News


Zodiak Rights in $150m scripted pact

Banijay Group’s sales arm, Zodiak Rights, has closed a deal with British writer-director David Raymond (pictured) that is “anticipated to garner US$150 million of scripted content”. Zodiak Rights has closed the first look finance and distribution deal with Arise Pictures, which LA-based Raymond runs with executive producer and film financier Chris Pettit (below, right). The […]

Soundcloud appoints NBCU’s TV Everywhere boss

Berlin-based music service Soundcloud has appointed digital media veteran and former NBCUniversal and HBO executive Alison Moore as chief revenue officer. Moore, who has 20 years digital experience, joins from NBCU, where she was general manager and executive vice-president for TV Everywhere, working across the company’s portfolio of brands. Soundcloud said that Moore takes up […]

Vessel drops ads for paying subscribers

Vessel, the online video start-up from former Hulu boss Jason Kilar, has dropped the ads on the service for paying subscribers and introduced a new annual payment option. CEO Kilar (pictured) said in a blog post that the change follows user feedback and that “one of the most popular requests has been for an ad-free […]

Fox’s Cotton picked as Heyday US chief

Nancy Cotton is leaving Fox 21 Television Studios to become US president of new NBCUniversal joint venture prodco Heyday Television. Cotton (pictured) was senior VP, creative affairs at 21st Century Fox-owned Fox 21, which is the company that resulted from the merger of cable producer Fox 21 and network production arm Fox Television Studios. She […]

Canal+ ups execs, reining in costs

Vivendi-owned Canal+ has reorganised its executive ranks in an effort, it said, to keep better control of costs. Vivendi bosses recently said that Canal+ cannot continue to bleed red ink after four consecutive years of losses. Today Canal+ said that “in order to better control costs and control the income statement of its pay-TV operations […]

Sony Crime channel, Nine get Real Detective

Sony’s new UK crime net, True Crime, and Australian free-TV broadcaster Nine have both acquired Real Detective, the True Detective-inspired docudrama. The show is distributed by DCD Rights, which sealed the deals. The 8x60mins series has well known actors,including Michael Madsen (pictured), re-enacting a real-life case that defined a detective’s career. The real detective opens […]

Sonar taking The Fifth Beatle to TV

US producer and distributor Sonar Entertainment has optioned Vivek J. Tiwary’s The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, and will adapt the best-selling graphic novel into an event series. Tiwary, who has unprecedented access to the Lennon/McCartney catalogue of songs, will adapt his own work and exec produce the resulting series. It will tell the […]

Red Arrow, Nevision team for drama

Red Arrow Entertainment and boutique finance and production group Nevision have inked a drama co-development pact. The pair will work up scripted fare for the international market with two projects already at advanced development stage. The first is Post One, a high-concept drama from Gregory Edmont (The Secret Adventure of Jules Verne), and being produced […]

MTG orders Animal Antics

MTG has ordered fact-ent series Animal Antics for its Viasat Nature channel. UK indie Woodcut Media will make the 13x30mins series, with Factory Media handling global distribution and launching it internationally at MIPTV. The series will capture crazy animal behaviour, with comedians, vloggers and wildlife experts counting down their favourite clips. “This is a fun, […]

Ex-Banijay sales boss to lead Passion

Former Banijay Group sales boss Emmanuelle Namiech has been named CEO of Passion Distribution. Multiple sources had indicated ex-Banijay International managing director Namiech would be named in the post, and Tinopolis-owned Passion has now confirmed the news. Namiech exited Banijay Group as it completed its merger with Zodiak Media, with the latter’s head of sales, […]