Good morning. It’s Wednesday October 4, 2017 and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:

Bravo: The Real Housewives of New Jersey at 9p

DIY: Rehab Addict at 9p

ID: Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent at 9p

Lifetime: Little Women: Dallas at 9p

PBS: Nature at 8p, Frontline at 10p

Travel: Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrials at 9p, Expedition Unknown: After the Hunt at 10p

Velocity: Wheeler Dealers at 9p

Tonight’s Finales:

Great American Country: Going RV at 9p

HGTV: Property Brothers: Buying & Selling at 9p

IN THE NEWS

NBC’s Saturday Night Live delivered its second-most-watched season premiere in 9 years (after 2016’s election-fueled opener). The telecast, hosted by Ryan Gosling with musical guest Jay-Z, averaged 7.1 million viewers and a 1.95 rating among A18-49.

Two episodes in, ABC drama The Good Doctor, the #1 new broadcast drama this season, landed a full-season pickup. The debut telecast jumped by 5.5 million viewers, to 16.9 million, making it the biggest debut for any new series on the network in 3 years.

Out of respect for the victims of Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, The CW has postponed the broadcast of the iHeartRadio Music Festival, originally slated for tonight and Thursday. Part of the festival took place September 22 and 23 in the same location as the massacre that claimed 59 lives.

Wells Fargo media analyst Marci Ryvicker minced no words responding a story in TheStreet that said Fox is considering merging its station group with Ion Media’s. “This is a complete overreaction based on no underlying research, data or factual information,” said Ryvicker. The Street story tied a possible Fox/Ion union to Sinclair’s pending merger with Tribune Media, which would give Sinclair control of Fox affiliates in nearly 30% of the country.

The sixth season of TNT’s Major Crimes, launching Tuesday, October 31 at 9p, will be its last. The crime drama will wrap with a 2-episode finale on January 16, after taking a serialized turn as the squad deals with political conflicts and controversial issues.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was confirmed for a second term by the U.S. Senate. Among the congratulatory messages was one from American Cable Association president Matthew Polka, who said, “Pai has been implementing a forward-looking agenda by promoting investment in broadband networks, particularly in unserved areas, eliminating barriers that hinder private investment, and ensuring that public funds are distributed efficiently in areas that would most benefit."

Charter Communications announced plans for a new 15-story headquarters in Stamford, CT, with occupation expected to start in 2019. The building along Long Island Sound will include 500,000 square feet of work space. An incentive package from Connecticut, suffering in the wake of the departures of major employers, includes a direct loan of $10 million and up to $10 million in tax credits.

We’ve opened our 2017 Salary Survey! Please take a few moments to fill it out: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YGBKJZJ (deadline is next Friday, October 13).

ABC ran 4779 primetime promo spots for its fall shows, versus 4255 for CBS, 2948 for NBC and 1459 for Fox, reports Kantar Media. The series that got the biggest push, ABC’s The Good Doctor (1496 spots) was the #10 entertainment series among A18-49 during premiere week.

Syfy acquired Futurama from Twentieth Television, its first fully animated series. After a weekend kickoff stunt beginning Saturday, November 11, the show will air on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8p-2a and Saturday mornings from 8a-1a. The Matt Groening series originally aired on Fox from 1999-2003, and was revived by Comedy Central in 2010.

Check out the 2017 Cynopsis Digital “IT” List Honorees!

Joining us from 38 companies that cover all elements of the industry, digital’s movers and shakers will represent the top brands and innovators in the business at our 5^th Annual Digital Awards Ceremony. Share insights and connect with your peers as we celebrate the honorees at this fabulous awards event on November 10 at Tribeca’s ThreeSixty (NYC). See the full list of honorees, companies and event details here.

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Amazon is developing a drama series from John Stamos and Hairspray Live’s Craig Zadan and Neil Meron inspired by Stamos’ jump into the spotlight as an 18-year-old soap opera star (General Hospital’s Blackie) in the early 1980s. The trio previously teamed on Beach Boys: An American Family and Martin and Lewis.

Alyssa Milano (Mistresses) will develop, exec produce and star as herself in Alyssa Milano for Mayer, a comedy project at Lifetime. A+E Studios is producing n association with Milano’s Peace By Peace Productions.

The Dime, centered on a lesbian cop, nabbed a script commitment plus penalty from Fox. Crime drama based on the novel comes from Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton (Hell of Wheels), Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) and 20^th Century Fox Television.

