CYNOPSIS

Good morning. It’s Friday August 3, 2018 and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:

Comedy Central: Kevin Hart Presents: The Next Level at 11p

Discovery: Mad Dog Made at 10p

HBO: Animals at 11:30p, Random Acts of Flyness at 12a

HGTV: Tiny Paradise at 9p

WE tv: David Tutera’s CELEBrations at 10p

Tonight’s Finale:

CBS: Quantico at 8p

Saturday’s Premieres:

Great American Country: Texas Flip N Move at 8p

Oxygen: Cold Justice at 6p

Saturday’s Finales:

Food Network: Comfort Food Tour at 8:30p

ID: Fear Thy Neighbor at 10p

Sunday’s Premieres:

E!: Keeping Up With the Kardashians at 9p

Food: Ultimate Summer Cook-Off at 8p

Hallmark: Chesapeake Shores at 9p

MTV: Ridiculousness at 8p

Reelz: Ted Bundy: Serial Monster at 9p

TLC: 90 Day Fiance at 8p, Unexpected at 10p

Sunday’s Finales:

Bravo: The Real Housewives of Potomac at 8p

Food: Food Network Star at 9p

HBO: Succession at 10p

PBS: The Tunnel at 10:37p

Smithsonian Channel: Hell Below at 9p

IN THE NEWS

Discovery Channel’s documentary Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow will debut in theaters prior to its television premiere. Fathom Events has set screenings for Saturday, September 29 and Wednesday, October 3, and include a special introduction from director, producer and narrator Rory Kennedy. The doc will also have a limited theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles, beginning Friday, October 5, premiering on Discovery Channel and Science Channel on Saturday, October 13.

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Fox TV Group chairmen and CEOs, discussed the vision for “New Fox” at the Television Critics Association panel on Thursday. Namely, that it would be significantly reducing its dependence on 20^th Century Fox TV – which Disney would acquire in its pending Fox deal - this coming development season, after having 90% of its scripted development come from the studio last year. Walden noted that the goal was to have a “well-rounded schedule with hits from everywhere.”

Newman noted that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is “not on an incredibly fast track, but we’re hopeful.” Last month, it was announced that Midnight Texas creator Monica Owusu-Breen would write, executive produce and serve as showrunner on the reboot, which would star an African American lead as the slayer.

Despite all the knocks about the integrity of TV news outlets, television is still the number one go-to source Americans use to form opinions on key issues facing the nation, according to a new report released by the Video Advertising Bureau. Based on a survey of over 1000 American voters conducted in June by Research Now, the report notes that regardless of party affiliation, occupation or demographic skew, TV is the source for two-thirds or more of voters. The study also found that political ads on TV are most likely to get the attention of voters and help them form their opinions.

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are returning for the 11^th time to host The 52^nd Annual CMA Awards live from Nashville on Wednesday, November 14 at 8p on ABC. Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay and Sugarland will reveal several of the final nominees live on Good Morning America on Tuesday, August 28.

Also on the awards front, MTV announced that Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes and Logic with Ryan Tedder will take the stage at the 2018 VMAs. Ceremony airs live from Radio City Music Hall on Monday, August 20 at 9p.

ESPN secured a landmark deal with boxing promoter Top Rank that will yield 54 events per year, as well as exclusive shoulder programming, classic fights and studio content. The seven-year agreement, which runs from 2018 to 2025, is billed as the most comprehensive, exclusive rights deal in the history of boxing.

Women in Cable Telecommunications announced the 2018 Woman of the Year - Operator, Italia Commisso Weinand, EVP, Programming and Human Resources, Mediacom Communications Corporation, and Woman of the Year - Programmer, Mary Campbell, Chief Merchandising & Interactive Officer, Qurate Retail Group.

Leaders in the charge for consistent measurement in the video world gathered in NYC yesterday for the Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference. Two key players advancing the discussion were honored for their prescience, integrity and imprint on a fast-evolving industry: Turner Ad Sales President Donna Speciale, who was presented with the Groundbreaker Award, and George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of Media Rating Council, who received the Hall of Fame Award. (Special shout-outs to sponsors GroupM, Nielsen,News Corp,Ultimate Data,Discovery, DataPlusMath, 605,TV Time and Ad Club.)

