As widely anticipated, UK commercial broadcaster ITV has confirmed it is to acquire Talpa Media B.V., the entertainment show producer behind worldwide hit formats, including The Voice, The Voice Kids, Utopia, I Love My Country and Dating In The Dark for an initial cash consideration of approximately £355 million (€500m). ITV says the acquisition is […]
British multinational advertising and public relations company WPP has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Swedish over-the-top television service FlowNetwork. The company delivers its programmes via the Internet, which supplies Sweden’s regional newspapers with technology and content. Newspapers served by FlowNetwork include Norrköpings tidningar, Folkbladet, Motala Vadstena Tidning, Norrländska Socialdemokraten, Östgöta Correspondenten, Norrbottens-Kuriren, Västervik-Tidningen, […]
A cross-party gathering of UK Ministers, MPs and Peers, industry members of the Creative Industries Council (CIC) is urging political parties to continue working with industry to ensure the global success of the UK’s creative industries after the General Election. Leading figures from the creative industries are calling on politicians to make the sector, which […]
Echoing comments made two days earlier by BBC Director General Tony Hall that the BBC must reinvent itself for the Internet era, UK Minister for the Digital Economy Ed Vaizey has suggested that a future government conducting the BBC Charter review should strive for a BBC that is fit for the digital age. Delivering a […]
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has invested $383 million in TV programme producer Beijing Enlight Media. The move follows investments by Alibaba worth more than $3.1 billion in the entertainment industry last year as the company aggressively expands into film and entertainment content. Alibaba executives have laid out a vision of selling digital content and entertainment, […]
2014 was a turning point for Canada’s digital-first media landscape, according to a report from the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA). The report, Content Everywhere (2): Securing Canada’s Place in the Digital Future, examines the emerging marketplace for English-language linear content created outside the traditional studio and broadcast system over the past four years. It […]
DHX Media, a key player internationally in the creation of content for families and children, has licensed Netflix as the exclusive US home for its new Inspector Gadget series. The new computer animated, 26-episode series is expected to premier on Netflix US this March. It will also appear on Netflix at later dates in Latin […]
A new Pee-wee Herman film, produced by Judd Apatow and star Paul Reubens, will be exclusively available on streaming service Netflix. Production on the movie, entitled Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, is due to start in March. Reubens and former Arrested Development writer Paul Rust have written the script, which John Lee will direct. Reubens created the […]
Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s hopes of launching a news channel have been wiped out by Bahrain’s government. The channel was initially suspended within an hour or so of going on air earlier this month, but now the ‘ban’ is said to be permanent. Bahrain’s Ministry of Information says all contracts between the […]
An intriguing tale about alternative history, a twisted story of friendship put to the ultimate test, a docu-series based on America’s most award-winning magazine, a kids series based on magic and another about being stinky and dirty—all coming exclusively to online video streaming service Amazon Prime Instant Video. Amazon has greenlit five new Amazon Original […]