A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM HALLMARK CHANNEL
Hallmark Channel’s
Countdown to Christmas
Starts Today!
All New Holiday Movies
Including the NFL’s 2nd Hallmark Movie
Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story
It’s Not Christmas Without Hallmark! |
 IN THE NEWS |
 Apple and NBCUniversal announced the launch of the Apple TV and Peacock Bundle, available beginning October 20. “There is no more perfect combination of entertainment than the Apple TV and Peacock Bundle, with our complementary content portfolios featuring the best shows, movies, sports, and live events,” said Matt Strauss, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group. “With this first-of-its-kind initiative with Apple, we’re redefining what the customer journey should be for a streaming bundle with rich sampling and a smooth sign-up process, and we’re broadening the reach of Peacock to even more audiences.” Subscribers can choose the Apple TV and Peacock Premium bundle for $14.99/month, or Apple TV and Peacock Premium Plus for $19.99/month.
The launch date for CNN’s new subscription service has been set for October 28. For $6.99/month, subscribers will have access to live and on demand content, as well as digital journalism. “It’s an essential step in CNN’s evolution as we work to give audiences the complete CNN experience in a format that reflects how audiences engage with the news today,” said Alex MacCallum, CNN Worldwide’s EVP of Digital Products and Services.
TV ad impressions for the NFL grew by over 12% year-over-year in 3Q25, and college football jumped by more than 16%, according to iSpot’s analysis of national linear TV advertising. The NFL’s estimated national TV ad spend rose by 9.7% year-over-year, and college football was up 22.5%. Additional findings include:
· News-related programs (including morning shows) accounted for nine of the top 20 spots by TV ad impressions, with most ranked higher year-over-year as well.
· QSR was the most-seen brand category during six of Q3’s top 10 programs for reach.
· Ad impressions during Spanish-language programming increased from 4.4% of TV to 4.7% year-over-year, with Univision leading the way at 10% more reach vs. Q3 2024. |
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Higher spending consumers are the most influenced by holiday season ads and deals, according to data from LoopMe. Forty-two percent of those planning to spend over $1000 on holiday shopping this year say that ads and deals will impact their purchases, and the impact of the campaigns increases with the amount of money that consumers plan to spend. Among holiday shoppers who say they will be impacted by ads and/or deals, by planned spend:
· 32% of those with planned spend under $100
· 33% of those with planned spend of $100 – $250
· 37% of those with planned spend of $250 – $500, and $500 – $1000
· 42% of those with planned spend over $1000
“Despite a drop in planned spend among consumers, likely influenced by overall market caution, there are still big opportunities for brands and retailers to capitalize on the impact of early-season ads and deals, to better target and support those planning to spend more,” said Sarah Tims, AVP Marketing at LoopMe. “This research highlights that longer-term brand campaigns are critical for a successful holiday season. There should be a coordinated effort between brands and retailers to meet these shoppers early on with the ads and deals that will appeal the most.”
Warner Bros. Discovery has joined Paramount in rejecting the A-lister backed Film Workers for Palestine boycott of the Israeli film industry over the war in Gaza. “Our policies prohibit discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or ancestry,” said WBD in a statement. “We believe a boycott of Israeli film institutions violates our policies.” Last month, Paramount denounced the boycott.
“Pop Culture Jeopardy!” is jumping from Prime Video to Netflix for a second season, kicking off in 2026. “’Pop Culture Jeopardy!’ captivated an audience with its fun and energetic game play, building on the beloved franchise and offering fans an opportunity to test their zeitgeist knowledge,” said Suzanne Prete, President, Game Shows, Sony Pictures Television. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with the exemplary team at Netflix, to bring more episodes to our passionate and loyal viewers.”
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).
Movies deliver disproportionately high engagement relative to the volume of content hours they represent, notes a Parrot Analytics study of titles across Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix and HBO Max. Using demand and engagement data, Parrot calculated how each title contributed to actual revenue in the US market and found that in 2022, movies represented 27% of revenue – a number that jumped to nearly 50% in 2024. |
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| Maya Eaglin has joined MSNBC from NBC News, where she was a correspondent and one of the co-hosts of Gen-Z-focused “Stay Tuned.” |
| TOP WOMEN 2026
SAVE THE DATE
Top Women Week 2026
Where bold ideas and brilliant leaders take the stage.