Sessions covered the state of third-party measurement, ad attention as a metric, what advertisers are looking for, brand safety and more. “There are lot of issues today,” said George Ivie, moderating the first panel of the day, “What Exactly Is the State of Third-Party Measurement” – measuring outcome versus impressions and rapidly changing consumer behavior, for starters. Highlights of the event included Speciale talking about the importance of retiring antiquated measurement tactics: “Challenging the marketplace to think differently is the core of Turner’s DNA, as it is mine.”….”We feel uncomfortable with the state of measurement,” said Sarah Morphis from Del Monte Foods during the panel on “What Advertisers Want.” On the same panel, Michele Donati of Horizon Media noted the importance of transparency: “Advertisers want simplicity”…. “Get into multi-touch if you aren’t already,” urged Oath’s Doug Sharp during the panel on mobile….Moderating the brand safety session, 4As EVP Louis Jones pointed out that in addition to damage that can come to brands, “We need to need to think about the harm that may come to consumers.”…Another thing we need? “To be looking at scaling solutions across the industry,” offered Ad-ID’s Harold Geller during the “Attribution, Where Are You?” session….So, ”What to Do With All That Data”? In the day’s final session, the VAB’s Danielle DeLauro said, “The key is to make sure you’re not just measuring short-term outcomes, but you’re measuring long-term outcomes.”

Attendees got a break from the deep dive into metrics when truTV’s Paid Off host, Michael Torpey, led the crowd for a TV trivia game (quick – what was Joey’s favorite sandwich on Friends?). The event ended with a talk from GroupM chief product officer Jack Smith, who had an illuminating discussion with Michael Wolf, founder of Activate, about art, science and the evolution of traditional media.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

LEADING SEISMIC CHANGE
CTHRA’s HR Symposium
October 1-2, 2018 in Philadelphia
Brace yourself for a high-impact learning and networking experience! Four industry CHROS, Dr. Lois Frankel and several dynamic speakers will share practical knowledge related to design thinking, digital HR, unconscious bias, change management and more. With 275 attendees, the HR Symposium is the industry’s largest gathering of HR professionals. Register at www.CTHRASymposium.com .

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Viceland greenlit American Junkie, a 10-episode docu-reality series about the country’s opioid crisis. The project, a spinoff of indie feature documentary American Relapse from filmmaker Pat McGee and Jenny Daly’s T Group Productions, is set to premiere on Tuesday, September 12 at 10p.

FOX announced orders for three new series at its TCA panel yesterday. Mental Samurai, hosted and produced by Rob Lowe, is being described as the first-ever obstacle course for the mind. From Warner Horizon Unscripted & Alternative Television and Arthur Smith’s A. Smith & Co. Productions, it’s slated to premiere during the 2018-2019 season.

The network is also moving forward with celebrity singing competition The Masked Singer, based on the hit South Korean format. Nick Cannon will host, with the show also featuring Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke. A January 2019 is slated.

Last but not least, FOX is proceeding with a high-stakes show titled Spin the Wheel. Co-created and executive produced by Justin Timberlake and hosted by Dax Shepard, competition offers contestants a chance to win over $20 million per episode.

Nickelodeon is developing Meet the Voxels (wt), an original virtual and augmented reality series from Chris Young, Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab.

Jill Scott (Why Did I Get Married?, Baggage Claim) and Michelle Buteau (Broad City, Key & Peele) are set as two of the leads in Paramount Network’s First Wives Club. The dramedy series is based on the 1996 film from Paramount Pictures and hails from Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) and Paramount Television.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Bravo Media’s Married to Medicine returns Sunday, September 2 at 8p

A&E Network tells the stories and explores the triumphs of families raising adolescents with Tourette Syndrome in six-part docuseries Raising Tourette’s. Premieres Wednesday, August 15 at 10p, following the season premiere of Born This Way at 8p.

Lackluster Southern homes get a complete overall from house flippers Ken and Anita Corsini in the sophomore season of Flip or Flop Atlanta, bowing Thursday, September 13 at 9p on HGTV.

TLC gets a little bit country with new series Little Life on the Prairie. Show follows a little couple’s pregnancy journey while they adjust to country life and running a farm. Debuts Monday, August 20 at 10p.

COMING UP

NOVA joins the Department of Defense and an international expedition team in NOVA LAST B-24, premiering Wednesday, November 7 at 9p on PBS (check local listings).

Disney Channel new original movie, Freaky Friday, starring Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Heidi Blickenstaff, debuts Friday, August 10 at 8p.

DISTRIBUTION

Television Dominicana reached a multi-year deal with Dominican Professional Baseball Winter League to air games on the network. Beginning October, viewers will have access to up to seven games per week. The 2018-2019 regular season will run through December with playoffs starting in January.

