2015-08-17

CYNOPSIS
08.17.15

Good morning. It’s Monday August 17, 2015, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:
A&E: The First 48: Bad Blood at 8p
ID: Killer Instinct With Chris Hansen at 10p
Travel: 36 Hours at 8p

Tonight’s Finales:
DIY: Yard Crashers at 10p
Food: Cake Wars at 8p
VH1: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta at 8p

Seems the best time for NBC’s upcoming Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris, first slated for Tuesdays at 10p, is two hours earlier. After its initial airings September 15 and September 22 at 10p, following solid lead-ins in the season finale of America’s Got Talent and the premiere of The Voice, the variety show slides to the 8p slot for the rest of its run.

IN THE NEWS

Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group avoided a blackout in 79 markets with a short-term extension to their contract, which expired at midnight on Saturday. Dish is asking the FCC to stay action on a complaint filed against Sinclair alleging the broadcast station owner is negotiating new retrans deals for 32 stations it does not own, “seeking to intentionally harm and exploit millions of innocent consumers to gain negotiating leverage.”

Comcast is weeks away from launching a curated digital video platform to rival Facebook and YouTube, reported Business Insider on Friday. Partner media companies, including Vice, Vox, Buzzfeed, AwesomenessTV, Refinery29 and The Onion, as well NBC Sports, among others, are committing to upload unlicensed, original video content for streaming on demand for Comcast’s Xfinity X1 box owners. The launch is an effort to reach younger audiences.

Responding to reports that NBC “fired” him from Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump tweeted, “People don’t understand that I left The Apprentice to run for Pres-the Apprentice DID NOT leave me. Bob Greenblatt & folks @NBC were GREAT!”. At TCA, NBC Entertainment chairman Greenblatt had said that while Trump is “a lovely guy,” he was “absolutely not” returning to the Apprentice franchise.

As for Trump’s suggestion that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was driven to take time off because of his criticism of her, “The conspiracy theories about Megyn Kelly’s vacation rank up there with UFOs, the moon landing and Elvis being alive,” scoffed a Fox spokesperson.

In the wake of Sesame Street’s move to HBO, which includes exclusive streaming rights for the pay cabler, Sesame Workshop is ending its own sub-based streaming service, Sesame Go. A new version of the app will have more limited content, and be free.

Mike Rowe, star of CNN’s Somebody’s Gotta Do It, almost had another job – Jon Stewart’s. Responding to a fan’s question on his web site about dealing with rejection, Rowe reveals he and Craig Kilborn were the two finalists when Comedy Central’s Daily Show was first launching. Kilborn got the job but when he left after two years, Rowe auditioned again. “Afterwards, I was told by the producers and writers that I was about to become the new host of The Daily Show, unless – by some miracle – Comedy Central were to suddenly cough up the kind of money that could entice a proven entity like Dennis Miller or Jon Stewart,” says Rowe, adding that although he was devastated at losing the gig for a second time, “It was a critical step in a long series of failures that got me to the sewer, where my redemption awaited, and a new level of job satisfaction that I frankly, never imagined.”

The Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention 2015, a biennial event taking place September 16-18, will address challenges and ways to spur growth in the British TV industry. BBC Director-General Tony Hall will chair; for details, go here.

Turner Broadcasting System acquired a majority stake in iStreamPlanet, with plans to leverage the live streaming company’s technology to deliver its OTT programming, shift its core technology infrastructure to the cloud and develop new products and services for existing and new businesses. “We’ve worked with iStreamPlanet in the past during the PGA Championship and they have also delivered world-class events such as the Super Bowl and Olympics to millions of viewers,” said Turner chairman and CEO John Martin. “This partnership will expand our capabilities to offer live events within and outside of the traditional ecosystem and…allow us to cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms.”

Apple’s plans to launch a live TV service delivered over the Internet have been postponed until 2016, according to Bloomberg. Short on content deals and computer network capacity, Apple scuttled plans to unveil the service in September, reports the news service.

