Global Entertainment Supply Chain Digest (January 2023 #2)

January 17, 2023

Global Entertainment Supply Chain Digest (January 2023 #2)

AI in Entertainment, Season Renewals and International Partnerships

Global Entertainment Supply Chain Digest (January 2023 #2)

The entertainment value chain globally is massive, fragmented, and complex! It begins with content stories & IP and ends with the theatrical, streaming, broadcasting, and inflight devices that deliver content to consumers. We keep a track of all the global action, in the supply chain across content development, production, post-production, VFX, animation, localization, promotions, distribution, and delivery… so you don’t have to!

Vitrina AI is the global sourcing hub for the entertainment supply-chain marketplace. Our mission is to enable worldwide partner and content discovery with our proprietary AI-powered search, daily market intel, and business platform.

Companies Making Headlines

IP Deals

Hottest IP [Stories, Formats, Books, Games, Podcasts] to be turned into the next big blockbuster

>> Inside Vitrina: 3000+ global adaptation deals

- Apple TV+ to adapt best-selling picture book trilogy by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen for a series for kids and families named Shape Island 🇺🇸
- Let’s Make a Deal (Game Show) to get a Portuguese version for broadcaster TVI. The show will be produced by Fremantle Portugal and distributed internationally by Can’t Stop Media 🇬🇧
- Half Yard Productions is producing four-part, true-crime docuseries based on the hit Cavalry Audio podcast The Devil Within for MGM+ 🇺🇸
- After resigning from the senate Colombian Senator Gustavo Bolívar has teamed up with Colombia’s Canal RCN for the adaptation of the long-running telenovela Millonario sin amor into a film 🇨🇴
- France 3 is adapting the drama novel A Coeur Perdu by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, with a new title Adieuvinyl written by Sylvain Saada and co-written by Dominique Besnehard, and produced by Antoine Le Carpentier 🇫🇷

New Global Arrivals

Recent biggest releases across the globe!

>> Inside Vitrina: 1 million+ global content titles

- The internet is claiming this is the scariest movie ever! Skinamarink produced with a humble budget of $15,000 got a limited theatrical release in Jan 2023 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
- Tamil superstar Vijay’s 66th film Varisu was released in theaters recently. The film also stars well-known south Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna 🇮🇳
- Keramat 2: Caruban Larang, a sequel to the 2009 Indonesian horror film Keramat was released in theaters 🇮🇩
- Recently released Saudi Arabian comedy Sattar has become the top-grossing local film in the region. The film has kicked Avatar out of competition in the territory 🇸🇦
- Italian comedy film Tre di troppo starring Fabio De Luigi, and Virginia Raffaele got a worldwide release in Jan 2023 🇮🇹

Production Deals

A sneak peak into recently announced production projects, worldwide

>> Inside Vitrina: 30,000+ global production projects

- Richard Linklater’s ongoing ambitious project initiated in 2019 gets a casting change, Paul Mescal is replacing Blake Jenner to play broadway composer Franklin Shepard in the film adaptation musical Merrily We Roll Along. The story will be told in a reverse chronology starting with Mary criticizing Franklin and ending 20 years earlier when the characters were fresh aspirants 🇺🇸
- Veteran Indian Actor Anupam Kher begins shooting for his 534th film, The Vaccine War. The film is directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the director of The Kashmir Files 🇮🇳
- Dutch broadcaster RTL4 along with Blue Circle A Fremantle Company is working on a new dating show Winter Vol Liefde. The show is scheduled to air later this year 🇳🇱
- Vietnam Feature Film Centre (VFC) under Vietnam Television producing a new family drama show Dưới Bóng Cây Hạnh Phúc (Under the Tree of Happiness) 🇻🇳
- UK’s Sky History has acquired rights to Liberté a short film based on a female Muslim secret agent during World War 2. The new feature film will be written and co-produced by Sam Naz, anchor & journalist for Sky News 🇬🇧

