 IN THE NEWS |
| Prime Video has launched X-Ray Recaps, a feature using general AI to create brief summaries of full seasons of TV shows, single episodes, and pieces of episodes, personalized down to the minute of where a user was watching. “With the creation of X-Ray Recaps, we’re directly addressing a common problem customers face when streaming content: forgetting where they left off,” said Adam Gray, VP of Product at Prime Video. “With this context-aware functionality, Prime Video will deliver summaries of memorable moments and important plot points so our customers can quickly jump back into what they were watching or rediscover why they fell in love with a series in the first place.”
Advertising revenue at Fox Corp. increased 11% during the last quarter, helped by a hefty rise in political ads at its local TV stations, along with continued growth at Tubi, higher ratings and higher pricing in the direct response marketplace at Fox News Media, and Fox Sports soccer coverage. Total revenue hit $3.56 billion, topping analysts’ estimates of $3.37 billion. But will the outcome of the presidential race affect Fox’s upward trajectory? “I don’t think it would impact us,” said Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch during the company’s earnings call. “In the market that we’re seeing, we’re seeing a tremendous amount of growth and health.”
As for Fox Corp. spinning off its cable networks into a standalone company, a move Comcast is exploring, “I don’t see how we could ever do that,” Steve Tomsic, Chief Financial Officer of Fox Corporation, told journalists. “Breaking apart the business would be very difficult, both from a cost point of view and promotional point of view.”
E.W. Scripps Co. announced 3Q24 results that included Local Media revenue of $446 million, up 26% year-over-year, a lift driven by political advertising revenue of $125 million. Distribution revenue was $186 million, versus $198 million in the prior-year quarter. The Scripps Networks division reported revenue of $202 million, down 6.4%.
How did that clip of Donald Trump during NBC’s NASCAR coverage on Sunday come to be? NBC said it had “accommodated the Trump campaign’s request for equal time consistent with our regulatory obligations,” the day after VP Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” The Trump campaign said, “NBC and Comcast reached out yesterday to give our campaign the opportunity to satisfy the equal time requirement.”
Ninety-three percent of respondents in Involved Media’s Fall 2024 Connected Video survey confirmed having streamed long-form video in the last month. Additional findings include:
– 86% confirmed watching an SVOD in the last 30 days. Netflix was the most watched at 65% (compared to 66% during the Q1 2024 survey results), Prime at 55% (a drop from 60% in Q1), and Hulu at 46% (versus 45% in Q1).
– 69% watched an SVOD with ads in the last 30 days, led by Prime at 32% (versus 26% in Q1), Hulu at 31% (versus 28% in Q1) and Netflix at 28% (versus 22% in Q1).
– 54% of respondents watched FAST in the last 30 days, led by Tubi at 27% (versus 22% in Q1), The Roku Channel at 26% (versus 22% in Q1) and Freevee at 21% (versus 20% in Q1).
– 70% of respondents watched long-form, user-generated platforms in the last 30 days, with YouTube the leader at 68%.
– The top reason respondents tried a new platform included a recommendation by family/friend (27%), it had a specific show/event they wanted to watch (25%) and it featured new shows or movies (20%). |
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| Sting and Jennifer Hudson are joining the season 26 cast of NBC’s “The Voice” as Mega Mentors, starting Monday, November 11. It’s Sting’s first time on the show, and a return for Hudson, who served as a Coach on season 15.
Netflix renewed “Outer Banks” for a fifth and final season. The second half of season four of the YA series debuts Thursday, November 7.