Short-form content is red-hot – and evolving. What’s the untapped area short-form producers should be exploring right now? With the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival coming up, we asked one of our jurors, Randy Abramson, head of YouTube MCN Vox Media, for his thoughts. “I love animation clips that are based on archived audio. There’s so much great audio that’s been untapped and a skilled animator can really bring new life to this content,” said Abramson. “PBS’ Blank On Blank did a great job of animating interviews from everyone from David Bowie to Hunter S. Thompson.” For info on the festival, go here.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Why shouldn’t pooches have their own personal paradise? Antonio Ballatore, winner of HGTV’s Design Star, will bring his design aesthetic to pet lovers in Animal Planet’s new Animal Cribs, launching Friday, November 3 at 9p.

Season 4 of Science Channel’s What On Earth? debuts Tuesday, October 17 at 9p. Satellite images shed light on mysteries like a Romanian lake swirling with orange, green and silver liquids, and a lake in Tanzania with its banks lined with animals seemingly turned to stone. Plus, Dracula.

Action Bronson (F*ck That’s Delicious) joins Viceland’s late night lineup in Untitled Action Bronson Show, premiering Monday, October 23 at 11:30p. Nightly talker hybrid will combine cooking and an eclectic assortment of guests.

Fyi has 2 new series and 2 returning shows on deck. Newcomer Stove Tots, set in the (apparently cut-throat) world of junior culinary competitions, arrives Monday, November 6 at 9p. Family business reality show Sheffield Real Estate debuts Thursday, November 30 at 10p, after the return of My Floating Home at 9p. Find My First Love returns Tuesday, December 5 at 9p.

Complex Networks docu-series Why We Fight, exec produced by UFC champ Ronda Rousey, premieres Wednesday, October 18. Eight episodes follow a troubled young fighter, Zac “Kid Yamaka” on a pilgrimage across the globe.

What’s your favorite new broadcast comedy series (so far)? Let us know in the Cynopsis poll.

COMING UP

Hallmark Channel’s countdown to the holidays starts early this year, with the net’s first Countdown to Christmas Preview Show. The one-hour special stars Cameron Bure. Lori Loughlin and Jodie Sweetin will be guests, along with Hallmark Channel’s adopted pet, Happy the Dog. Among the 21 new movies viewers will get a peek at are Switched For Christmas, starring Bure and Happy (premiering Sunday, November 26 at 8p), When Calls the Heart: The Christmas Wishing Tree, starring Loughlin (Monday, December 25 at 8p), and Sweetin in Finding Santa (Friday, November 24 at 8p).

GSN is celebrating the work of Monty Hall with a 6-hour marathon of Let’s Make a Deal starting Sunday, October 8 at 9a. Hall, co-creator and long-time host of the show, died September 30 at age 96.

MTV’s TRL will pay tribute to Tom Petty, with performances by Demi Lovato and Lil Uzi Vert at 3:30p. The “Free Fallin’” singer died October 2 at age 66.

ADVERTISING

ComScore and PlaceIQ are teaming to measure the impact of ad campaigns on brick-and-mortar visits. Promising an “apples-to-apples comparison of lift across platforms and the ability to optimize spend accordingly,” PlaceIQ PVR will match ad exposure data from comScore with location data from PlaceIQ.

From ad fraud to transparency to brand safety, marketers have trouble gauging the effectiveness of their campaigns. How far are we from finding solutions? Alice Sylvester, partner, Sequent Partners, talks to Cynsiders about a hot topic – and “a mouthwatering morsel.”

YouTube inked a deal with Major League Baseball that will promote Fox’s World Series coverage on YouTube TV. YouTube and MLB will create original content shot at ballparks, and YouTube TV will have branding on the baseball org’s digital and social media properties, as well as in-stadium promotion. “YouTube TV provides a fresh, unique perspective that sparks new and creative ways for us and our partners to innovate,” said Mark Evans, SVP, Fox Sports Sales.

CASTING

The cast for Freeform comedy pilot Now & Then, centered on a group of old college friends brought back together unexpectedly, includes Myki Olivier (Menendez: Blood Brothers), Mia Serafino (Crowded), Punam Patel (Kevin From Work), Brandon Mychal Smith (You’re the Worst), James Earl (Scream Queens) and Ana Cruz Kayne (The Bold Type).

In addition to her aforementioned Lifetime project, Alyssa Milano was upped to series regular on upcoming Netflix series Insatiable, as the social-climbing wife of a beauty pageant coach….Uma Thurman will return as a guest star on season 2 of Bravo’s The Imposters….Connie Britton (Nashville) landed a lead role in upcoming Fox procedural drama 9-1-1, from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

DIGITAL DATA

Pay-TV distributor Consolidated Communications will offer HBO Now to its streaming customers for $14.99/month after a 30-day free trial. Consolidated is among the first cable providers in the U.S. to offer HBO Now to its broadband customers.