Distribution Deals

Distributors securing worldwide content across different genres, languages and format types

>> Inside Vitrina: 20,000+ global distribution projects

- Australian sci-fi film Monolith sold to sales agents Blue Finch Films Releasing (International Rights) and XYZ Films (North America rights) by Black Cat White Rabbit Productions 🇦🇺 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
- Uruguay’s Coral Cine has closed deals with Spain’s A Contracorriente Films, Mexican sales agent Vendo Cine & LA-based international sales company Punctum for the documentary Benedetti, 60 Años con Luz 🇺🇾 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
- Director Stéphane Marchetti’s debut feature film À la frontière has been sold to French distributor UFO Distribution & Belgian sales agent Be For Films by Blue Monday Productions 🇫🇷
- Leading distribution company Cinedigm has acquired 30 hours of live content from Cirque du Soleil for sale to AVOD, FAST and TVOD platforms across the USA 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
- Chinese sci-fi epic The Wandering Earth 2 will be traveling to the UK, Trinity CineAsia acquires the film for distribution 🇨🇳 🇬🇧

Acquisition Deals

Streamers & channels acquiring latest content across the world

>> Inside Vitrina: 15,000+ global content acquisitions

- HBO‘s game adaptation series The Last of Us has been acquired by South Africa’s leading network M-Net 🇿🇦
- Paramount+ acquires Canadian rights for Harry: The Interview. In the 90-minute program, Prince Harry speaks about his memoir Spare and all the other issues revolving around his life with the royal family 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
- Netflix adds to its Norwegian slate by acquiring global rights for the crime series Gangs of Oslo (Blodsbrødre) 🇳🇴
- Bengali horror-comedy Ballabhpurer Roopkotha which is also a play adaptation has been acquired by Bengali streamer Hoichoi 🇮🇳
- Toho International struck a deal with a distributor of independent animation, Frederator Network Inc. As part of the deal, Toho has acquired a 50% ownership stake in 2 completed series, Bee and PuppyCat, and Bravest Warriors & another series in development, Catbug 🇺🇸

Partnerships/M&A

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

- Premium movie streaming platform ROW8 has acquired metaverse and web3 streaming platform Rad. The deal will see Rad’s web3 creator tools alongside ROW8’s content library, which will make it the ultimate destination for NFT collectibles & favorite movies 🇵🇭 🇺🇸
- TATA Communications has acquired New York based live video production company The Switch Enterprises. The deal will see The Switch bring in live production resources to produce high-quality content in the most effective manner 🇳🇱
- Tag, the global production powerhouse for brands and agencies, announces the finalized of its acquisition of The Gate Films, a Manchester-based film production company. The acquisition will allow Tag to provide enhanced production services including virtual production capabilities to its global client base 🌎
- UK’s ITV and Scottish broadcaster STV have agreed on a partnership for exclusive access to ITV‘s original programming in Scotland 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴
- Video game giant Gearbox Entertainment acquires 3D technology pioneer Captured Dimensions, which has prolific experience in movie development 🇺🇸

Companies Making Headlines

Launch and Expansions of facilities, studios, services & technologies

>> Inside Vitrina: 100,000 global entertainment companies

- Roku will start making its own TV sets! The streaming platform will be launching the Roku TV powered Television Sets – Roku Select & Plus series later this year 🇺🇸
- US-based Sling TV has launched 19 South Indian channels on the platform for the US audience. These 19 channels are part of the South Indian conglomerate Sun TV Network 🇺🇸 🇮🇳
- Gamestream, a world leader in white-label cloud gaming solutions partners with JioGames, India’s leading gaming service, to announce a 10-year strategic partnership. This collaboration will provide 1.4 billion Indians with unlimited access to cloud gaming anywhere, anytime 🇮🇳
- Nvidia to work with automakers Hyundai, Polestar, and BYD to allow streaming of AAA Gaming titles in vehicles 🌎
- US-based tech firm BRELYON has raised $ 15 million for developing an immersive display technology. The funds will be used for product development and catering to the consumer’s increasing demand for their Ultra Reality™ technology, a display monitor which replicates immersive and VR experiences without a separate headset 🇺🇸

