Welcome to this week’s edition of the Entertainment Supply Chain Digest. From the thrilling world of Netflix live sports ventures, the exciting deals and announcements from MIPCOM 2023, the surging rise of Turkish content, and the captivating headlines generated by the BBC.
New Film-TV Productions are DOWN 21% this year as a result of the global slowdown and Hollywood strikes. Attend our webinar to learn more about which segments, countries, and companies are bucking these trends 🌟
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IP Deals
Hottest IP Stories, Formats, Books, Games, Podcasts to be turned into the next big blockbuster- Nippon TV partners with Turkish producer Medyapim to bring Arabic adaptations of scripted formats “Mother” and “Woman – My Life for My Children” to MBC. “Mother” follows a teacher rescuing an abused student, while “Woman” depicts the challenges of a widowed single mother raising her two children. ( 🇹🇷 🇯🇵 )
- Mediacorp joins forces with Taiwan’s TVBS for the debut collaboration on the office rom-com “Love on a Shoestring.” Adapted from a popular Chinese novel, the series is slated to air in Singapore and Taiwan in 2024. ( 🇹🇼 🇸🇬 )
- Australia’s Seven Network and UK’s Channel 4 will launch the first international edition of the popular reality show format “Made In”. Set in the vibrant city of Sydney, “Made in Bondi (W/T)” will follow the lives and loves of the city’s young social elite. The production is a collaboration between Monkey and Australia’s Matchbox Pictures, both of which are subsidiaries of Universal International Studios. ( 🇦🇺 🇬🇧 )
- All3Media International and Banijay Asia team up for local versions of “Rellik” and “Rise and Fall” in the APAC region. “Rellik” unravels a murder mystery backward from a captured suspect, while “Rise and Fall” explores the influence of wealth and power on human behavior in a reality competition.( 🇬🇧 🇮🇳 )
- Turkish media company, Acunmedya, secures the rights to BBC’s “The 1% Club” format. The award-winning show is set to be broadcast on their channel TV8. ( 🇬🇧 🇹🇷 )
Production Deals
Sneak peak into recently announced production projects worldwide- TelevisaUnivison’s ViX, initiates production on six new original Spanish titles, including a comedy movie “Es Por Tu Bien,” a thriller series “Juegos Interrumpidos,” a lifestyle reality series “Lucha de Antojos,” a dramedy series “Mandatos de Familia,” a comedy series “Orillese a la Orilla”, and a drama series “Todo lo que Fuimos”. ( 🇺🇸 🇲🇽 )
- Japan’s Tokyopop and Saudi-based MBC are collaborating on a strategic initiative, MBC Anime, to create, license, and promote anime content in the MENA region. As part of the partnership, two original anime productions—”Kami.App” and “Protocol: Rain” from Fuji TV and TV Asahi will premiere in Japan and exclusively on MBC’s, Shahid. ( 🇺🇸 🇦🇪 )
- Singapore’s Rock Entertainment greenlights “Brother V,” a 90-minute docu-feature tracking Vivian Siu, the sole Chinese female FIA-sanctioned racer, aiming to finish the 2023 Macau Grand Prix in November. Directed by Jonathan Finnigan, it’s a co-production with Lucky Devil Films Production. ( 🇸🇬 )
- Belgian director Guillaume Senez begins filming “A Missing Part” in Japan, featuring Romain Duris as Jay, a cab driver searching for his daughter in Tokyo. Produced by Versus Production, Savage Film, and Les Films Pelleas, the movie delves into their poignant father-daughter reunion. (🇧🇪)
- HGTV’s Drew and Jonathan Scott expand their TV presence with new series: “Backed by the Bros” and “Don’t Hate Your House With the Property Brothers”. Additionally, the popular “Celebrity IOU” is renewed for a fourth season. ( 🇺🇸 )
Register for the Webinar and Track Global Film + TV Transactions & Deals
October-2023 shows a diametrically opposite trend between Development-Production versus Acquisition. While Productions have reduced dramatically, Acquisitions have had a great season – both at Cannes and outside.