ABC Digital Studios is launching a 6-part web series, Grey’s Anatomy: Post-Op, hosted by Gordon James (Nurse Gregory). Each episode, leading up to the series’ 300^th, will offer behind-the-scenes peeks, interviews and previews.

Fandom has released an app tailored to individuals’ interests that synthesizes entertainment news, stories and social conversations into one central place. Fans can select as many topics to follow as they want, and receive real-time notifications and share content with friends. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

GOING GLOBAL

Comedy Central is the new international home of Takeshi’s Castle, having acquired the rights to new episodes from the Thai series. UK comedian Jonathan Ross will provide humorous commentary over the UK episodes.

Ushuaia TV, TF1’s cable channel dedicated nature, has commissioned Paris based Pernel Media to produce an hour-long feature documentary film Green Eden, exposing the illegal timber trafficking trade in Gabon.

Saban Brands’ Power Rangers Ninja Steel, which premiered in August, is currently rolling-out across EMEA, including Neox (Spain), POP (Italy), E-Vision (UAE), Gulli Arabi (Middle East), Smile TV (Greece) and London Live (UK).

What the evolving Hispanic demo meant to your marketing strategy

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RATINGS

CBS was tops in viewers for the 9^th consecutive premiere week, with 4 of the week’s top 5 new series in viewers, including the #1 new program (Young Sheldon), Wednesday’s #1 program (SEAL Team), and Sunday’s #1 new program (Wisdom of the Crowd). Me, Myself & I was the #2 new comedy.

ABC notes it was the only broadcaster to retain its year-ago Premiere Week delivery in A18-49, holding 100% year to year (1.3/5) and claiming 5 of the top 15 entertainment series. In late night, the net’s Jimmy Kimmel Live grew 5% versus the year-ago premiere in viewers and 6% among A18-49, the only broadcast late-nighter to rise in the demo.

In syndication the week of September 18, Daily Mail TV (.9) and PageSix TV (.7) were the 2 top rated newcomers. While Dr. Phil held the talk crown (3.3), Ellen DeGeneres rose 5% to place second (2.2), edging past Live with Kelly and Ryan (2.1, unchanged).

The week of September 25, Live with Kelly and Ryan topped the debut week of NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today (2.3/8 versus 1.9/7 Households) in the 56 metered markets.

Univision dance competition Mira Quien Baila averaged 1.7 million total viewers and 729,000 A18-49 on Sunday, ranking among the top 15 programs of the night with A18-49 (#14) and A18-34 (#13).

UniMas kicked off the new season with double-digit year-over-year audience growth in primetime among Total Viewers 2+ (+19%), A18-49 (+11%) and A18-34 (+20%).

Apparently crime really does pay. Oxygen Media wrapped 3Q17 as the fastest-growing cable entertainment network year-over-year, with its most-watched third quarter in 4 years among total viewers, up +44% in primetime and +58% in total day. Oxygen rebranded to a “high quality crime destination” in July.

Scripps Networks Interactive nets saw primetime increases Sunday, October 1 among A25-54. Led by the premiere of Halloween Wars, Food Network (+27 percent) was the No. 2 cable net of the evening, posting a .94 rating (850K IMP), up 32 percent over last year. HGTV was up 4 percent on Sunday, placing it at No. 7, and Travel Channel was up 46 percent, bolstered by new episodes of Food Paradise. DIY Network was up 8 percent, Cooking Channel jumped 16 percent, and GAC surged 70 percent on the night.

The premiere week of Comedy Central late nighter The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper scored the net year-over-year ratings increases of +43% among total viewers and +18% among A18-49.

While CBS’s Young Sheldon premiered as the most-watched comedy to debut in 6 years, the show debuted in Canada with 3.6 million viewers, the biggest haul for a new comedy in 10 years.

EstrellaTV finished the 2016-17 season up 14% Total Day, according to 2016-2017 Full Season Nielsen results, experiencing audience growth across all day parts.

Univision Deportes delivered primetime ratings growth across key demos in 3Q17, up +50% year-over-year among Total Viewers 2+ and +52 percent among A18-49.