Featured New Specializations

Global innovations & breakthroughs in the Entertainment supply-chain

- DigiLens has announced a compelling new product for the Augmented Reality (AR) market with its lightweight, industrial-grade ARGO headset 🌎
- Avid has released updates to its MediaCentral workflow platform which will empower media companies in accelerating production on-premises and in the cloud
- YRF‘s Pathaan becomes the first Indian film to release in Immersive Cinema Experience (ICE) theater format 🇮🇳
- Disney+ is adding high-fidelity audio via IMAX signature sound by DTS to a selection of Marvel films and other titles in 2023
- First virtual studio with Sony Crystal LED display completed. The 90 sq m, 1.5mm, curved Crystal LED screen is combined with Sony’s Venice cinematography camera tech at the virtual production studio in France 🇫🇷

Localization & Post-Production

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

>> Inside Vitrina: 1500+ Localization & 12,000+ Post-Production global companies

- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is going to hit theatres next month, is going through some last-minute reshoots weeks before its release 🇺🇸
- Golden Globe award-winning non-English film Argentina, 1985 was captured with ALEXA Mini LF and ARRI Signature Primes 🇦🇷 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
- Most anticipated comic book adaptation film Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom has Digital District working on the post-production 🇫🇷
- Color grading services have been provided by Company 3 for HBO Original Branson 🇺🇸
- US-based post-production company Light Iron (A Panavision Company) proudly partners to manage dailies for Amazon Prime Video‘s comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 🇺🇸

Animation, VFX & Virtual Production

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

>> Inside Vitrina: 4,000+ Animation & 2500+ VFX global companies

- The stylized 2D animation, Agent Elvis, a new Netflix Original is being produced by Emmy-winning studio Titmouse, Inc 🇺🇸
- 3Particle XR Stage is Malaysia’s first studio to offer XR-based virtual production services 🇲🇾
- Pixomondo delivers VFX for Christian Bale’s period film The Pale Blue Eye 🇺🇸
- Sony Pictures Imageworks uses the Unreal Engine Pipeline to deliver VFX for the 8th episode of Volume 3 of the Netflix series Love Death + Robots 🇺🇸
- Rome-based Palantir Digital | Visual Effects’ visual effects supervisors work on the Italian graphic novel adaptation of Diabolik – Ginko all’attacco! 🇮🇹

FAST Channels

World of FAST channels & related market moves

- Viacom18 partners with Amagi to launch its first FAST channel Desi Play TV 🇮🇳
- Stingray Music, Stingray Naturescape and Stingray CMusic Stingray‘s FAST channels launch on Amazon Freevee & Samsung TV Plus 🇨🇦
- Joyn, a streaming platform owned by Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, has launched 16 new FAST channels which will feature true crime, action, and various other genres 🇩🇪
- Dutch distributor SPI International has signed a content distribution deal with content aggregator ScreenHits TV for their FAST Channel Filmstream, which is currently live in the UK, USA, Germany, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇩🇪 🇨🇴 🇲🇽 🇦🇷
- German AVOD service Rlaxx has partnered with CTV solutions provider Wurl to enhance the FAST proposition 🇩🇪

Cancelled Deal/Shows

Recently cancelled!

- HBO Max has pulled off the classic Looney Tunes (Seasons 16-31) and 3 seasons (Seasons 4-6) of the beloved Flintstones 🌎
- Netflix will not be renewing the mystery show 1899 (Season 1 was released in Nov 2022)
- AMC cancels Fear the Walking Dead after 8 seasons 🇺🇸
- Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, Hulu‘s The Handmaid’s Tale concludes after Season 6 🌎
- Hunters will not be hunting anymore. Amazon Prime Video cancels audiences’ favourite after 2 seasons 🌎