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Good morning. It’s Monday April 15, 2019 and this is your first early-morning briefing.

 

Tonight's Premieres:

Smithsonian Channel: America’s Hidden Stories at 8p

Univision: Dona Flor y Sus dos Maridos at 9p

VH1: T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle at 9p

 

 

IN THE NEWS

 

Unable to reach a deal with the Association of Talent Agents by Friday’s midnight deadline, the WGA instructed writers to fire their agents if they hadn’t signed the guild’s Agency Code of Conduct. “Among other unacceptable proposals, the agencies insists on continuing their major conflicts of interest,” said a letter to WGA members. “They insist on continuing to produce and be our employers. Their ‘offer’ on packaging is to share 1% of their packaging fee with writers.” Countered ATA executive director Karen Stuart, “The WGA is mandating a ‘Code of Conduct’ that will hurt all artists, delivering an especially painful blow to mid-level and emerging writers.”

 

Yes please, said Wall Street after Disney’s investor conference last week, during which the company unveiled the plans for its upcoming streaming service, Disney+. “Truth be told, most investor days don’t live up to the hype and this one had the potential to be disappointing,” wrote Michael Nathanson of Moffett Nathanson in a Friday note. “Disney had set a high bar of expectations and rose to the challenge. Surprisingly, the company shared a tremendous amount of DTC financial metrics including subscriber and profit guidance.” Between a robust slate of new content and titles like every Star Wars movie and all 30 seasons of The Simpsons, along with a low $6.99/month price point, analysts predicted fast adoption. Disney shares rose 11% on Friday, to an all-time high of $130.06.

 

CBS picked up season ten of procedural Blue Bloods, after signing star Tom Selleck to a new one-year deal. “Blue Bloods has been a top-10 drama and Friday’s top-rated show every year it’s been on the air,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment. “On a night that many have claimed is quiet for broadcast television, its quality writing, superb acting and familial warmth have attracted an average of over 13 million passionate viewers each week for nine years.”

 

NBC renewed Good Girls for season three. So far this season, the drama has averaged a 1.1 rating in A8-49 and 4.1 million viewers in Live+7 Nielsens, with the the April 7 telecast delivering a four-week high in total viewers.

 

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles have left the board of directors at Facebook, seats they’d held since 2011. Peggy Alford, SVP of Core Markets for PayPal, has been nominated to join; she would become the first African-American woman to serve on the board. Alford was previously CFO of the charitable foundation of Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg and his wife.

 

Former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who left the network following allegations of sexual misconduct and assault last year, forfeited $34 million in 2018 compensation due to the circumstances of his exit, according to a CBS proxy statement. Moonves’ pay for the year wound up at about $12.5 million.

2019 Cable Hall of Fame Celebration

Presented by The Cable Center

May 2, 2019 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, NYC

2019 Honorees

• Leslie Ellis, president, Ellis Edits, Inc.
• Phil Kent, former chairman and CEO, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
• Kyle McSlarrow, SVP, customer experience, Comcast
• Steve Miron, CEO, Advance/Newhouse
• MTV, Founding Creators
• Susan Swain and Rob Kennedy, president and co-CEOs, C-SPAN

www.cablehalloffame.com, 720-502-7500

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

 

When Calls the Heart was renewed for season seven, announced actress Eric Krakow on Twitter. The Hallmark Channel hit went on hiatus after series star Lori Loughlin was caught up in the college admissions cheating scandal, but is set to return after some “retooling” in a two-day event May 5 and May 6. Hallmark announced last month it was no longer working with Loughlin.

 

Chris Paul and his Oh Dipp!!! Productions inked an exclusive development and production partnership with Big Fish Entertainment to create content across multiple platforms. The nine-time NBA All-Star will collaborate with Big Fish Entertainment President Dan Cesareo and his team to develop a wide range of projects across the spectrum of sports and entertainment, for all platforms, including unscripted, scripted, digital, premium documentaries, short-form content and more. 