CASTING

Michael Kelly (House of Cards) landed a series regular role on Season 2 of Amazon Prime’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan… Julia Ormand will star in BBC One drama Gold Digger… Donald Faison (Ray Donovan) and Eric Nelsen (A Walk Among the Tombstones) landed key series regular roles in USA Network’s crime thriller pilot Erase… Kaitlin Olson (The Mick) is returning to FOX as the co-star opposite Leah Remini in an untitled comedy pilot.

DIGITAL DATA

Comcast and Amazon have reached an agreement to launch Prime Video on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform, giving Xfinity TV. It’s the first time Amazon Prime Video content would be integrated on an MVPD platform in the US. The plan is similar to Netflix and YouTube’s integrations on X1, giving the #1 U.S. cable distributor more digital options than its competitors.

Apple has become the first publicly private-sector company in history to reach $1 trillion in market valuation. The company’s share price jumped earlier in the week, following a record June earnings report fueled by IPhone sales and growth in other parts of the company. On Thursday, Apple’s shares were trading at $206.81.

Smithsonian Channel officially launched its 4K On Demand Model with DirecTV. The channel was the first linear US network to offer a 4K On Demand model to MVPDs in 2017, and has already launched 4K content with Layer3 TV/T-Mobile, Altice USA and DISH network.

Crunchyroll premiered its first documentary, featuring Green Bay Packers defensive end Michael Daniels Jr., on Thursday, August 2. He Was Anime focuses on the impact anime has had on Daniels’ life, childhood and career. “For our first documentary project, we couldn’t have asked for a better subject than Pro Bowler Mike Daniels. On top of his fame, Mike embodies the joy and appreciation within the anime community and illustrates what a positive impact anime can have on its fans,” Jennifer Corbett, Head of Audience Development and Brand, Crunchyroll, tells Cynopsis. “You could never exhaust the endless hours of anime on Crunchyroll, but I believe there is an opportunity to present more high-quality content about the anime fans love. No other players in our space are doing this in the way that Crunchyroll can. We hope stories like He Was Anime delight fans and intrigue new viewers to see what the hype is all about!”

CuriosityStream announced a new, sponsored-supported “showcase” service designed for free universal consumer OTT access and distribution partner use as global subscribers near the one million mark. CuriosityStream SHOWCASE is available globally. Sprint is the first of six category-exclusive brands on the re-launched platform, which will also include five other exclusive sponsors before the year’s end in categories like automotive, insurance, banking, pharmaceuticals and aerospace.

Kin added new talent and programming to its “neighborhood” network, comprised of interconnected family-friendly channels across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram TV and Amazon. The lifestyle entertainment company signed Jordin Sparks (American Idol) and The Bachelorette’s JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers and unveiled plans for Vanessa Lachey’s debut series, Beauty School Knockout.

GOING GLOBAL

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Spelthorne Community Television is producing Outrageously Funny for Viacom’s Channel 5 in the UK. The six-part show will feature Britain’s most boundary-pushing comedians (because, Sacha).

NBC Universal International Formats secured a deal with Fuji TV to remake Suits in Japan. It’s the second adaptation for the USA Network legal drama, which also sold the format to KBS in South Korea. The Japanese version is being produced by Fuji TV with Kyodo Television and will debut in October.

DHX Brands inked nine new consumer products licensees for its Teletubbies brand in South Korea, following the recent launch of the new Teletubbies series on the country’s leading public broadcaster KBS and on streaming services Naver TV and Naver Junior.

All3Media International builds on the success of The Broken Mysteries in Europe with German broadcaster DAS ERSTE picking up the hit detective drama from South Pacific Pictures.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CALLING DIGITAL’S TOP INNOVATORS

We're searching for the most innovative executives in digital media who excel in digital content, marketing, advertising, social media to take their place on Cynopsis Digital's "It List." These are the people who shake up the status quo and are shaping digital media's future. Honorees will be announced in early September and the awards event will take place on Friday, November 9th at ThreeSixty in Manhattan. Questions? Contact Cathy Pearson at 203.899.8470.

