Beyond Hollywood: Netflix in South Africa, Shahrukh Khan’s Blockbuster, IBC Highlights, DistroTV FAST Channels, ARRI’s NYC Studio, and More!

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In this week’s edition of Entertainment Supply Chain Digest we delve into the global stage of non Hollywood productions that are making waves worldwide. From Netflix’s bold expansion in South Africa to Shahrukh Khan’s blockbuster success, and the latest highlights from IBC, we bring you the freshest insights and deals. Join us as we go ‘Beyond Hollywood’ to uncover the thrilling, diverse, and captivating world of non-Hollywood entertainment.

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IP Deals

Hottest IP Stories, Formats, Books, Games, Podcasts to be turned into the next big blockbuster
  • The game “Stray” developed by Annapurna Interactive to be adapted into a movie by Annapurna Animation. The game, released in 2022, follows a stray cat with a drone as it battles robots. (๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ)
  • Netflix expands investment in South Africa and has secured book adaptation deals with Akin Omotoso and Ochre Media, as well as Gambit Films. Stained Glass Productions will adapt books across genres, while Black Brain Pictures will create both TV series and films. (๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ)ย 
  • Poland’s Polsat has comissioned its own version of “Temptation Island”, a reality show that tests couples’ commitment by placing them in separate villas with singles. This marks the 25th adaptation of the format. (๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ)
  • Telefe and Pluto TV are teaming up for a new installment of the immensely popular reality show, “Big Brother”. Santiago del Moro is set to return as the host for this exciting revival. (๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท)
  • A heartwarming Christmas tale, “Stargate,” based on Ingvild Rishรธi’s acclaimed book, is set to become a film directed by Ida Sagmo Tvedte. The story follows a father and his two daughters in Oslo’s Tรธyen neighborhood. Produced by Motlys and co-produced by B-Reel, it aims to capture the essence of a modern Christmas classic. (๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช)

Production Deals

Sneak peak into recently announced production projects worldwide
  • Tel Aviv’s Sipur Studio and Israeli broadcaster Reshet13 have inked a multi-year co-financing and coproduction agreement. They’ll collaborate on scripted series, formats, and documentaries for both local and global audiences. (๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ)
  • Fashion icon Manish Malhotra is venturing into film production with his company, Stage5 Production. His debut film, “Bun Tikki,” will feature a reunion of veteran Indian actresses Zeenat Aman and Shabana Azmi. (๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ)ย 
  • The Oscar-winning Navalny documentary team is partnering with National Geographic for “Blink of an Eye.” It chronicles the Pelletier family’s world tour after discovering three children losing their vision, in collaboration with MRC and Fishbowl Films (๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ).
  • Director Tereza Nvotovรก readies her third film, “Father / Otec,” a real-events-based drama. Produced by DANAE Production and partners Moloko film, Lava Films, and Czech Television. It explores a tragic infant car incident. (Czech Republic ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ)
  • Austrian director Danielle Proskar begins filming “Pirates and Slaves of the Mediterranean”, backed by Malta Film Commission. This documentary delves into three centuries of Mediterranean piracy, drawing from 16th-century records by Balthasar Sturmer and Timmy Gambin’s research. Co-produced by e&a film in Austria and Urban Canyons in Malta. ( ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡น)

Season Renewals

More episodes on the way! Season Renewal Announcements
  • Disney+ is set to launch the second season of its debut Brazilian original series, “All the Same… SQN,” featuring actress Gabriella Saraivah returning as Carol. (๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท)
  • Netflix renews South African mystery drama series “Savage Beauty” for S2. (๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ)ย 
  • The Dutch thriller “Anonymous” is returning for a second season on NPO. The series revolves around two vigilante crime fighters who unknowingly pursue justice independently, combating the criminal underworld. (๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ)”
  • Comedy Central is renewing “Drunk History: Black Stories,” a spin-off of the main “Drunk History” franchise, for its second season. Produced by Fan Studios with Femi Oyeniran and Nicky ‘Slimting’ Walker as executive producers, the show celebrates unsung black heroes in history with the assistance of celebrity narrators. (๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง)
  • Sir David Attenborough is set to make his return as the presenter for the final season of the BBC’s globally acclaimed nature series, “Planet Earth.” (๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง)

