News


News brief: Sorcher promoted at Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network’s chief content officer Rob Sorcher is one of two Turner Broadcasting System executives promoted in a management reshuffle. Sorcher now adds the title of VP to his duties, while Mike Lazzo, senior VP of programming and production for Adult Swim and Williams Street Studios, becomes executive VP and creative director of that unit. […]

Zodiak scores kids deals as pair exit

Zodiak Rights has renewed its deal with Discovery Kids Latin America for kids’ series Mister Maker Comes to Town, though the distributor is one of two Zodiak Media units losing executives this week. Discovery Kids has acquired the first two seasons of the show, which Zodiak-owned prodco The Foundation produces. It has also renewed Mister […]

Robert de Niro attached to James Patterson TV adaptation

Robert de Niro is executive producing a television remake of James Patterson’s best-selling book series Private. De Niro’s TriBeCa Productions is attached to the series, which Sonar Entertainment and James Patterson Entertainment unveiled yesterday. The Hollywood actor will executive-produce the 13x60mins show, also titled Private, along with TriBeCa partner Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Prolific author […]

Viki makes Spanish push, inks Netflix, Lat Am deals

Viki has launched a Spanish-language service and inked a telenovela deal with Netflix and Colombia’s Caracol. Viki is a an online video site that crowd sources subtitling activity to create localised versions of scripted content. Thus far the focus has largely been on reversioning Asian-originated content. The Spanish language service is focused on viewers in […]

News brief: Hasbro renews Oz digital deal

Hasbro’s LA-based entertainment subsidiary Hasbro Studios has renewed a deal that allows Melborne firm Madmen Entertainment to sell shows including Transformers Prime in Australia and New Zealand. The deal also covers My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and includes digital platform and DVD distribution rights. “Madman has done an outstanding job for us and we […]

SinemaTV channels set for Turkish pay service

Turkish pay TV service provider Turkcell TV has begun offering a package of channels from Oflaz Media Group to its subscribers. Turkcell TV is offering a SinemaTV package comprising three of the group’s six channels – classic movie channel SinemaTV 1001, action movie channel SinemaTV Aksiyon, romantic drama and comedy channel SinemaTV Aşk – along […]

Smart TVs get consumer ‘thumbs down’

Smart TVs are getting a “thumbs-down from early adopters”, with viewers preferring to use tablets, smartphones and other connected devices to access online media, according to Strategy Analytics. A new study by the research firm, called ‘online video lead adopters bypass the smart TV with personal devices,’ claims that while half the surveyed sample had […]

Nine Network boss steps down

The managing director of Australia’s Nine Network is stepping down. Jeffrey Browne is exiting the broadcaster after seven years, Nine Entertainment CEO David Gyngell announced. He will move to a part-time role as executive director, commercial of Nine Entertainment. “Jeff’s made the call after seven terrific years at the top of the Network – the time […]

Italian media coin crashes, down €1.6bn

Combined revenues of Italy’s media companies, including broadcasters and online players, fell by €1.6 billion (US$2.1 billion) last year, the territory’s media regulator reports. The year-on-year decline in 2012 meant total media companies’ revenue was €15.7 billion, according to AgCom’s annual report. This comes as Italy wrestles with political and economic turmoil following a series […]

Fox realigns domestic syndie arm

21st Century Fox has moved to bring its syndication arm Twentieth Television under the umbrella of production wing Twentieth Century Fox Television. Greg Meidel will continue to head up Twentieth Television as president, but now reports into TCFTV c-chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden. He previously reported to Fox News CEO and chairman Robert Ailes, […]