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| Monday, September 21, 2026 |
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Happy Monday from Cynopsis! Here’s what you need to know going into today:
- Forrester Forecasts More Free Streaming Plans
- “Emily In Paris” Returns With Season 6
- Disney Makes More Leadership Changes
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In The News
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Ad-supported streaming… at what cost? Research and advisory firm Forrester dropped a list of predictions for what the media landscape will look like next year. Among the highlights: Three major streaming platforms will nix their paid-subscription-only models and launch free plans.
- Most of the major streamers offer a mix of ad-free and ad-supported subscription plans. Consumers are becoming increasingly cost-conscious, but many viewers still insist on streaming content without ads. In other words: Some consumers may consider streaming more of their content with ads – but only if they don’t have to pay for it. Hence why YouTube viewership is spiking, and free ad-supported TV channels are also gaining viewing traction.
- Forrester predicts Disney is the most likely candidate for free TV streaming, noting that the House of Mouse discussed exploring a potential free tier over the summer. Netflix also hinted at launching a free tier during its Q2 earnings call this year.
- The Takeaway: Streaming platforms have gotten aggressive with ad-free price hikes in their pursuit of profitability. But ad revenue is a critical component of their ability to build average revenue per user and, in turn, keep Wall Street happy. The fact that most services aren’t raising ad-supported plans to the same degree suggests that these companies know they’re close to hitting their consumers’ limits.
President Donald Trump posted in a lengthy Truth Social message Friday that he’ll be banning MS Now, CNN and Politico from the White House. He did not specify particular coverage that provoked his ire, but said “other fake news media outlets” will be next.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Paramount Skydance’s plan to sell a 49.5% equity stake to sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. As the Los Angeles Times notes, the three funds are investing a combined $24 billion toward Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
- The Communications Act of 1934 requires the FCC to sign off on any foreign investors holding more than 25% of a company with a US broadcast license; CBS, a subsidiary of Paramount, has more than two dozen licenses.
- In its ruling, the FCC says “the public interest would be served” by Paramount’s proposed ownership changes, and that majority control would still be retained by the Ellison family.
- In contrast, Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez argued that the ruling lets “some of the most repressive governments in the world indirectly control nearly all of a combined Paramount-Warner Bros.”
These are my mates, who make their wills their law. Brass Jar, a theater company that runs “Drunk Shakespeare” productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Phoenix and Houston, is suing Amazon for improperly using its trademark in “Off Campus.”
Streaming vs. broadcast. Streaming viewership growth may be outpacing traditional TV, but broadcast series are seeing higher renewal rates compared to their streaming-first counterparts, says a new report from data intelligence company Luminate.
- Broadcast networks renewed 65% of their series last year, but major streaming services only renewed 44% of theirs.
- According to Luminate, the discrepancy is because broadcast renewals have more budget constraints and fewer programming slots, as well as simpler viewing data. In comparison, streamers produce so many series that they inevitably end up with much higher cancellation rates – when they choose to officially cancel a series at all, rather than leaving it on an indefinite hiatus.
- It also seems that streamers are more likely to renew series with higher audience retention rates, although not always. For example, the Disney+ series “Wonder Man” retained 52% of its audience base over a 12-week period and was renewed for a second season, but then canceled a few months later.
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| Partner content |
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Forward 2026: A Forum for the Future of TV Advertising—Oct. 29, NYC
Join us at Forward 2026, where Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman will deliver the keynote and marketing leaders from MANSCAPED, Liquid I.V., Avocado, and Jones Road Beauty will share how they’re using TV to reach new audiences, measure impact, and drive real business growth.
Attendance is free, but space is limited.
RSVP Now
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
Disney+ dropped the official trailer for “Coven Academy,” a supernatural teen drama premiering on Freeform Oct. 1 and streaming the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.
All Reality and WeTV released a first look at “Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab,” premiering Oct. 2.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Fox: “Celebrity Name That Tune” Season 6 at 8 p.m.; “Celebrity Weakest Link” Season 2 at 9 p.m.
NBC: “The Voice” Season 30 at 8 p.m.; “Line of Fire” at 10 p.m.
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| Partner content |
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Production
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German network ZDF is buying into the BBC’s upcoming drama “Shy & Lola” as a co-producer. The series stars Bel Powley (“The Morning Show”) and Hayley Squires (“Adult Material,” “The Essex Serpent”).
“House of David,” the biblical epic from Amazon and Wonder Project, will conclude after its third season. The series is currently filming in Greece with Michael Iskander (“Kimberly Akimbo”) in the titular role.
OWN has renewed its freshman reality dating series, “Put a Ring On It: Cheathab,” for two more seasons. Production will begin this fall, and the show will return in 2027. In the meantime, the Season 1 premiere is set to air Sept. 25.
Lily Collins in “Emily in Paris”
Filming has officially wrapped on the sixth and final season of “Emily in Paris,” according to an Instagram post from star Lily Collins. The series was initially developed for Paramount Network but became a huge hit for Netflix in 2020.
HBO ordered “The Spread” straight to series after a fervent bidding war. Set in Miami’s hedge fund scene, the series boasts Bill Dubuque (“Ozark”) and Sean Sanviersi as writers and co-creators, Matthew Vaughn (“Kingsman”) as director and Javier Bardem (“Cape Fear”) as star and executive producer.
“The Traitors” announced its celebrity-laden cast list for Season 5 (not including “The Traitors: New Blood”), which will arrive on Peacock in 2027. Contestants include Bianca Del Rio (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Whitney Levitt (“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”), Jag Bains (“Big Brother,” “The Amazing Race”), Dominic Monaghan (“Lost”) and Kristin Chenoweth (“Schmigadoon”).
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Sports Report
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Fawesome is partnering with Willow Sports, another free ad-supported channel, to bring coverage of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games to US audiences. The event started on Sept. 19 and will run through Oct. 4.
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Executive Moves
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WFTN, a Melbourne-based TV and media company that specializes in factual and lifestyle content, promoted Michael McDermott to head of development. The promotion coincides with Nine Entertainment commissioning a new series from WFTN, “Police Australia,” developed and cast by McDermott.
Karandeep Anand is joining Disney as its first-ever chief technology officer. In addition to holding roles at Meta and Microsoft, he was also previously the CEO of Character.AI, the chatbot service that Disney accused of copyright infringement in 2025.
Meanwhile, Adam Smith has been named the new chairman of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment. He was formerly the chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN.
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Which former “Cheers” (1982-1993) character reappeared the most times on “Frasier” (1993-2004) episodes? (Not including Frasier himself, of course!)
Email answers to Trivia@Cynopsis.com and include your name, company and city/state (don’t forget!). Only the first four correct responses from each time zone will be included.
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Yesterday’s Trivia Answer
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Season 1 of “The Knick” (2014-2015) takes place in 1900, but the show still couldn’t resist featuring Mary Mallon, a real-life public health figure who wasn’t actually identified until 1907. What nickname was she better known as? Typhoid Mary.
Congrats to: Brianne Zulauf-BZM Producing/Sarasota, FL; Stephen Warren-Northeastern University/Boston, MA; Marni Gold-Marni Gold Consulting-Hawthorne, NJ; Rory Rosegarten-The Conversation Company/Manhasset, NY; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee, WI; Andi Leston-Outdoor Sportsman Group/Waukesha, WI; Tom Boyd-WGN/Chicago, IL; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Sandra Mueller-KTLA/Los Angeles, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/Los Angeles, CA; Amy Kessler-St. Alban’s Episcopal Church/Albany, CA; Lorrie Shilling-El Segundo High School/El Segundo, CA
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