PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Nickelodeon greenlit 20 episodes of Los Casagrandes (wt), a spinoff of animated series The Loud House. “There’s no better time than today to tell stories about a kid growing up in a loving, multi-generational, diverse family,” said Chris Vicardi, SVP of animation production and development.
Netflix ordered ten episodes of musical drama Mixtape, starring Jenna Dewan, Callie Hernandez and Madeline Stowe. Project from Josh Safran (Quantico), Annapurna Pictures, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 TV Studios started as a pilot for Fox. The streamer also ordered original drama Monarca, from Mexico, produced by Ventanarosa Productions, Lemon Studios and Stearns Castle.
Disney Channel will debut supernatural animated series Sadie Sparks in 2019. Voice cast includes Craig Revel-Horwook (Strictly Come Dancing), comedian Rufus Hound and British actress Georgia Lock.
Top 10 Weekend Domestic Box Office Estimates: June 29-July 1, 2018
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal) $60.0 million (week 2), cume revenue $264.8 million
Incredibles 2 (Buena Vista) $45.5 million (week 3), cume revenue $439.7 million
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Sony) $19.0 million, opening weekend
Uncle Drew (Lionsgate) $15.5 million, opening weekend
Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.) $8.0 million (week 4), cume revenue $114.7 million
Tag (Warner Bros.) $5.6 million (week 3), cume revenue $40.9 million
Deadpool 2 (Fox) $3.5 million (week 7), cume revenue $310.3 million
Sanju (FIP) $26 million, opening weekend
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Buena Vista) $2.9 million (week 6), cume revenue $207.3 million
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus) $2.3 million (week 4), cume revenue $7.5 million
Source: comScore
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
CBS has two true crime series arriving this month. Whistleblower, tracking stories of heroic people who expose major corporations ripping off taxpayers, debuts Friday, July 13 at 8p, while Pink Collar Crimes, following outrageous crimes by the likes of PTA moms and the country club set, premieres Saturday, July 28 at 8p.
TLC’s Four Weddings returns Saturday, July 21 at 9p, but this time around the blushing brides aren’t strangers evaluating each other’s events, but close friends or family members.
truTV is offering two new series this summer: Paid Off with Michael Torpey “solves” the student loan crisis with a comedy game show, starting Tuesday, July 10 at 10p, and scripted anthology series Bobcat Goldwait’s Misfits & Monsters launches Wednesday, July 11 at 10p. Hack My Life is back for season four July 10 at 10:30p.
E!’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians is back for season fifteen on Sunday, August 5 at 9p, with Khloe and Kylie as first-tme moms and Kim welcoming baby #3.
Three-week MTV event Catfish: Trolls kicks off Wednesday, July 18 at 10p. Host and EP Charlamagne Tha God will bring subjects face-to-face with their aggressors, Catfish-style.
CBS All Access mystery series One Dollar is slated to premiere Thursday, August 30. Ten-episode drama is set in a small rust belt town on post-recession America.
Grueling missions push competitors to the limits in new Discovery series Ultimate Ninja Challenge, launching Sunday, August 5 at 10p.
Three-part People Magazine Investigates: Crimes of Fashion explores high-end fashion icons and their couture crimes starting Monday, July 16 at 9p on ID.
E! docu-series Model Squad runs through the net’s New York Fashion Week coverage, starting Tuesday, September 4 at 8p. Two-week event follows nine supermodels navigating the cutthroat world of high fashion.
HBO late-nighter Random Acts of Flyness has a debut date: August 6. The six-part series from Terence Nance will air Fridays at midnight.
New dramedy New Dogs, Old Tricks, centered on the life experiences of a group of college friends in a small town, launches on Amazon Friday, September 28.
Ovation’s The Art Show circles the globe following artists and photographers, starting Wednesday, July 25 at 10p.
Viceland offers a slew of premieres next week. Post Radical debuts Tuesday, July 10 at 8p, followed by King of the Road at 9p, Most Expensivest at 10p and F*ck, That’s Delicious at 10:30p. Hollywood Love Story premieres Wednesday, July 11 at 10p, followed by Tattoo Age at 10:30p and Mister Tachyon at 11:30p.
SPORTS & ESPORTS
Amid scoring a Total Audience delivery average of 5.5 million viewers for Monday’s Mexico/Brazil Knockout Round match at the World Cup, Telemundo Deportes announced a deal to add the 2019 Copa America to its sports content portfolio. The deal for the event, held in Brazil, hands Telemundo exclusive Spanish-language U.S. media rights. “We are extremely pleased to join forces with CONMEBOL and the Copa America tournament,” said Ray Warren, President, Telemundo Deportes. “It is a world class event and perfectly aligns with our approach to partner with owners of the biggest and best global sporting events to bring them to our Spanish-language audience in the U.S.”
