BET Media Group and Pluto TV are expanding their partnership with the launch of BET Comedy Movies, the seventh BET-branded FAST channel. Building on over 3 billion hours streamed from existing Tyler Perry channels, the expanded lineup offers culturally resonant content including comedy, cinema, classics, and holiday favorites.

“This expansion not only amplifies the stories that reflect and celebrate Black culture, but it also gives our advertising partners new ways to align with premium content in a free and easily accessible format,” said Louis Carr, President of Media Sales, BET Media Group.

Scott Wolf will return to Fox’s “Doc” in Season 2 for a multi-episode guest arc as Dr. Richard Miller. He will also direct an episode in early 2026. Wolf appeared in all 10 episodes of Season 1 before his character was fired in the finale for a fatal medical error. Co-showrunners Barbie Kligman and Hank Steinberg teased a surprising return to Westside that catches Amy (Molly Parker) off guard.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and creator platform Tongal unveiled “Fever Fighter,” a new animated series inspired by a superhero character created by former St. Jude patient Ethan Washburn. Announced at LA Comic Con, the project marks the first time patient artwork is being developed into a full animated universe. Fans and creators will be invited to expand the “Feververse” through submissions on Tongal. A short documentary about Ethan’s journey premiered at the event, with more content to roll out this fall.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher will guest star in Season 2 of NBC’s “Happy’s Place,” reuniting with former “Reba” co-star Reba McEntire. The season premieres November 7 at 8p on NBC.

Have you submitted your holiday listings yet? 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).

Seventy-two percent of media leaders reported their organizations continue to see compounding returns from their generative AI initiatives, with tangible improvements in key areas like productivity, marketing, customer experience, business growth, and security. That’s according to Google’s annual ROI of AI in media and entertainment survey, which also found:
· Momentum is now driven by intelligent systems, with more than half (54%) of M&E executives actively using AI agents in production.
· AI agent usage in M&E will continue to be a priority, with significant adoption for content and asset management (29%), content and asset creation (28%) and monetization (23%).

“As 2025 unfolds, it’s clear that AI has arrived in the media and entertainment industry, presenting significant opportunities for those ready to embrace it,” said Albert Lai, Global Director, Media & Entertainment, Global Cloud, in a blog post. “Creating a culture where AI can be responsibly used to generate both innovation and business results is paramount, transforming both goat paths and golden paths, and effectively your business, to meet today’s challenges.”

Interactive ads deliver a 36% lift in unaided brand recall compared to standard video ads, found a report from Brightline, The Engagement Effect: How Interactivity Predicts CTV Success. And remote-controlled interactive ads with high engagement rates score higher in brand recall and purchase intent. Some specifics:
· Ads with the highest engagement rates averaged about 33% higher recall than those with the lowest scores (64% vs. 48%).
· At the household level, ads in the high (55%) or medium (53%) household engagement groups are more likely to purchase goods or services from the brand they observed. Interactive ads delivered a 8% lift in purchase intent when engaged with.
· Regardless of the engagement rate, interactive ads lead to measurable brand outcomes when they are engaged with, including +12% Ad Likeability; +8% Brand Interest; and +4% Brand Favorability

“At a time when advertisers are demanding accountability from their media investments, this research confirms what we’ve long believed – interactivity drives stronger recall, deeper affinity, and higher purchase intent,” said Jacqueline Corbelli, Co-Founder and CEO of BrightLine. “As viewers increasingly expect TV to be more than a passive experience, brands have a rare opportunity to turn curiosity into connection through interactivity.”

KERV.ai launched its Contextual Marketplace, offering pixel-edge, object-level contextual targeting across premium video OLV and CTV inventory. The platform uses AI to analyze video frames to identify specific objects and scenes. Building on recent innovations with Warner Brothers Discovery and Wayfair, KERV.ai detects items such as clothing and furniture to give advertisers detailed insights into video content.

CreativeX announced support for Amazon DSP Streaming TV Ads, integrating its creative quality and effectiveness insights into Amazon’s Connected TV platforms. The move enables brands to optimize and scale high-performing ads across Amazon’s CTV inventory, including Prime Video and Fire TV.

