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| Wednesday, July 24, 2019 | |
| Good morning, this is your first early-morning briefing. Tonight’s Premieres: Comedy Central: South Side at 10:30p PBS: Ancient Skies at 8p, NOVA: The Planets at 9p Tonight’s Finale: A&E: The Employables at 10p IN THE NEWS In a strong message to Madison Avenue, NBCUniversal is going for the gold - the media conglomerate projected it would sell more than $1.2 billion in advertising for its 17 days of broadcasts of the 2020 Olympics. Dan Lovinger, EVP of ad sales for NBC Sports Group, said during a media conference the Olympics is “one of the most brand-safe environments for [advertisers’] campaigns” where families and friends gather to watch the same team. “We are pacing significantly ahead of where we were at this same point prior to the [2016] Rio Games,” he added. Lovinger said NBCU was on track “to surpass” its sales goal, which he would not reveal. NBCU sold more than $1.2 billion in national ads for its Rio Olympics telecasts. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X top the nominations for the 2019 VMAs, airing live globally on MTV Monday, August 26 at 8p. The awards show introduces new categories this year including Best K-Pop and Video for Good, and becomes the first show to reveal noms via Facebook Messenger and Twitter DMs. Showtime is releasing the premiere episodes of its Emmy-nominated titles Escape at Dannemora, Black Monday and Who Is America for free online, on various streaming platforms and on demand via Showtime’s stand-alone service Sho.com. Netflix’s Q2 subscriber-target shortfall has prompted at least two lawsuits filed on behalf of shareholders. Suits seeking class-action standing were filed Monday, July 22 alleging Netflix violated SEC regulations by failing to disclose information about the quarterly shortfall, which led to a 13 percent drop in stock price. Netflix reported a net gain of 2.7 million worldwide subscribers, nearly half as many as it has projected; notably, the quarter also saw its first net decline in US customers since 2011. Save $150 by entering the Cynopsis Model D and Digital “It List” Awards before midnight on Thursday! We hope you'll take this opportunity to submit your work as we celebrate the creative trailblazers working tirelessly and sometimes thanklessly to elevate the industry. Get started, here. Fox NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee joins trainer Nick White to host A&E’s canine competition series America’s Top Dog. Series pits police K9 teams, including the dogs from police series Live PD, against one civilian team in each ep. The teams will be tested on their speed, agility, and teamwork by completing a series of expert tasks on a complex obstacle course. Each week’s winning team will receive $10,000 and an additional $5,000 to donate to the animal charity of their choice. IFC partnered with Mad Decent on the official soundtrack for its upcoming variety sketch series Sherman’s Showcase, premiering Wednesday, July 31 at 10p. Soundtrack features full-length versions of the songs from the series and is set for digital release August 9 via LA-based label Mad Decent, founded by Diplo. The album also will be available on vinyl later this summer. |
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| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT National Geographic is back in business with James Cameron. The network at TCA unveiled new Cameron marine exploration docuseries Mission OceanX (working title) a six-ep series and cross-platform event that among teasers will take audiences aboard the maiden voyage of Alucia2 to explore the farthest frontiers of the world’s oceans, 95 percent of which are unexplored. Series will be co-produced by BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit and OceanX Media for Nat Geo… Additionally, the network is at work on two-hour special Jane Goodall: The Hope, as well as an Everest: The Greatest Mystery special. Nat Geo also talked up documentary special Women of Impact, a companion to new Nat Geo book Women: The National Geographic Image Collection. Special features nearly 40 new and archival interviews with female explorers, journalists, activists and policymakers, and will premiere this fall. Amazon put in development JNNA, a half-hour comedy from Andrew Guest, Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer/producer. From Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures TV, series is about the next big investment craze… humans. Tarek El Moussa, co-star of HGTV’s hit series Flip or Flop, will topline a new original series for