News


Keshet Canada makes Marathon debut deal

Keshet Canada has unveiled its first deal, which will see it bring Israeli format Marathon to the Canuck market. The venture, which is a joint operation between Keshet International and Canadian media veteran Mark Rubenstein, will co-develop and coproduce the docu-reality format with Fadoo Productions. Marathon launched in Israel on Keshet-operated Channel 2 scored a […]

Tess Alps steps back from Thinkbox CEO role

Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial television in the UK, has promoted managing director Lindsey Clay to CEO, with current chief executive Tess Alps to step back into a non-executive chairman role. The changes come into effect from January 1, 2014, with Jeremy Tester, director of brand strategy at Sky Media, to also come in […]

ABC goes straight-to-series with Secrets & Lies remake

An upcoming Australian crime drama is being remade for US broadcast net ABC, which has made a 10-part, straight-to-series order. Secrets & Lies comes from Oz prodco Hoodlum and is set to begin broadcasting on Network Ten in 2014, and is now being remade by ABC Studios and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Hoodlum is also […]

BBC orders Gangsta Granny

UK public broadcaster the BBC is making a TV version of kids book Gangsta Granny. The book was written by British comedian and actor David Walliams (Little Britain). The one-hour TV special based on the book will go out as part of the BBC One’s Christmas schedule. Julia McKenzie (Cranford), Joanna Lumley (Ab Fab), Rob […]

Ronnie Screwvala exiting Disney India

The Walt Disney Company India is saying goodbye to its managing director Ronnie Screwvala. Siddharth Roy Kapur, currently Screwvala’s number two, is to replace the outgoing MD on January 1, 2014. Screwvala will remain with the business until June to assist with the handover. He will leave seven years after Disney first invested in his […]

Yahoo launching series based on spoof Queen Twitter feed

Yahoo UK is launching Yes Ma’am, a new short form animated series based on the @Queen_UK Twitter feed. The spoof feed, purporting to be written by the reigning UK monarch, launched in May 2010 and has over a million followers. Yahoo has ordered a six-part short form series based on the feed with the first […]

StudioCanal closes in on deal for Red Production Company (exclusive)

France-based movie producer and distributor StudioCanal is locked in exclusive takeover talks with UK indie producer Red Production Company, TBI can reveal. The studio, which is part of the Vivendi-owned Canal Plus Groupe, has already staked a claim in the TV world with the acquisition of Munich-based Pillars of the Earth and Crossing Lines producer […]

The CW catches a wave with CSI’s Carol Mendelsohn

US broadcast network The CW has ordered a one-hour surfing-themed period drama from former CSI showrunner Carol Mendelsohn’s production company. The dark comedy drama, set to begin in 1961 and currently untitled, will use a motley crew of Malibu surfers as vehicle to explore historic moments in US history such as the civil rights movement […]

De Agostini buys 60 hours from Zodiak Kids

Zodiak Media’s Italian parent company, De Agostini, has acquired a 60 hour-plus programming package from children’s content division Zodiak Kids. The deal hands De Agostini Editore’s Italian free TV channel DeA Super! seasons two and three of Escape from Scorpion Island, comprising 60 half-hours; and the first two seasons of Tele Images-produced Sally Bollywood, comprising […]

iPlayer app downloaded 20 million times

The BBC’s iPlayer app has now been downloaded a total of more than 20 million times across iOS and Android devices, the corporation announced today. The BBC catch-up first went live online on Christmas Day 2007, with the dedicated iPlayer apps launching on iOS and Android in February 2011. The BBC said that the milestone […]