Meanwhile, FOX Sports reports that its own coverage of Mexico/Brazil delivered 4,181,000 viewers on TV, with another average-minute audience of 538,000 and 1.4 million unique streamers on digital, setting a record for FOX Sports authenticated streaming. According to Nielsen, the victory by Brazil was up 65% over 2014’s corresponding Round of 16 match. Meanwhile, Belgium’s stunning comeback win over Japan, scored 3,904,000 viewers across FOX and streaming sources.
Golden Boy Promotions locked in a partnership with Facebook to bring live boxing and original programming to fans on the platform. The first of five live fight nights on Facebook takes place Aug. 11 featuring Jesus Rojas defending his WBA World Featherweight Title against Joseph “JoJo “Diaz Jr. Golden Boy Media and Entertainment will serve as the production entity producing the live fights and original programming, with Oscar De La Hoya serving as Executive Producer. In addition, the live boxing series will be bolstered with shoulder programming, including rebroadcasts of past fights featuring commentary from the boxers themselves.
NBC Sports saw the return of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pay dividends as the race from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday averaged a TAD of 2.56 million viewers across NBCSN and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race at the venue, according to fast national data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe. NASCAR on NBC’s first Cup Series race of the 2018 season delivered 2.55 million TV-only viewers and a 1.58 rating on NBCSN, up 10% and 12% vs. NBCSN’s coverage of last year’s race from Chicago. In addition, Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on NBCSN from Chicago averaged 1.07 million viewers and delivered a .66 rating, up 32% and 25% respectively vs. 2017.
The PGA TOUR unveiled Artificial Intelligence platforms to enhance broadcast and digital storytelling. Among the TOUR’s primary areas of focus in AI are a Microsoft-developed Content Relevancy Engine, a smart video clipping tool and an automated story creator that all utilize data captured by ShotLink powered by CDW. “The PGA TOUR strives to be a leader in sports innovation with a goal of reaching new fans globally,” said Steve Evans, SVP Information Systems of the PGA TOUR. “In the broadcast truck, decisions on what content airs on television are made in real-time as the story is unfolding in front of everyone. Having compelling and relevant content at our fingertips allows us to instantly provide the broadcast team with supporting information surrounding the action as it happens. Through Artificial Intelligence, we can build systems that continue to learn and develop on their own, allowing the TOUR’s platforms to evolve with the fan.”
Roger Federer ended a decades long partnership with Nike, inking a new deal with Japanese retailer Uniqlo. The new deal comes as the 36-year-old star’s contract with Nike expired in March. ESPN reports that the new partnership is valued around $300 million for a 10-year period.
WorldGaming Network was named the Official Tournament Operator for the United States and Canada qualifiers for the 2018-2019 World Electronic Sports Games, in partnership with Alisports. The Olympic-style games will span seven months and involve more than 65,000 players from over 190 countries competing for a prize pool of $5.5 million across six games: DOTA2, Starcraft II, CounterStrike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, VainGloryand Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). As Official Tournament Operator, WorldGaming Network will host the national WESG events via online qualifiers and live finals for both the United States and Canada, running from September to November 2018 on the WorldGaming tournaments platform.
COMING UP
TLC’s 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? goes live for the first time with a two-hour episode Sunday, July 8 at 8p that includes big moments in franchise history, followed by comedian and avid fan Michelle Collins live as she breaks down what viewers just saw. Why go live? “With the buzz surrounding the 90 Day Fiance franchise, TLC wanted to push the envelope even further with this LIVE after show,” Howard Lee, president and GM of TLC and Discovery Life, tells Cynopsis. “Fans are not going to believe what’s coming up on this Sunday’s episode, and we can’t wait for them to join the discussion!”
Concert doc Jeff Lynne’s ELO: Wembley or Bust makes its U.S. TV debut on Showtime Friday, July 27 at 9p.