Stay tuned—details coming soon.
INQUIRE NOW |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| Docuseries “Alex vs ARod” debuts Thursday, November 6 at 9p on HBO. The three-parter focuses on controversial Yankee star Alex Rodriguez.
“Marines,” a docuseries following the US military’s “force in readiness” in the Pacific, launches Monday, November 10 on Netflix. “’Marines’ is a gripping, important look behind the curtain of one of our nation’s most vital institutions,” said Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, Presidents of Amblin Entertainment Television and Documentaries. “We’d like to thank the United States Marine Corps for welcoming us and trusting us to tell the honest, complex stories of the brave young people willing to risk their lives for their country.”
FanDuel TV’s daily news-breaking NBA show “Run It Back” is back for season four with new co-host and NBA veteran DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins on Monday, October 20. Cousin joins host Michelle Beadle and former NBA stars Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams.
“Vanguard,” a Swedish drama centered on an unlikely media mogul and trailblazer of technological reform, premieres Tuesday, November 18 on Viaplay. |
Today’s Premieres
Apple TV+: Mr. Scorsese
CBS: Fire Country at 8p; Sheriff Country at 9p; Boston Blue at 10p
HBO Max: The Thaw
Netflix: Turn of the Tide
Paramount+: The Guest
Prime Video: The Chosen Adventures; Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam
Saturday’s Premiere
Prime Video: Molly Mae: Behind it All
Sunday’s Premieres
Adult Swim: Haha, You Clowns at 11:45p
CBS: Tracker at 8p; The Road at 9p
MUBI: Hal & Harper
Showtime: The Guest at 9p |
| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT |
| A+E Global Media has expanded its programming partnership with Rachael Ray and Free Food Studios, a joint venture between A+E Global Media, Intentional Content and Ray. The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray’s programming, including new episodes of “Meals in Minutes,” that will begin production this fall and air across the Home.Made.Nation multiplatform lifestyle programming block on A&E and FYI in 2026.
Netflix Canada has ordered “The Granville Girls” from Shaftsebury. The eight-part period drama follows a woman pursuing romance, friendship and adventure in the Rocky Mountains while working at a hotel.
Globoplay and Gaumont are co-producing a series inspired by Brazilian luxury multi-brand store Daslu, “D-Lux.” Daslu began as a small boutique in São Paulo and grew into a destination for international luxury brands in the country, until it became embroiled in a major tax evasion scandal.
Main Street Sports Group, owner of FanDuel Sports Network, and Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions announced a new strategic content partnership focused on co-developing and co-producing sports content. The partnership includes the launch of a new division of Main Street Sports, Main Street Sports Productions. “This is a transformative moment for us,” said Norby Williamson, President of Production and Programming for Main Street Sports Group. “Partnering with Omaha Productions, one of the most respected and creative brands in sports entertainment, sets the stage for what’s next. Main Street Sports Productions allows us to take what we do best and expand it to new audiences, platforms and partners.”
World of Wonder has greenlit production of format expansion “Drag Race Mexico: Latina Royale,” as well as the renewal of “Drag Race Philippines” for a fourth season. Both will premiere on WOW Presents Plus in 2026. |
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| CABLEFAX MOST POWERFUL WOMEN
This December, the Spotlight’s on Her
Experience the Top Women in Media Reception, Dec. 4 at The Current at Chelsea Piers. Celebrate the visionaries transforming media and marketing.
Be there for the celebration.
LEARN MORE |
| TECH |
| Integral Ad Science is expanding Total Media Quality for Meta to bring third-party, independent Brand Safety & Suitability Measurement to Threads. “Bringing IAS’s AI-led, content-level analysis to advertisers on Threads provides them with even greater confidence and control over where their content appears while helping maximize their investments on our platforms,” said Samantha Stetson, Vice President, Client Council and Industry Trades at Meta. “Threads is our fastest-growing platform and an exciting new opportunity for global advertisers.”
