News round-up: Fox extends animation with SPT; WaterBear lands Vice alum; ViX strikes Chefclub pact

Michael Thorn

Fox gobbles up hot dog animation

US broadcaster Fox has ordered animated comedy Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros. (working title) from creators Adam and Craig Malamut.

The series will be co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, with Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment serving as animation studio. Michael Thorn, president of entertainment at Fox, revealed the news.

The show follows two brothers who find themselves with no jobs when the Glantontown Hot Dog factory switches over to automation. However, they are saved when their local town introduces a universal basic income pilot program, handing them $3,000 per month with no strings attached. “This is a show about men trying to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed,” Fox said.

WaterBear lands Vice alum

Eco streamer WaterBear Network has hired Tom Noble-Sabokbar as its VP of commercial.

Noble-Sabokbar was most recently MD of social media agency Hey Honey and prior to that worked at Vice Media Group.

His arrival comes as WaterBear expands its purpose-led documentaries, working with organisations including sustainability-focused B Corporation, Ecologi and Fairphone.

The Ecologi partnership has seen WaterBear creating three-part miniseries 1.5 Degrees of Confusion, while the Fairphone pact has resulted in Behind The Screens.

ViX strikes Chefclub pact

TelevisaUnivision’s streamer ViX has struck a pact that provides its subscribers with access to a raft of shows from culinary-focused producer Chefclub.

The Spanish-language streamer will offer Chefclub-branded programming across the US and Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Chefclub has been expanding its global reach recently by launching a standalone Chefclub Channel on Samsung Plus TV in France and Switzerland.