A&E 2013

A+E networks held a dazzling upfront at Lincoln Center last night, packed with stars from all of its networks’ shows, including Duck Dynasty, Project Runway, and Vikings. We’re talking Chloe Sevigny (she was one of the few actresses we saw actually eating at the reception – yay!), Eva Longoria (the EP of Lifetime’s new Devious Maids, along with Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry), and A&E’s Bates Motel’s Vera Farmiga, to name a few.

The overriding theme of the evening was content, content, content, a drum banged repeatedly by newly elevated CEO Nancy Dubuc. She shared two things with us last night: that she wished she could be Katheryn Winnick, the willowy blonde from Vikings (really, she almost is), and that her promotion proved two things: how well the network is managed – ie, by promoting from within – and the fact that it’s she who was chosen illustrates a dedication to content.

During his segment of the presentation, Mel Berning, Executive Vice President, Ad Sales referred to broadcast networks as cable’s “ancestors,” but he stopped working and was having a great old time at the reception, posing with the Counting Cars guys and saying hello to everyone. He took a moment, though, to tell Cynopsis that the reason A+E announced a realignment of its sales force yesterday was “to go after the research piece. If we wait for Nielsen, we’ll be waiting forever,” he commented. “After this Upfront, we’ll be able to aggregate everything together.”

Related Stories

Cynopsis 09/26/25: Debut Date Set for New “Spartacus” Series

Friday September 26, 2025    IN THE NEWS Amid rising tariff concerns and macroeconomic headwinds, ad buyers expect to spend less in the second half of the year than originally projected, reports IAB’s 2025 Outlook Study September Update: A Snapshot of the Latest Ad Spend Trends, Opportunities, and Strategies for Growth. Spend in the first […]

Cynopsis 09/25/25: Prime Video Goes to “New Heights”

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PREMION Thursday September 25, 2025    IN THE NEWS “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday night averaged 6.3 million viewers on traditional television, over three times its recent average of 1.77 million, according to Nielsen. That’s despite Nexstar and Sinclair’s ABC stations – representing over 20% of affiliates – continuing […]

09/24/25: Cynopsis Jobs

man balloons

Wednesday September 24, 2025 CYNOPSIS SCREENSHIFT Level Up Your Career in Media Cynopsis + C2HR are teaming up at ScreenShift, Oct. 14 in NYC, to connect you directly with top recruiters. Get insider hiring trends, smart job-search strategies, and personal branding tips that open doors. Don’t wait—prices increase 9/26. SAVE MY SPOT […]

Cynopsis 09/24/25: “The Pitt” Gets Big Emmys Boost

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OMEDA Wednesday September 24, 2025    IN THE NEWS Fox is heading back to the beach: the network has handed a 12-episode, straight-to-series order to a reimagined “Baywatch,” produced by Fremantle and Fox Entertainment. Set to premiere in the 2026–27 season, the new take revives the iconic lifeguard drama […]

CynCity

Cynsiders

Instagram