Scripted


BBC chief Tony Hall outlines “total TV” iPlayer vision

BBC director-general Tony Hall has said the public broadcaster wants to turn iPlayer into an all-encompassing service that will offer “total TV” and compete with Netflix and new entrants such as Apple. The BBC has been putting increasing resources over recent years into the service, which started life as a catch-up service for TV programming […]

Channel 4 CEO calls for support to remain “vital counterweight” to streamers’ power

Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon has said UK public broadcasters must be supported if they are to remain a “vital counterweight” to the “growing concentration of power” held by a small number of global tech firms and streamers. In a far-reaching speech at the Royal Television Society Convention in Cambridge, Mahon discussed the impact of […]

Discovery CEO David Zaslav focuses on factual amid scripted mega-deals

David Zaslav believes Discovery’s focus on factual content and sports will differentiate it from globally dominant rivals such as Netflix and has suggested that fear lies behind recent mega-deals for shows such as The Big Bang Theory. Discovery CEO Zaslav has overseen a fast-growing operation over recent years, expanding the reach of its Eurosport operation […]

ITV Studios close to deal with BBC for extended iPlayer rights

ITV Studios (ITVS) managing director Julian Bellamy has said his company is close to striking a deal with the BBC over a new rights agreement for the latter’s iPlayer service. The BBC is looking to offer shows for 12 months rather than 30 days via the OTT service to deal with changing viewing habits, but […]

AMC streamer Acorn TV hits one million subscribers

AMC Networks-owned streamer Acorn TV has surpassed one million subscribers in the US and Canada. Launched in 2011, the RLJ Entertainment-owned service, which was acquired by AMC Networks for $274m last year, initially specialised in British television for US subscribers, but it has worked aggressively to diversify its slate with other international offerings. Eight years […]

ITV’s Kevin Lygo admits risk-aversion in “brutal” industry

ITV’s director of television Kevin Lygo has admitted that the industry has become more “brutal than ever” on shows that do not immediately perform and admitted it is becoming tougher to take programming risks. Speaking on the first day of the Royal Television Society (RTS) event in Cambridge, Lygo told delegates that there “is a […]

Sky Studios launches innovation hub out of Leeds

Sky Studios is launching a hub out of Leeds aimed at developing new talent and forging scripted partnerships. The outpost, billed as an innovation hub, will scout out new talent to create original drama, comedy and scripted ideas for the pay-TV operator. It will also experiment with new tech to explore different entertainment experiences. The […]

Endeavor Content strikes deal with ‘The Eddy’ director Alan Poul

Endeavor Content has struck an exclusive deal with Alan Poul (The Eddy) to develop and produce premium scripted content. The Emmy Award-winning producer and director is currently executive producing and directing two episodes of Damien Chazelle’s The Eddy for Endeavor Content, which will premiere on Netflix in 2020. Poul is also set to become executive […]

Amazon Studios returns ‘Lord Of The Rings’ to New Zealand

Amazon Studios is taking Lord Of The Rings back to New Zealand, after choosing the country as the setting for its super-premium forthcoming TV show. Producers had been considering filming the series – which has a budget of around $900m – in Scotland but eventually plumped for New Zealand, where the Peter Jackson movies were […]