Buyers Briefing


Endemol Shine Group: the story so far

The enormous distribution group created by the merger of Endemol, Shine Group and Core Media is taking shape, with a raft of new appointments, executives leaving the business and former staffers turning up elsewhere. Here are the key appointments at the new super group. Endemol Shine Group has been shaping up under CEO Sophie Turner […]

Pitching over the pond: a UK perspective on US TV

British producer Nerd TV’s co-founder and managing director Jago Lee on why American-style processes are seeping into UK commissioning Inevitably, as the globalisation of the TV market continues apace, we’re seeing the culture of US commissioning seeping into the UK, and not just in the language of ‘sizzle tapes’ and ‘programming buckets’, which sadly landed […]

Buyers Briefing: Jules Borkent, Nickelodeon

Name: Jules Borkent Title: senior VP, global acquisitions and international programming, Nickelodeon, Viacom International Media Networks Following the announcement of Nickelodeon’s latest domestic US slate, its international programming chief, Jules Borkent, tells TBI about the kids channels’ various global programmes, rights and strategies   TBI: How does the international business operate alongside the flagship US […]

XiveTV: at the factual frontier

John Hendricks will not have the factual streaming space to himself with CuriosityStream, with industry veterans Greg Diefenbach and Thomas Lucas launching an ad-supported, doc-based internet channel in February, XiveTV. XiveTV is the brainchild of Alliant Content, the distributor and content company founded by producers and factual industry veterans Greg Diefenbach (PBS’s Empires) and Thomas […]

Buyers Briefing: Steve Regan, MTV UK

Name: Steve Regan Title: VP of commissioning and production, MTV UK & International Steve Regan commissions for MTV’s UK and international channels feeds tells TBI about the content that Viacom young adult-skewed network is searching for.   TBI: What MTV channels do you commission for, and how do their needs differ? SR: I commission for […]

Guilty pleasures

Murder. Bloodlust. Revenge. Jesse Whittock listens to testimony from leading executives and gathers evidence to deliver a verdict on why the true crime genre continues to deliver killer ratings A s the ultra-popular podcast Serial has demonstrated, the true crime genre continues to defy expectations. The mix of blood, horror and investigation has captivated middle-aged […]

Buyers Briefing: Steve Schiffman, Justice Network

Name: Steve Schiffman Role: CEO Former National Geographic Channel chief Steve Schiffman leads the latest entrant into the competitive US true crime market, Justice Network, which launched on US multicast on January 20. He tells TBI about the channel’s launch, the proposition and buying wants and needs TBI: What makes the channel’s proposition unique? SS: […]

Discovery seeks third-party Spanish content for distribution

Discovery Communications’s programme sales team is ramping up efforts to acquire Spanish-language content that it can distribute throughout Latin America. “We are actively setting out to acquire Spanish content,” said Elliot Wagner, vice president, international programme sales and North America partnerships at Discovery. “One challenge we face at Discovery is that the networks business drives the […]

Buyers briefing: Angela Recio Sondon, Discovery

Name: Angela Recio Sondon Title: VP, programming and acquisitions, Discovery Networks Latin America/US Hispanic Ahead of NATPE next week, TBI talks with Angela Recio Sondon, who is in charge of key programming decision-making for Discovery’s entire Latin America and US Hispanic portfolio. She outlines her content needs, how the Discovery commissioning process works and upcoming shows TBI: What channels […]

Buyers Briefing: Devi Noviana, RCTI (Indonesia)

Name: Devi Noviana Title: head of international acquisitions Ahead of the ATF market in Singapore, TBI spoke to key buyers in the region about their acquisitions strategy Describe the profile of the channel for which you are buying? RCTI’s target audience is Male/FemaleABC 5+ and most of our programming is general entertainment with local drama […]