Join us in this week’s edition of the Entertainment Supply Chain Digest, as Japan’s entertainment industry and anime makes waves globally with groundbreaking developments. Netflix is adapting the French film ‘Les Émotifs Anonymes’ into a Japanese series titled ‘Romantics Anonymous.’ Warner Bros. Japan is thrilling fans with the sequel ‘Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League.’ Fuji TV’s innovative partnerships with Tech Mahindra promise diverse new content.
Join us this week in our LIVE session to Decode Netflix’s Catalog Mix: Originals, Season Renewals, & Acquisitions
We at Vitrina AI, the global marketplace for the entertainment industry, strive to keep you informed of the latest happenings in the industry, so you don’t have to spend countless hours researching and keeping up to date.
Know more about Vitrina’s partner and content discovery here.
IP Deals
Hottest IP [Stories, Formats, Books, Games, Podcasts] to be turned into the next big blockbuster- BBC Studios Germany, WDR, and ARD Mediathek collaborate to adapt “Ghosts” for a German audience. Directed by Erik Haffner, it stars Cristina do Rego and Benito Bause. (🇩🇪)
- Netflix is adapting the French film ‘Les Émotifs Anonymes’ into a Japanese series titled ‘Romantics Anonymous,’ featuring Japanese and Korean talent, reflecting the ongoing Asian entertainment surge. (🇺🇸)
- French studio Something Big joins as a co-producer for the TV adaptation of Niko, The Little Reindeer, set to commence production in 2025.(🇫🇷)
- Canal Brasil, a leading Brazilian pay-TV channel, embraces diversity with a new spin-off series Paloma directed by Marcelo Gomes. The channel’s lineup also features a mix of fiction and docuseries, including Dona Onete, highlighting the “Queen of Carimbo. (🇧🇷)
- MBC Group commissions an Arabic adaptation of “The Good Wife”, titled “Moftaraq Toroq,” starring Hend Sabri as a lawyer returning to her profession amid her husband’s scandal. Produced by Charisma Group. (🇸🇦)
Production Deals
Sneak peak into recently announced production projects worldwide- BBC Three and BBC iPlayer renew “Boarders,” a comedy-drama series by Studio Lambert, following five inner-city teens at a prestigious boarding school, for a second season. (🇬🇧)
- The CW Network renews “All American” for a seventh season, orders season 11 of “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and picks up the fourth season of “The Chosen,” debuting on September 1. (🇺🇸)
- Netflix renews Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar” for a second season after its global success, topping charts in 43 countries and becoming Netflix’s most-viewed Indian series globally. (🇮🇳)
- Acorn TV and ZDF order a third season of UK mystery drama “The Chelsea Detective” from Expectation. Adrian Scarborough and Vanessa Emme return in their roles, with filming ongoing in London. (🇺🇸 🇬🇧)
- Warner Bros. Japan confirms production of Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League, a sequel to the original anime film. Kamikaze Douga will produce this project, with returning directors and voice actor Koichi Yamadera. (🇯🇵)
Distribution Deals
Distributors securing worldwide content across different genres, languages and format types- Jonás Trueba’s “The Other Way Around” secures multiple distribution deals after winning the Europa Cinemas Label at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The comedy-drama explores a couple’s breakup celebration after 15 years together. (🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇮🇩 🇨🇳 🇵🇱 🇬🇷 🇵🇹 🇦🇹 🇩🇪 🇮🇹)
- Lionsgate secures distribution rights for Cillian Murphy’s “Small Things Like These.” Directed by Tim Mielants, the film explores family secrets in 1985 Ireland. (🇺🇸)
- O4 Media has partnered with MBC Korea to represent scripted dramas in Australia and New Zealand. The deal includes Kairos, Children of Nobody, and Numbers. (🇭🇰)
- “The Girl With The Needle” by Magnus von Horn gains distribution in key territories post-Cannes premiere, including Benelux, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Japan, and South Korea. (🇪🇸 🇵🇹 🇬🇷 🇯🇵 🇰🇷 🇧🇪 🇳🇱 🇱🇺)
- Memento International secures deals for “The Other Way Around” in Italy, Germany, and China, following its Directors’ Fortnight win. (🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇳)
Acquisition Deals
Streamers & channels acquiring latest content across the world- Broadcasters in Japan, Eastern Europe, the US, and the UK have acquired “Marianne, One of a Kind” after deals with France TV Distribution. (🇫🇷)
- Warner Bros Discovery secures European streaming rights to “The Crimson Rivers,” starring Olivier Marchal. The deal includes all four seasons, totaling 32 episodes, for French-speaking territories and Belgium. (🇺🇸 🇧🇪)
- Chabraque Productions and Ryoan’s “Marianne, One of a Kind” (12×52’) sells globally. NHK Enterprises, MHz Choice, GSN, Blue International, All Media, and BTV acquire distribution rights. (🇫🇷)
- Broadcasters including SBS (🇦🇺), DR (🇩🇰), TET (🇱🇻), RTL (🇭🇺), and MHz (🇺🇸 and 🇨🇦) have acquired the German drama I Am Scrooge. The series, based on extortionist Arno Funke, premieres at Seriencamp Festival and airs on RTL+ in Germany later this year. (🇦🇹 🇩🇰 🇱🇻 🇭🇺 🇺🇸 🇨🇦)
- Republic Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Rob Peace,” directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor and starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, and Camila Cabello. (🇺🇸)
Global Entertainment Leaders Speak
Partnerships / M&A
Cross-Border Collaborations, Joint Ventures, M&A and Partnerships!- Nathan Studios, led by Sylvia Sanchez, acquires six animation films and partners with Momo Film Co. for international projects, enhancing Filipino talent’s global visibility. (🇵🇭 🇸🇬)
- Stuff Group partners with Brodie Kane Media to expand podcast offerings, integrating successful shows like “The Girls Uninterrupted” and “Kiwi Yarns” into Stuff’s platform for broader reach. (🇳🇿)
- MEW, a Solana blockchain token, partners with LOCUS Animation Studio to create a 3D animated series, marking MEW’s move into entertainment. LOCUS, known for Korean productions, plans international expansion.
