Nickelodeon in the US has ordered the first-ever crossover special for its hit animated SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. SpongeBob SquarePants Presents The Tidal Zone will tie together the shows SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show, and Paramount+ original Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years for a one-hour special debuting in 2023. Described as a “multidimensional adventure deep […]
Job cuts are expected at Disney as the media giant has begun a hiring freeze and is setting up a new “cost structure taskforce”, following last week’s disappointing quarterly earnings report and share slump. In a memo sent to staff on Friday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the Mouse House is “limiting headcount additions […]
Nordic streamer Viaplay has rejigged its operational model and revealed an agreement with Pickbox Now to distribute its Select service in south-Eastern Europe. The organisational changes will see Viaplay’s operational model adding four regions to its existing set-up. As a result, Kim Poder has been appointed EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for the Group’s Nordic […]
Canada’s Thunderbird Entertainment Group has hit out at “false and misleading claims” that stakeholder Voss Capital has the support of fellow investor Frank Giustra, as the battle over the company’s future grows. Houston investment fund Voss last year took a 10.5% stake in Vancouver-based Thunderbird, which houses Heavy Rescue: 401 prodco Great Pacific Media and […]
Amazon Studios has restructured its US & global TV creative development team under head of TV Vernon Sanders, to create “specialised pipelines” of original content for SVOD, AVOD and FAST. Sanders took on the role at the The Boys and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power studio last year following the promotion […]
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organisation behind iconic kids show Sesame Street, has promoted Kim Diaz to VP of creative development. In her new role, Diaz will head up development strategy for long-form and short-form series, specials and other programming for the company, reporting to Kay Wilson Stallings, EVP of creative and production. Diaz, who joined […]
HBO closes down ‘Westworld’ HBO has cancelled sci-fi drama series Westworld following its fourth season. The show, once a ratings and awards draw for the network, has seen declining viewership and – as a high-cost production – comes as HBO owner Warner Bros. Discovery looks to make $3.5bn in savings. The series starts out in […]
Disney Branded Television has promoted Alyssa Sapire to head up all content at pre-school brand Disney Junior as SVP of development, series and strategy. Sapire has been acting in the role since March, when Joe D’Ambrosia exited to join Sony Pictures TV, with her appointment now made permanent. Disney Junior is the global multiplatform brand […]
‘Fate: Winx Saga’ world to continue after Netflix cancellation The world of Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga will live on following the cancellation of the live-action Netflix series, according to show creator Iginio Straffi. The teen fantasy series, based on the animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club, was cancelled this week after two seasons on […]
Canadian kids & family firm Wildbrain has inked an overall first-look deal with How To Train Your Dragon producer Bonnie Arnold. Under the terms of the deal, Arnold will spearhead numerous episodic projects, TV specials and features for WildBrain. Initial projects include Which Way To Anywhere, the latest novel from Cressida Cowell, the author of the How To […]
