03/30/21: Amanda Seyfried replaces Kate McKinnon in Hulu’s “The Dropout”

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Cynopsis Medias First Morning Read
Tuesday March 30, 2021

Today’s Premieres
ABC: “Pooch Perfect” at 8p
AspireTV: “Just Angela” at 9p
CW: “Supergirl” at 9p
discovery+: “American Cartel”
HGTV: “Unsellable Houses” at 9p
YouTube: “Glad You Asked”

IN THE NEWS

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former president Donald Trump, has joined Fox News as a contributor. In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said the new job wouldn’t impact her decision about whether or not to run for Senate in North Carolina. “Fox has been very generous with me, and they have said, look, if that’s something that you ultimately decide to do, they’re going to work with me on that front, and make sure that all the rules are followed and we do everything properly,” shared Trump.

MSNBC is rebranding its daytime newscasts. The lineup hasn’t changed, but instead of falling under the “MSNBC Live” banner, shows are titled the name of the anchor, followed by “Reports,” starting at 9a with “Stephanie Ruhle Reports.” Chuck Todd’s show will remain “MTP Daily.” The move is aimed at distinguishing daytime news shows from analysis shows in the later afternoon and evenings.

Synergy alert: CW will air the debut episode of the “Wipeout” reboot on Friday, April 2 at 8p, one day after its premiere on corporate cousin TBS. TNT then does a solid for CW, airing “Kung Fu” on Sunday, April 11 at 10p, following the series’ CW debut on Wednesday, April 7.

Eleven Sports announced the acquisition of sports media and entertainment company Team Whistle, accelerating the group’s plans to create a global sports media destination. The acquisition will bring together Eleven Sports’ 150+ commercial partners, 20 million+ users and 30,000 hours of live sport each year, with Team Whistle’s slate of original programming, distribution channels, social media followers and 4 billion monthly video views.

Large sell-offs on Friday of ViacomCBS and Discovery stock, among other companies, were explained Monday by the forced liquidation of positions last week by Archegos Capital Management, when the hedge fund failed to meet massive margin commitments. Investments from the now bankrupt Archegos led to a major hike in the price of the media companies’ stocks over the last few months, but prices fell back to earth when analysts eventually downgraded the stocks; the sell-offs likely exacerbated the declines. ViacomCBS stock, which hit $100.34 on March 22, closed yesterday at $45.01, while Discovery, which had risen to $77.27 on March 19, closed at $41.23.

On April 29, at 1p, we’re bringing in the experts from Katz Media to share how you can transform the way you target viewers, expand your reach and help your advertisers hit their goals. Save your spot for this FREE webinar now!

Estrella Media is launching EstrellaTV in the San Francisco Bay Area on television station KEMO TV, channel 50. EstrellaTV is now distributed throughout the country’s ninth largest Hispanic TV market, available on cable, satellite, and over the air.

NOMINATIONS OPEN!

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Nominate the women who are innovating and inspiring while navigating the day-to-day of our industry.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”) will star as disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.” Seyfried will also serve as a producer on the limited series, from 20th Television and Searchlight. SNL’s Kate McKinnon, originally attached to star, dropped out last month.

In more casting news, Clarke Peters (“The Wire”) has been cast in Showtime’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth” as a series regular…Nate Mann (“Ray Donovan”) has joined the cast of Apple TV+ drama “Masters of the Air.”…and Mercedes de la Cruz (“Lonestar Christmas”) landed a lead in Hallmark Channel movie “Right In Front of Me.”

“Steps,” and animated feature centered on two Asian immigrant stepsisters overlooked for marriage by a prince, who embark on an epic journey, is in development at Netflix. Amy Poehler is producing through her Paper Kite Productions with her partner Kim Lessing, and Jane Hartwell (“The Croods”).

Elisabeth Röhm (“American Hustle) and Malik Yoba (“Designated Survivor”) are pivoting to drama of the true crime variety, developing a docu-series with reality TV exec Dorothy Toran (“The Real Housewives of New Jersey) and Leslie D. Farrell’s Lauren Grace Media. The project, created by Röhm and Yoba, explores how racial and socioeconomic disparities influence criminal investigations and how justice is served.