- ITV partners with Friend MTS to safeguard its premium content against piracy, utilizing 24×7 monitoring for immediate takedown of illegal streams and links. (🇩🇪 🇬🇧)
Companies Making Headlines
Launch and Expansions of facilities, studios, services & technologies- Company 3 opens a new Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos theater in NYC, offering filmmakers top-quality viewing with immersive sound and 3D capabilities in a purpose-built space. (🇺🇸)
- P2 Content Creators and DMC Digital merge to form Producible, a premier full-service production agency with 40 years’ combined experience. Serving top brands, aiming to become Australia’s trusted production house. (🇦🇺)
- Virtual production studio Dimension secures a significant investment from Growth Catalyst Partners, enabling expansion of UK and global production capabilities, amidst notable credits. (🇬🇧)
- Tech Mahindra teams up with Fuji TV to co-create diverse global entertainment content, merging Fuji TV’s originals with Tech Mahindra’s localization and animation prowess. (🇮🇳 🇯🇵)
- BBC Studios Productions Australia has acquired Werner Film Productions, the powerhouse behind Australian drama series “The Newsreader,” marking another significant move for BBC’s commercial division. (🇦🇺)
Featured New Specializations
Global innovations & breakthroughs in the Entertainment supply-chain- Stability AI introduces Stable Audio Open, an open-source text-to-audio generator. It produces up to 47 seconds of samples and sound effects, empowering sound designers and musicians.(🇬🇧)
- QuickLink debuts at InfoComm 2024, showcasing StudioPro, the user-friendly 4K video platform. Their expansion into North American corporate, education, worship, and government markets continues.
TiMax introduces new integrations at InfoComm 2024, showcasing advanced spatial audio with Martin Audio and new reverb engines and lighting control features for immersive experiences. (🇬🇧) - Universal Audio Inc. has launched the LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip plug-in. This new release combines the iconic 610 tube preamp, 1176 FET compressor, and LA-2A tube compressor, making it a must-have for achieving warm, analog sound in the studio. (🇺🇸)
- Hippo Video introduces Text-to-Video, a pivotal feature in their AI-driven video platform, revolutionizing video creation. Interactive human avatars enhance realism, offering personalized engagement. (🇺🇸)
Localization & Post-Production
Latest updates in the world of content Localization & Post-Production- ElevenLabs recently launched “Text to Sound Effects,” converting text prompts into audio content like sound effects and character voices. Ideal for creators in film, TV, gaming, and social media. (🇺🇸)
- Serif has released Affinity Photo 2.5, the latest update to its image editing and digital painting software. This update marks the first since Serif’s acquisition by Canva in March. (🇬🇧)
- Martin Audio unveils iK41, a 4-channel power amplifier, enhancing the iKON series. Delivering 1500 watts per channel into 4Ω, it ensures rich audio performance for optimized line arrays and select loudspeakers. (🇬🇧)
- ENCO unveils AI-driven innovations at InfoComm, featuring live captioning, translation, and text-to-speech solutions. enCaption Sierra leads, ensuring fast, accurate automated captioning. (🇺🇸)
- Scene Group has released Cavalry 2.1, adding multi-track audio playback, export options, and broader audio file import support, including AAC, MP3, and CAF. (🇬🇧)
Animation, VFX & Virtual Production
Latest global updates in Animation, Visual Effects VFX & Virtual Production- Shapelab 2024 VR modeling app now includes a Desktop Mode, enhancing accessibility and efficiency for 3D asset creation on PCs. (🇳🇱)
- Spitfire Audio unveils AIR Studios Reverb, a groundbreaking plugin crafted in collaboration with London’s AIR Studios, offering detailed acoustics for immersive audio production. (🇬🇧)
- Autodesk’s Maya 2025.1 introduces a cloud-based Flow Retopology plugin, character rigging workflows in Bifrost, and workflow improvements for 3D modeling and animation. Available to subscribers. (🇺🇸)
- Adobe’s Substance 3D Sampler 4.4 introduces text-to-texture, image-to-texture, and text-to-pattern features for material creation. Currently in beta for Adobe subscribers. (🇺🇸)
- New indie animation studio, Studio Unagi, launched in Montreal, backed by Ankama’s Anthony Roux. They specialize in 2D and Japanese-style animation, with projects like “Bestial” in the works.(🇨🇦)