 

BET Networks ordered Lena Waithe (The Chi) comedy series Twenties. Created and written by Waithe when she was in her early 20s, the eight-parter follows the adventures of a queer black girl and her two straight best friends. In more Waithe news, the actor/writer/producer will appear in season three of HBO’s Westworld.

 

WE tv is expanding a franchise with Growing Up Hip Hop: New York, set to premiere in Summer 2019. The new edition of will follow some of New York’s hip hop royalty as they navigate love, life and famous parents. The original Growing Up Hip Hop launched in 2016 and was followed in 2017 by Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta.

 

Hilary Winston (Bad Teacher) is sticking with Sony Pictures TV. Under a new two-year deal, Winston will continue to develop projects.

 

Top 10 Weekend Domestic Box Office Estimates: April 12-14

Shazam! (WB) $25.1 million (week 2), cume revenue $94.9 million

Little (Universal) $15.5 million, opening weekend

Hellboy (Lionsgate) $12.0 million, opening weekend

Pet Sematary (Paramount) $10.0 million (week 2), cume revenue $41.1 million

Dumbo (Buena Vista) $9.2 million (week 3), cume revenue $89.9 million

Captain Marvel (Buena Vista) $8.6 million (week 6), cume revenue $386.5 million

Us (Universal) $6.9 million (week 4), cume revenue $163.5 million

After (Aviron) $6.2 million, opening weekend

Missing Link (UAR) $5.8 million, opening weekend

The Best of Enemies (STX) $2.0 million (week 2), cume reveniue $8.1 million

Source: Comscore

“We don't have enough female role models. We don't have enough visible women leaders. We don't have enough women in power.”
– Muffet McGraw | Notre Dame Women's Basketball Head Coach (April 5, 2019)

 

We want to hear about your game-changing colleagues and companies. Submit your nominations for the Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards today.

 

**Early deadline pricing ends tomorrow, April 16th.**

[Save $150 per entry. NOMINATE TODAY!]

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

 

ID’s The Face of Evil premieres Thursday, April 18 at 10p. First episode, following the case of a young woman found shot to death near a small Alaskan village, includes an explosive eyewitness revelation.

 

Fox’s First Responders Live, from producer Dick Wolf, launches Wednesday, June 12. Unscripted series will embed cameras in cities across the country to document to efforts of firefighters, police officers, EMS technicians and first responders. “With the success of our drama, 9-1-1, viewers have a strong appetite for stories based in this world,” said Rob Wade, President, Alternative Entertainment and Specials, Fox Entertainment. Josh Elliott (GMA, CBS News) will host.

 

Heard about the pink tax? According to research, women are charged more than men for similar products 42% of the time - an additional $1,1351 more annually - for services like dry cleaning, personal care and vehicle maintenance. Tired of gender disparity? It’s time to celebrate the women changing the industry and getting results. Nominate your colleagues and company for the Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards. Early nomination pricing ends tomorrow. Nominate today. The process is quick and simple.

 

Hulu’s Veronica Mars revival premieres July 26, tacking the case of murdered spring breakers. Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni and Jason Dohring return to the series, which ran on UPN and the CW from 2004-2007.

 

Thumbs up or thumbs down on last night’s Game of Thrones season eight premiere? Let us know in the Cynopsis poll: http://www.cynopsis.com/.

 

 

COMING UP

 

Synergy alert! American Idol’s Top 10 contestants are heading to Disneyland to prepare for the next phase of the competition, Disney Night. Celebrity mentor Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) who will offer advice for Disney-themed performances. Judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will perform a Disney song in Disneyland Park’s Fantasyland before theTop 10 returns to the Idol stage in LA. The magic takes place Sunday, April 21 at 8p on Disney-owned ABC.

 

Anime brand Crunchyroll and Fathom Events announced the next Crunchyroll Movie Night with the U.S. theatrical premiere of Saga of Tanya the Evil - the Movie. The film’s director, Yutaka Uemura, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the story at the premiere across over 500 participating cinemas on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30p.