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 9/18/17 ranked in order by HH Rtg

Judge Judy (CTD) 7.3 AA

Family Feud (2/T) 6.1 AA

Jeopardy (CTD) 5.8 AA

Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.8 AA

The Big Bang Theory (WB) 4.5 AA

Dr. Phil (CTD) 3.3 AA

Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.0 AA

Inside Edition (CTD) 2.9 AA

Modern Family (2/T) 2.4 AA

Hot Bench (CTD) 2.4AA

Top 14 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 9/18/17 ranked in order by A18-49 Rtg

The Big Bang Theory (WB) 1.9 AA

Family Feud (2/T) 1.7 AA

Judge Judy (CTD) 1.6 AA

Modern Family (2/T) 1.3 AA

Family Guy (2/T) 1.2 AA

Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 1.1 AA

Jeopardy (CTD) 1.1 AA

Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 0.8 AA

The Cleveland Show (2/T) 0.8 AA

Dr. Phil (CTD) 0.7 AA

Inside Edition (CTD) 0.7 AA

Two And A Half Men (WB) 0.7 AA

King of the Hill 0.7AA

How I Met Your Mother (2/T) 0.7AA

Late Night Shows Weekly Average Ratings week of September 25, 2017

CBS: The Late Show 3.02 million total viewers; 0.51/3 among A18-49

NBC: The Tonight Show 2.54 million total viewers; 0.63/4 among A18-49

ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live 2.30 million total viewers; 0.49/3 among A18-49

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions) Monday, October 2, 2017 time period averages

Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated Live+SD

ABC: 10.17 million

Dancing With the Stars 9.53, The Good Doctor 11.49

NBC: 8.98 million

The Voice 10.79, The Brave 5.36

CBS: 7.4 million

The Big Bang Theory 13.66, 9JKL 8.31, Kevin Can Wait 6.77, Me Myself & I 5.20, Scorpion 5.25

FOX: 4.36 million

Lucifer 3.88, The Gifted 4.85

TELEMUNDO: 1.15 million

Jenni Rivera: Mariposa e Barrio .97, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso 1.18, El Senor de los Cielos 1.31

UNIVISION: 1.02 million

Enamorandome de Ramon [r] 1.03, Mi Marido Tiene [r] 1.20, Hoy Voy a Cambiar [r] 0.81

CW: 0.75 million

Supergirl [r] 0.91, Legends of Tomorrow .59

Monday A18-49 Analysis: NBC 2.1/8, ABC 1.9/7, CBS 1.5/3, FOX 1.3/5, TELE .7/2, UNI .5/2, CW .2/1

This Day in History: 1957 – Leave It to Beaver debuted on CBS.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: For which TV show did writer/producer Sherwood Schwartz win an Emmy? Schwartz won a writing Emmy for The Red Skelton Show in 1961. Kudos to: Ken Nice-TeamPeople/Washington, DC, Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Deerfield Beach, FL, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, Cynthia New-Spectrum Reach/Cape Girardeau, MO, Pat Brady-CESD/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank, Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA (Ed. Note: Brad Stern points out that the answer to Monday’s Trivia question about the first series shot solely in color is The Cisco Kid, 1950-1956.)

Today’s Trivia Question: What was the first ABC show to have a warning label before the opening credits on every episode? (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.)

Answer to Yesterday’s Anagram: Where Cow Hydrates = The Drew Carey Show. Kudos to: Karen Van Vleet-Horizon Media/NYC, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Productions/Burbank, Barry Katz-NEP Studios/NYC

Reality Show Anagram: Lion Pup Gift (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

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL PREDITOR/NBCU/CT: Freelance Part-time to produce/edit digital videos for nationally syndicated talk shows. 2 to 3 years of work experience as an AVID Video Editor/Producer. Experience in news, entertainment, or promos & strong story telling sensibility. Resumes HERE (10/10)

JOB OPENING: ON AIR PROD MGR/VICELAND/Brooklyn NY: Resp for prod & delivery of all promotional video assets. Creative team’s point person on all promo materials. Min 5 yrs prod mngmnt exp TV/ent industry pref in On-Air. Knwldg of Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, prod & post prod workflows. Full info/apply HERE (10/10)

JOB OPENING: PHOTOGRAPHY MGR/AMC & SUNDANCE TV/NYC: 8+ yrs brand, ent or magazine photo editing. Extremely detail oriented. Wide understanding of dig photography & fluent in importance of asset mgmt. Strong knwlg Adobe Creative Suite, file processing & digital cameras. Able to do light-medium retouching. Full info/apply HERE (10/10)

JOB OPENING: DIR, SALES RESEARCH/CW Network/NYC: Tracking/trending analysis on all bcst & cable nets linear/VOD/Digital. Presentation, strategy dev. Social metrics dev. Oversee linear/dig sales estimates Ntwk TV exp (linear & digital Min 6yrs) Full info HERE (10/10)

