Top Stories

LONDON: More than two-thirds of Endemol’s lenders have reached an agreement in principal regarding the restructuring of the group’s debt burden. This represents a "significant majority" of its lenders. Discussions will continue in the weeks ahead. The company reports that it outperformed its internal budgets last year with gains of …

PARIS: Josh Sapan, the president and CEO of AMC Networks, has been signed up to deliver a Media Masterminds keynote at MIPTV on April 2. Sapan will discuss the value of original programming and look at how to create distinctive entertainment brands. AMC Networks owns and operates the successful brands AMC, …

LONDON: Sony Pictures Television has expanded its U.K. activities with the acquisition of the channels business Dolphin Broadcasting along with picking up a majority stake in the ad sales house Dolphin TV. The move brings five new channels to SPT’s U.K. portfolio: Movies4Men, Movies4Men+1, Movies4Men2, Movies4Men2+1 and Men&Movies. The channels …

LONDON: The new competition series The Angel, commissioned by Sky1 from Twofour, gives would-be entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for investment in their dream business. Playing "the angel" is John Caudwell, from Stoke-on-Trent. He will scrutinize the proposals of aspiring entrepreneurs who are invited to compete for £100,000 worth of …

MUNICH: The ProSiebenSat.1 Group has picked up free-TV rights for a package of Hollywood blockbusters from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, which will also supply new U.S. series to the German outfit over the coming years. The output deal gives the group rights to movies such as the continuation of …

LOS ANGELES/PARIS: Nearly 300 companies have already registered to attend the second edition of DISCOP Istanbul, which will be held February 28 to March 1. Organized by Basic Lead, the event will be held at the Intercontinental Ceylan Hotel in Istanbul. Exhibitors already on board include Zodiak Rights, ITV Studios …

MADRID: Imagina International Sales has added the series What Happened to Jorge Sanz? to its catalogue and will launch the show officially at NATPE. The series launch on Canal+ at the end of 2010. The series is based on the life of Spanish acting prodigy Jorge Sanz (Valentina, Belle époque, …

LONDON: Marking its first global viewing event of 2012, BBC Worldwide is bringing the Sport Relief televised fundraising effort to an international stage. Sport Relief in the U.K. features British sporting talent, comedians and entertainers who come together in an effort to raise money to support various causes around the …

LONDON: Roberta Ibba-Hartog, who previously led regional sales at HBO, has been named as the head of TV for the U.K. and Eastern Europe at Lionsgate UK. Ibba-Hartog is responsible for the sales and distribution of all Lionsgate films and series across the U.K. and Ireland and will oversee sales …

LONDON: KPMG’s latest Media & Entertainment Barometer reports that streaming content services are becoming more mainstream in the U.K., particularly among younger viewers, with iPlayer having the greatest brand awareness, followed by the ITV player and Amazon-owned LoveFilm. KPMG U.K.’s report also points to an increasing willingness among consumers to …