the network. The 14-episode Flipping 101 w/ Tarek El Moussa will feature him mentoring real estate novices to help them learn the secrets of a successful flip. Series is slated to premiere in early 2020. El Moussa also returns for a new season of Flip or Flop alongside his ex-wife and business partner Christina Anstead on Thursday, August 1 at 9p, and his digital series Tarek’s Flip Side debuts the same day. Looking for a media job within the TV, Digital or Sports industries OR are you looking to hire a media professional? The Cynopsis Jobssite offers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. Click here to see what’s out there. Good Girls Revolt creator Dana Calvo inked a multiyear deal with Legendary Television Studios. She’ll serve as co-showrunner with Jon Spaihts on HBO Max’s Legendary’s Dune: The Sisterhood, which received a straight-to-series order from the upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service. Series is designed to co-exist with the Dune feature film in production at Warner Bros. Denis Villeneuve, who is directing and producing the new film, also is set to exec-produce the series and direct its pilot ep. Juan Alfonso, ABC Studios VP of drama development, is leaving behind his studio exec job to join Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters’ production company Fazekas & Butters. Based at ABC Studios, now part of Disney Television Studios, Alfonso will serve as head of television. Among first projects, he’ll also serve as exec producer of Fazekas & Butters’ upcoming ABC drama series Emergence. Showtime is developing an English-language remake of 100 Days To Fall In Love, the Argentinean comedy that depicts best friends Laura and Antonia, who after almost 20 years marriage each decides to take a 100-day break from their respective spouses. Series is from Paramount TV and Viacom International Studios. After the impact of its Surviving R Kelly docuseries, Lifetime is expanding the “Surviving” franchise. The network commissioned Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, which will probe the charges against billionaire financier Epstein, who’s being charged with multiple counts including sex trafficking of minors, and follow-up Surviving R Kelly: The Aftermath. The former is in development with Robert Friedman’s Bungalow Media + Entertainment in association with filmmakers Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern (The Preppy Murder); NY Times journalist Christopher Mason is also attached to the project. The latter is produced by Kreativ Inc. and will feature interviews with new survivors, psychologists and experts on the Kelly case. Forthcoming short-form service Quibi nabbed Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio to develop sci-fi thriller Transmissions. Series, set at a remote radio observatory where a scientist begins receiving eerie signals from deep space, hails from Mercurio’s indie HTM Television, a joint venture with Flack producer Hat Trick Productions. Dorsey Pictures, the Red Arrow Studios company behind Dog’s Most Wanted, is bolstering its true crime exec team and its newly acquired offices in Burbank with the appointment of producers Betsy Rott (E! True Hollywood Story) and Craig Delaval (Accident, Suicide or Murder) to lead the production team there. Additionally, the company’s Denver-based exec team will relocate to the metroplex of Castle Rock, Colorado. Rott and Delaval already work with Dorsey Pictures on Accident, Suicide or Murder for Oxygen. NEW & RETURNING SERIES T-Pain’s School of Business is back in session Tuesday, August 6 at 11p on Fuse. Season 2 will feature a new class of innovators, disruptors and startup heroes and innovations created by millennial entrepreneurs including the world's first robot-made hamburger at Alex Vardakostas’ Creator Burger. Adventurer and explorer Josh Gates explore legends that have remained unsolved for centuries in a new season of Expedition Unknown, premiering Wednesday, August 7 at 9p on Discovery Channel. In addition, Gates will kick off Shark Week 2019 and dive into shark-infested waters to unravel what happened to the mighty Megalodon on a special ep airing Sunday, July 28 at 8p. USA dropped a trailer for the upcoming second season of The Purge, due this fall, and it’s a nail-biter. “Commencing at the siren, all crime will be legal for 12 continuous hours” is the opening statement for the new season of the show based on the movie franchise, from Blumhouse Television and UCP. Nat Geo Wild announced September 8 as the premiere date for its new six-part series Dog: Impossible with dog behavior specialist Matt