World Screen

This interview originally appeared in the MIPCOM 2014 issue of TV Europe. With some 45 production entities in 17 territories, Zodiak Media, majority owned by Italy’s De Agostini Group, has established itself as a leading independent producer of a broad range of genres: from scripted series Being Human and Millennium …

LONDON: ITV has invested an undisclosed amount in Zealot Networks, a Los Angeles-based digital-media company founded by former Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin. ITV, which is Zealot Networks’ first media-industry investor, is set to have a board position as the company continues its development. Zappin created the digital-first outfit last …

BUDAPEST/NEW YORK: SPI International has restructured its local country team in Budapest, which manages all operations in Hungary, including the distribution of TV channels and continued expansion of the multiscreen VOD platform FilmBox Live. The new team has launched FilmBox Premium, a flagship movie channel that replaced the FilmBox Extra …

LONDON/LOS ANGELES: Entertainment One (eOne) and Amazon Prime Instant Video have entered into a multiyear, multi-territory TV content deal for the U.K. and Germany. The pact sees Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.K. and Germany getting first-run access to a wealth of content from the U.S.-based AMC and SundanceTV, which …

STAMFORD: WWE Network is set to launch in the U.K. and Ireland later this month as a digital subscription service. Starting January 19, fans will have access to the U.S. English-language version of WWE Network, which will include all 12 annual pay-per-view events, 24/7 scheduled programming and a VOD library …

PREMIUM: It was a FIFA World Cup year in 2014, so it almost goes without saying that the great audience winner on French television was the month-long soccer tournament in Brazil, but the big surprise was how well long-running American detective show The Mentalist did in comparison. World Cup matches …

MUNICH: Martin Metzger has joined the management board of Red Arrow Entertainment Group as the managing director of business affairs. This newly created post sees Metzger taking on responsibility for legal and business affairs oversight throughout the Red Arrow portfolio. Metzger reports directly to Jan Frouman, the CEO of Red …

BUDAPEST: The new SPI/FilmBox team in Budapest has inked a major channel distribution deal with Antenna Hungaria and has launched FilmBox Live on Telenor's My TV. The FilmBox Premium Pak is now available on Antenna Hungaria. This agreement includes the newly rebranded FilmBox Premium and the FilmBox Family channels. FilmBox …

LONDON: Steve Macallister is taking on the post of CEO of all3media international, stepping into the role March 1. He is taking over from Louise Pedersen, whose departure from the company was announced last year. Macallister was previously serving as CEO of Zodiak Rights, and prior to this he spent …

LONDON: TalkTalk has acquired the blinkbox Movies business, as well as the Tesco broadband and fixed-line voice base. Blinkbox is among the leading on-demand providers of pay content in the U.K. TalkTalk believes that the acquisitions will help to accelerate the development of its platform by delivering a number of …