Married With Children


Sony hires ex-Disney exec as Russia chief

Sony Pictures Television has hired a former Disney Russia producer to run its production business in Russia following the exit of Maria Smirnova to CTC, TBI has learned. Vadim Sokolovsky will oversee SPT Productions Russia and Sony’s locally owned prodco Lean-M Productions as managing director, reporting to SPT’s senior VP, scripted programming and international production […]

Russian channel to adapt NZ Cult drama

State broadcaster Rossiya 1 has commissioned a Russian version of Kiwi mystery drama The Cult. The VGTRK-owned channel has ordered local prodco Star Media to produce a 13-part Russian-language version of the scripted format, which UK-based DRG sells on the international market. The original series, which Great Southern Television produced for New Zealand’s pubcaster TVNZ, […]

Formats to see in CEE

As NATPE Budapest gets underway, TBI speaks to the main players about selling formats into Central and Eastern Europe, breaking into emerging local territories and the booming market in constructed reality series Traditionally, the biggest buyers of formats in the CEE region have been Russia, Poland and Ukraine and while this triumvirate remain fertile ground […]

HBO inks exclusive five-year Russian output deal

Russian producer and pay TV channel operator Amedia has inked an exclusive five-year output deal with HBO. The agreement covers the US premium programmer and channel operator’s scripted series and movies and documentary output. Amedia will take exclusive rights to shows including The Newsroom (pictured), Girls, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire. The deal covers […]

US Hispanic net cooks up Breaking Bad remake

US Hispanic channel Univision has partnered with Sony Pictures Television to create a Spanish-language version of Breaking Bad, the universally acclaimed AMC drugs distribution drama. Metástasis is the first recreation of the US cable series (pictured), in which Bryan Cranston plays a dying Albuquerque science teacher-turned-crystal meth manufacturer. The Spanish language series will see Diego […]

Trio of scripted format deals for Sony

Sony Pictures Television has inked deals for local versions of three of its drama series: Lost Girl, First Love and Los Caballeros las Prefieren Brutas. SPT’s Russian production division will make a local version of Lost Girl (pictured) for the free-to-air TV-3 channel. The original series was produced by Prodigy Pictures for Showtime Canada. Ukrainian […]

Hollywood Studio formats

Plans are underway to make some of the most iconic US shows ever for local broadcasters with international versions of 24, Breaking Bad, ER, Glee and Gossip Girl planned in countries as far afield as Israel and China. Shows including Prison Break, Law & Order and Desperate Housewives have already had the remake treatment and […]