Beisner. Series, produced by High Noon Entertainment, tells second-chance pooch stories. Meanwhile, sister Nat Geo unleashed premiere dates for two new series: Activate: The Global Citizen Movement, a six-part docuseries about the social action platform, will drop September 5. Globe-trotting archeology series Lost Cities with Albert Lin is slated to launch October 21. COMING UP NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers will air live Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31 at 12:35a following the second Democratic presidential debates. Guests on the July 30 telecast include Wanda Sykes, and guests on July 31 include Chris Hayes. Stand-up comedy specials series Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready will begin streaming globally on Netflix in August. Featuring six comedians personally selected by the actor/comedian, specials will be hosted by Haddish, who also exec-produces with Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz. Featured comics are Chaunte Wayans (50 Shades of Black), April Macie (Snoop Dogg’s Bad Girls of Comedy), Tracey Ashley (The Last O.G.), Aida Rodriguez (Last Comic Standing), Flame Monroe (Def Comedy Jam) and Marlo Williams (BET’s ComicView). Oxygen will debut Manson: The Women on Saturday, August 10 at 7p. Two-hour special dives into the psyches of the women who were charmed by Charles Manson and formed his family through the lens of the ‘60s counterculture movement. On Sunday, August 25, to help kick off college football season, Antenna TV will air the “College Kickoff with Coach” marathon of 34 classic Coach eps. Showtime Documentary Films will premiere Sid & Judy, which explores the dramatic career and personal struggles of Judy Garland, on Friday, October 18 at 8p. Narrated by Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh, doc explores the tumultuous marriage between Garland and Sid Luft, and includes rare concert footage, never-heard voice recordings and personal photos. Project is from director Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, We Are X), producer Diane Becker and John Battsek (Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars). Lifetime set Saturday, October 19 at 8p for the premiere of movie Patsy & Loretta, starring Megan Hilty (Smash, The Good Wife) as music legend Patsy Cline and Grammy winner Jessie Mueller (Broadway's Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as country icon Loretta Lynn. In a deal with MIBE Music, Reelz secured tattoo doc The Illustrated Man, which the network will premiere in the early fall. Directed by Sophy Holland, the film features celeb and fashion icons including Dave Navarro and the late “Zombie Boy” Rico Genest. The crown: NBC set Thursday, December 19 at 8p for the live telecast of the 2020 Miss America Competition, originating at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. The competition will follow the 51 candidates as they compete for scholarships to be used to continue their efforts toward community service and education. Event aired last year on ABC. TECH TALK Snapchat parent Snap Inc. handily bested Wall Street’s Q2 forecasts, reporting a loss of 6 cents a share and revenue of $388 million. Company’s revenue estimate was for a shade less than $360 million. Snap reported it added 13 million daily active users during the second quarter, reaching 203 million—the biggest gain for the company since Q2 2016. Bustle Digital Group acquired Inverse, geared toward an young-male audience with content about science, tech and culture, the latest in a string of eight acquisitions. Inverse was founded in 2015 by CEO Dave Nemetz, who previously co-founded Bleacher Report. Popstar! TV is launching a weekend block on streaming network Youtoo America beginning in October. Part of Popstar! Magazine, Popstar! Weekends will target the demographic ages F18-26 demo and will include original series such as drama The Agency, comedy This Just In and Tainted Dreams, described as a soap within a soap that follows the show’s backstage antics. Pandora opened its mobile voice control to all its iOS and Android users following beta incubation. New feature allows users to ask for songs, albums, playlists, stations and soundtracks for activities or times of day via voice commands, which will tie in with users’ personalized settings. STREAMING Free streaming platform Pluto TV launched three new channels: Eleven Sports Network, Totally Turtles and River Monsters. The former delivers sports and lifestyle entertainment, including the Kontinental Hockey League, Liga ACB, Big Sky Conference, Southland Conference, Drone Championship