Vitrina tracks deals and transactions in Entertainment for Content IP, Development, Productions, Acquisitions and Collaborations. Across 60+ countries.
Season Renewals
More episodes on the way! Season Renewal Announcements- Toonz Media Group and Zoonicorn collaborate to bring the Season 3 of preschool animation series “Zoonicorn.” The series features magical creatures, Zoonicorns, a blend of zebra and unicorn, who inhabit the dreams of young animals and imparts valuable life lessons along the way. ( 🇸🇬 )
- The French, Filipino, and Thai versions of Drag Race have all been renewed for third seasons, as announced by World of Wonder at MIPCOM 2023. “Drag Race Philippines” and “Drag Race Thailand” are produced by Fullhouse Asia Production Studios in the Philippines. Meanwhile, “Drag Race France” is produced by Endemol France and Shake Shake Shake. (🇹🇭 🇫🇷 🇵🇭)
- Season 3 of “Gangs of London,” directed by South Korea’s Kim Hong Sun, is in production. Starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Joe Cole, the BAFTA-winning series depicts ex-undercover cop Elliot navigating chaos after their spiked cocaine shipment causes widespread civilian deaths across London. ( 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 )
- CBeebies has renewed Maramedia’s preschool series “Olga da Polga” for S02. Based on Michael Bond’s book series, the animated/live-action show revolves around an eight-year-old girl, her family, and her pet guinea pig. ( 🇬🇧 )
- Fox has renewed “MasterChef Junior” for its 9th season, introducing Tilly Ramsay as a new judge alongside her father, Gordon Ramsay. The acclaimed chef continues as host and executive producer of the award-winning cooking competition. ( 🇺🇸 )
Distribution Deals
Distributors securing worldwide content across different genres, languages and format types- Cineflix Rights secures deals for “Hitler’s Engineers: Building the Third Reich” from its MIPCOM factual slate. The show has been picked up by History Channel, RTL, CBC, Tanweer, AMCNI CNE (Spektrum channel), and BBC. ( 🇪🇸 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇬🇷 🇭🇺 🇸🇰 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 )
- Bille August directs the English series adaptation of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the first entirely produced within Mediawan. Palomar and DEMD Productions collaborate, with distribution by Mediawan Rights. Commissioned by RAI Fiction and France Televisions, it marks a major venture for Mediawan Rights in production and distribution. (🇫🇷)
- BBC Studios and Nippon TV team up for the comedy gameshow “Koso Koso.” Celebrity secret agents prank unsuspecting contestants, with the big reveal that they were part of a gameshow. BBC Studios handles global distribution, while Nippon TV takes the lead in Asia. ( 🇬🇧 🇯🇵 )
- Brazil’s Globo has sold the international adaptation rights of its popular telenovela “Brazil Avenue” to Turkish company, Ay Yapım, in a significant move. The distribution will be managed by Madd Entertainment, a joint venture of Medyapim and Ay Yapim. ( 🇧🇷 🇹🇷 )
- Paris-based Indie Sales secures worldwide distribution for “Sidonie in Japan” at MIA market in Rome. Deals inked with Sharmill Films, Next Episode SL, Imovision, and others cover Australia/New Zealand, Baltics, Brazil, CIS, Germany, Italy, India, Spain, and Switzerland. Domestic release to be managed by Art House for early 2024. ( 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 🇧🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇮🇳 🇪🇸 🇨🇭 )
Acquisition Deals
Streamers & channels acquiring latest content across the world- The Moving Visuals Co and Yap Films have partnered for a Singapore-Canada factual co-production slate, set to deliver 30 hours of programming for global distribution in the next two years. Financed under the Canada-Singapore Co-Production treaty, each company will contribute up to 50%. The collaboration was announced at MIPCOM 2023. ( 🇸🇬 🇨🇦 )