The auction of bankrupt Relativity Media was postponed two weeks, to October 1, to attract more bidders. A Manhattan Bankruptcy Court judge approved the delay, as well as $2.5 million in additional financing, over the $9.5 million already approved, to keep Relativity afloat. Relativity has over $1.1 billion in liabilities and $560 million in assets.

In partnership with AMC and Channel 4, the New York Television Festival is offering the “AMC – Channel 4 Drama Co-Development Award.” Winning drama project gets a $20,000 script development award.AMC and Channel 4 will participate in NYTVF Pitch, where executives will assess the drama projects submitted by NYTVF Official Artists, and offer a guaranteed deal to at least one writer/creator.

What was the hottest summer series this season? Let us know in the new Cynopsis poll.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards Breakfast

Three reasons not to miss the fourth annual event:

1) Celebrate the Winners and industry achievements of 2015 (view finalist list)

2) Hear from programming pioneers from Amazon Studios, Cartoon Network, Disney Channels Worldwide and Nickelodeon Group

3) Network with the industry’s best executives

Register now

to reserve your space at the event

PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Members of SAG-AFTRA got the go-ahead to work on Esquire’s Comedians of LA after production company L. Plummer Media signed a union contract. Series follows up-and-comers on the stand-up circuit.

Powerless, based on characters from DC Comics, has a pilot production commitment from NBC. Superhero comedy comes from creator Ben Queen (A to Z) and Warner Bros. TV.

Eight-hour Blood Will Out is in development at TNT. Limited series from Vendetta Productions and TriStar Television is being written by Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein.

WGN America picked up with penalty spec script Debt, written by Ian Macdonald with Neil LaBute onboard to direct and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) starring. The trio will exec produce, with Assembly Entertainment’s Christina Wayne, and Jennifer Kennedy and Bradley Walsh.

Warner Bros. Television project Bumbleberry Lane (wt) from Gary Janetti grabbed a put pilot commitment from NBC. Workplace comedy is set in a children’s puppet program.

Media Minute: Movies are having a moment, reports Brad Adgate, SVP research at Horizon Media. “At the start of the year there, had been 19 films that had grossed $1 billion in box office globally.So far in 2015 there have already been three: Jurassic World, Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Adgate tells Cynopsis.“Knocking on the door is Minions, which grossed over $900 million in its first month.There is expected to be at least two more released later this year, the new James Bond film, Spectre (Skyfall grossed over $1 billion in 2012) and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” Why the banner year? “Increased ticket prices and the popularity of these films around the world (especially in China),” says Adgate. Next year’s not looking shabby either, with upcoming releases led by Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Top 10 Weekend Domestic Box Office Estimates: August 14-16, 2015
Straight Outta Compton (Universal) $56.1 million, opening weekend
Mission: Impossible – Rogue (Paramount) $17.3 million, cume revenue $138.4 million
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Warner Bros.) $13.5 million, opening weekend
Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox) $8.0 million, cume revenue $42.0 million
The Gift (STX Entertainment) $6.5 million, cume revenue $23.6 million
Ant-Man (Buena Vista) $5.5 million, cume revenue $157.6 million
Vacation (Warner Bros.) $5.3 million, cume revenue $46.9 million
Minions (Universal) $5.2 million, cume revenue $313 million
Ricki and the Flash (TriStar) $4.6 million, cume revenue $14.7 million
Trainwreck (Universal) $3.8 million, cume revenue $97.9 million
Source: Rentrak Corporation

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NCM

Straight Outta This World
NCM’s 7.6 rating over Straight Outta Compton‘s opening weekend

is music to brands’ ears. Advertise at the movies.

Click here

to Get in Front.

CASTING

Rachel DiPillo landed a series regular role on NBC’s upcoming Chicago Med. DiPillo has been recurring on CW’s Jane the Virgin. Chicago Fire spin-off launches Tuesday, November 17 at 9p.

Arturo Del Puerto (The Lottery) joins FX pilot Snowfall as a series regular. Drama was co-created by John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood).