Disney+ special event series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” starring Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master, will begin shooting in April. The story begins 10 years after the events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” and will be directed by Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian”).

Fox placed its first series order for a drama for the 2021-22 season. Lee Daniels and Karen Grist’s prime time soap “Our Kind of People,” produced by 20th Television and Fox Entertainment, follows a single mom in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard.

Director Peter Berg (“Spenser Confidential”) struck a first-look deal with Netflix via his Film 44. “Pete makes movies that captivate and thrill us,” said Tendo Nagenda, VP of Netflix Film. “He can put a fresh spin on classic and beloved characters like he did with Spenser Confidential, as well as find and tell original stories that entertain the world. We’re thrilled to have him and Film 44 officially at Netflix.”

“Who Killed Sara?” has been renewed by Netflix for a second season. The Spanish-language series launched March 24; its second run starts Wednesday, May 19.

More time to get work done. Less time researching. The Cynopsis resource center puts all the technology, streaming, network offerings, and more tools in one place, so you can focus on what you do best.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

The wait is (almost) over for “Lucifer” fans. The second half of season five debuts Friday, May 28 on Netflix, nine months after the season’s first eight episodes dropped. The hiatus was due to the pandemic; the drama’s sixth and final season will include ten episodes.

Sesame Workshop’s “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo” will return for a second season on HBO Max. New episodes premiere this fall.

Weekly talk show “Sip N’ Smoke,” hosted by NFL star Cam Newton and filmed in downtown Atlanta, debuts Wednesday, March 31 at 1p on BET.com. “As a sports figure, I don’t always get to shed layers and give people a glimpse of off-the-field Cam, so it’s cool to join the BET Digital family and host Sip N’ Smoke,” said Newton. “This series gives me the opportunity to put on for ATL, celebrate some of the people and things that inspire me and to create with my production company Iconic Saga.”

Apple TV+ ordered natural history special, “The Year Earth Changed,” narrated by David Attenborough, set to debut Friday, April 16. Second seasons of “Tiny World” and “Earth At Night in Color” will drop the same day.

Discovery+ and NowThis are partnering for “Action Planet,” a new series produced by NowThis Earth debuting Earth Day, April 22, on discovery+. The mid-form series will highlight the work of high-profile changemakers including Common, Jane Fonda, Matt Damon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrian Grenier, and Greta Thunberg.

STREAMING

Disney+ and ESPN+ are rolling out on Comcast’s Xfinity, giving X1 and Flex customers access to the Disney+ library of movies and shows, along with live sports events and original programming from ESPN+. Additionally, ESPN+ is now available to Flex customers via the ESPN app, with plans to launch on X1 in the coming weeks.

OUTtv USA, an SVOD service dedicated to LGBTQ+ content, is now available on the Apple TV app, for $2.99/month. The channel, a partnership between OUTtv Media Group and Producer Entertainment Group, is expected to launch on more SVOD platforms later this year.

Evoca, a next-generation television service, announced new initiative Evoca Learn. In addition to its lineup of 60+ traditional entertainment, news, and sports channels, Evoca Learn will curate 24-hour educational programming. The first program to launch under the Evoca Learn umbrella is the Field Trip Channel.

T-Mobile is shutting down streaming bundle TVision and making YouTube its premium live TV service and Philo its new base live service, each at a $10/month discount for T-Mobile customers. “This shift may surprise some given last year’s TVision streaming services launch. But innovation seldom follows a straight line,” said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert in a post. “Since launching the TVision initiative, we’ve learned a lot about the TV industry, about streaming products, and of course, about TV customers. We also saw trends that made us take a fresh look at how to best do in video what we always do: put customers first. With our TV software provider encountering some financial challenges and with our broader, strategic partnerships with Google and Philo, we saw an opportunity to deliver unique value to our customers and strengthen the TVision initiative with the best partners.”

TECH TALK

Adtech platform TripleLift has signed a definitive agreement to receive a majority investment from Vista Equity Partners. “When looking for an investment partner, we placed a premium on a deep understanding of ad tech and a willingness to lean into developing our portfolio of innovative, high-growth products,” said Eric Berry, Co-Founder and CEO of TripleLift. “Vista is that partner.”