ADVERTISING & AGENCIES
Altice USA and Y&R are launching social series Soccer Moms Center, a digital show centered on World Cup featuring analysis by soccer moms. “The World Cup is the one time every four years when we all become soccer fans – even Americans!” Joao Coutinho, North America Executive Creative Director, Y&R, tells Cynopsis. “We decided to bring the World Cup to casual soccer fans in a fun way that would build excitement for the tournament while creating brand affinity for Altice USA. Soccer moms spend as much time watching soccer as the most experienced announcer, so why not use that expertise to get U.S. fans involved?” The work comes on the heels of Altice’s Futebol vs. Football regional Super Bowl spot, which starred Cristiano Ronaldo making his American football debut and bringing soccer to U.S. fans.
GE CMO Linda Boff has been tapped to serve as Board Chair of The Ad Council. Boff, who joined the Ad Council Board of Directors in 2012, succeeds global CEO of Y&R David Sable. “Linda is one of the most forward-thinking leaders in our industry, with an unparalleled passion for innovation and social good,” says Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council.
MEASUREMENT & DATA
Harold Geller, Executive Director of Advertising Digital Identification (Ad-ID), a joint venture of the 4As and the ANA, offers his take on a hot topic: accurate attribution.
What is the most promising recent development when it comes to attribution?
Howard Geller: I believe that the industry is coming to the realization that attribution is a nuanced and complex issue, and not just about the determination of the last-click, but about laying out the elements that build the foundation of who (is in front of the device), what (ads or editorial / entertainment content are they viewing), where (what is the site they are viewing), and how (what device they are using to consume the content). The recent acquisition of Digitrust by the IAB Tech lab, and the collaboration with the Advertising ID Consortium is a critical element of the whole attribution conversation. This blog post the IAB Tech Lab is an important set up to the conversation.
What impact will accurate attribution have on networks and brands?
Geller: A foundation for improved accountability, and addressability as all media move towards targeted, and dynamically served ads.
Where do you believe TV stands in the attribution funnel?
Geller: As we see the transition of local television to an Internet Protocol basis with ATSC 3.0, the same issues evolve in the over the air world as in other media platforms. Everything is moving towards addressable advertising, and nuanced views of attribution are more important now than ever before.
For more insights from Geller and others on the front lines of video measurement, register for the August 2 Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference. You’ll find details here.
GDPR was on a lot of minds at Cannes Lions, with advertisers and marketers keen to learn how the regulation will affect them. Of course, it’s all about the data, notes Chris Hogg, managing director, EMEA, Lotame. “GDPR has changed the way advertisers think about the data they collect, as it has naturally shrunk data stockpiles,” notes Hogg, who offers his three big takeaways in the Cynsiders.
SOCIAL GOOD
A direct-to-consumer marketing campaign with “’social good’ driven initiatives” from TBS’s The Last O.G. set a record as TBS’ biggest pro-social marketing campaign for a scripted series. TBS collaborated with several greater NYC area organizations including The Fortune Society, Greyston Bakery, STATE, NYC Parks & Rec and the New York Housing Authority, to organically connect with the communities they serve, while raising awareness and highlighting the culturally and socially relevant themes surfaced by the show. “A key theme of The Last O.G. is centered around ‘second chances’ and that has found its way into every facet of our campaign. Instead of buying traditional media such as billboards, we instead made personal connections to consumers with refurbished basketball courts featuring artwork that markets the show and gives back to the community,” said Melissa Chambless, SVP of brand marketing for TBS and TNT.
In partnership wil the Alianza U Foundation, Telemundo announced the seven recipients of the “El Campeon en Ti” (The Champion Within You) scholarship to select participants of the Foundation’s mentorship program. Telemudo invested over $35,000 in scholarships to high-need, distinguished student athletes from across the country.
TLC is teaming with Redbook magazine and Love Is Louder for its second annual “Give a Little TLC” contest to raise awareness about bullying prevention. The contest runs through July 24; applicants can submit themselves or nominate another deserving person here: tlc.com/givealittlecontest.
DEALS
Fandom completed its acquisition of YouTube channel Screen Junkies and its entities from Defy Media. “Together we look forward to celebrating movies, TV and video games in diverse ways,” said Fandom chief content officer Dorth Raphaely.
Existing investors AMC Networks, Discovery and Viacom led the Series C funding round for streaming TV service Philo, which launched its $16/month bundle of 40 channels, already available on Roku devices, iOS and Android, on Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
Interpublic Group officially entered into a deal with Acxiom Corporation to acquire its Acxiom Marketing Solutions division for $2.3 billion. “In a world where everything is becoming data-driven, Acxiom Marketing Solutions offers the deepest set of capabilities for helping companies navigate the complexity of creating personalized brand experiences across every consumer touchpoint,” said Michael Roth, chairman and CEO of IPG. Dennis Self and Rick Erwin will continue as co-presidents of AMS.