Southland’s Shawn Hatosy is onboard TNT pilot Animal Kingdom. Hatosy joins Scott Speedman and Ellen Barkin in the drama from John Wells Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television.

ADVERTISING

Globally, mobile ad revenue ballooned from $19.3 billion in 2013 to $31.9 million in 2014, according to new data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Biggest growth was seen in North America, up 76.8 percent in ad spending during the period.

GLOBAL GOINGS-ON

Season two of the Indonesian version of The X Factor received over six million public votes through a partnership with Google. The X Factor Indonesia is the second TV show in the world to use the Google Search voting platform, after American Idol.

In other singing competition news, Boy George and soul singer Paloma Faith join Will.I.Am and Ricky Wilson on the judging panel for The Voice UK. Former Voice coach judge Rita Ora had switched teams, decamping for X Factor.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CYNOPSIS SALARY SURVEY

Deadline: Tuesday, August 18th | TAKE THE SURVEY NOW
You could win a $100 gift card to Amazon.com!

Cynopsis will publish highlights from the survey results in the weekly Jobs Advantage eNewsletter (formerly Classified Advantage) and on cynopsis.com. Participants will receive early access to the report.

Your responses to the survey will be held in strict confidence and will only be used in aggregate.

RATINGS

Velocity’s coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Live auction from Thursday, August 6-Saturday, August 8 delivered over 3.8 million live viewers. Over the course of the year, the auto auctions have delivered over 12 million live viewers. Next on the block: Vegas, September 24-26. “Barrett-Jackson Live has been nothing short of a game changer for Velocity. Our broadcasts combine the world’s most spectacular cars with television’s number one automotive brand and the top collector car auction,” Robert Scanlon, GM of Velocity and Automotive Content, tells Cynopsis.“These numbers aren’t a surprise because the Velocity audience knows they have a live front row seat to all of the action featuring a first class, expert broadcast team and best-in-class production values.”

Naked and Afraid XL delivered a 2.27 P25-54 rating with 3.67 million total viewers P2+ on Sunday, August 9 in L+3, ranking as the #1 basic cable telecast on Sunday with P25-54 and P/M 18-49.

Thursday A18-49 Analysis: CBS won the most A18-49 viewers Thursday with 1.1/4, according to final primetime national ratings from Nielsen. Univision topped 8p with .9/4 for Amores con Trampa, versus a .8/3 average for back-to-back Moms on CBS. CBS took a more commanding lead at 9p with 1.9/7 for Big Brother, followed by .9/3 for Univision’s Lo Imperdonable. Telemundo was first at 10p with 1.1/4 for Senor de los Cielos; NBC’s Dateline Mystery was right behind with 1.0/4.

A18-49:CBS 1.1/4, NBC .8/3, UNI .8/3, TELE .7/3, ABC .6/2, FOX .5/2, ION .3/1, CW .2/1

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, August 13, 2015  time period averages. Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated. Live+SD.

NBC: 2.9/5
Food Fighters 2.2/4, Dateline Mystery 3.2/6
CBS: 2.8/5
Mom [r] 2.4/5, Mom [r] 2.5/5, Big Brother 3.5/6, Under the Dome 2.4/4
ABC: 2.2/4
Astronaut Wives Club 2.3/4, Mistresses 2.1/4, Rookie Blue 2.3/4
FOX: 1.3/2
Boom 1.1/2, Bones [r] 1.5/3
UNIVISION: 1.2/2
Amores con Trampa 1.2/2, Lo Impernodable 1.3/2, Yo No Creo en Hombres 1.2/2
ION: 1.2/2
Blue Bloods 1.1/2, Blue Bloods 1.2/2, Blue Bloods 1.2/2
TELEMUNDO: 1.0/2
Avenida Brasil .7/1, Bajo el Mismo Cielo .9/2, Senor de los Cielos 1.3/2
CW: .6/1
Beauty and the Beast .6/1, Arrow [r] .5/1

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Jill Dickerson has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Programming and Development at OWN. Dickerson joined the network in 2009 as VP of programming and development.