Lainey Wilson will return as host of “The 59th CMA Awards” for the November 19 ceremony. “I grew up watching the CMA Awards like it was the Super Bowl,” Wilson said, “so to be hosting for a second year is a true honor. I’m humbled that CMA has trusted me with this role, and I can’t wait to love on this genre that has given me so much.”

Bravo announced the programming lineup for BravoCon 2025, November 14-16 at Caesars Forum, Las Vegas. The event features over 150 Bravolebrities and includes panels such as “Peaks and The Valley”, “Traitor de Force” and “Ask Andy.” Peacock is the exclusive streaming partner, offering live and next-day access to panels and past highlights. Presenting sponsors include State Farm® and T-Mobile. The event also features five “BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen” shows.

Lifetime announced two upcoming films under its multi-picture deal with Toni Braxton: “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and “Breathe Again.” Braxton stars in and executive produces both projects. “He Wasn’t Man Enough” premieres November 22 at 8p, co-starring Essence Atkins and Yvette Nicole Brown. “Breathe Again” debuts in 2026 and reunites Braxton and Atkins alongside Cree Summer.

Starting November 24, Sky Italia’s TV8 will debut a new version of the hit Canadian sitcom “Love Bugs” in a daily 7:30p slot. Produced by Blu Yazmine and starring Brenda Lodigiani and Michele Rosiello, the single-camera comedy revisits the everyday quirks of modern couples in short sketch form. Originally created in 1997 by Guy A. Lepage, “Love Bugs” holds the record as the most adapted scripted TV format globally, with 39 versions to date.

American Masters presents “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” premieres
October 14 at 9p on PBS. The documentary uses ASL and stylized captioning to tell Matlin’s story, from her childhood to her career as the youngest Best Actress Oscar winner and first Deaf Oscar recipient.

Investigation Discovery is launching its fourth annual No Excuse for Abuse campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In addition to resources offered in partnership with The Hotline and NO MORE, ID is premiering “Hunted by My Husband: The Untold Story of the DC Sniper,” examining the 2002 attacks from the perspective of Mildred Muhammad, the ex-wife of the DC Sniper, on Tuesday, October 28 at 9p.

Versant, the soon-to-be-spun-off company from NBCUniversal, has signed a media rights deal with the WNBA to continue airing games on USA Network from 2026 to 2036. The deal includes 50 regular-season games annually, with Wednesday doubleheaders and select postseason coverage. This follows NBCU’s earlier 11-year agreement with the league. Versant also plans to spotlight women’s sports, securing rights to League One Volleyball and continuing LPGA Tour coverage on Golf Channel.

PBS Distribution has acquired North American rights to the New Zealand musical comedy series “Happiness” from UK distributor DCD Rights. Season one will air on PBS later this year, with season two, currently in pre-production, set to go in 2026.

In September, Spectrum News networks were the most-watched news networks among Spectrum households. Across English and Spanish-language channels, Spectrum averaged 1.8 million daily viewing households on linear and digital platforms.

USA Network’s “The Rainmaker” is now its most-watched freshman series in seven years, according to Nielsen and NBCUniversal data. The legal drama has reached 16 million total viewers and 4 million in the 18-49 demo across linear and Peacock, making it Peacock’s No. 1 TV series.

Spotify founder Daniel Elk will transition from CEO to executive chairman of the company beginning January 1. Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström will become Spotify’s co-CEO and report to Elk.

Versus has added Carrie Spott as Director of Business Development. “Carrie has a proven track record of connecting the dots,” said Rob Meyers, managing director at Versus. “Her strategic vision and deep relationships will help us fuel growth and ensure we continue giving clients exactly what they need to succeed.”

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On which series was Sally Struthers’ character the daughter of Jessica Walters’ character? “Dinosaurs.” Kudos to: Justin Pierce, JP Consulting Group/LA; Ed Horwitz, Witz End Productions, Inc./LA: Tom Moore, Kalt Productions/LA; David Garber, Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA; Gerry Bixenspan, TV Marketing Inc./NYC

Today’s Trivia Question
What was the original title of the series “Hill Street Blues”? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone.)