World Screen

BELFAST: UTV Media has confirmed that it is in discussions regarding a potential sale of its TV assets, with ITV reportedly set to purchase the Northern Irish broadcaster. The board of UTV Media released a statement regarding the media speculation that said: "Discussions are ongoing and may or may not …

LONDON: BT Sport is set to become the home of the 2017-18 Australia vs. England Ashes and will also air live all Australian home cricket internationals in the U.K., from 2016 to 2021. The five-year deal also includes the 35 KFC Big Bash League matches, which see international stars flocking …

LONDON: Peep Show co-creator Andrew O’Connor and ITV Studios’ Cats on the Roof Media have entered into an exclusive first-look agreement with comedy writer and producer Lee Hupfield for the comedy label Second Act Productions.  The deal sees Hupfield set to write, direct and produce in the U.K. exclusively through ITV …

PREMIUM: Herbert G. Kloiber, Tele München Group’s (TMG) chairman, and Herbert L. Kloiber, the company’s managing director, speak to World Screen about the kind of programming that is best suited to today’s multiplatform world. WS: Tell us about your production business. What do you have in the pipeline? HGK: Our …

LONDON: The BBC has published a new study, carried out by research firm MTM, that finds that households living without the pubcaster for nine days would prefer to pay the license fee and keep the service. In an attempt to investigate the value audiences get from the BBC, 70 households …

LONDON: AMC’s U.K. channel, which is set to launch August 28 on the BT platform, has unveiled a programming lineup that includes the new drama Fear the Walking Dead. That series’ first episode will be made available free of charge to all audiences on the BT Showcase channel on August …

EDINBURGH: British TV writing duo Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran are aligning with Corona TV’s Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn in a new joint venture, LocomoTV, which has already tied up with FremantleMedia. The new company will create original scripted programming intended for mainstream audiences all over the world. LocomoTV …

LONDON: Channel 5 has acquired the original TV magic show Penn & Teller: Fool Us in Vegas. The 13×1-hour series is hosted by Jonathan Ross and filmed at the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. Each episode features four magicians who test the magical insight …

LUXEMBOURG: Net profit attributable to RTL Group shareholders was up 73.8 percent to 351 million euros ($394 million), with digital showing dynamic growth. Reported Group revenue was up 3.8 percent to 2.8 billion euros ($3.1 billion) thanks to strongly increasing revenue at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, growing digital revenue and favorable …

LONDON: FremantleMedia has acquired a 62.5 percent holding in Wildside, which is currently producing The Young Pope, with the opportunity to purchase the remaining shareholding in the future. The Young Pope is a joint Sky, HBO and Canal+ production, directed by Paolo Sorrentino and starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton. …