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Author
Richard Middleton
Recent articles by this author
3 min read
News round-up: Blast! Films restructures; Eccho signs Born Wild deal; ZDFE’s ‘Great Inventions’ sells; IMDb extends SPT’s ‘Alex Rider’
Blast! Films rejigs as creative chiefs depart Sky Studios-backed producer Blast! Films has rejigged its…
2 min read
WarnerMedia cuts more jobs as ‘painful but critical’ restructuring continues
WarnerMedia has begun its latest round of layoffs, described by CEO Jason Kilar as a…
1 min read
Rai names Maria Pia Ammirati to replace Eleanora Andreatta as head of drama
Rai in Italy has appointed Maria Pia Ammirati to lead its scripted output, replacing the…
1 min read
Asacha Media hires Disney, Fox exec to lead development & distribution
European production outfit Asacha Media Group has hired Disney sales director Maria Grazia Ursino to oversee…
1 min read
Ex-Disney & TikTok chief Kevin Mayer emerges at Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries
Former Disney and TikTok chief Kevin Mayer has joined Access Industries, the entertainment investment firm founded by…
1 min read
Blumhouse TV rejigs after tapping NBCU alum Chris McCumber as president
Blumhouse TV has appointed former USA Network & Syfy chief Chris McCumber as its president,…
2 min read
Netflix hires ITN’s CEO Anna Mallett for production & appoints overall deals exec
Netflix has appointed Anna Mallett, the former BBC Studios exec and current ITN CEO,…
2 min read
NENT eyes $405m funding to fuel Viaplay expansion in Europe & US
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) is looking to raise SEK3.5bn ($405m) to fund the expansion…
1 min read
Warner Bros. TV Group’s president & chief marketing officer Lisa Gregorian to exit
Warner Bros. Television Group’s president & chief marketing officer Lisa Gregorian has become the latest…
3 min read
TBI Tech & Analysis: Channels & programming super-trends for 2021
Covid-19’s impact on production has radically changed acquisition activity for streamers and channels in 2020,…
1 min read
France’s Canal+ expands viewer engagement offer with LiveLike deal
France’s Canal+ has struck a deal with an audience engagement platform that allows viewers to…
2 min read
Univision sells minority stake in Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network
US Hispanic broadcaster Univision Communications has sold its minority stake in filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s El…
1 min read
Israeli streamer Izzy snags Armoza Studios scripted & docureality shows
Recently launched Israeli SVOD Izzy has picked up a raft of content from ITV Studios-owned…
1 min read
ITV adapts Louise Candlish’s thriller ‘Our House’, orders Kevin Macdonald Covid doc
UK commercial broadcaster ITV has bolstered its drama and doc slate by handing out commissions…
2 min read
SBS cooks up Story Lab’s socially-distanced format ‘All Together At The Table’
SBS in Belgium has ordered a local version of remotely filmed cooking class format All…
2 min read
SVOD subscription hits 80% in US as pay-TV customers continue to fall
Eight out of ten US TV households subscribe to at least one SVOD service while…
1 min read
Canada’s CBC revamps scripted with Helen Asimakis & Michelle Daly departing
Canadian pubcaster CBC has restructured its scripted division, with drama head Helen Asimakis and comedy…
1 min read
Netflix experiments with linear channel ‘Direct’ in France
Netflix is moving into linear TV by testing out the popularity of a new scheduled…
3 min read
Discovery CEO Zaslav reveals streaming plans ahead of December unveiling
Discovery CEO David Zaslav has offered more details for its soon-to-launch international streaming service, which…
3 min read
News round-up: ‘Model Railway’ goes Dutch; Sky scores Liverpool FC doc; South Africa opens ‘Love Island’; Oz Directors’ Guild hire
Great Model Railway Challenge leads to Netherlands NPO Max in the Netherlands has optioned rights…
1 min read
Banijay retains Marie Schweitzer as chief strategy officer
Banijay’s strategy chief Marie Schweitzer is to remain with the company following its acquisition of…
2 min read
Brazilian giant Globo strikes Disney+ deal & unveils $250m investment plan
Brazilian giant Globo has struck a deal to offer Disney+ via its streaming service Globoplay…
2 min read
ViacomCBS appoints co-lead for Australia & New Zealand business
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) has appointed Jarrod Villani as co-lead of the media giant’s Australia…
2 min read
Ukraine’s 1+1 to continue with ‘Masquerade’ as ‘Masked Singer’ dispute heats up
Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1 has said it is not planning to make any changes to its…
2 min read
Anonymous Content hires UCP president Dawn Olmstead, promotes David Levine
Defending Jacob and True Detective producer Anonymous Content has hired Universal Cable Productions (UCP) president Dawn…
3 min read
Why diversified thinking & nimble operations are key to producer survival
Stephen Stewart, MD of Northern Ireland-based producer Green Inc., discusses why now is the time…
1 min read
UKTV’s Alibi acquires crime drama ‘Briarpatch’ from NBCUniversal
UKTV has picked up Texas-based drama Briarpatch – which was cancelled after just one season earlier this year…
4 min read
TBI Tech & Analysis: Reflecting on Apple TV+ one year in
Apple TV+ might have the world’s most expensive company behind it, but intense competition in…
2 min read
Mediawan completes $112m acquisition of France’s Lagardere Studios
French group Mediawan has continued its rapid expansion by completing a deal to buy Lagardere…
2 min read
Fremantle & TRK Ukraine ‘explore sanctions’ against 1+1 in ‘Masked Singer’ dispute
The Format Recognition and Protection Association (FRAPA) has said there are “striking similarities” between a…