News round-up: Covid delays UK’s ‘Got Talent’; Wowow visits Harbour Rights; Parade lands ‘Derelict Rescue’

Britain’s Got Talent

Covid delays UK’s Got Talent

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has been forced to delay production on entertainment format Britain’s Got Talent following the country’s latest Covid outbreak.

The 15th season of the show, from Fremantle and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, had been scheduled to start filming in late January but ITV said production had been delayed until further notice.

Last year’s show had also been delayed by the pandemic and although TV production in the UK is permitted during the current lockdown, the broadcaster said the nature of Got Talent meant filming was unfeasible.

“With the announcement of the latest government health guidelines and with our priority of safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved in our programmes we, together with the production teams at Thames and Syco, have taken the decision to move the record and broadcast of the forthcoming series. We will confirm revised dates in due course,” ITV said.

Parade lands Derelict Rescue

Global distributor Parade Media has picked up sales rights to Derelict Rescue, a 10-part series following Britain’s home builders as they take on some of the country’s most rundown abandoned buildings.

The show is produced by UK indie Air TV for Discovery’s HGTV and Discovery+. It will deliver late 2021 and explores how building ranging from crumbling railways stations to abandoned RAF bases are being renovated.

Wowow visits Harbour 

Wowow in Japan has picked up more than 50 hours of 4K titles from distributor Harbour Rights, including travel series Flavors and From Africa With Love.

Culinary series Masters Of Savors is also included in the deal, while Harbour has sold wildlife series Icons Of The Wild – The Vegetarian Giants, The Antelopes and The Predators Of Africa to Discovery Network Asia Pacific.

PCCW has picked up various titles for their newly launched Now True On Demand in Hong Kong,
including Hitler’s Champions and Inside IKEA, while Hong Kong’s RTHK has bagged science show The Immortals, among others.