 IN THE NEWS |
 Horizon Media unveiled HorizonOS, an operating system built on an open ecosystem of partners. According to Horizon, the architecture of HorizonOS unifies three core forms of intelligence:
· Blu is the AI-native innovation ecosystem that translates strategy into action. It enables Horizon to deliver on enhanced “speed to insight,” where data plays a role in audience-centric strategies, informed and agile activation approaches, and closed-loop measurement.
· Agent Q serves as the internal thought partner, built on Google Gemini Enterprise and connected to Horizon’s collective knowledge.
· Human Intelligence, including Client Architects who understand business challenges and competitive landscapes; Marketing Sciences experts driving experimentation with predictive modeling and advanced segmentation; Advanced Analytics teams creating measurement currencies that account for market signals; and Product Foundry builders who harvest innovation from the Labs pipeline.
“Holding companies are focused on building self-service platforms and automations to benefit their own operational efficiency – which drives agency profits,” said Bob Lord, President of Horizon Media Holdings. “They’re building closed systems of machines talking to themselves, eventually delivering the most reductive solutions. We’re taking the opposite approach: HorizonOS is designed to bring human expertise and the latest technology to the forefront, creating conditions for co-creation and client growth.”
Horizon also announced HorizonOS Labs, an innovation accelerator that tests, validates, and scales new capabilities. For clients, Labs aims to offer early access to proven innovations with less risk, and a co-creation model where specific business challenges shape what gets built. (For more on HorizonOS, go to Cynsiders.)
The myth that women game less than men is debunked in MarketCast’s “Women in Gaming” report, which found that 43% of women surveyed identify as “Hardcore Gamers,” gaming for 20 or more hours per week, compared to 41% of men. “Brands that still build campaigns around outdated stereotypes of women gamers are leaving a massive amount of revenue and relevance on the table,” said Chris Tee, VP, Head of Gaming, MarketCast. “Our data shows women aren’t just participating, they’re shaping the future of gaming culture and commerce. Developers and marketers not only need to acknowledge women in these spaces, but design with them at the center.” |
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| Roblox has overtaken social media for GenAlpha consumption of entertainment, according to Gamefam’s State of Brands in UGC Gaming report. Users now spend 2.7 hours per day on Roblox, followed by TikTok (2 hours), Instagram (1.3 hours) and YouTube (1.3). In 2025 so far, over 210 unique brands have activated on Roblox. When broken down by sector, brands from the media, entertainment and toy vertical hosted the most activations on Roblox this year, followed by fashion and apparel, and then sports. |
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| Nexstar Media Group is launching an in-house strategic and creative hub connecting advertisers to the company’s portfolio of media properties. Offerings include branded series, specials, and podcasts, entertainment and sports integrations and activations, and talent and influencer campaigns. “The Nexstar Brand Studio enables advertisers to become part of the stories that move our audiences,” said Laura Lamattina, Nexstar’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Solutions & Brand Partnerships. “It’s not just about placement – it’s about partnership.” The studio’s first production is “My American Story,” a year-long cross-platform campaign celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the Republic. |
 Tony Dokoupil will spend January 5, his first night as anchor of “CBS Evening News,” in Miami, kicking off a 10-day road trip that will find him in a different city each day. “Growing up a bit ramshackle, moving between Florida, Maryland and West Virginia, traveling the country playing high school and college baseball, I learned to love talking to new people. As a journalist, I realized there are some things you’ll never understand until you’re standing there with the people in the middle of it,” said Dokoupil. “Being there, and bringing others there, is what I love most about this job, and what makes me so excited about this trip.” |
| CONVERGENT TV WORLD AWARDS 2026
Final Hours to Enter
Innovation deserves recognition—and TONIGHT is your final chance to claim it. Your innovation belongs on the industry’s biggest stage. Enter by 11:59pm ET before the door closes.
START YOUR ENTRY |
| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| CBS is teaming with The Free Press to launch “Things That Matter,” a series of town halls and debates (“Does America Need a God?” “Has Feminism Failed Women?”) that will feature people in politics and culture – Vice President JD Vance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, to name a few. The events, starting in 2026, will be held across the country, in front of audiences who have a stake in the topics under discussion. “We believe that the vast majority of Americans crave honest conversation and civil, passionate debate,” said Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News and Free Press founder. “In a moment in which people believe that truth is whatever they are served on their social media feed, we can think of nothing more important than insisting that the only way to get to the truth is by speaking to one another.” Bank of America is title sponsor. The series comes on the heels of CBS News’ town hall with Erika Kirk, which drove double-digit ratings increases in its time slot and generated 192 million views across social media.
Psychological thriller “Imperfect Women” is set to debut Wednesday, March 18 on Apple TV. Based on the Araminta Hall novel, the drama stars Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara.
Adult Swim has ordered two more seasons of “Haha, You Clowns.” The animated comedy from creator Joe Cappa follows the Campbell family as they navigate life’s awkward, funny, and emotional moments together. “It’s amazing that Joe and the team made something as radically heartfelt and strangely uncanny as ‘Haha, You Clowns,’” said Michael Ouweleen, President, Adult Swim. “But what’s even more amazing is that – in this cynical, uncertain time – all of you showed up for this new show, championed for it on social media, and grew it week over week so we could greenlight not one, but two more seasons. In the words of the show: ‘You are strong! You are loved!’”