COMING UP

National Geographic Documentary Films announced a new feature documentary from Participant and Our Time Projects, to be released theatrically by NEON later this year. “The First Wave” spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of COVID-19. Executive producers include Participant’s Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann, NEON will release the film in theaters later this year prior to a broadcast premiere on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages.

Eddie Griffin reflects on a year of COVID, social distancing, and social justice with the live presentation of his new “docucomedy” special, “Laughin’ Through Your Mask,” premiering Thursday, April 1 as a sneak peek. The show launches on the iTunes and Amazon streaming platforms on Tuesday, April 20.

GOING GLOBAL

In line with its initiative to cut $1.3 billion from its budget, the BBC is repositioning BBC Four from deliverer of original content, to an archive service. “Further savings will involve difficult choices that will impact programmes and services,” warned the BBC in its Annual Plan.

Abacus Media Rights has acquired distribution rights for “Ivan Milat: Buried Secrets,” recently aired on Channel 7 in Australia. The showhas been acquired by A+E Networks UK for Crime+Investigation for UK, Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Benelux, Middle East and Africa and RTL Crime in Germany.

ITV Studios announced an international partnership with albert as part of its Net Zero 2030 climate action strategy. The move will see the rollout of albert’s climate change training and tools across all of ITV Studios’ 55 production labels.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM FUTURE NOW MEDIA FOUNDATION

Attention COLLEGE STUDENTS and SPONSORS!
FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference

May 26 – 28 / Virtual

Joining us to celebrate our 5th year anniversary will be award-winning comedian, writer and actress TINA FEY for A Conversation with Tina Fey. Students, you don’t want to miss this. Connect with leaders, meet recruiters, get insights into the industry, and gain mentors. This is ALL for YOU.

Students, APPLY by 3/29. Sponsors, contact Margaret Kim, [email protected].
http://www.futurenowconference.com

RATINGS

The debut of Fuse original “Shine True,” tracking the journeys of trans and non-binary young adults, was the most-watched series premiere in more than a year. Compared to Fuse’s 2021 time period averages, the premiere episode delivered audience increases across all key demos, including A18-49 (+89%), A18-34 (+233%) and Persons 12-34 (+67%). It also skewed 19 years younger (40) than the ad-supported cable average. New episodes debut Monday at 10p in the US, and on OUTtv in Canada.

In its move back to its original home on Sunday, NBC’s “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” dipped to a series low 1.1 million total viewers and 0.2 among A18-49. On Tuesday, the series was averaging 2.5 million/0.5.

Shareablee Top 10 Streaming Shows for the week of March 22
Program, Platform, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Nanatsu No Naizai (Netflix), 915K, 83, 11,024, 760K
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+), 896K, 43, 20,838, 561K
Sky Rojo (Netflix), 653K, 54, 12,100, 128K
Get Organized With The Home Edit (Netflix), 509K, 40, 12,729, 5.6M
High School Musical: The Series (Disney+), 376K, 2, 187,954, 511K
Shadow and Bone (Netflix), 301K, 12, 25,045, 262K
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), 258K, 16, 16,123, 2,047
Julie and the Phantoms (Netflix), 224K, 1, 224,457, 947K
Netflix is a Joke (YouTube), 218K, 54, 4,039, 2.4M
Re:ZERO (Funimation), 202K, 25, 8,062, 430K

Shareablee Top 10 TV Shows for the week of March 22
Program, Network, Total Actions, Total Content, Actions per Content, Fans & Followers
Hannity (Fox News), 5M, 279, 17,895, 10.9M
Riverdale (The CW Network), 4.9M, 40, 121,885, 17.2M
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), 4.3M, 48, 88,740, 36.1M
Ellen DeGeneres (WB/Syndicated), 2.1M, 56, 37,520, 207.8M
Today Show (NBC), 1.9M, 936, 2,046, 13.8M
Entertainment Tonight (CBSTD/syndicated), 1.6M, 604, 2,720, 9.2M
The Daily Show (Comedy Central), 1.6M, 125, 13,054, 27.8M
Saturday Night Live (NBC), 1.4M, 54, 25,927, 14.4M
Good Morning America (ABC), 1.2M, 922, 1,268, 14.3M
American Idol (ABC), 995K, 299, 2,328, 17.5M

EXECUTIVE MOVES

The E.W. Scripps Co. has appointed Keith Summa to lead the Scripps Washington Bureau’s national investigative team as Deputy Bureau Chief. From 2016-18, Summer served as SVP of Content and Programming for Fusion.