Nominate by AUG 8

RATINGS

Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County delivered 1.3MM P18-49 (up 3% versus the prior week’s episode) and 2.4MM Total Viewers (up 1%). In addition, Below Deck Mediterranean was the third-highest episode of the series to date among P18-49 garnering 12.MM P18-49 (up 13% versus the prior week’s episode), 1.4MM P25-54 (up15%) and 2.3MM Total Viewers (up 9%)

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions) Wednesday, August 1, 2018 time period averages

Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD

CBS: 3.76 million

Big Brother 5.57, SEAL Team 2.70, Criminal Minds 3.01

NBC: 3.72 million

World of Dance 5.26, Reverie 2.18

FOX: 2.90 million

MasterChef 3.48, Gordon Ramsey’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back 2.31

ABC: 2.36 million

The Goldbergs 2.96, The Goldbergs 2.37, Modern Family 2.32, American Housewife 2.02, Shark Tank 2.14

TELE: 1.00 million

Exation 0.65, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso 1.07, El Senor de los Cielos 1.27

UNI: 0.89 million

Rico y Lazaro 1.07, La Bella y Las Bestias 0.90, El Piloto 3 0.70

CW: 0.85 million

Burden of Proof 0.83, The Originals 0.87

Wednesday A19-49 Analysis: NBC 0.9/5, CBS 0.8/4, FOX 0.8/4, ABC 0.6/3, TELE 0.7/3, UNI 0.4/2, CW 0.3/1

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Kevin Wildes joined ABC’s Good Morning America as Executive Producer of GMA Day. He was previously Vice President of Original Content at ESPN.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Have you checked out our new Esports website?

Unveiling our newest endeavor, a new online hub centered on the business of esports: cynopsisesports.com . The destination will serve as a comprehensive source and research tool for anyone in the esports and media community looking to stay one step ahead of this rapidly growing, billion dollar industry.

BOOKMARK THE WEBSITE

Friday Fun Fact: A report by the Mayo Clinic found that chewing gum can burn 11 calories per hour.

This Day in History: 2004 – The Statue of Liberty was reopened for tourists for the first time since the September 11 attacks.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: Spinoff AfterMASH (1983-1985) continued the stories of which three M*A*S*H characters? Colonel Potter, Klinger and Father Mulcahy. Kudos to: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Andrew Goldman-Ozones Media Network/NYC; Gary Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Laurie Ulster-TrekMovie.com/NYC; Tom Galloway-Raycom Media/Montgomery, AL; John Kukla-KDFW FOX 4/Dallas, TX; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX; Kristin Staskowski-Spectrum Reach/Birmingham, AL; Dale Warshaw-KMSB-KTTU/Tucson, AZ; Greg Stewart/Los Angeles, CA; David Westburg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank, CA; John Ferlazzo/London, England

Today’s Drama Trivia Question: Who guest-starred as a Neil Diamond impersonator on 3^rd Rock from the Sun (1996-20010)? (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.)

Answer to Our Last Anagram: Weds Sick Dish = Swedish Dicks. Kudos to: Charlene White-A+E Networks/Stamford, CT; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/Los Angeles, CA.

Today’s Anagram: Regrets Hip Show (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer; first three respondents with the correct answer who aren’t in trivia will be posted in tomorrow’s newsletter.)

Lynn Leahey Editorial Director @Lynn_Leahey
Roberta Caploe Publisher @robertacaploe	Diane K Schwartz Senior Vice President Media Communications Group	Cynopsis Ad Sales Mike Farina \| 203-218-6480 VP, Sales	Cynopsis Job Listings Sales Trish Pihonak \| 203-899-8459 Director of Operations

CYNOPSISJOBS - For More jobs, please visit Cynopsis.com

JOB OF THE DAY

DIRECTOR, SALES (esports)
theScore
NYC

We create highly-engaging digital content that empowers the esports fan’s exp. Conceive/sell brand integrations & custom orig videos. Identify new business oppor. Execute campaign mngmnt strategies/plans. Close deals! 4+ yrs esports sales/BD exp.

For full info/apply HERE

JOB OPENING: AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST/NYC: Dvlp/optimize mktg campaigns to grow audience/viewer engagmt; create message/assets to support efforts. 4+ yrs dig. mktg/publicity/aud engmt exp. Strong writing & verbal skills; knwlg of web & soc analytics, SEO & exp mging multiplat campaigns. Full info/apply HERE(8/10)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER/EDITOR/NBCU/NYC: We are looking for a smart, enthusiastic and prolific producer who can write and produce daily news segments that will help shape the future of news. Thorough knowledge of current events, U.S. politics, and pop culture. 5+ yrs exp pref’d working on live daily shows or in & around a control room brdcst/cable. Full info/apply HERE (8/10)