IN MEMORIAM

British director Herbert Wise died August 5. He was 90. Of Wise, whose work included I, Claudius, the Director’s Guild of America said, “Herbie was an important figure in the golden age of British television whose wide influence and impressive list of miniseries and movies for television impacted directors and audiences around the world.”

Civil rights leader Julian Bond died August 15 after a brief illness. He was 75. One of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Bond’s television contributions included narrating documentary series Eyes on the Prize, and anchoring syndicated news program America’s Black Forum from 1980-1997.

This Day in History: 1786 – Frontiersman Davy Crockett was born.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: What was the name of the armed service Sayid had been a member of on Lost (2004-2010)? Iraqi Republican Guard. Kudos to: Rev. Mark Wajda/Leesburg, FL, James Ryan-A+E Networks/NYC, Michael Hochman-Bowling Alley Lunch Entertainment/Holland, PA, Luke Watson-Essential TV/NYC, Will Allmendinger-Clear Channel Outdoor/Chicago, Chris Keyser-JPMorgan Chase/Columbus, OH, Paul Blutter-Hollywood Depot Rentals/Burbank, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank, Dan Haberer-Creo Entertainment/Playa del Rey, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question  On the Case Theme Week: Which TV detective had his fishing vacation interrupted by a case involving a murdered businessman hit over the head with a dog figurine? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone.).

Keep Watching & Reading,
Lynn Leahey: Editorial Director @Lynn_Leahey

08.17.15

Roberta Caploe: Associate Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP, Sales | 203-218-6480

Cynopsis Job Listings Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations | 203-899-8459

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JOB OPENING: UNIT PUBLICIST (Nat’l Synd Talk Show)/Summerdale Productions/Culver City CA: Resp for daily consumer publicity efforts & dvlpng/implementing episodic PR strategies to drive tune-in.

5 yrs exp TV PR req’d. Excl writing/verbal/interpersonal skills. Resume HERE (8/22)

JOB OPENING: GRAPHIC DESIGNER/PAC-12 CONFERENCE/SFO: Create/design/execute mkting campaigns using Adobe Creative Suite. 2+ yrs design studio/agency exp. For full posting/apply HERE (8/22)

JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE PROD, BRANDED CONTENT/Litton Ent/NYC: Work w/showrunners, prod teams & mngmnt & post-prod to ensure that all req’s are met & sponsor is in receipt of all info/deliverables. 8-10 yrs ad agency, comm prod or branded TV exp req’d. Resume HERE (8/22)

JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE DIR, PROGRAMMING/TENNIS CHANNEL: Execute long term prgrmng strategies for the linear & digital programming services. 10+ yrs exp Program Plan’g/Sched’g & Acquisitions is req’d. Prev exp mngng team with Mgr and above titles. Resume HERE (8/22)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/NBCU/LA: Work with CSNBA/CA National Sales Manager on maximizing digital opportunities with our National sellers, sell portfolio of digital products (display advertising, mobile, etc) Full info/apply HERE (8/21)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/Discovery/MD: Passionate researcher to track and analyze Nielsen ratings data across 5 Discovery nets and competitors. Create rich analyses of consumer data as it relates to audience behavior and market profiles. Full info/apply HERE (8/20)

