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Happy Monday, Cynopsis readers! Here’s what you can expect from today’s edition:
- The Block The Merger Coalition Heads Across The Pond
- FCC Chair Brendan Carr Stands By His Censorious Probing
- Love Island Produces Bombshell Ratings
We know that Cynopsis has undergone a lot of change recently, so please don’t forget that we’re always interested in hearing your thoughts, feedback and questions. Feel free to reach out to Alyssa Boyle, Victoria McNally with anything you’d like to share.
Without further ado, let’s get into the news!
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In The News
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Netflix stands accused of making a $105 million mistake.
- The streamer is being sued over the supposed theft of an unreleased movie from its Los Angeles office. The film, “Fortitude,” is World War II thriller starring Nicolas Cage.
- Writer-producer Simon Afram and his company, Op-Fortitude, claim Netflix compromised the film’s sale by losing a copy shared for screening. An unencrypted master copy of the movie was among several drives stolen from Netflix’s office last month.
- Netflix disputes liability, arguing the film was delivered without proper industry-standard safeguards.
- The Takeaway: Netflix’s declining engagement rates have already painted a picture of decreased satisfaction among viewers and investors, particularly around the “sophomore season slump” that affects their TV content. Losing a film copy, particularly in the wake of recent major movie leaks (like “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” and “The Odyssey” for example), means Netflix must work even harder to instill more industry confidence in its streaming platform.
The Block the Merger coalition, headed by “The Traitors” host Alan Cumming, delivered market data and professional testimony to UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy as she weighs whether to intervene in the proposed Paramount-WBD $110 billion merger. The coalition argues, among other things, that the merger would impact UK documentarians’ ability to tell diverse stories. Four member groups of the coalition provided the evidence ahead of Nandy’s decision, which won’t come before September 1 due to Parliament’s summer recess — though she already indicated she is “of the mind to intervene.”
That’s a wrap on Q2 for ITV. The UK broadcaster touted a slight (2%) year-over-year growth in overall revenue for the first half of 2026. Digital advertising revenue in particular jumped 13%, partly thanks to the 2026 FIFA World Cup that ended in mid-July.
- ITV’s plans to sell its media and entertainment division to Sky comes at a point of high growth potential for streaming revenue, including advertising, according to the company.
- Sky is currently part of Comcast, but will soon be spun -off into a separate, publicly-traded company along with NBCUniversal. The decision is part of Comcast’s efforts to better capitalize on streaming, and a stark contrast from the wave of M&A taking over media and television.
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Know a Woman Who’s Leading Media Forward? Nominate Her.
The 2026 Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards honor the most influential women in media, entertainment and advertising. From broadcast networks and streaming platforms to sports, esports and content technology — this program recognizes the full spectrum of female leadership. Nominations close August 7.
Submit Today
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
Season 5 of Telemundo’s “Top Chef VIP” will now premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. The competition was previously set to return three weeks later, on Sept. 1.
Peacock acquired the exclusive U.S. streaming rights to “Ms. X,” an Australian crime dramedy starring Melissa George (“In Treatment”). The series, centered on a suburban mom whose plan to scare her cheating husband into staying faithful goes horribly awry, is set to premiere today on Aug. 3.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Acorn TV: The Chelsea Detective
Hulu: Futurama
Peacock: Ms. X
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Production
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HBO ordered “The Trial of Louise Woodward,” a limited series based on the real-life case of an 18-year-old British au pair charged with the 1997 shaking death of an American infant.
- Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”) is set to star.
- Susanne Bier (“The Night Manager”) executive produces and directs all episodes, with Matthew Barry (“Industry”) serving as showrunner, writer and EP.
- Frank Spotnitz, founder of Big Light Productions, EPs alongside Emily Feller, Tobi de Graaff and Antoine Douaihy.
- Production starts this month for an expected 2027 debut.
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Meanwhile, In Politics
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Should there be limits on President Trump using the Federal Communications Commission against media companies he doesn’t like? “The president has every right in the world to push back on media,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr told Politico last week.
- Carr’s repeated threats to revoke broadcasters’ licenses, his public feuds with Jimmy Kimmel and “The View,” and his broadly combative style have drawn alarm across the political spectrum.
- Even fellow conservatives have voiced concern about the precedent he is setting and what it could mean for free expression.
- But Carr maintains that, while it’s not the FCC’s job to be “the speech police” or fundamentally transform editorial decisions, “there is a baseline level of regulation that Congress wanted. I think that is our job.”
Speaking of which, ABC is pushing back on the aforementioned FCC license review.
- The network filed with the FCC, demanding that the agency drop its review of broadcast licenses for eight ABC-owned stations. ABC called the probe “extraordinary and unprecedented.”
- ABC frames the action as a broader warning shot to the industry and claims the retaliation signals that media companies must “accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price.”
- The filing alleges that the pressure campaign extends across the government, with “regulatory and contracting carrots and sticks” deployed against disfavored outlets — all aimed at making the media “too fearful of official reprisal to report the news freely.”
- The Takeaway: ABC is going on offense, framing the FCC license review not as a regulatory matter but as a First Amendment fight — and putting the media industry on notice that the stakes extend well beyond one network.
ABC is not the only network in Carr’s crosshairs. The FCC chair has launched investigations into recent Big Four network (NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox) affiliation changes, warning that some moves may violate federal policy.
- Carr expressed concern that affiliation swaps could weaken local TV stations’ negotiating position against major networks supplying national news and entertainment programming.
- “We are taking investigatory action right now on at least one, if not more, of these affiliation transactions,” Carr told Policyband. He criticized broadcasters who appear to be treating affiliation swaps as ungoverned, saying, “This is not the Wild West — there are some rules of the road.”
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Sport Report
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CBS Sports correspondent and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been placed “on leave until further notice” after being arrested on a DUI charge in Milwaukee last week. In his absence, his on-air partner Jim Nantz will be joined by commentator J.J. Watt and lead sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson when the NFL season begins on Sept. 9.
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Distribution
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DirecTV for Business inked a multi-year deal with EverPass Media to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket — with and without NFL RedZone — to bars, restaurants and commercial venues nationwide via satellite and streaming, kicking off with the 2026 NFL season. Under the pact, DirecTV for Business becomes EverPass’ sales, marketing and commercial distribution partner, as well as its Preferred National Distributor for EverPass streaming platforms across the U.S.
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Executive Moves
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Creator marketing platform Props named Jourdan Gariepy as managing director of client success. Gariepy previously led the optimization team at Kepler.
Katie O’Connell Marsh will join Fremantle (“American Idol,” “America’s Got Talent”) as the CEO of the studio’s newly-created Global Scripted Hub for drama and film.
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Danny and Becky were co-hosts of what show on “Full House” (1987-1995)?
(Email answers to trivia@Cynopsis.com and include your name, company and city. Answers limited to four per time zone.)
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Yesterday’s Trivia Answer
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In what year did Discovery Channel’s Shark Week premiere? 1988.
Congrats to: Marni C. Gold-Hawthorne, NJ; Ed Horwitz-Witz End Productions/Hollywood, CA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
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