 

Cynopsis Sports is excited to present this year’s Brand of the Year award to MGM Resorts. Accepting the award will be President of Interactive Gaming, Scott Butera. MGM will be honored, alongside other Luminary Award honorees and Sports Media finalists at the 8^th Annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards – April 25 in NYC. The event sells out every year, so click here to secure your seats.

 

 

ADVERTISING

 

Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard warned that despite efforts to fix the advertising infrastructure, “Ad waste and fraud continue, consumer application of ad blockers is still increasing and privacy and consumer data breaches proliferate.” Speaking to the Association of National Advertisers, of which he is chairman, Pritchard called for a new media supply chain, because “as the next half of the world’s population gets connected, it’s likely the problems will keep growing.”

 

SAG-AFTRA’s board approved new commercials contracts, with “innovative solutions to the challenges facing the advertising industry,” said David White, the union’s national executive director. Highlights include new upfront use packages to provide performers with substantial upfront payments; wage increases of 6%; increased funding to the health and retirement/pension plans; protections against sexual harassment; coverage of stunt coordinators; and a streamlined renegotiation process for commercial agents representing SAG-AFTRA members. Next step: ratification by union members.

 

 

SYNDICATION

 

Talker Face the Truth, hosted by Viveca A. Fox, has been canceled. Fellow 29 Stage Productions-produced shows The Doctors was picked up for a 12th season and DailyMailTV made it to season three.

 

 

DIGITAL DATA

 

EW launched a new Alexa Skill for its “Must List”, offering pop culture/entertainment recommendations that are all-encompassing (books, movies, tv, music, gaming, theater and more). Interactive elements include expanded content (additional interviews, fun facts, and added insight about picks); bonus content like pop culture trivia; and a "Would You Rather" mini-game.

 

 

TECH TALK

 

Wipster has added audio compatibility for .MP3, .WAV and .M4A files enabling video creators, podcasters, audio engineers, and musicians to dynamically share and receive feedback in real-time, eliminating email review from their workflow. Features include Waveform visualization for accurate feedback; time-code accurate commenting tools for reviewers; .MP3, .WAV and .M4A file compatibility; version stacking to ensure teams work off of the most up-to-date file version; and a download uncompressed file option for final file delivery approval. The new audio review feature will be available on April 16.

 

Identity platform LiveRamp announced the acquisition of consent management platform Faktor in a deal reinforcing LiveRamp's strategic focus on privacy and data stewardship in the era of GDPR. With the acquisition, LiveRamp can further help clients and partners ensure compliance as part of its larger privacy-focused suite of offerings. “With the acquisition of Faktor, we hope to send a powerful message to our customers, partners and the industry – that everyone should be informed and have control over how their data is used,” said LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe.

 

Spoken-word podcasts skew 73% male, while music podcasts skew 51% female, found a study from Future Media and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. About 80% of respondents said they listen to podcasts via mobile devices, but most listeners aren’t so mobile – on a scale of 1-5 on where people are most likely to hear podcasts, listening at home scored 3.9.

 

The internal hardware of “tens of thousands” of Facebook’s next-gen VR headset controllers have “easter egg” labels that were just meant for prototypes. Messages on final production hardware say “This Space For Rent” and “The Masons Were Here,” shared Facebook Head of VR Product Nate Mitchell via Twitter, adding, “A few dev kits shipped with ‘Big Brother is Watching’ and ‘Hi iFixit! We See You!’ but those were limited to non-consumer units.”  

 

 

CASTING

 

Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) will star opposite Matthew Rhys in HBO limited series Perry Mason, from Team Downey...Noel Fisher is returning to Showtime’s Shameless as Mickey Milkovich for season 10.

RATINGS

 

MTV’s Jersey Shore spinoff Double Shot at Love With DJ Pauly and Vinny debuted to an 0.82 rating among A18-49 on April 11, making it the number one unscripted cable series so far in 2019 in the demo.

