Viacom International Media Networks has handed oversight on international programme and affiliate sales to BET and Spike’s non-US chief, Michael D. Armstrong. He will remain in command of the development of the BET, Spike and Paramount Channels internationally in his new post as executive VP and general manager, revenue and emerging brands for Viacom’s international […]
Viacom International Media Networks has taken on rights to UK terrestrial Channel 5’s in-house production arm going forwards. The shows from 5Production previously went out through Viacom distribution rival DRG, which will retain rights to previous Channel 5 shows. Viacom bought Channel 5 in 2014, and the move is the latest example of the subsequent […]
Chinese streaming platform Sohu has ordered a local version of hit Spike show Lip Sync Battle. The format features celebrities going head to head – lip-syncing the song of their choice – battling for bragging rights. Talent appearing in the first run of the US series included Dwayne Johnson, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez. Based […]
In an increasingly fragmented TV landscape, should broadcasters and producers focus more on niche formats than on trying to recreate the entertainment and reality juggernauts of the noughties, says Viacom International Media Networks senior VP, international programme sales Caroline Beaton. We’re told we are living through a ‘golden age’ of television, with intensifying competition for […]
Viacom International Media Networks has recruited June Yeoh from BBC Worldwide to run programme sales in Asia. Yeoh will start in the new role in early April and work out of VIMN’s Singapore base. As senior director of international programme sales she will oversee all of VIMN Asia’s content sales across China, Japan, Korea and […]
Comedy Central is flying Amy Poehler to Cannes for a MIPTV session about her new comedy series Broad City. Poehler executive produces the series, which has been performing well on Comedy Central in the US. She will be on a panel session discussing the show alongside Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the exec producers and […]
Nickelodeon says Sam & Cat is more than a spin-off: it’s a double spin-off. It earns that status by virtue of having Jenette McCurdy and Ariana Grande in the same series. The teen stars, better known as the leads in iCarly and Victorious respectively, come together for this new live-action series. The doubling up theme […]
Children’s TV is something that binds and defines peer groups. With new versions of Thunderbirds, Noddy and various others in the works the commercial power of nostalgia is clearly intense, but when updating a classic respect and modern-day relevance are key, reports Jane Marlowe. Turner’s Cartoon Network was built with classic properties and senior VP […]
Female-skewed Russian net U Channel has scored an exclusive deal with Viacom International Media Networks for 100 hours of MTV programming – a deal described as the first of its kind. The two-year deal is VIMN’s first ever syndication deal for MTV content. It will see shows such as comedy drama Underemployed, reality series 16 […]
Viacom International Media Network’s senior VP Caroline Beaton explains how social media has created a ‘revolution at the speed of light’ that’s affected every format creator in the business. Think back to the turn of the millennium, when format-based TV suddenly became a very big business indeed. In the UK, Who Wants to be a […]
