Newen Distribution

Julien Leroux exiting Newen Distribution UK

Julien Leroux is leaving his post as executive VP of sales and content at the UK arm of France’s Newen Group, TBI can reveal. The exec has been with Newen since 2011, initially joining from Groupe AB to become sales and acquisitions director. He rose through the ranks to become deputy-managing director of Paris-based Newen […]

INTV: Keshet Int’l launches $55m high-end drama fund

Keshet International’s big week is continuing with the launch of a US$55 million global content fund aimed at high-end drama projects. The launch of the fund comes a day after KI, the international arm of Israeli broadcaster Keshet, confirmed the acquisition of UK producer group Greenbird Media. The new fund is launching in partnership with […]

English Class: French drama

The rise in high-end English-language drama has seen well-financed French producers enter the space, despite the implications of Brexit and growing taste for Gallic shows “Eighty per cent of our slate is English-language,” says Odile McDonald. Nothing unusual about that statement, except it is a Canada-born, French-language drama specialist saying it. McDonald and the other […]

Amazon buys first local French dramas

Amazon Prime Video is going a step further in the French market, with its first acquisitions of new local series for its service there. Amazon, which has just become available on Apple TVs after a long period of wrangling, has been adding a number of French dramas since last month. These include deals with Newen […]

Returning miniseries

Distributors will tell you that if they could have one drama production in their portfolio it would be an evergreen returning franchise that rakes in the cash year after year. But this doesn’t alter the fact that TV movies, minis and limited runs are also regarded as valuable assets and are increasingly getting recommissioned as […]

France Télévisions, MarVista execs join Gaumont

Narcos studio Gaumont has hired execs from France Télévisions and MarVista Entertainment as it expands its sales offices in Paris and LA. Cecilia Rossignol, Robby Amar, Cherie Johnson and Rebekah Zarbarsky have all joined the company, moves that follow the hire of MarVista’s Vanessa Shapiro as sales chief earlier this year. Rossignol (right) joins from […]

Newen debuts €50m UK drama fund

France’s Newen Group has created a €50 million (US$54.8 million) drama investment fund. TF1 Group-owned Newen will seek to invest in high-end scripted series from the UK to build up its portfolio of English-language content through sales arm Newen Distribution. To support the plan Newen has created an advisory board that includes veteran UK TV […]

Netflix creates 400 Euro jobs, new originals

SVOD giant Netflix is on a European charm offensive, creating 400 jobs at a new Amsterdam customer service base and ordering new originals from the continent. The office was unveiled this week, initially employing 170 staff, 345 by the end of the year and 400 by 2019. It will service eleven territories (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, […]

Gaumont, FremantleMedia set for Monte Carlo event

Christophe Riandee, the vice-CEO of French studio Gaumont, and Jens Richter, the boss of FremantleMedia International, will speak at the Content & Multiscreen Experience, a new industry event that is part of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival (pictured). The Content & Multiscreen Experience event runs on June 16 and 17. Vance Van Petten, the boss of […]

New Witnesses come forwards in Europe

More channel groups in Europe have acquired French drama Witnesses from Newen Distribution. Following a recent deal with Channel 4 in the UK, Newen has sold the show to Belgium’s RTBF, Telenet and VRT in the territory’s various language regions; Norway’s NRK2; and Germany’s RTL Crime. Newen says the series represents just the second time […]