 

In Bravo ratings news, the season finale of The Real Housewives of Atlanta delivered 1.5 million P18-49 (up +5% versus the prior week's episode), 2.9 million total viewers (up +4). Married to Medicine LA delivered 1.2 million total viewers (up +7%); Vanderpump Rules was the highest-rated episode of the season-to-date among all key demos, delivering 1.4 million P18-49 (up +14% versus the prior week's episode) and 2.3 million total viewers (up +13%); The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was the highest-rated episode of the season-to- date among P18-49 and P25-54, delivering 1.4 million P18-49 (up +8% versus the prior week's episode); and The Real Housewives of New York City delivered 2.3 million total viewers (up +6%).          

 

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions): Thursday, April 11 2019 time period averages

Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD

CBS: 5.43 million

Big Bang Theory 7.00, Young Sheldon 6.76, Big Bang Theory 6.13, Fam 4.74, S.W.A.T. 3.88

ABC: 5.08 million

Grey’s Anatomy 6.74, Station 19 5.39, For the People 3.12

NBC: 2.81 million

Superstore 3.39, A.P. Bio 2.10, Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1.92, Abby’s 1.65, Law & Order: SVU 3.90

FOX: 1.90 million

Gotham 1.23, The Orville 2.57

CW: 1.14 million

Supernatural 1.50, In the Dark 0.78

UNIVISION 0.93 million

Jesus 0.97, Mi Marido Tiene Mas Familia 0.97, Por Amar Sin Ley 0.85

TELEMUNDO: 0.91 million

Exatlon Estados Unidos 0.87, Betty en NY 0.96, La Reina del Sur 0.87

 

Thursday A18-49 Rating: ABC 1.0/5, CBS 0.8/4, NBC 0.6/3, FOX 0.5/3, TELE 0.5/2, UNI 0.4/2, CW 0.3/2

 

 

EXECUTIVE MOVES

 

Elise Henderson has joined MRC as President of Television. Henderson was previously SVP of Development for Universal Cable Productions.

 

Mike Toofer is joining MOCEAN as SVP, Growth, and Erica Coates is onboard as Executive Producer. Prior to joining MOCEAN, Toofer served as the Director of New Business at The Many, and  Coates held the title of Executive Producer at Digital Kitchen.

 

This Day in History: 1912 – The RMS Titanic sank off Newfoundland.

 

Answer to our last trivia question: What was the name of the rival high school the students on Head of the Class (1986-1991) often faced off against? Bronx High School of Science. Kudos to: Rev. Mark Wajda/Leesburg, FL, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Evan Williams-Roger Wilco Productions/New Canaan, CT, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Susan Nessanbaium-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA

 

Today's Trivia Question: The first regular episode of which show aired after Super Bowl XVII and went on to become a hit for NBC? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four.)

 

MGR, MARKETING & MEDIA INSIGHTS/Viacom/NYC: Conduct rsrch & dvlpg aud insights through a variety of qualitative/quantitative methodologies, incl Nielsen data analytics for Comedy Central, Paramount Ntwk & TV Land. 3-5 yrs related rsrch exp incl mktg & creative & Content Rsrch, preferably at a TV brand. Full info HERE (4/27)

ACCOUNT SERVICES REP/NCM/NYC: Asst acct directors w/all aspects the sales process and responsibilities as needed. Exc presentation, computer, written/verbal skills. Knwldg of the nat’l video and digital ad sales marketplaces. Exp 3 - 5 yrs of working within a sales and mktg envir or an agency. Full info HERE (4/26)

WRITER/PRODUCER/YES Network/Stamford: Responsible for writing and producing daily topical promo and image spots for the NY Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, New York City FC, & episodic promotion for other prgrmng. 5+ yrs exp in On-Air Promotions or similar agency/prod co. Full info HERE (4/26)

MGR, INTEGRATED MARKETING/AMC/NY: Solutions based account manager for cross platform sponsorships; manage RFPs, executions and communication with sales, clients and internal departments. Create pitch materials to monetize our original series and branded franchise offerings. Full info HERE (4/26)

