Top Stories

LONDON: FremantleMedia has acquired a majority stake in the French producer Kwai, which specializes in fiction TV movies and series. Kwai is led by writer and producer Thomas Bourguignon, creator of the popular French detective series Femmes de Loi, which ran from 2000 to 2009. Kwai recently delivered two TV …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide and All3Media Germany are combining their format catalogues into a single collection for the jointly owned production company Tower Productions. Tower Productions will have exclusive access to both BBC Worldwide’s and All3Media’s catalogues of non-scripted formats. Me, Myself & Eye Entertainment (MME) will no longer operate as …

LONDON: Kelly Butler is set to resign as senior VP of FOX Sports Europe and Africa at FOX International Channels (FIC) Europe and Africa. Butler joined FIC in 2013 when the company acquired Setanta Africa. During her time at FIC, she helped steer the strategic direction and management of several …

STOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group (MTG) has secured another three years of English Premier League soccer matches, adding Finland to a coverage that includes Sweden and Denmark. MTG will exclusively air live games for the 2016-17 to 2018-19 seasons. The matches will be shown on a combination of MTG’s Viasat and …

ISTANBUL: The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) has outlined a series of special events and promotions taking place at MIPCOM, where Turkey is being celebrated as this year's Country of Honour. MIPCOM is set to welcome top Turkish acting talents, including Hülya Avşar, Halit Ergenç, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Beren Saat, Tuğba …

CANNES: Two of the top dramas in BBC Worldwide’s MIPCOM catalogue, War and Peace and Dickensian, draw on classic literature. Andrew Davies is behind the new TV adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Tony Jordan is taking viewers back to a Victorian London populated by Charles Dickens’ most …

CANNES: Among the highlights from ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) are Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands and Jekyll and Hyde, a pair of action-adventure series produced by ITV Studios. “We have no doubt that these shows will appeal to our broadcast and digital partners around the world and will …

CANNES: The documentary Making an Ancient Forest: Kalkalpen National Park is a highlight of the ORF-Enterprise slate that’s being presented at MIPCOM. “Unique views in Ultra HD 4K make this documentary an extraordinary visual experience for the audience,” says Marion Camus-Oberdorfer, the head of ORF-Enterprise—Content Sales International. Camus-Oberdorfer believes that …

CANNES: The feature film The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music, part of the TM International catalogue, has been presold to Lionsgate for the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and is based on the autobiography of Agathe von Trapp. With the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year, …

CANNES: Surec Film, which produces a number of high-profile Turkish dramas, has entered into a worldwide output deal with Eccho Rights. Eccho Rights is already home to two series from Surec Film: Cherry Season and Kacak. Both series have since been licensed to numerous countries around the world, including the …