News


UK indie outline hires development chief from Studio Lambert

Outline Productions has poached Studio Lambert’s head of format development Shona Baldwin. At UK-based independent producer Outline, she will be head of development. At Studio Lambert Baldwin led the entertainment and factual format development team, creating programming for broadcasters across the UK and USA and working on series including Gogglebox and Million Second Quiz. Prior […]

ITN Productions appoints international programming boss

UK-based ITN Productions has hired Ian Russell as head of international programmes. Russell has worked at various UK productions companies and broadcasters. At free-to-air commercial broadcaster Channel 5 he was commissioning editor and subsequently served stints as director, coproductions, at Cineflix. His recent credits as an exec producer include Discovery’s Car vs Wild and Barcroft […]

BBC orders water company ob-doc

BBC Two has commissioned Watermen (WT), a new observational documentary about water supply company United Utilities. The series will be produced by Mentorn Media, which is part of fast-growing production and distribution group Tinopolis, and will follow the staff and customers of the water company which operates in the north-west of England. Watermen was commissioned […]

JB Perrette to lead Discovery’s international business

JB Perrette has been named as Mark Hollinger’s successor as president of Discovery Networks International. Perrette (left) takes over to lead Discovery Communications’ international channels and content business, which operates in 220 territories and has more than 190 worldwide television channels. All of Discovery’s regional and functional bosses will report into him. Perrette is succeeding […]

Netflix sets sail with Marco Polo original series

Netflix has ordered a new original series, based on the adventures of Marco Polo, to bow in all Netflix territories in late 2014. The series was originally developed at Starz, with the project ordered straight to series in January 2012, but production complications in China put paid to Starz’ involvement with the project. Starz released […]

DRG raids BBC, Shine and brings in Noel Hedges

DRG announced this morning that it has recruited commercial executives from BBC Worldwide and Shine Group, and TBI has learned it has brought in former Cineflix exec Noel Hedges. The Modern Times Group-owned producer and distributor has hired Richard Halliwell as its new chief operations officer. He joins from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of […]

Sony confirms Karl Warner prodco deal

Sony Pictures Television is backing a new production company headed by ex-BBC executive Karl Warner. Warner’s new prodco will be called Electric Ray and be based in London. It will specialise in factual and fact-ent series and sit alongside Sony’s other UK production interests Victory, Gogglebox Entertainment and Silver River. Sony said the new company […]

Discovery, Foxtel chart Rise of the Nazi Party

Discovery Networks Western Europe and Australian pay platform Foxtel are among buyers of a new history-themed series about the emergence of the Nazi Party in Germany. DNI sister company SBS Discovery Media and Planete have also acquired the 10x50mins series for Scandinavia and France respectively. The Rise of the Nazi Party comes from UK indie […]

UK’s TV and creative industries worth £71.4bn

The UK’s creative industries – including television, film and movies – are now worth more than £71.4 billion (US$117.1 billion) per year to the UK economy, according to new government stats. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said that creative industries experienced growth of almost 10% during 2012 and accounted for 1,680,000 jobs in […]

RAI and SBS Discovery make non-scripted programme acquisitions

Italian broadcaster RAI has bought Hurricane Hunters and Prehistoric Assassins from GRB Entertainment amid a raft of non-scripted programme deals for the US-based distributor. Other deals include Norway’s SBS Discovery and Ukraine’s Solar Media both acquiring Bloopers, and Canadian specialty channel operator Blue Ant Media’s acquisition of Last Call Food Brawl and Smoked. TV7 from […]