- Passion Distribution partners with ITV and Shearwater Media on the documentary “JFK: The Home Movie that Changed the World”. Marking the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, it is set to air on ITVX and ITV, with presales secured to SBS and Viasat at MIPCOM 2023. ( 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇺🇸 )
- The 3-part docu-series distributed by Fremantle, “House of Kardashian,” that explores the lives of Kardashian-Jenners, has been acquired by Foxtel in Australia and GAIN in Turkey at MIPCOM 2023 market. ( 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 🇹🇷 )
- Prominent UK broadcasters Sky, Channel 4, A+E, and UKTV have procured unscripted content from London distributor BossaNova Media at MIPCOM. Acquired shows include “Caught on Dashcam,” “Highway Cops,” “Hindenburg: The Cover-Up,” “Castle Secrets” by Go Button Media, “Mysteries of the Ancient Dead,” “Secrets of The Lost Liners” by Content Kings, “Homicide with Ron Iddles,” and “The Bridges.” ( 🇦🇺 🇬🇧 )
- BBC Studios secures pre-sale deals for “Planet Earth III” with global broadcasters Nine, VRT, Czech TV, DR, Mediaset, TVNZ, Movistar Plus+, and SVT while Shanghai Media Group acquires streaming rights. Sir David Attenborough, 97, presents Planet Earth III, the third instalment of the landmark award-winning programme ( 🇦🇺 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰 🇮🇹 🇳🇿 🇪🇸 🇸🇪 🇨🇭)
Partnerships/M&A
Cross-Border Collaborations, Joint Ventures, M&A and Partnerships!- Eva Longoria and Cris Abrego join forces to create Hyphenate Media Group, backed by Banijay as annouced at MIPCOM 2023. The venture includes production, talent scouting, and business incubation, with the acquisition of Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. (🌍)
- Romanian broadcaster ProTV secures a two-year exclusive volume deal with Mexican-American media company TelevisaUnivision. The 1,200-hour package includes popular telenovelas like “Tierra de Esperanza” and “Minas de Pasión,” airing on ProTV’s channel Acasă, cementing the longstanding partnership between the two networks. ( 🇮🇹 )
- US based Baboon Animation and Japan’s Custom Nuts come together to create a lineup of cartoons. Baboon Animation offers its Emmy-winning team, while Custom Nuts brings expertise in Asian IPs, building on their previous partnership with Beyond Entertainment in February. ( 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 )
- Paramount Global’s Pluto TV expands its collaboration with BBC Studios, launching the Top Gear FAST channel in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy. This move extends the popular car franchise’s reach across five more European markets. ( 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 )
- Story Mill Entertainment has joined forces with Range Media Partners to expand its content and artists platform. The collaboration leverages Story Mill’s infrastructure, including the 180,000 sqft Flat Rock Studio, that offers opportunities for diverse productions in Columbus and beyond. ( 🇺🇸 )
Companies Making Headlines
Launch and Expansions of facilities, studios, services & technologies- MediaPro Studio plans US investments in literary and library program rights, as revealed by Laura Fernández Espeso at MIPCOM. Projects include, The Head’s third season and a collaboration with British director Mike Leigh. (🌍)
- French prodco, Newen Studios, acquires a majority stake in France’s Felicita Films, adding Marie Guillaumond’s production company to its European network, a move announced during MIPCOM in Cannes. (🇫🇷)
- Italian company Cattleya, with ITV Studio’s backing, collaborates with writers Fasoli and Ravagli to launch Dedalus, a new venture that will focus on film and TV projects, including a Neapolitan mob tale and a true crime drama series called “Erba”. ( 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 )
- Emmy Award-winning actor J.B. Smoove and his company, Alternate Side Productions, have joined CAA for representation. Smoove, known for his role in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” recently founded the production company, focusing on various entertainment formats. ( 🇺🇸 )
