Top Stories

MAINZ: ZDF Enterprises is co-developing Europe: The Story of Us with Nutopia, and will be distributing the production around the globe. The series is still open for international co-production partners. Nutopia is developing Europe: The Story of Us for ZDF Enterprises. The Story of Us is an epic TV event …

PARIS: Eurosport and France Télévisions are continuing their partnership with the French Tennis Federation (FFT), broadcasting the French Open until 2018. The deal makes the networks the official broadcasters for the five Roland Garros tournaments in the French market. France Télévisions, which has aired the tournaments since 1987, will remain …

STOCKHOLM: Eccho Rights has announced further deals on the scripted format The End, coming on the heels of a U.S. commission. In Germany, Eccho Rights optioned The End to local producers UFA, which are developing the show for SAT.1. In France, Shine has taken an option to develop the series. …

SYDNEY: The Seven Network in Australia has aligned with key executives from Maverick Television to create a new U.K.-based venture, 7Wonder. 7Wonder will focus on the creation of new TV programs and formats, initially for the U.K. market. It is a joint venture between Seven, Alexandra Fraser, Liza Abbott and …

LONDON/OSLO: Nordic World has scored an exclusive representation deal with TV2 Denmark, the country's largest commercial broadcaster. Nordic World will now take on distribution for all of TV2's finished programming, including the hit drama The Seaside Hotel. It will also distribute TV2's formats, which until now has been handled by …

LUXEMBOURG: RTL Group has posted a profit gain of 45.7 percent to 870 million euros ($1.2 billion) for 2013, as the TV ad market improved in most of the firm's European territories. Revenue, however, dipped 1.8 percent to 5.88 billion euros ($8.09 billion), as high revenues from RTL Netherlands and …

LONDON: Passion Distribution has wrapped up a slew of deals in Spain for more than 150 hours of content. Mediaset nabbed two shows from Passion’s Scripps Networks International catalogue: the 13×60-minute eighth and ninth seasons of Cupcake Wars and the 13×30-minute first and second seasons of Million Dollar Contractor. The …

LONDON: Among the new commissions for Channel 4 is Taking New York, a constructed reality series being produced by Twofour for E4. The 8×1-hour Taking New York format will feature a group of twentysomething British friends who are striving to make their American dreams come true. The format will begin …

LONDON: Ralph Lee, Channel 4’s head of factual, has been promoted to deputy chief creative officer, though he’ll also maintain his existing remit. Lee will deputize for Jay Hunt, the British network’s chief creative officer, on creative decision-making across all of the company’s channels and platforms, and he’ll lead on …

LONDON: Total TV advertising revenue in the U.K. rose 3.5 percent in 2013 to reach a new record high of £4.63 billion ($7.75 billion), according to full-year revenue figures provided to Thinkbox by the U.K.'s commercial broadcasters. 2013 marked the fourth consecutive year that TV ad revenue had growth in …