JOB OPENING: MGR COMMERCIAL OPS/BBC World News/NY: BA, 5yrs exp in traffic or broadcast ops in cable. Manage US copy accts, facilitate media delivery to UK and ensure log accuracy for US ads. Strategic thinker, excellent comm & computer skills with database mmgt (Gabriel, Broadway, WideOrbit) Apply HERE (8/20)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL ANALYTICS ANLST/MGR/OUTDOOR CHANNEL/CO: Collect, report and present digital/social audience usage, mkt, econ & sales data for Outdoor Sportsman Group. 2 yrs exp Analyst/4 yrs exp MGR. Apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH DIR/OUTDOOR CHANNEL/CO: Supervise, design, collect, analyze and present audience viewing, usage, mkt, econ & sales data for Outdoor Sportsman Group. 5+ yrs media research exp. Apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/Discovery/MD: Passionate researcher to track and analyze Nielsen ratings data across 5 Discovery nets and competitors. Create rich analyses of consumer data as it relates to audience behavior and market profiles. Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: DIR. OF PUBLICITY/Jim Henson Company/LA: Seeks Director for initiating and implementing publicity programs to support Companys productions & serve corp PR needs. College degree and min. of 5 years exp in PR, mktg, comm., or related field. Resume: HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: PROMO PRODUCER-EDITOR/NBC/East Coast: The role purpose of a Producer-Editor is to oversee production and execution of marketing and promotional campaigns and sales presentations for selected sports properties. Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

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JOB OPENING: SR CREATIVE/MTV/NYC: Dvlp creative concepts across mult mediums, write compelling copy & pitch brand-specific creative ideas. 5+ yrs creative positions at ad agency, media agency or TV ent ntwk creative dept. Prior work exp Sr Creative. Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR- BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/Discovery/LA: Resp. for handling deal negotiations and drafting/ review of agreements for devel/prod of prgmming and lead/supporting talent across ntwrks w/ focus on TLC. Exp working in-house at entertainment company Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: SR DIR, INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN/DATA VISUALIZATION/Viacom/NY: Dvlp innovative info design that positions our co & brands in the most eff. way poss. 5-7 yrs data visualization/infographic exp at a top-tier agency or studio. Deg prefd. Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR AD SALES RESEARCH/UP TV/NYC: Excellent researcher & seasoned storyteller whos looking to join a team thats on its way UP. Res: recruiting@uptv.com (8/19)

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JOB OPENING: MANAGER, FINANCE/FOX/LA: Proactive and self-motivated individual to oversee accounting team who manage A/R accounts for Pay TV, SVOD, Hotel and AVOD customers. BA Deg/Accounting or Finance. 7 yrs related exp. Full info/apply HERE (8/19)

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2015

ABC: Bachelor in Paradise, Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, The Whispers

CBS: 2 Broke Girls [r], The Odd Couple [r], Scorpion [r], NCIS: Los Angeles [r]
CW: Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Whose Life Is it Anyway?, Significant Mother
FOX: So You Think You Can Dance

NBC: American Ninja Warrior, Running Wild With Bear Grylls [r]

PBS: Antiques Roadshow [r], Antiques Roadshow [r], POV [r]

Telemundo: Avenida Brasil, Bajo el Mismo Cielo, El Senor de los Cielos

Univision: Amores con Trampa, Lo Imperdonable, Yo No Creo en los Hombre

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CYNOPSIS
08.17.15

Good morning. It’s Monday August 17, 2015, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:
A&E: The First 48: Bad Blood at 8p
ID: Killer Instinct With Chris Hansen at 10p
Travel: 36 Hours at 8p

Tonight’s Finales:
DIY: Yard Crashers at 10p
Food: Cake Wars at 8p
VH1: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta at 8p

Seems the best time for NBC’s upcoming Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris, first slated for Tuesdays at 10p, is two hours earlier. After its initial airings September 15 and September 22 at 10p, following solid lead-ins in the season finale of America’s Got Talent and the premiere of The Voice, the variety show slides to the 8p slot for the rest of its run.

IN THE NEWS

Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group avoided a blackout in 79 markets with a short-term extension to their contract, which expired at midnight on Saturday. Dish is asking the FCC to stay action on a complaint filed against Sinclair alleging the broadcast station owner is negotiating new retrans deals for 32 stations it does not own, “seeking to intentionally harm and exploit millions of innocent consumers to gain negotiating leverage.”

Comcast is weeks away from launching a curated digital video platform to rival Facebook and YouTube, reported Business Insider on Friday. Partner media companies, including Vice, Vox, Buzzfeed, AwesomenessTV, Refinery29 and The Onion, as well NBC Sports, among others, are committing to upload unlicensed, original video content for streaming on demand for Comcast’s Xfinity X1 box owners. The launch is an effort to reach younger audiences.