- IMAX expands its partnership with Hengdian Films, adding 20 IMAX with Laser systems across China, meeting high demand for premium cinematic experiences in new and existing locations.( 🌍 )
Buzzing this week
Global innovations & breakthroughs in Entertainment supply-chain!- Netflix ventures into live sports with “The Netflix Cup,” a celebrity golfing event featuring stars from shows like Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing. The event, to be held at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, will stream live on Netflix from 14 November, coinciding with the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix. (🌍)
- Dolby partners with Hiventy, a division of TransPerfect Media, to establish the first Dolby Vision HDR grading and projection room for cinema in France, a significant milestone in the country’s film and audiovisual industry.(🇫🇷)
- Skydance Animation moves from Apple to Netflix after signing a multi-year deal to produce animated movies exclusively for the streaming giant. Skydance’s entire animated catalogue will be available on Netflix. “Spellbound” will debut in 2024, initially slated for Apple TV+, and “Pookoo,” a buddy comedy, is set for a 2025 release. (🌍)
- Sung Kang, famous for Fast & Furious, co-produces and stars in “The Ride Life with Sung Kang,” a docu-series exploring global car cultures. Produced by Raison D’Etre Stories, Singapore’s Beach House Pictures, Bros Studios, and Insight TV, the show premiered at MIPCOM. ( 🇺🇸 🇸🇬 )
- The BBC has discontinued its long-running daytime drama “Doctors” after 23 years, citing financial constraints as the primary cause for the cancellation. ( 🇬🇧 )
Spotlight: Featured Companies on Vitrina
Trending this week
Featured specialist companies in the world of content Localization & Post-Production- Christian Toksvig introduces Cocoa Media, a distribution company exclusively focused on placing content on FAST platforms. Cocoa Media has partnered with innovative Turkish content aggregator Merzigo to introduce Turkish dramas into the rapidly expanding FAST sphere. ( 🇹🇷 🇬🇧 )
- TransPerfect Media unveils France’s first cinema with Dolby Vision HDR Grading and Projection Room, pioneering a creative era in collaboration with Dolby, revolutionizing European audiovisual experiences. (🇫🇷)
- Limbert Fabian and Brandon Oldenburg join forces in their directorial venture, InBetween. Represented by Anonymous Content, the duo specializes in Animation and Interactive projects, showcasing their creative synergy. ( 🇬🇧 )
- Netflix and Skydance Animation strike a multiyear deal to produce animated movies exclusively for the streaming platform, enhancing their partnership and expanding Skydance’s feature slate on Netflix. (🌍)
- Accedo collaborates with industry-leading tech firms to introduce the Xtend Partner Hub, a specialized ecosystem geared towards expediting the implementation of XR experiences for video service providers. ( 🇺🇸 )
Fast Channels
World of FAST channels & related market moves- Fremantle launches Jamie Oliver Channel on Pluto TV, exclusively for U.S. viewers. The FAST channel features Jamie Oliver’s cooking shows such as Jamie’s Quick & Easy, Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals, Jamie’s Super Food, and Sugar Rush. ( 🇺🇸 )
- TIME launches its first FAST channel on Amazon Freevee. TIME will showcase news coverage, profiles, interviews, documentaries as well as TIME’s journalists and producers who will cover global news topics. ( 🇺🇸 )
- ITV expands global FAST channels lineup, featuring shows like Eggheads and The Hotel Inspector. True Lives debuts in the UK, Schitt’s Creek in 40 Latin American territories, and Love Island arrives in the Nordics via Pluto, Samsung, and Rakuten in Sweden. (Nordics)
- Samsung has partnered with major European broadcasters, including ZDF, ITV Studios, Viasat World, and TF1, to introduce new channels on its FAST platform, Samsung TV Plus, across the continent.
- Blue Ant Media expands partnership with Samsung TV Plus, launching three streaming channels and adding factual content catalog from its distribution arm to the platform in various territories. ( 🇨🇦 )