Facebook alternative MeWe completed a $5.2 million Series A financing, for a total of $10 million. “We’ve built a social networking experience that has a remarkable suite of features people love and none of the BS,” said founder Mark Weinstein. “MeWe has no ads, no spyware, no content manipulation, no facial recognition, and no Russians (or anyone) paying to show you fake news.”
CASTING
Brandy Norwood was upped to series regular on season three of Fox music drama Star….John Malkovich will star in HBO/Sky continuation-of limited series The New Pope, with Jude Law….Kevin Daniels (Sirens) and Ava Friedman (Stop the Bleeding) landed recurring roles in Starz comedy Now Apocalypse….Two Last Man Standing roles are being recast for the Fox revival – Molly Ephraim and Flynn Morrison (Mandy and Boyd) decided not to return….Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) and David Bradley (Game of Thrones) are onboard Ricky Gervais’ Netflix comedy After Life.
DIGITAL
Samba TV, which has software in TV sets that collects data and enables viewers to agree to a service that recommends shows and give special offers, has an opt-in rate of 90%, according to the New York Times. What about concerns about how all that data is used? “It’s pretty upfront about the fact that this is what the software does – it reads what’s on the screen to drive recommendations and special offers,” Ashwin Navin, Samba TV’s chief exec, told the Times. “We’ve taken an abundance of caution to put consumers in control of the data.”
Facebook is shutting down three apps: tbh, Hello and Moves. “We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed,” the company said in a blog post Monday. “But we need to prioritize our work so we don’t spread ourselves too thin Netflix.” Facebook bought teen app tbh in October, launched Hello in 2015 and acquired fitness app Moves in 2014.
CBS All Access is now available on Google’s smart TV platform Android TV, including all Sony Android TVs, in Canada. The service launched in Canada in April, its first expansion into an international market.
With Univision blacked out on Dish Network amid a licensing dispute, Sling TV is “not currently offering” its Broadcast Extra service, with includes ABC, Univision and UniMas. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes with viewing the programming that matters to you,” posted Sling.
Netflix is testing a higher tier of service, called Ultra, in Europe. The new tier would enable four devices to receive Ultra HD video and audio streaming simultaneously.
Sports-first live streaming TV service fuboTV has launched 4K HDR10 support in Beta, becoming the first virtual vMVPD to offer content in ultra-high definition and high dynamic range.
The monthly rate for AT&T’s entry level DirecTV Now is going up, from $35 to $40, effective for new customers July 26, while PlayStation Vue tiers will rise $5/month, including Access, its least expensive, which will be $45/month starting July 24. Last week, Dish upped Sling TV’s rate from $20 to $25.
A bug affecting as many as 800,000 users of Facebook’s Messenger led to the unblocking of some users that had been blocked. “We know that the ability to block someone is important,” said Erin Egan, chief privacy officer at the social media giant. “We’d like to apologize.” 83% of those impacted had just one person temporarily unblocked.
OTT channel AsianCrush will simulcast anime series Music Girls each Saturday at 1p following its Tokyo MX airing on AsianCrush’s apps and website.
GLOBAL GOINGS ON
CBS Studios International and Turkish digital pay TV platform, Digiturk, struck a new, exclusive, multiplatform content licensing agreement. As part of the deal, Digiturk’s portfolio of entertainment channels will broadcast exclusively the entire slate of new series from CBS Studios International, including programming created for the CBS, The CW and Showtime.
Content production company Essential Media Group announced the launch of Essential Scripted, an international arm focused on producing premium international scripted content for the small and big screen headquartered in Sydney and Los Angeles.
COMIC-CON: SAN DIEGO
A panel for IFC horror comedy Stan Against Evil will take place Saturday, July 21….Syfy will hold 10 panels two fan parties and roving activations at the event, which will be the launch pad for the Syfy Wire Fan Creators Initiative….Among those joining TNT’s Conan for a week of shows taped during Comic-Con are the casts of Breaking Bad, The Predator, Glass and Aquaman….CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery will be at Comic-Con (of course), with a panel moderated by Tig Notaro, a gallery takeover and pedicab rides….CBS Television Studios is hosting the world premieres of new reboots Charmed and Magnum P.I., as well as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s first appearance….FX Networks’ FXhibition will include installations for Legion, American Horror Story, Mayans M.C. and Archer….The casts and producers of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and Preacher will be on hand, and Better Call Saul will make its Comic-Con debut.
