Mark Burnett, producer of Survivor and The Apprentice, is being sued by former colleague Conrad Riggs for US$70m in a row over unpaid royalties. Riggs launched the legal action against Mark Burnett Productions, claiming that Burnett reneged on a deal to pay Riggs, through his Cloudbreak Entertainment company, 10% of the company’s profits. Riggs, a […]
Indie producer and distributor Parthenon is moving into feature film finance and distribution. The UK company is teaming with Germany’s NDR Naturfilm for the film project, which will initially focus on two family-friendly properties. Knut and his Friends is from DocFilm and follows the story of Berlin Zoo’s star turn, Knut, the only polar bear […]
TBI’s Megan Edwards attended children’s programming festival Showcomotion in Sheffield, England and got the low down on kids TV in the UK. Here are some of the best bits from the conference: The role of Channel 4 was one topic causing debate. Some said that the broadcaster’s plan to spend a chunk of its budget […]
Matt Mason, author of hit book The Pirate’s Dilemma, is set to turn the pop culture tome into a US television series after securing the help of Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander. The Pirate’s Dilemma is a Wired-meets-Freakonomics tale of how youth trends reinvent pop culture and in turn become mainstream ideas with mass appeal. […]
NBC and private equity backers have agreed to buy The Weather Channel in a deal estimated to be worth $3.5 billion. NBC, Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group announced the deal late Sunday. NBC said that it will provide management support but the channel will be operated independently from its Atlanta base. The Weather Channel […]
Canadian film distributor Entertainment One has acquired a number of independent TV companies including producers Blueprint Entertainment, Barna-Alper and distributor Oasis International. The deal allows listed company Entertainment One to expand its library of television content to over 2,800 hours and focus on international TV sales. Entertainment One has paid C$51.5m (US$50m) for the three […]
Al Jazeera’s Children’s Channel (JCC) has set aside US$22 million in the next 12 months to spend on international coproduction. The channel hopes to secure about 12 to 13 projects with a variety of companies from around the world, JCC deputy director of programs & production, Mahmoud Orfali said at the Showcomotion Children’s Media Conference […]
The brains behind Strike.TV, the internet TV channel created by and for Hollywood writers, have given viewers a clue as to what they can expect. The launch slate features a host of projects from well-known TV writers. Upcoming scripted programming includes Daryl From OnCar from Malcolm in the Middle scribe Ron Corcillo and John’s Hand […]
Scandinavian format distributor Nordisk Film TV World is expanding into the world of finished programming and has inked deals with producers in Australia and New Zealand. Nordisk, which is known for selling formats such as Melody Challenge and Doobidoo, has inked a deal with New Zealand producer Ninox Television to sell its reality documentary series […]
Two more ex-iD Distribution employees have joined Sally Miles’ new distribution company Passion. Emma Simpkins has signed on as director of sales. Claudia Zell has also joined Passion, as European sales and acquisitions manager, reporting to Simpkins. Simpkins worked with Passion founder Sally Miles at iD where she was head of sales. Zell also previously […]