Distribution Deals

Distributors securing worldwide content across different genres, languages and format types
  • Abacus Media Rights (AMR) has pre-sold the docu “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee” to networks like Sky Arts, SBS Television Australia, NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Baltics, and Movistar Spain. This unique documentary uses interviews, archive footage, and innovative animation to bring the legendary actor Christopher Lee back to life on screen. ( ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ, Baltics, Scadinavia, ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ)
  • Cake, a UK-based distributor, has acquired the global rights for the newest installment in the Crackรฉ series from Canadian animation studio Squeeze Productions. “Crackรฉ Family Scramble” marks the first time this family-oriented, dialogue-free 3D animated comedy is presented in a longer format. (๐ŸŒ)
  • MBC Group in the MENA has extended its licensing deal with Paramount Global Content Distribution for Nickelodeon programming by three years. MBC3 will broadcast a minimum of 350 Nickelodeon episodes annually.ย  The streaming platform, Shahid, will also have access to the Nickelodeon catalog. (๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ช)ย 
  • Zone3 International has joined forces with Wild Bunch TV to distribute “Motel Paradis,”ย  a show which won the Gold Winner title at the 44th Annual Telly Awards. The series follows 22-year-old Jen’s mission to challenge her sister Noรฉmie’s apparent suicide following a near-death experience. (๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ)
  • Inter Medya has secured several content sales across various African regions. They’ve partnered with Novelas TV for series like “Last Summer,” “Scorpion,” and “A.RIZA.” Through their collaboration with Multichoice, “Scorpion” will be available in several African countries. (๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผ ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผ ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒ ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ)

Acquisition Deals

Streamers & channels acquiring latest content across the world
  • Spanish prodco Zona Mixta to produce “The Hidden Secrets of the Museums,” a docu-series that will uncover the stories behind artworks in museums across London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid, visiting a total of twenty museums.The History Channel Iberia has acquired broadcast rights for Spain and Portugal. (๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ)
  • The French biographical drama series “Bardot” has been acquired by multiple European broadcasters, including TVP, AMC , Nova, MTVA, RTVS, LTV and Tet+, and ERR. The series stars newcomer Julia de Nunez as the iconic French actor and activist Brigitte Bardot. (๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช Iberia)ย 
  • Viaplay Group and CH Media in Switzerland have entered a multi-year partnership, providing over 900 hours of curated premium content from Viaplay Select to CH Media’s OnePlus streaming service. The partnership also extends to content for CH Media’s channel lineup and catch-up services. (๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ)
  • APC Kids has sealed global sales for the action-comedy series “Jade Armor” produced by TeamTO. The deals cover Tรฉlรฉquรฉbec, WildBrain, RTBF and DR. The series follows Lan Jun’s transformation into the legendary Jade Armor, a mythical superhero. (๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช, ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ)
  • Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios have announced multiple sales for the tween series “Theodosia.” BBC, TV3, RAI, BYUtv, RTL (for Videoland), and AMC Networks International along with LRT, MTVA, YLE, and DR TV. The series is based on Robin L. LaFevers’ books and is set in Edwardian London and Egypt. (๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Nederland ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Lithunia ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ)

Partnerships/M&A

Cross-Border Collaborations, Joint Ventures, M&A and Partnerships!

Companies Making Headlines

Launch and Expansions of facilities, studios, services & technologies
  • Signiant and TMT Insights collaborate to enhance content supply chain optimization for media and entertainment firms. Signiant’s SaaS platform enables secure global content exchange, with plans for modern media-centric capabilities and a scalable workflow automation solution. (๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ)
  • Aditya Birla’s Applause Entertainment joins hands with Zindagi (a TV channel owned by Zee Entertainment) to invest in South Asian content that resonates globally and offers cross-border narratives. (๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ)ย 
  • CineWaves Films, a Saudi Arabian film distributor, has opened an office in China, becoming the first Arab cultural entity to establish a physical presence in China. This move is part of CineWaves Films’ global expansion strategy and aims to create opportunities for Saudi films on an international scale. (๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ช)
  • The Australian state of Victoria, initiates a A$15m digital rebate to boost digital screen content creation, including VFX, animation, post-production, and gaming, aiming to attract international projects. (๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ)

Featured New Specializations

Global innovations & breakthroughs in the Entertainment supply-chain

Localization & Post-Production

Latest updates in the world of content Localization & Post-Production

Animation, VFX & Virtual Production

Latest global updates in Animation, Visual Effects VFX & Virtual Production

Fast Channels

World of FAST channels & related market moves

New Global Arrivals

Recent biggest releases across the globe!
  • Denzel Washington’s “The Equalizer 3” dominates the US domestic box office, fetching in $34.5 million in ticket sales. Its global debut reaches $60.6 million, including $26.1 million from overseas markets.
  • Apple TV’s high octane drama series “The Morning Show” gets a season 3 release this week. (๐ŸŒ)
  • Indian superstar Shahrukh Khan’s action film “Jawan” releases with a bang globally with a box office collection of $64.4M and growing. (๐ŸŒ)ย 
  • The Oscar-nominated movie “The Banshees of Inisherin” recently premiered on Hulu, making it available to a global audience. (๐ŸŒl)
  • Warner’s recent release “The Nun II” is creating horror magic across the globe. (๐ŸŒ)
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