Responding to reports that NBC “fired” him from Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump tweeted, “People don’t understand that I left The Apprentice to run for Pres-the Apprentice DID NOT leave me. Bob Greenblatt & folks @NBC were GREAT!”. At TCA, NBC Entertainment chairman Greenblatt had said that while Trump is “a lovely guy,” he was “absolutely not” returning to the Apprentice franchise.

As for Trump’s suggestion that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was driven to take time off because of his criticism of her, “The conspiracy theories about Megyn Kelly’s vacation rank up there with UFOs, the moon landing and Elvis being alive,” scoffed a Fox spokesperson.

In the wake of Sesame Street’s move to HBO, which includes exclusive streaming rights for the pay cabler, Sesame Workshop is ending its own sub-based streaming service, Sesame Go. A new version of the app will have more limited content, and be free.

Mike Rowe, star of CNN’s Somebody’s Gotta Do It, almost had another job – Jon Stewart’s. Responding to a fan’s question on his web site about dealing with rejection, Rowe reveals he and Craig Kilborn were the two finalists when Comedy Central’s Daily Show was first launching. Kilborn got the job but when he left after two years, Rowe auditioned again. “Afterwards, I was told by the producers and writers that I was about to become the new host of The Daily Show, unless – by some miracle – Comedy Central were to suddenly cough up the kind of money that could entice a proven entity like Dennis Miller or Jon Stewart,” says Rowe, adding that although he was devastated at losing the gig for a second time, “It was a critical step in a long series of failures that got me to the sewer, where my redemption awaited, and a new level of job satisfaction that I frankly, never imagined.”

The Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention 2015, a biennial event taking place September 16-18, will address challenges and ways to spur growth in the British TV industry. BBC Director-General Tony Hall will chair; for details, go here.

Turner Broadcasting System acquired a majority stake in iStreamPlanet, with plans to leverage the live streaming company’s technology to deliver its OTT programming, shift its core technology infrastructure to the cloud and develop new products and services for existing and new businesses. “We’ve worked with iStreamPlanet in the past during the PGA Championship and they have also delivered world-class events such as the Super Bowl and Olympics to millions of viewers,” said Turner chairman and CEO John Martin. “This partnership will expand our capabilities to offer live events within and outside of the traditional ecosystem and…allow us to cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms.”

Apple’s plans to launch a live TV service delivered over the Internet have been postponed until 2016, according to Bloomberg. Short on content deals and computer network capacity, Apple scuttled plans to unveil the service in September, reports the news service.

The auction of bankrupt Relativity Media was postponed two weeks, to October 1, to attract more bidders. A Manhattan Bankruptcy Court judge approved the delay, as well as $2.5 million in additional financing, over the $9.5 million already approved, to keep Relativity afloat. Relativity has over $1.1 billion in liabilities and $560 million in assets.

In partnership with AMC and Channel 4, the New York Television Festival is offering the “AMC – Channel 4 Drama Co-Development Award.” Winning drama project gets a $20,000 script development award.AMC and Channel 4 will participate in NYTVF Pitch, where executives will assess the drama projects submitted by NYTVF Official Artists, and offer a guaranteed deal to at least one writer/creator.

What was the hottest summer series this season? Let us know in the new Cynopsis poll.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards Breakfast

Three reasons not to miss the fourth annual event:

1) Celebrate the Winners and industry achievements of 2015 (view finalist list)

2) Hear from programming pioneers from Amazon Studios, Cartoon Network, Disney Channels Worldwide and Nickelodeon Group

3) Network with the industry’s best executives

Register now

to reserve your space at the event

PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Members of SAG-AFTRA got the go-ahead to work on Esquire’s Comedians of LA after production company L. Plummer Media signed a union contract. Series follows up-and-comers on the stand-up circuit.

Powerless, based on characters from DC Comics, has a pilot production commitment from NBC. Superhero comedy comes from creator Ben Queen (A to Z) and Warner Bros. TV.