JOB OPENING: NEWSROOM MANAGER/NBCU/DC: Support our DC NBC News Bureau. Lead and Manage the Desk Assistant Program. Create a great talent pipeline for MSNBC and NBC News. Recruit, train and coach 15 Desk Assts. BA deg & 4 yrs editorial and/or production exp. Full info/apply HERE (8/10)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, SALES (esports)/theScore/NYC: We create highly-engaging digital content that empowers the esports fan’s exp. Conceive/sell brand integrations & custom orig videos. Identify new business oppor. Execute campaign mngmnt strategies/plans. Close deals! 4+ yrs esports sales/BD exp. For full info/apply HERE (8/9)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, BUSINESS AFFAIRS/Eko/NYC: Media/tech co. pioneering a new medium seeks Dir, Bus. Affairs to play a key role in shaping our relationships w/our key content partners. Oversee deal structure/negotiation w/prod partners. Min 5-7 yrs exp prod partnerships at a film/TV/media co. Full info/apply HERE (8/9)

JOB OPENING: GRAPHIC DESIGNER/Female Quotient/LA: Fine-tune an existing color pallet and brand guide to build & evolve our organization both digitally and experientially. 3-5 yrs visual design experience, Mac proficient, expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote and Mailchimp. Full info/apply HERE (8/9)

JOB OPENING: FREE-LANCE EDITOR (PART-TIME)/CharmTV/Baltimore: CharmTV is seeking a free-lance Editor to work on editing projects and produced content. Candidates should have experience with Final Cut X and Adobe After Effects. Resumes and portfolios should be sent to charmtv@baltimorecity.gov (8/9)

JOB OPENING: ANIMATION GRAPHIC DESIGNER (PART-TIME)/CharmTV/Baltimore: CharmTV is seeking a free-lance Animation Graphic Designer for opens and on-screen graphics. Candidates should have experience with Motion and Adobe After Effects. Resumes and portfolios should be sent to charmtv@baltimorecity.gov (8/8)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, PRODUCT ANALYTICS/MUSIC CHOICE TV/NYC: Resp for product analysis & consumer insights to the organization & will partner in support of consumer product & sales initiatives. 5+ yrs product analysis experience preferably w/in music industry or cable industry. Full info HERE (8/8)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCT MGR/EPIX/NYC: Create powerful, customer-focused video exp’s w/strong focus on e-comm & analytics. Provide our users w/best video exp that reflects the great content our brand carries. 3+ yrs exp mnging tech projects, 4+yrs exp w/Agile or Lean methodologies. Full info/apply HERE (8/8)

JOB OPENING: WRITER(CONTRACTOR)/E! ONLINE/CA: Pitch & write daily articles/features/photo galleries w/focus on People’s Choice Awards content. Prepare & manage voting categories. Extensive day-of & weekend coverage w/some off-hours. FT, temp position. To apply email e.online@nbcuni.com w/subject line “Writer, E! Online” (8/8)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH SUPERVISOR/TVB/NYC: With strong analytical skills to translate secondary research data into compelling stories that advocate for local TV. Interact with TVB stations, agencies and assess measurement changes in industry. Min 5-7 years agency or TV experience. Full info/apply HERE (8/7)

JOB OPENING: VP, CLIENT SERVICES/Direct Avenue Inc/San Diego: Own/manage client satisfaction & retention, billing & performance targets & dvlp/execute on strategies that will exceed targets. Min 15 yrs exp client services in agency envir, pref TV media. Proven exp in setting goals. Core Direct & Tableau exp. Full info/apply HERE(8/7)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR, INTEGRATED SALES MKTG/ION MEDIA/NYC: Support sales team by dvlpng/executing creative on-air/digital sponsorships & branded content to leverage incremental revenue and new business from ntwrk advertisers. 3-4 yrs of mktg/Partnerships exp for a brdcst or cable network. 1-2 yrs exp TV prod. Full info/apply HERE (8/7)

JOB OPENING: SR SALES PLANNER/ION MEDIA/Clearwater FL: Anchor a newly created dept & dvlp policies and procedures to ensure financial integrity of the organization. 4-yr degree w/5+ yrs Local Ad Sales exp in Pricing & Inventory ad sales plan’g and/or systems admin strongly pref'd. Full info/apply HERE (8/7)

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT - FRIDAY AUGUST 3

ABC: Quantico [f], What Would You Do?, 20/20

CBS: TKO: Total Knockout, Whistleblower, Bluebloods

CW: Masters of Illusion, Masters of Illusion, Penn & Teller: Fool Us

FOX: The Resident, The Orville

NBC: American Ninja Warrior, Dateline NBC

PBS: Washington Week, Breaking Big, The Great British Baking Show, Brandi Carlile in Concert – A Bluegrass Underground Special

Telemundo: Exation Estados Unidos, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso, El Senor de los Cielos

Univision: El rico y Lazaro, La Bella y Las Bestias, La Piloto