Bertelsmann is looking to sell a €2 billion stake in Europe’s biggest advertiser-funded broadcaster RTL, which makes UK shows including The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, to finance international expansion. Privately-owned German company Bertelsmann has informed the board of directors at RTL that it is considering reducing its stake from 92.3 per cent to […]
Amazon Studios, the original movie and series production arm of Amazon.com, has greenlit the production of five children’s test pilots. This announcement comes on the heels of the first pilot production commitment in December, which greenlit six comedy pilots, bringing the total number of Amazon Studios pilots currently in production to 11. The move comes […]
Sky has stepped up its commitment to original British drama with the announcement of a line up of brand new, original drama, featuring stars including Dominic Cooper, Vanessa Redgrave, Kylie Minogue, Idris Elba and Matt Smith. Running across Sky’s portfolio of entertainment channels, the raft of new drama commissions, complemented by popular returning series, is […]
French media group TF1 and Discovery Communications have wasted no time in finalising the agreement announced December 13 and are moving forward to build a three-tier strategic alliance across Eurosport, four pay-TV channels and production. Following a favourable opinion from the employee representative bodies, the partners December 21 confirmed the signature and closing of their […]
BT Sport has named Sunset+Vine as its lead production partner. Sunset+Vine will produce BT’s 38 live football games in the Barclays Premier League from the start of the 2013/14 season, along with 69 live Aviva Premiership rugby union matches and other sports programming. Sunset+Vine’s current production credits include ESPN’s Aviva Premiership rugby union coverage and […]
Keshet International, the distribution arm of Keshet Media Group and distributor behind multi-award winning Homeland, has opened a UK office as it continues to expand its global footprint. The London office has been opened due to Keshet’s significant growth in the international formats market and recent US success. Keshet International MD Alon Shtruzman has made […]
French media company the TF1 Group has revealed further details of the exclusive negotiations it has been pursuing since mid-November with US programmer Discovery Communications aimed at forging a strategic alliance which would create value for both companies across their numerous complementary business activities. The TF1 Board of Directors, meeting on December 12, gave CEO […]
Research consultancy Futuresource expects a number of broadcasters to launch 4K channels during 2014. Test transmissions from the likes of SES Astra could start showcasing the technology in 2013. Futuresource’s forecasts suggest that by 2020, the sale of 4K-equipped receivers could amount to some 15 per cent of the overall TV set market and a […]
Mediaset’s on-demand offer, Premium Play, has surpassed one million users, of which 750,000 are active via an Internet connection. Premium Play, which launched in February 2011, is providing over 3,000 content (including football channels and HD) for subscribers of the pay-TV service Mediaset Premium, at no extra cost. The service has been averaging 10,000 new […]
French media company the TF1 Group and US programmer Discovery Communications have confirmed that they have entered into exclusive negotiations to forge a strategic alliance intended to create value for both companies across their numerous complementary business activities in three key areas: driving the growth of Eurosport; enhancing both companies’ pay-TV offerings in France; and […]