STRATEGIST, VIDEO MONETIZATION/A + E/NYC: Oversee all rev driven AVOD content creation & release strategy across YouTube, Daily Motion, FB watch, Twitter & Snapchat. Partner w/Preditor to strategically greenlight content to max rev & support linear priorities. 4-6 yrs exp working w/digital video strategies at brand/publishing level. Full info HERE (4/26)

STRATEGIST VIDEO MONETIZATION/History/NYC: Oversee all rev driven AVOD content creation & release strategy across YouTube, Daily Motion, FB watch, Twitter & Snapchat. Partner w/Preditor to strategically greenlight content to max rev & support linear priorities. 4-6 yrs exp working w/digital video strategies at brand/publishing level. Full info HERE (4/25)

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/Nickelodeon/NY: Review scripts & provide copywriting direction to writer/producers. Must have 5+ years of experience writing on-air promotional/brand content. Must be proficient creating brand content for social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Full info HERE (4/25)

SALES RESEARCH ANALYST/Ion Media/NYC: responsible for supporting Sales organization. 3-8 yrs work exp in media or advertising analytics, i.e. TV network, advertising agency or client experience positioning data for ad sales teams and clients; ability to "tell a story" with data. Full info HERE (4/25)

DIRECTOR, MARKETING INSIGHTS (Primary Research)/Viacom/NYC: Join the Marketing & Media Insights team for Viacom. Conceptualize and conduct proprietary quantitative and qualitative studies resulting in strategic reports and actionable insights for key stakeholders. 5-7 yrs exp. Full info HERE (4/25)

ACCOUNT SERVICE REP/Crown Media Family Networks/NY: Train/mentor sales planners & sales assts. Present new prgrmng & mktg opps to clients & new bus. prospects. Negotiate scatter deals & build targeted sales pitches. Min 2 yrs sales plan’g or buying exp. Ability to create flowcharts & PP pres. BA/BS req. Full info/apply HERE (4/18)

SALES PLANNER/Crown Media Family Networks/ATL: Provide sales and support to the Ad Sales team for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries & Hallmark Drama. Maintain media schedules, build sales plans, manage added value. BA/BS & min 1 yr exp. req. Apply HERE (4/18)  

DIGITAL RESEARCH ANALYST/Crown Media Family Networks/LA: Analyze subscriber behavior for SVOD, Hallmark Movies Now.  Create, maintain & present daily, wkly &monthly reports. Track/analyze Hallmark Channel Podcast data. BA/BS & min 1 yr exp. translating complex data into bus. insights req. Apply HERE (4/18)

MGR, AD SALES PARTNERSHIPS/A+E Networks/NY: Serve as ad sales partnerships resource & thought leader in the sales dept, managing ideation & response to RFPs, creating prod knwldg one sheets based on assigned network & disciplines, knowledgeable in digital/social mktg products & tools, effectively demonstrating how they can be leveraged in strategic 360 campaigns. Full info HERE (4/18)

 

SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCER/Fox News Channel/NYC: Help produce content for all of our social media platforms. Team player with a positive attitude a must & comfortable working under pressure in a fast-paced envir. Your passion for news is bar none! Exc writing skills & 3+ yrs of exp in news, TV or web. Full info HERE (4/17)

ACCOUNT SERVICES REP /Weigel NTWRKS/CHI - Responsible for maintaining all aspects of account management for the Chicago advertising sales team and providing timely and accurate info to the sales team and to the client. BA deg or previous media exp pref’d.  MS PP, Excel, word exp a must. Full info HERE (4/16)

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT - MONDAY APRIL 15

ABC: American Idol, The Fix

CBS: The Neighborhood, Man With a Plan, The Code, Bull

CW: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow

FOX: The Resident, 9-1-1  

NBC: The Voice, The Enemy Within

PBS: Antiques Roadshow, Frontline

Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos, Betty en NY, La Reina del Sur

Univision: Mi Marido Tiene Mas Familia, Dona Flor y Sus dos Maridos [p], Por Amar Sin Ley