Eight-hour Blood Will Out is in development at TNT. Limited series from Vendetta Productions and TriStar Television is being written by Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein.

WGN America picked up with penalty spec script Debt, written by Ian Macdonald with Neil LaBute onboard to direct and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) starring. The trio will exec produce, with Assembly Entertainment’s Christina Wayne, and Jennifer Kennedy and Bradley Walsh.

Warner Bros. Television project Bumbleberry Lane (wt) from Gary Janetti grabbed a put pilot commitment from NBC. Workplace comedy is set in a children’s puppet program.

Media Minute: Movies are having a moment, reports Brad Adgate, SVP research at Horizon Media. “At the start of the year there, had been 19 films that had grossed $1 billion in box office globally.So far in 2015 there have already been three: Jurassic World, Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Adgate tells Cynopsis.“Knocking on the door is Minions, which grossed over $900 million in its first month.There is expected to be at least two more released later this year, the new James Bond film, Spectre (Skyfall grossed over $1 billion in 2012) and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” Why the banner year? “Increased ticket prices and the popularity of these films around the world (especially in China),” says Adgate. Next year’s not looking shabby either, with upcoming releases led by Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Top 10 Weekend Domestic Box Office Estimates: August 14-16, 2015
Straight Outta Compton (Universal) $56.1 million, opening weekend
Mission: Impossible – Rogue (Paramount) $17.3 million, cume revenue $138.4 million
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Warner Bros.) $13.5 million, opening weekend
Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox) $8.0 million, cume revenue $42.0 million
The Gift (STX Entertainment) $6.5 million, cume revenue $23.6 million
Ant-Man (Buena Vista) $5.5 million, cume revenue $157.6 million
Vacation (Warner Bros.) $5.3 million, cume revenue $46.9 million
Minions (Universal) $5.2 million, cume revenue $313 million
Ricki and the Flash (TriStar) $4.6 million, cume revenue $14.7 million
Trainwreck (Universal) $3.8 million, cume revenue $97.9 million
Source: Rentrak Corporation

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NCM

Straight Outta This World
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CASTING

Rachel DiPillo landed a series regular role on NBC’s upcoming Chicago Med. DiPillo has been recurring on CW’s Jane the Virgin. Chicago Fire spin-off launches Tuesday, November 17 at 9p.

Arturo Del Puerto (The Lottery) joins FX pilot Snowfall as a series regular. Drama was co-created by John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood).

Southland’s Shawn Hatosy is onboard TNT pilot Animal Kingdom. Hatosy joins Scott Speedman and Ellen Barkin in the drama from John Wells Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television.

ADVERTISING

Globally, mobile ad revenue ballooned from $19.3 billion in 2013 to $31.9 million in 2014, according to new data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Biggest growth was seen in North America, up 76.8 percent in ad spending during the period.

GLOBAL GOINGS-ON

Season two of the Indonesian version of The X Factor received over six million public votes through a partnership with Google. The X Factor Indonesia is the second TV show in the world to use the Google Search voting platform, after American Idol.

In other singing competition news, Boy George and soul singer Paloma Faith join Will.I.Am and Ricky Wilson on the judging panel for The Voice UK. Former Voice coach judge Rita Ora had switched teams, decamping for X Factor.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CYNOPSIS SALARY SURVEY

Deadline: Tuesday, August 18th | TAKE THE SURVEY NOW
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Cynopsis will publish highlights from the survey results in the weekly Jobs Advantage eNewsletter (formerly Classified Advantage) and on cynopsis.com. Participants will receive early access to the report.

Your responses to the survey will be held in strict confidence and will only be used in aggregate.