Also renewed for two more seasons is Hulu’s “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.” Season two of the animated series premieres Monday, December 22.
CNN’s “Have I Got News For You” has been renewed for a fourth season, set to premiere Saturday, January 24 at 9p. The American version of the long-running UK comedy series is hosted by Roy Wood Jr. along with team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. “Thank goodness we’ve got season four of our show to make sense of this perfectly normal time we’re in where everything is stark-raving normal. A time in which everything is fine and nothing is wrong. Amen,” said Wood Jr., Ruffin and Black in a joint statement.
“Young Sherlock” drops Wednesday, March 4 on Prime Video. The drama is adapted from Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock Homes book series.
STARZ has acquired the exclusive US rights to “The Nowhere Man,” a six-part drama starring Bonko Khoza (“The Woman King”) and Naturi Naughton-Lewis (“Power”). The series will be available to stream weekly on Fridays beginning January 16 on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.
Norwegian drama “Stayer” premieres Thursday, January 15 with its first two episodes on Viaplay. |
Today’s Premieres
Apple TV: Born to Be Wild
Netflix: How to Ruin Love: The Lobola
Paramount+: Dora
Tubi: Mo’ Waffles
Saturday’s Premiere
Crunchyroll: Blue Miburo |
| TECH |
| NBCUniversal had a slew of new technology and data announcements ahead of CES. Among them were LIVE Total Impact, the industry’s first cross-platform tool designed to leverage the real-time viewership of live tentpole moments; Performance Insights Hub, a proprietary intelligence platform providing advertisers of all sizes with a unified view of campaign delivery, audience insights, and full-funnel, in-flight performance; and AI-powered Contextual Targeting in LIVE, enabling advertisers to target Live programming in real time. “Our company was built on innovation, and as we enter into NBC’s 100th year, we are pairing the strength of our storytelling with the power of our technology to enhance the consumer experience and prove real-time impact for brands,” said Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “Premium video is more valuable to advertisers than ever, and with these new innovations, we are providing solutions clients have been asking for, backed by the power of NBCUniversal’s entire cross-platform ecosystem – setting a new industry standard for success.”
Agentic AI platform Clinch announced the launch of a new predictive creative scoring suite within its Flight Control platform. Predict IQ Scores™ aim to enable advertisers to understand how effective their creative assets are likely to be in capturing audience attention and sales lift before campaigns go live. Key Benefits of Clinch’s Predict IQ Attention Score™ for Advertisers include:
· Predicts how well creative assets will capture audience attention.
· Evaluates creative assets against campaign context.
· Improves creative performance with targeted guidance, with access to diagnostics with prioritized suggestions aligning with unique campaign.
· Automatically re-scores assets any time creative elements or audience inputs are updated, as concepts evolve.
“Advertisers today need insight around what will actually capture attention, long before a campaign goes live,” said Oz Etzioni, CEO of Clinch. “By assessing your Predict IQ Score™ in Flight Control, teams can get an immediate read on how their assets are likely to perform, along with guidance on how to improve them.”
Samsung Ads announced the programmatic expansion of its interactive ad format Samsung GameBreaks. Advertisers can now activate GameBreaks programmatically, giving buyers access to customizable, co-branded interactive games within CTV inventory exclusively on Samsung TV Plus. “Through this expansion, we are continuing to deliver first-class ad experiences at scale,” said Justin Evans, Head of Innovation and Insights at Samsung Ads. “Our formats offer the flexibility our partners demand with a seamless and fast execution, pushing brands into user-forward ad experiences that consumers love and engage with.” |
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| PRODUCTION |
| Apple TV is expanding Legendary’s Monsterverse with a new, untitled Young Lee Shaw prequel starring Wyatt Russell reprising his role as Colonel Lee Shaw. Joby Harold has been tapped to showrun and, under an overall deal with Legendary, also oversee Legendary’s entire “Monsterverse” franchise for Apple TV. “Viewers around the world haven’t been able to get enough of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ since its global debut, and we cannot wait to unleash the electrifying new stories that Joby and the entire cast and creative team have been working on,” said Morgan Wandell, Head of International Development for Apple TV. “With Joby at the helm, and alongside our terrific partners at Legendary, this new spinoff will kick off an epic Monsterverse expansion.”
Autentic pitching event Autentic Matchmaking Day, for documentary and factual series and multi-part formats currently in development, will take place on June 16. The goal is to is connect leading factual producers with broadcasters, platforms and decision-makers in factual commissioning. |
| COMING UP |
| One-hour special “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes From a Life” celebrates the life and legacy of the late Hollywood legend on Sunday, December 21 at 8:30p on CBS. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their LA home on December 14.
Telemundo is kicking off the New Year with “El Desfile de las Rosas” (The Rose Parade) live on Thursday, January 1 starting at 11a. Penélope Menchaca and Carlos Calderón host.