Canela Media has launched two new channels on Samsung TV Plus in the US. Novelas Turcas showcases Turkish telenovelas, and Que Culpa Tiene Fatmagul is dedicated entirely to one telenovela, “Que Culpa Tiene Fatmagul?”. |
 Just in time for the holidays, Xumo has teamed up with Target to offer Hisense Xumo TVs, a budget-friendly 4K UHD smart TV. Hisense Xumo TVs will launch starting next week, available in 55” and 65” models and priced at $249.99 and $359.99, respectively. “The growing fragmentation of content on streaming services can make content discovery difficult – the Xumo TV makes streaming easy,” said Stephanie Cassi, SVP, Sales and Marketing, Xumo. “Extending our reach with Hisense, a top global TV manufacturer, and Target, a premier retail destination and one of the country’s most-trafficked e-commerce sites, is a major win.” Xumo is a joint venture between Comcast and Charter. |
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CES Daily Wrap Up
Get ready for CES 2025 with the Cynopsis Industry Newsletter—your go-to source for daily recaps and breaking news from the biggest event in tech and media. Our newsletter will be hitting inboxes from January 7-11, providing concise, must-read updates in true Cynopsis style. With 85,000 opt-in users, 4 banner ads, and guaranteed editorial mentions, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand with 100% Share of Voice (SOV). Lock in your sponsored ad spots now and make sure your message stands out during CES!
Contact Albert Nassour to reserve your premium placement. |
| NEW & RETURNING SHOWS |
| Acorn TV detective drama “Dalgleish” returns for season three on Monday, December 2. The new season is set in 1979 on the cusp of Margaret Thatcher’s victory.
Luke Hemsworth (“Westworld”) has joined the season two cast of Australian comedy “Deadloch.” The series follows a pair of mismatched detectives.
Today’s Premieres
Discovery: Game Changers at 9p
MHz Choice: Reindeer Mafia
Netflix: Love Village |
| COMING UP |
 NBC is heading into the holidays with a lineup of favorites like “A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving” (Wednesday, November 27 at 9p) and “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” (Thursday, November 28 at 12p), as well as cartoon classics. Kelly Clarkson will return for her second year as host of NBC’s “Christmas at Rockefeller Center,” airing live on Wednesday, December 4 at 8p. For a complete list of holiday programming, check out the Cynopsis Holiday Guide.
Spectrum is marking Veterans Day with an On Demand collection of military-themed movies, available for rent November 5-11. The selection includes titles like “Dunkirk,” “Jarhead,” and “Pearl Harbor.”
Veteran’s Day on MeTV will include the network’s annual broadcast of “MeTV Remembers the M*A*S*H Finale,” on Monday, November 11 at 7p. The three-hour event will include the uncut final episode of “M*A*S*H,” along with cast and creator interviews.
Three holiday titles are premiering up UPtv the weekend before Christmas. Saturday, December 21 brings “A Country Music Christmas” at 7p, followed the next day by two “Small Town Christmas” episodes starting at 9p. |
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Contact Carley for pricing details |
| RATINGS |
| Nearly 30 million P2+ viewers tuned in for Food Network’s Halloween programming across linear, Max and discovery+, and, during the Halloween period (9/16-10/29), Food Network ranked as the #5 non-news/sports cable network in Prime for P/W25-54. Food Network also ranked as the #1 non-news/sports cable network on Monday nights for W18+. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Tom Lieber has been promoted to Head of Scripted Series, UK at Amazon MGM Studios. Lieber will take on the responsibilities of Rola Bauer, who recently left her role as Amazon MGM Studios Head of Pan-English original content. Bauer’s team will w be folded into Lieber’s new team.
Legendary has named Blair Rich as Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer. Prior to Legendary, where she has been serving in an advisory capacity, Rich served as President and Chief Business Officer, Commercial and Consumer Operations at Virgin Galactic. |
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This Day in History
1872 – Women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony voted, illegally, for Ulysses S. Grant for president.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In which presidential election did TV networks first use computers to predict the outcome? 1952. Kudos to: Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Ken DuBow-DuBow Media Distribution/LA; Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC
Today’s Trivia Question
Which series included storylines involving the fictional region of Qmar? (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.) |
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ACCOUNT REP: MPT NATIONAL CORPORATE SALES
MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION FOUNDATION
REMOTE
Call on current and prospective sponsors, providing high-quality customer service, in a manner consistent with standard industry practice, for the customer/client accounts for which they have cultivated or have been assigned as well as build sustainable, long-lasting relationships with existing clients. Full info HERE
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Drive new revenue for our media around Los Angeles and beyond as well as building relationships with prospects and clients. Full info HERE |
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