with USB-C charging, the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, and 30% faster loading times. The streaming device is $100, and the improvements can be added to an existing Roku device for $30.

Cineverse has launched a Yu-Gi-Oh! FAST channel on LG Channels, offering
a catalog of anime series, including nearly 400 hours of episodes spanning titles like “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS,” and the movie” Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions.”

Spotify and Apple Music won’t have to worry about competition from TikTok anymore. ByteDance is closing TikTok Music on November 28. The subscription-only music streaming platform had launched in Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Singapore and Mexico.

Google Cloud has filed a complaint with the European Commission regarding Microsoft’s anti-competitive licensing practices. “For years, in the productivity software space, Microsoft has locked customers into Teams, even when they preferred other providers,” explained Google in a blog post. “Now, the company is running the same playbook to push companies to Azure, its cloud platform. Microsoft’s licensing terms restrict European customers from moving their current Microsoft workloads to competitors’ clouds – despite there being no technical barriers to doing so – or impose what Microsoft admits is a striking 400% price markup.” Google said it has tried to engage directly with Microsoft to no avail, hence is now taking “the next step of filing a formal complaint with the European Commission.”

In-app advertising is the best option for consumer and direct-to-consumer brands to reach their ideal customers via mobile, according to AppLovin’s new Consumer Mobile Trends Report. Key insights include:
– Consumer brands can reach over 6 billion global smartphone users every day, a scale that rivals any other marketing channel.
– Brand safety is a built-in function of mobile advertising. Mobile apps are vetted and in-app ads maintain 100% share-of-voice, ensuring they don’t appear next to risky content.
– Advanced campaigns target consumer behaviors across apps to optimize toward business goals.

“The shift in consumer behavior toward mobile devices has driven the need for a corresponding shift in marketing toward mobile in-app advertising,” said Andrey Kazakov, VP of Demand at AppLovin. “Simply put, brands need to meet their customers where they are. The mobile environment is purpose-built to drive performance, making it a natural fit for DTC brands to engage with customers and drive meaningful engagement and retention.”

ITN, focused on automated activation technology for local TV, announced the launch of the ITN-SSP, a linear TV Supply-Side Platform that leverages ITN’s internal media management software to provide industry professionals with the direct local linear TV selling tools. “The industry has been waiting for a platform that puts local linear TV into the programmatic ecosystem and back into the forefront of the media industry,” said Todd Watson, CEO of ITN. “Our goal is to bridge the gap in technology between linear TV and other media by providing a digital-like experience with ease of execution, transparency, and control.”

The WNBA Playoffs Game 1 between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun averaged 1.8M viewers, and TV outcomes company­ EDO sees no signs of the “Caitlin Clark Effect” slowing down for TV advertisers. During the regular season, EDO found consumers were 26% more likely to engage with ads during Indiana Fever games than non-Fever games, and ads were 2.5x more impactful (meaning they generate 2.5x more total engagement) when they air during Fever games this season, compared to non-Fever games. EDO saw that consumers were 44% more likely to engage with WNBA ads during the 2024 regular season as compared to the same period last year.

VIZIO announced an expanded partnership with FOX Entertainment, which is leveraging VIZIO’s ad storytelling capabilities to drive awareness and tune-in to support the launch of “Rescue: HI-Surf.” On VIZIO’s Home Screen, viewers are greeted with custom creative for the new series across high-impact units including Hero, Discover, and Recommends. The experience also includes a custom Animation creative deployment utilizing VIZIO’s Home Screen Spotlight unit. And FOX is leveraging VIZIO’s CTV Video capabilities to reach viewers across ad-supported streaming environments. “TV audiences are more fragmented than ever, so the Home Screen provides an opportunity to reach people before they start splitting off into streaming environments,” said Sean Booker, Head of Media & Entertainment, National Advertising Sales at VIZIO. “Rescue: HI-Surf” airs Mondays at 9p.

VideoAmp announced plans to deliver on advanced outcome measurement capabilities for advertisers and publishers across a range of verticals, including CPG, credit card, auto and pharmaceutical. The company will integrate data from outcome providers across the categories directly into its proprietary data and tech engine VALIDTM, to deliver faster, more accurate and holistic representation of conversions following ad exposure on linear TV, streaming and digital channels. “These new capabilities unlock scaled outcome measurement for our clients, across verticals,” said Josh Hudgins, Chief Product Officer, VideoAmp. “VideoAmp is laying the groundwork for standardized outcome reporting across industries, and affording our clients the ability to maximize the value of their media.”

In its first formal global transparency report since Elon Musk took over in 2022, X reported that from January to June, it suspended 5.3 million accounts, 2.8 million of which were dropped for violating the platform’s rules against child sexual exploitation. About 2.2 million pieces of content were taken down for abuse, harassment and hateful conduct, while X applied 5.4 million labels for that conduct. X said it received more than 224 million user reports during the first half of the year.

FloSports has chosen Magnifi by VideoVerse, an AI-driven video technology company and video-editing SaaS platform, as its official highlights creator for college football. With Magnifi, FloSports will be able to generate highlights by using meta-tags to track game moments like touchdowns, interceptions, and fumbles. These meta-tags will help FloSports create corresponding clips in under a minute that can be distributed across its social channels.

ITV Studios announced “Fifteen-Love” has sold to SRC in French Canada, and Acorn TV has secured US premiere rights to medical drama “Maternal.”

In Week 3, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” presented two games with staggered kick times (7:30p and 8:15p), resulting in more than 2 hours of overlapping action on Monday, September 23. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills aired on ESPN/ESPN Deportes, followed by the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals on ABC/ESPN+. The games averaged over 19 million viewers during the overlap, peaking at 20.4 million from 9:15p-9:30p.

“The Drew Barrymore Show” grew +20% in HH (.88 rating) and +15% in total viewers (1.26 million) versus premiere week last year. The series rose +32% among W18-49 (0.19 rating) and +17% among W25-54 (.30 rating).

Sinclair, Inc. has named Tennis Channel’s Bill Simon as the network’s interim president. Simon joined the channel as CFO in 2005, in recent years serving as EVP, COO and CFO. He steps in after the exit of long-time CEO Ken Solomon, who was relieved of his duties over his role at Dr. Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media.

WildBrain has implemented a new leadership and team structure, appointing Katie Wilson to the role of VP, Global Sales and Acquisitions.

Soho Studios Entertainment, who recently received investment from Asylum Entertainment Group, announced their first senior hire: Georgia Wagstaff as SVP Development.

Digital media company Dhar Mann Studios has appointed Sean Atkins, former President at Jellysmack, as its new President & COO.

Today’s Trivia Question
On an episode of “The Brady Bunch” (1969-74), what was the name of the boyfriend Jan made up? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)