Chris McCarthy, former Paramount Co-CEO, is headed to NBCUniversal. McCarthy will help NBCU produce content, as well as support its relationship with Tayor Sheridan, who is moving his film deal to NBCU next year, and his TV deal in 2029. McCarthy, who left Paramount after its merger with Skydance, worked closely with Sheridan on Paramount’s “Yellowstone” franchise.

The age of quality over quantity for sports brands is over, according to marketing agency IMG’s Digital Trends Report 2026. Instead, success lies in being consistently visible, authentic, and responsive, using AI to streamline workflows but investing heavily in creative talent and resources. Additional insights and predictions from the report include:
· To stay competitive, rightsholders must develop platform-specific Amazon strategies, address data governance and IP ownership, and design content tailored for its AI-driven, commerce-first environment where content and transaction blend seamlessly.
· AI assistants and agentic search tools are increasingly deciding what fans see, buy, and attend, removing human choice from discovery. As zero-click searches and AI summaries dominate, sports brands risk being invisible unless they adapt.
· The digital era favors people over institutions, with fans following creators not corporations.
· Real-time AI translation has made content globally accessible, but not culturally meaningful. To resonate worldwide, sports brands must maintain quality control, invest in regional ambassadors, and create locally authentic narratives.
· Modern audiences crave depth, not just dopamine hits. While Shorts, Reels, and TikToks are vital for discovery, long-form content builds fandom, retention, and revenue.

“This year represents our most global trends report to date, capturing insights from our team of more than 200 digital experts across five continents,” said IMG’s SVP & Managing Director, Digital, Lewis Wiltshire. “For the first time you’ll see AI is threaded throughout our predictions as the heart of all change for our industry. But amidst the technological advances, we predict that human creativity and local insight will matter more than ever as we move into 2026.”

Sinclair has partnered with Feeding America to launch Sinclair Cares: Fill the Food Banks, a fundraising campaign to help provide meals to families during the holiday season. The initiative will run through December 25.

Amazon is introducing a video recap feature to help viewers recall plot points from old episodes before they start watching new ones. The recaps can be accessed on the show page.

NATAS announced nominations for the 4th Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, set to take place in NYC for the first time on March 1 and 2. Walt Disney Company set a record with 103 nominations across its content brands and studios.

Hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” launches with two episodes Friday, November 28 on HBO Max. The show was originally created for Canadian streaming service Crave by Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney (“Letterkenny”).

ID’s “The Rocky Mountain Mortician Murder” premieres Wednesday, November 26 at 8p. The true-crime show tells the story of a respected mortician and pillar of his rural Colorado community who was found shot execution style on his ranch.

The CW has set midseason premiere dates. Second seasons of “Scrabble,” with new host Craig Ferguson, and LeVar-hosted “Trivia Pursuit” debut Thursday, January 22 at 8p and 9p, while newly renewed Canadian police drama “Wild Cards” is back for its third run on Monday, January 26 at 8p.

HBO and the NFL re-team for “Hard Knocks: In Season With the NFC East,” kicking off Tuesday, December 2 at 9p. New episodes continue into the NFL playoffs in January.

Maria Zuckerman (“Grey Gardens”) has entered into a multi-year first-look producing deal with Fox Entertainment Studios to develop and produce scripted series and feature films, as well as non-fiction projects. “Maria is one of the industry’s most dynamic creative forces – a producer with vision, discipline, impeccable instincts, and the deep talent relationships needed to bring exceptional stories to life,” said Hannah Pillemer, Head of Scripted at FOX Entertainment Studios. “She has a remarkable track record for identifying great storytellers and creating content that makes noise and shapes culture, which is exactly why she’s an ideal partner as we continue to expand FOX’s creative footprint.”

“This research validates what we’ve known instinctively: that relevance is about human connection,” said Brian Gleason, CEO of Seedtag. “By combining neuroscience and AI, we can reach people in moments when they’re most receptive, leveraging advertising that feels natural, meaningful, and emotionally resonant without relying on personal data.”

wedotv has expanded its distribution on the VIDAA smart-TV platform for its direct-to-consumer AVOD app, its FAST channel wedotv: Legacy, and its new auto-sports FAST channel wedotv: AUTA.

“The 2026 FIFA World Cup isn’t just a sporting event, it’s a global stage for culture, creativity, and commerce,” said Misha Williams, Chief Operating Officer at GWI. “For brands, that means unprecedented opportunities to connect with audiences in real time. Our data helps them understand not just who fans are, but what truly moves them — so they can show up with relevance, authenticity, and impact.”

Comedy Central special “The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize” is set to premiere Monday, December 8 at 11:30p.

Matt Milne has been appointed President of TiVo Ads, in addition to his duties as Chief Revenue Officer at Xperi.

Today’s Trivia Question
On “Avenue 5” (2020-23), what was the interplanetary cruise ship’s main source of food? (Email your answer to trivia@cynopsis.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)