The BBC in the UK has promoted two execs as portfolio editors for its flagship channels, following the “radical” overhaul of the public broadcaster’s commissioning team that was revealed late last year. The revamp, which handed more commissioning power to streamer iPlayer, saw channel controller roles being replaced with genre-focused execs able to order programming without the need […]
Intl’ broadcasters enter ‘Dark Woods’ Broadcaster in the US, Canada, Spain and France have acquired German crime thriller mini-series Dark Woods, following deals with distributor Global Screen. Canal+ Group, French leading pay-TV group, acquired the show for its thriller channel Polar, while First Look Media’s streaming service, Topic, will release the series as part of […]
The UK’s Abacus Media Rights has secured global distribution rights, excluding the UK, for Amos Pictures’ upcoming feature documentary Four Hours At The Capitol. The 1 x 90-minute documentary, which was originally commissioned for the UK’s BBC Two, is expected to be delivered in September 2021. It is directed by Jamie Roberts (The Rise Of […]
Covid-19 enforced lockdowns around the world had propelled viewing figures for linear networks skywards but with people now able to move more freely, what’s happened to those viewers? Adam Thomas, lead analyst for global TV markets at TBI sibling Omdia, reports. As of the end of August 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused more than […]
Redseven returns for Sat.1’s The Taste Red Arrow Studios-owned German producer Redseven Entertainment has returned to studio production for the first time since the outbreak of Coronavirus to work on an eighth season of culinary format The Taste. The show, which has been extended by broadcaster parent ProSiebenSat.1, started production on its eighth run in […]
BBC Two controller Patrick Holland has said the UK broadcaster is “not immune” to the impact of Covid-19 on its programming, after it emerged that the organisation will have to shave a further £125m ($140m) from budgets this year. Staff will be invited to work part-time or take unpaid leave during the lockdown to deal […]
BBC Two in the UK has commissioned Brook Lapping, part of Zinc Media, to produce an in-depth documentary about English actor and comedian Peter Sellers. Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy (working title) is a 1 x 75-minute programme that will explore the comedian’s many acclaimed works, alongside his personal life, including his multiple […]
BBC Two has ordered a new entertainment format, Lightning, hosted by comic Zoe Lyons, to play in a late afternoon, teatime slot. Devised and produced by Banijay Group’s Fizz and Northern Ireland-based Nice One TV, the 25×30-minute Lightning is billed as a fast-paced and frantic format that sees the traditional quiz show collide with gameshow, and leaves […]
Eleventh Hour picks up Chris Atkins’ rights Sony Pictures Television (SPT)-backed Eleventh Hour Films has optioned Chris Atkins’ prison diaries A Bit Of A Stretch for adaptation. The book, published by Atlantic Books, explores the documentary-maker’s experiences after he was sent to prison in 2016 after becoming embroiled in an illegal tax scheme to fund […]
BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit is producing new BBC Two series ‘Waterhole’ (w/t), a specialist rig show which sees presenters Chris Packham and Ella Al-Shamahi create a waterhole in Tanzania. Waterholes are vital to the African ecosystem, but little is known about how they support so much life. BBC Studios Natural History Unit is working […]