This Day in History
1867 – The US bought Alaska from Russia for about 2 cents an acre.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which actress played women named Rachel on “Mad Men” and “Nip/Tuck”? Maggie Siff. Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan- TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Productions/LA, Joseph Brucia-AMC Networks/NYC, Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which actress won Emmys for roles on “Fraiser” and “Fargo”? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)

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Job of the day

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR >>
COINDESK INC/NYC/NY:
Develop a unique, authoritative voice for CoinDesk products; write and edit quickly, cleanly and succinctly, and they must be a master of shaping copy and social-native content to match the voice of different social networks. 3-5 years of experience managing social media for a media company or comparable organization. Full info HERE (4/13)

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT >>
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION/NYC/NY:
Act as liaison between Executives and a wide array of internal and external contacts, screen and direct phone calls, draft and distribute correspondence as needed, and schedule meetings. Arrange travel schedule and organize travel arrangements and manage office supply closet and kitchen. 2-4 years of experience as an Executive Assistant, required. Full info HERE (4/9)

FREELANCE MANAGER, MULTI-PLATFOMR ANALYTICS >>
ViacomCBS – MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC, NY: Apply linear and digital Analytics across the MTV Entertainment Group portfolio to optimize content strategy across platforms and brands. Synthesize insights from every available data source in order to provide expert guidance on where content will best find its intended target. 3-5 years of related experience with Nielsen competence required. Full info HERE (4/6)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
FUTURE TODAY INC/NYC/CHICAGO: Build, maintain and expand a pipeline of sales targets, contacts, and sales opportunities leveraging your relationships. Well-versed in CTV; direct & programmatic. Kids space knowledge preferred. The company is growing and looking for motivated people with experience selling across one or more of these categories: CTV, OTT, OLV, Linear TV. Full info HERE (4/6)

SR DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER >>
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP/ST PAUL, NYC, LA, REMOTE:
Manage production and development of new podcasts, creating and commissioning sustainable, high quality shows. Pitch new show ideas, angles on stories, and create plans for how a new show or season will sound and be structured. 5-7 years of media production and/or content development, ideally in audio required. Full info HERE (4/6)

COORDINATOR, BRAND MARKETING >>
CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS/LA, CA:
Responsible for supporting the implementation of advertising campaigns, marketing partnerships, promotions, sweepstakes, experiential events, creative development & email marketing initiatives. Min 1yr of marketing exp within the entertainment industry. Full info HERE (4/4)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER APM STUDIOS >>
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP/ ST PAUL, NYC, LA, REMOTE:
Lead production of APM Studios’ existing tentpole franchises, create and manage budgets and lead recruitment and development of senior staff, including hosts when applicable. 10 years’ relevant experience in content development and audio production, including 3-5 years at management/supervisory level required. Full info HERE (4/4)

FREELANCE ANALYST, CONTENT & BRAND INSIGHTS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY: Implementation and analysis of owned & syndicated research strategy for Scripted, Comedic & Original Movie content. Monitor, interpret and compile findings from various research sources and disseminate it to key partners. Experience with qualitative and quantitative research techniques required. Full info HERE (4/4)

FREELANCE MANAGER, CONSUMER INSIGHTS ANALYTICS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY: Analyze marketing efforts, determining promotional planning effectiveness, and providing insights to inform future marketing campaigns. Set up, track, pull and analyze data on multi-platform marketing and promotional planning campaigns and initiatives. 3-5 years of related experience (TV ratings and Nielsen measurement currency) required. Full info HERE (4/4)