H&I Network’s eighth annual “The Twilight Zone” marathon, “A Toast to Twilight,” is set to begin New Year’s Eve on Wednesday, December 31 at 8p and continue through Friday, January 2 at 6.
FOX News Media will ring in 2026 with programming on New Year’s Eve with three Fox News New Year’s Eve specials: “A New Year with Kat & Tyrus” at 9p; “Who Can Forget 2025?”, with network personalities including hosts Brian Kilmeade, Tomi Lahren, Griff Jenkins, at 10p; and “All-American New Year’s Bash” at 11p. |
| THINK FAST |
| V10 Entertainment has launched a FAST channel dedicated to “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” now available to stream across platforms including Prime Video, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and VIZIO WatchFree+. The 24/7 channel features episodes from the Bob Saget and Tom Bergeron eras. |
| DISTRIBUTION |
| Banijay Entertainment has signed a deal with Rabbit Films to acquire the international rights to “All Star Hide and Seek,” the format launched on streamer Ruuti+ as “Roni Bäck: Finland’s Biggest Hide and Seek in 2024.” The concept grew out of Finnish influencer Roni Bäck’s YouTube hide-and-seek videos. |
| SPORTS REPORT |
| ESPN alum Elle Duncan has inked a deal with Netflix as an on-air host across Netflix Sports and its live events. Duncan’s first assignment: “Skyscraper Live,” following free solo climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to scale Taipei 101.
Monumental Sports Network will broadcast 10 live high school basketball games on Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11 as part of the fourth annual “Basketball Day in the DMV” presented by Ticketmaster. In partnership with the Washington Wizards, MNMT will deliver two days of boys and girls matchups featuring many of the region’s top programs and nationally ranked teams.
FloSports and REV Entertainment have extended their media partnership to exclusively distribute the College Baseball Series on FloCollege. The agreement includes complete coverage for the Shriners Children’s College Showdown (February 13-15) and the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series (February 20-22 and February 27-Marh 1).
Scripps Sports has secured exclusive local broadcast rights to Denver Summit FC, the National Women’s Soccer League’s newest franchise, launching in 2026. Under the multiyear agreement, The EW Scripps Company will air all non-nationally exclusive matches on its local stations Denver7 (KMGH-TV) and The Spot Denver 3 (KCDO-TV). |
| RATINGS |
| Top 10 Broadcast Programs for the Week of December 8 |
| According to early data from Nielsen, FOX News Channel’s coverage of President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday delivered over 4.3 million viewers, followed by CBS (3.9 million), ABC (3.4 million), NBC (2.3 million) and FOX (2 million).
The season one finale of “IT: Welcome to Derry” drew 6.5 million viewers in its first three days across HBO and HBO Max. That’s up 12% from the previous episode, which had been the series’ most-watched. |
| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Long-time David Zaslav advisor and former CNN COO David Leavy is heading out of Warner Bros. Discovery after 24 years. “David is both a great person and an outstanding executive, and I’m confident this is the right moment for him to take the next step in his career and life,” said WBD CEO Zaslav. “Wherever he goes, he will bring leadership, strategic drive and just a collaborative spirit that always leads to good things happening.” |
| IN MEMORIAM |
| Reporter Peter Arnett died December 17. He was 91. Arnett won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Vietnam War for the AP, rising to broadcast stardom after joining CNN in 1981. He resigned from CNN after the network retracted a report Arnett narrated claiming deadly Sarin nerve gas had been used on deserting American soldiers in Laos in 1970, and moved to NBC and National Geographic to cover the second Gulf War. He left NBC in 2003. |
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Friday Fun Fact
Judy Garland’s Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” was originally blonde, as the character was in L. Frank Baum’s book, but director George Cukor thought it made the character look too sophisticated.
This Day in History
1843 – Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What comedy/drama starred the Smothers Brothers (Dick and Tom) as an aggressive
investigative TV reporter and his somewhat inept TV cameraman? “Fitz and Bones”
(1983). Kudos to: Justin Pierce-JP Consulting Group/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago; Andrew Goldman-Phanes Funding Group/NYC; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC
Today’s Trivia Question
What Christmas gift did the Parks employees surprise Leslie with on the season four holiday episode of “Park and Recreations” (2009-15)? (Email your answer to smsloane17@gmail.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.) |
DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE MARKETING >>
ATHLETE TO ATHLETE/SANTA MONICA, CA: Lead the performance marketing team across Meta Ads and new paid digital channels (TikTok, YouTube, Google, etc.) as well as build and execute a roadmap for channel expansion and profitable scale. Develop and run structured testing frameworks. Partner with Creative Strategist on ad briefs, testing priorities, and creative feedback loops. Full info HERE
SENIOR MANAGER, TRAFFIC >>
INSP, LLC./CHARLOTTE, SC: Oversee the Traffic staff and manage and monitor the day-to-day operations. Responsible for the prompt and accurate execution of broadcast logs for three networks. The manager assumes a leadership role within our Network Operations and consistently looks to streamline processes and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Traffic department. Full info HERE
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
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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