Nexxen has licensed its automatic content recognition (“ACR”) audience segments to Yahoo DSP. Through the collaboration, Nexxen’s ACR audience segments will be available for targeting within the Yahoo DSP. “Advertisers today need global data assets that can flex across markets, formats and buying platforms,” said Wendy Lee, Global VP of Data Partnerships, Nexxen. “By licensing our ACR data to Yahoo, we’re making it easier for brands around the world to act on real TV-viewing insights – whether that means finding incremental audiences, controlling frequency across devices or building custom segments that match their exact needs. In sum, we’re bringing marketers the scale of television with the precision of digital, all within the platforms they already utilize and rely on.” |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| DIRECTV is adding Hallmark and AMC Networks to the MyEntertainment Genre Pack and Cinema Mini-Pack Add-On. The move comes as Hallmark launches its Countdown to Christmas event, and AMC Networks prepares for its Best Christmas Ever stunt.
All3Media International has signed multiple deals for Lion Television’s documentary “Diddy: In Plain Sight.” The one-hour film debuted on Channel 4 in the UK to coincide with the start of the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial in May 2025 and has been sold in the US to Real Stories Channel, as well as to broadcasters in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. |
| COMING UP |
| Afro-Colombian singer-songwriter Goyo and Mexican television personality Javier Poza will host the “2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards,” broadcast live on Telemundo on Thursday, October 23 at 8p. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
SponsorUnited released its 2025 Markets Report, which looks inside the $4.5 billion sports sponsorship economy across 13 US and Canadian cities set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Key findings include:
· The 13 host cities drive nearly half of North America’s team sports sponsorship revenue. The total team sponsorship revenue across NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, WNBA, NWSL teams and Power 4 colleges tops $9B. Half of this investment is tied to the World Cup host cities in the US and Canada.
· Average sponsorship deal sizes highlight market maturity and opportunity. Host cities exhibit a wide range of average deal sizes, from top-tier markets like Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey, to smaller-mid markets like Houston, Kansas City and Vancouver with smaller but growing deal sizes.
· Soccer sponsorships are growing rapidly despite smaller market share. Soccer accounts for just 9% of total sponsorship revenue in host cities but is expanding at a +21% growth rate, driven by a 331% surge in branded social engagement.
National multimedia sports platform OutKick wrapped September with month-over-month growth across social platforms. On Facebook, X, and Instagram, OutKick saw 1.5 million social actions, up 44% versus the prior month and over 12.9 million total video views, up 14% versus the prior month on Facebook, X, and YouTube, according to Comscore Social. |
| RATINGS |
| The six original movie premieres that aired during Hallmark Channel’s Fall into Love stunt were the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program every Saturday throughout the event among Households and Women 18+, and reached 15.4 million unduplicated total viewers. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Claudia Milne has exited her position as head of standards and practices at CBS News, now overseen by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. “We live in complicated times. For our company, for our industry and for our country. And it’s times like this that what we do matters most,” said Milne in a farewell note to colleagues. “I believe our role as journalists is to hold the powerful to account. We are here to question and challenge our political leaders on behalf of our audiences, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative…we must interrogate the social media companies that want to control our attention, the businesses that manage our healthcare and the institutions that shape our education system… and So. Much. More.”
Anomaly has promoted Chris Neff to Global Chief AI Officer and Clara Mulligan to Chief Design Officer, Europe. |
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This Day in History
1885 – Baseball players’ salaries were set at $1000-$2000 for the season.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On “Fresh Off the Boat” (2016-20), what was the name of the Huangs’ restaurant? Cattletown Ranch. Kudos to: Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Rick Dascher-Kennesaw St. University/Atlanta; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Ted Linhart-TedonTV/NYC; Ken DuBow-DuBow Media Distribition/LA
Today’s Trivia Question
What was the name of the family that lived next door to the Seavers in “Growing Pains” (1985-1992)? (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
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
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
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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