DIRECTOR, CONTENT INSIGHTS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY:
Conceptualize and conduct proprietary quantitative and qualitative studies focused on targeted audience needs as well as more general cultural trends. Improve multi-platform performance of key franchises; 7+ years of related research experience, including Marketing, Creative and Content Research required. Full info HERE (4/4)

CURATOR >>
THE PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/NYC/NY: Develop events, series, festivals, exhibits that are topical, culturally relevant, impactful and inclusive. In depth knowledge of history and current trends to conduct research and generate weekly reports. 8+ years managerial experience of a content collection in a research library, archive, museum, or related setting. Full info HERE (4/2)

DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNER >>
BLUE PLATE MEDIA SERVICES/ SUMMIT NJ
: Day-to-day planning, executing and management of Digital and Social Media campaigns. Evaluate digital media, social platforms and advertising products and manage the RFP process. Strong ability to use and interpret analytical data and arrive at sound conclusions. 5+ years Digital and Social Media marketing experience required. Full info HERE (4/2)

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & PARTNER INSIGHTS >>
ViacomCBS/NY, NY: Partner and liaise with senior sales management on brand strategy and positioning. Measure the efficiency of traditional and non-traditional advertising campaigns and author and present consumer-focused research on brands, generations, trend and categories. 10+ years’ experience in media or consumer research required. Full info HERE (4/2)

DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SCHEDULING >>
PBS DISTRIBUTION/ARLINGTON VA: Lead PBSd’s digital scheduling function to support our growing distribution business across VOD, streaming and educational platforms by ensuring accurate, on-time content launches. Direct day-to-day activities of the scheduling team and execute on content release plans. 7-10 years’ experience in Content Scheduling/Programming required. Full info HERE (3/31)

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER, MEDIA & LABOR ECONOMICS >>
SAG-AFTRA/NY or LA: Conduct financial statement and operating analyses of publicly-held companies. Research, analyze and identify the implications for internal clients. Comprehensive understanding of micro- and macro-economics principles and have an understanding and awareness of worker rights impacting SAG-AFTRA members. Full info HERE (3/31)

PROJECT MANAGER, CREATIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS >>
ViacomCBS/NY/CA/REMOTE: Lead and track multiple creative projects and timelines simultaneously, work with agencies and marketing teams to assess initial requests for information, project parameters and priority scheduling. Significant experience working in production management/digital marketing/creative agency and/or professional services/consulting required. Full in HERE (3/31)

TEMP COORDINATOR, ON AIR >>
SCH/GSN/SM
: 1+ yrs. w/ traffic exp. is a plus, communicating, scheduling, data entry, hands on coordination, log changes/revised promo scheduling/run logs and reports/ensure correct promo elements etc. Team player with strong attention to detail and strong time management. Full info HERE (3/30)

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Add the current date – Ctrl + ; (Windows & Mac). Add the current time – Ctrl + Shift + ; (Windows) or Command + ; (Mac). Want to learn more shortcuts? MST offers three levels of real-time training in a safe, supportive environment. Use promo code CYNOPSIS20 to unlock a 20% savings. Full info HERE. (3/30)

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION >>
APM STUDIOS/ST PAUL MN: Develop and create innovative, high quality content. Set editorial vision and brand voice for APM Studios’ new podcasts and their product development across platforms and formats. Lead collaborations with external media and distribution partners. 10+ years’ experience in media, 4+ years management experience required. Full info HERE (3/30)

TUESDAY MARCH 30
ABC: “Pooch Perfect” [p], “black-ish,” “mixed-ish,” “Soul of a Nation”
CBS: “NCIS,” “FBI,” “FBI: Most Wanted”
CW: “The Flash,” “Supergirl” [p]
FOX: “The Resident,” “The Masked Singer”
NBC: “Young Rock,” “Kenan,” This Is Us”, “New Amsterdam”
PBS: “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.”, “American Experience”
Telemundo: “Exaton Estados Unidos,” “La Suerte de Loli,” “Buscando a Frida”
Univision: “Vencer el Desamor,” “Te Acuerdas de Mi,” “La Hija del Embajador”

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