News round-up: SeriesFest lands Starz, Tubi, TelevisaUnivision execs; Amazon strikes Imagine pact; CMore extends ‘Helsinki Crimes’; NATPE Budapest unveils attendees

LR: Kathryn Busby, Wade Davis, Adam Lewinson

SeriesFest lands Starz, Tubi, TelevisaUnivision execs

Denver-based TV festival SeriesFest has announced the line-up for its ‘Innovation Talks’ strand, with top execs from Starz, Tubi and TelevisaUnivision in attendance.

The discussions, described as “candid conversations”, will see Starz president of original Kathryn Busby and TelevisaUnivision CEO Wade Davis interviewed by Mike Fries, CEO at event supporter and telco giant, Liberty Global.

Adam Lewinson, chief content officer at Fox-owned Tubi, will also be appearing as part of the strand, which will explore the rapidly evolving television landscape.

The annual six-day festival in Denver, Colorado, also includes a full slate of in-competition screenings, panels, workshops, as well as never-before-seen sneak peeks and television premieres. The full schedule will be revealed in the coming days.

Launched over five years ago, the up-close and personal ‘Innovation Talks’ series has spotlighted execs including Ted Sarandos, Jon Feltheimer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jennifer Garner, Ben Silverman, W. Kamau Bell, Ann Dowd and Jane Turton.

NATPE Budapest unveils attendees

NATPE Budapest has said that companies including Banijay Rights, MGM and Red Arrow Studios International are amongst the first to confirm as exhibitors at the upcoming event.

The event, which takes place 19 – 22 June at the InterContinental Hotel, will also house companies including Turkish distributors Kanal D, Global Agency, Mistco, MADD Entertainment, TRT, ATV and OGM UNIVERSE.

DARO Film Distribution, FilmRise, Gaumont, Newen Connect, Italy’s RTI Mediaset, Vision Films and The Smurfs distributor IMPS have also joined the list of exhibitors which is growing daily.

As previously announced, Unifrance and Pact have also signed on as event partners and will be bringing delegations from France and the UK, respectively as they look to grow their reach in the CEE and beyond.

Amazon Studios strikes Imagine pact

Amazon Studios has agreed a first-look deal for docs and features with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.

The multi-year pact comes after the Jen Salle-led division worked on Imagine shows such as Thirteen Lives and Judy Blume Forever.

CMore extends Helsinki Crimes

Nordic giant C More has ordered a second six-episode season of ITV Studios Finland’s detective drama, Helsinki Crimes (aka Harjunpää).

The show is based on Matti Yrjänä Joensuu’s series of novels and follows the journey of a renowned detective as he investigates a wave of serious crimes in present-day Helsinki.

The series has been written by Harri Virtanen (Deadwind) and directed by Matti Kinnunen (Cargo). The first season sold to Australia’s SBS On Demand, AMC Networks International’s SundanceTV in Spain, and on Walter Presents in the UK and Ireland.