JOB OPENING: SR AD SALES PLANNER/SBGTV/NYC: Provide support for all aspects of the ad sales process. A team-player mentality & ability to work under pressure meeting deadlines for clients a must. BA deg & min 2-3yrs Sales exp related field or industry req’d. Media math skills a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/9)

JOB OPENING: JR SALES PLANNER/SBGTV/NYC: Det oriented entry-level Sales Asst w/strong written/oral comm skills to support the Sinclair Ntwk sales team mult areas, incl admin asst. Admin support/1-2 yrs exp pref’d. Profic in PP, Word, Excel a must. Brdcst/media buying or agency sales exp a +. Full info/apply HERE (10/9)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PRICING AND PLANNING/FUSE MEDIA/NY: Oversee Planning dept, manage On-Air and Digital proposals process. Oversee Pricing, inventory Utilization and Ad Hoc Reports. Strong analytical skills & media math. apply HERE (10/9)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXEC/Machinima/Burbank: Resp for driving ad sales efforts & reaching ad sales targets for Machinima, the premiere digital video programmer of gamer & fandom-focused content. 3-4 yrs exp digital media sales w/in a content-driven publisher, ent/media co. or ad agency. Full info/apply HERE (10/7)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER CREATIVE SERVICES/SpectrumNetworksNY1/NYC: Produce on-air promo spots & campaigns, from initial concept to finished prod. 3yrs media exp,producing on-air promo spots, media sales billboards & tagged spots.TV news exp pref’d. Exp working with cross functional teams. Full info/apply HERE (10/7)

JOB OPENING: SCHEDULING COORDINATOR/GSN/Santa Monica: Dist prog. Schedule grids, Monthly VOD planners, artwork & folder structures, coord. & maintaining schedule & databases & admin duties; online rsrch. Excellent attention to details; Knwldg of Excel & all Microsoft applications; College deg req; Send Res/CL: HERE (10/7)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/WMAQ TV/Chicago: Dynamic Account Executive to join the Local Sales team. Own, manage, and develop relationships with clients, agencies and advertisers through day-day interaction. Min 5 yrs exp sales and/or mktg roles. Full info/apply HERE (10/7)

JOB OPENING: VP CONTENT/FlyQuest/LA: Out of the box thinker who thinks strategically and sets directions aligned to company’s strategy, applying external perspective to meet business needs. 8+ yrs’ exp working in a content strategy & editorial function, pref in the gaming, digital or ent space. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR/FlyQuest/LA: Execute SM strategy ensuring goals are met by team and content is continuously optimized for key aud segments. Min 6 yrs of exp in custom social media content creation, digital Exp w/pd search & pd social a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: DIR CONTENT PRODUCTION/NYC/Eko: Pioneer of interactive serial video entertainment. Manage creative dev and prod for all scripted interactive series. Define processes and manage team to achieve goals. More details http://bit.ly/2fLBlhq. Resume to melanie@helloeko.com (10/6)

JOB OPENING: NEWS DIRECTOR/KUVN 23/Dallas: Forward thinking, creative and exp’d candidate to lead news operation in fast-paced media mkt. High level of news judgment, journalistic integrity & people mngmnt skills. Digital knwldg a must. 10yrs exp facets of TV news prod, writing, editing, camera ops & reporting. Full info/apply HERE (10/5)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASSISTANT/GSN/NY: Deal maintenance, traffic, mtg. prep., and admin duties; Excellent math skills; Knowledge of gen media terms; Strong knowledge of Microsoft programs incl. Excel, PP, MS Word and Outlook is req.; College deg req; Send Res and CL to tvcareers@gsn.com (10/5)

JOB OPENING: CFO/NYC Production Co: Direct financial planning & analysis. Corporate & production operating review, forecast & budgets. Manage systems, provide leadership & expertise to accounting dept. Must understand fast paced TV prod. 10+ yrs exp. Resume/cover & for full info: HERE (10/5)

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 4

ABC: The Goldbergs, Speechless, Modern Family, American Housewife, Designated Survivor

CBS: Survivor, SEAL Team, Criminal Minds

CW: Whose Line Is It Anyway? [r], Masters of Illusion [r], Masters of Illusion [r]

FOX: Empire, Star

NBC: The Black List, Law &Order: SVU, Chicago P.D.

PBS: Nature, Nova, Frontline [p]

Telemundo: Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso, El Senor de los Cielos

Univision: Enamorandome de Ramon, Mi Marido Tiene, Hoy Voy a Cambiar