League Jr. and NBA coverage. KIDS NEWS Disney Channel ordered animated series The Curse of Molly McGee, a buddy comedy about tween optimist Molly McGee and grumpy ghost Scratch. From the duo of Bill Motz and Bob Roth (LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures), who serve as exec producers with Steve Loter (Kim Possible), series originates at Disney Television Animation. Disney Channel also signed a number of creators and artists to overall development deals. Among them: Bruce Smith (The Proud Family), Jeff Howard (Planes), Kate Kondell (The Pirate Fairy), Stevie Wermers (Prep & Landing), Kevin Deters (Prep & Landing), Howy Parkins (The Lion Guard), Amy Higgins (Star vs. The Forces of Evil), Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton (Prince of Peoria), Noah Z. Jones (Pickle & Peanut) and Mike Roth (Regular Show). Two series are on the runway at Discovery Family. Worst Cooks in America makes its network debut Tuesday, September 3 at 7p, andTanked swims over to Discovery Family beginning Sunday, September 8 with new fish tank marvels. Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana launched a Mandarin YouTube Channel, Red Bear Animation featuring several of the company’s series such as Super BooMi and Mysticons. BRANDS & ADVERTISING AT&T’s Xandr advertising unit added A&E, AMC and Cheddar to its Community marketplace for advertisers, publishers and consumers. The curated marketplace enables advertisers to reach audiences at scale in a brand-safe, privacy-protected, premium video environment. “At its core, Community is all about helping our content partners succeed in getting the best value for their premium content,” said Brian Lesser, CEO of Xandr. For more, see Cynopsis Techfront News. PODCAST POSTS Spotify’s latest true crime podcast series, Summer of ’69, is all about the mysteries, conspiracies and notorious events that occurred 50 years ago this summer. Eight eps are available to stream for free, including stories around the Zodiac Killings, the death and downfall of Judy Garland and assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. CASTING Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures, Moonlight) will headline the second season of Amazon’s psychological thriller drama series Homecoming… Juliet Rylance (McMafia) is set as a series regular and Andrew Howard (The Oath), Eric Lange (Narcos), Robert Patrick (True Blood) and Stephen Root (Barry) scored recurring roles opposite Matthew Rhys and John Lithgow in HBO limited series Perry Mason. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HBO Europe gave the green light to crime caper Tuff Money (Bani Negri), a six-part series from Cristian Mungiu’s Mobra Films. Daniel Sandu is writer and director on the Romanian project, which follows two lovable losers, whose joke about being able to commit the perfect crime backfires when they find themselves forced into actually having to commit the robbery. In Chile, the Santiago Interntional Film Festival is adding a TV track. Called Sanfic Series, it will focus on drama series and premiere at the fest in August with the South American premiere of the first two eps of the show Invisible Heroes. |
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| RATINGS The season 2 finale of HBO’s Big Little Lies drew nearly 2 million Total Viewers during its initial broadcast. The 1.98 million figure is the highest initial viewership for the series to date. The second season premiere garnered 2.5 million viewers combined in both linear airings and on streaming options HBO Go and HBO Now. In syndication, order in the court resumed after weeks of schedule upheaval due to the Women’s World Cup. Judge Judy returned to dominance, outperforming all of syndication in the session ending July 14 despite being in reruns for part of the frame. Magazines were also lively with five of the top six boasting significant improvement. Compared to last year Access (1.1) was up the most, growing 10% both annually and weekly to climb into a tie with TMZ (1.1, unchanged). Also moving up sharply were Extra (0.9, up 13%) and Daily Mail TV (0.9, up 13%). Inside Edition (2.6, up 8%) and Entertainment Tonight (2.5, up 9%) set the pace in the category. Top 10 Broadcast Programs Among A18-49 ratings/share for the week of July 15 ABC: The Bachelorette (7/15) 1.7/9 NBC: America’s Got Talent (7/16) 1.5/8 CBS: Big Brother (7/21) 1.1/6 CBS: Big Brother (7/17) 1.0/5 CBS: Big Brother (7/18) 1.0/5 ABC: Celebrity Family Feud (7/21) 0.9/5 NBC: Bring the Funny (7/16) 0.9/5 NBC: American Ninja Warrior (7/15) 0.9/4 FOX: MasterChef (7/17) 0.8/4 ABC: The $100,000 