RATINGS

Velocity’s coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Live auction from Thursday, August 6-Saturday, August 8 delivered over 3.8 million live viewers. Over the course of the year, the auto auctions have delivered over 12 million live viewers. Next on the block: Vegas, September 24-26. “Barrett-Jackson Live has been nothing short of a game changer for Velocity. Our broadcasts combine the world’s most spectacular cars with television’s number one automotive brand and the top collector car auction,” Robert Scanlon, GM of Velocity and Automotive Content, tells Cynopsis.“These numbers aren’t a surprise because the Velocity audience knows they have a live front row seat to all of the action featuring a first class, expert broadcast team and best-in-class production values.”

Naked and Afraid XL delivered a 2.27 P25-54 rating with 3.67 million total viewers P2+ on Sunday, August 9 in L+3, ranking as the #1 basic cable telecast on Sunday with P25-54 and P/M 18-49.

Thursday A18-49 Analysis: CBS won the most A18-49 viewers Thursday with 1.1/4, according to final primetime national ratings from Nielsen. Univision topped 8p with .9/4 for Amores con Trampa, versus a .8/3 average for back-to-back Moms on CBS. CBS took a more commanding lead at 9p with 1.9/7 for Big Brother, followed by .9/3 for Univision’s Lo Imperdonable. Telemundo was first at 10p with 1.1/4 for Senor de los Cielos; NBC’s Dateline Mystery was right behind with 1.0/4.

A18-49:CBS 1.1/4, NBC .8/3, UNI .8/3, TELE .7/3, ABC .6/2, FOX .5/2, ION .3/1, CW .2/1

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, August 13, 2015  time period averages. Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated. Live+SD.

NBC: 2.9/5
Food Fighters 2.2/4, Dateline Mystery 3.2/6
CBS: 2.8/5
Mom [r] 2.4/5, Mom [r] 2.5/5, Big Brother 3.5/6, Under the Dome 2.4/4
ABC: 2.2/4
Astronaut Wives Club 2.3/4, Mistresses 2.1/4, Rookie Blue 2.3/4
FOX: 1.3/2
Boom 1.1/2, Bones [r] 1.5/3
UNIVISION: 1.2/2
Amores con Trampa 1.2/2, Lo Impernodable 1.3/2, Yo No Creo en Hombres 1.2/2
ION: 1.2/2
Blue Bloods 1.1/2, Blue Bloods 1.2/2, Blue Bloods 1.2/2
TELEMUNDO: 1.0/2
Avenida Brasil .7/1, Bajo el Mismo Cielo .9/2, Senor de los Cielos 1.3/2
CW: .6/1
Beauty and the Beast .6/1, Arrow [r] .5/1

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Jill Dickerson has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Programming and Development at OWN. Dickerson joined the network in 2009 as VP of programming and development.

IN MEMORIAM

British director Herbert Wise died August 5. He was 90. Of Wise, whose work included I, Claudius, the Director’s Guild of America said, “Herbie was an important figure in the golden age of British television whose wide influence and impressive list of miniseries and movies for television impacted directors and audiences around the world.”

Civil rights leader Julian Bond died August 15 after a brief illness. He was 75. One of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Bond’s television contributions included narrating documentary series Eyes on the Prize, and anchoring syndicated news program America’s Black Forum from 1980-1997.

This Day in History: 1786 – Frontiersman Davy Crockett was born.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: What was the name of the armed service Sayid had been a member of on Lost (2004-2010)? Iraqi Republican Guard. Kudos to: Rev. Mark Wajda/Leesburg, FL, James Ryan-A+E Networks/NYC, Michael Hochman-Bowling Alley Lunch Entertainment/Holland, PA, Luke Watson-Essential TV/NYC, Will Allmendinger-Clear Channel Outdoor/Chicago, Chris Keyser-JPMorgan Chase/Columbus, OH, Paul Blutter-Hollywood Depot Rentals/Burbank, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank, Dan Haberer-Creo Entertainment/Playa del Rey, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question  On the Case Theme Week: Which TV detective had his fishing vacation interrupted by a case involving a murdered businessman hit over the head with a dog figurine? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone.).

Keep Watching & Reading,
Lynn Leahey: Editorial Director @Lynn_Leahey

08.17.15

Roberta Caploe: Associate Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP, Sales | 203-218-6480

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