Pyramid (7/21) 0/7.4 ABC: The Lion King: Can You Feel the Love (7/16) 0.7/4 ABC: Press Your Luck (7/17) 0.7/4 Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of July 8 ranked in order by HH Rtg Judge Judy (CTD) 6.3 AA Family Feud (2/T) 5.9AA Jeopardy (CTD) 5.6 AA Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.2 AA The Big Bang Theory (WB) 3.9 AA Inside Edition (CTD) 2.6AA Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 2.5 AA Dr. Phil (CTD) 2.2 AA Last Man Standing (2/T) 2.1 AA Hot Bench (AT) 2.0 AA Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of July 8 ranked in order by A18-49 Rtg Family Feud (2/T) 1.4 AA Judge Judy (CTD) 1.2 AA The Big Bang Theory (WB) 1.3 AA Jeopardy (CTD) 0.9 AA Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 0.9 AA Family Guy (2/T) 0.7 AA Last Man Standing 0.6 Entertainment Tonight (AT) 0.5 AA Inside Edition (AT) 0.5 AA Modern Family (2/T) 0.5 AA Basic Cable Top 5 – Primetime (P2+) ratings for the week of July 15 FNC: 2.56 million MSNBC: 1.66 million HGTV: 1.28 million Hallmark Channel: 1.20 million TBS: 1.11 million *Corresponding Data from Nielsen Media Research Basic Cable Top 5 – Total Day (P2+) ratings for the week of July 15 FNC: 1.39 million MSNBC: 921,000 Nickelodeon: 751,000 Hallmark Channel: 708,000 Investigation Discovery: 695,000 *Corresponding Data from Nielsen Media Research Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions): Monday, July 22 time period averages Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD ABC: 5.34 million The Bachelorette 6.59, Grand Hotel 2.84 NBC: 4.49 million American Ninja Warrior 4.70, Dateline 4.06 CBS: 2.64 million Love Island 2.00, Bull 3.05 FOX: 2.21 million Beat Shazam 2.48, So You Think You Can Dance 1.94 Telemundo: 1.48 million Poquito Tuyo .85, Betty En NY 1.66, Reina del Sur 1.92 Univision: 1.10 million Reina Soy Yo 1.13, Rosa de Guadelupe 1.07, Por Amar sin Ley 1.13 CW: 0.96 million Penn & Teller: Fool Us 1.21, Whose Line Is it Anyway? 0.86, Whose Line Is it Anyway? 0.81 Monday A18-49 Rating ABC 1.3/7, NBC 0.8/4, TELE .6/3, FOX 0.5/3, CBS 0.3/2, UNI .3/2, CW 0.2/1 EXECUTIVE MOVES Two key exec appointments at Nickelodeon. The kids and family net has a new CMO in Jenny Wall, who most recently was CMO at Gimlet Media, a Spotify company. Additionally, Emmy-winning producer Eryk Casemiro joins as SVP of Nickelodeon Preschool. Casemiro will continue to serve as an exec producer for Nickelodeon’s forthcoming reboot of Rugrats. He was a producer on the original series, and most recently was chief creative officer for Zodiak Kids Studios, David Brownfield has been tapped as EVP, programming at Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment, which is based at Universal TV. Former longtime CBS exec Brownfield most recently was EVP for The Mark Gordon Co. Fitness tech company Peloton hired Karina Kogan as SVP and GM of Peloton Digital. Kogan previously served as SVP of digital media & products for TBS & TNT, Turner. Acorn TV, AMC Networks' UK and international streaming service, appointed former Filmstruck exec Kerensa Samanidis to the newly created role of GM of Acorn TV International. This Day in History 1969 - The Apollo 11 astronauts splashed safely down in the Pacific Ocean. Answer to our last trivia question In which sitcom were the main characters astronauts who traveled the universe in a winged car nicknamed the Space Hoopty? Homeboys in Outer Space (1996-97). Kudos to: Bill Graff-beIN Sports/Miami; Michael Hochman-Bowling Alley Lunch Entertainment/Bucks County, PA; Corey Lambert-Showtime Networks/NY; Allison Ratliff-PBS/Arlington, VA; Matthew Willence-ITN Networks/NY; Charlie Conner-KOKI / KMYT/Tulsa, OK; Kathleen Cromie-Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Burbank; Anita Johnson-NBCUniversal/Universal City, CA; BobTelford-SAG-AFTRA/Valley Village, CA Today's Trivia Question In which season did MTV series The Real World return to its original location of NY? (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 correct answers from each time zone will be selected.). |
Cynopsis Team
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| WEDNESDAY JULY 24 ABC: Press Your Luck, Card Sharks, Match Game CBS: Love Island, Big Brother, S.W.A.T. CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Jane the Virgin FOX: MasterChef, First Responders Live NBC: Ellen’s Game of Games, Songland, The InBetween PBS: The This Old House Hour, Grantchester on Masterpiece Telemundo: Un Poquito Tuyo, Betty en NY, La Reina del Sur Univision: La Reina Soy Yo, La Rosa de Guadelupe, Por Amar Sin Ley |
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