Sky Studios CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz has called the plethora of shows on the market “really confusing” for viewers. In a keynote interview at Series Mania today, Frot-Coutaz addressed said the biggest challenge for platforms such as Comcast-owned Sky as one of discoverability. “The challenges of the industry have always been partnering with the right creatives and executing things well,” she said. “What’s changed massively recently is there’s just too much product. For consumers it’s really confusing.” The challenge was ensuring programs could cut through and reach the right audiences. “There’s going to be a real demand for simplification,” she said. RELATED: Deadline’s Full Coverage Of Series Mania 2023 Elsewhere in her talk, Frot-Coutaz declined to comment on reports Sky is looking at selling Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, and instead spoke about the Sky Studios departments in Italy and Germany work together and with Sky UK & Ireland. “We are pretty … [Read more...] about “There’s Too Much Product”: Sky Studios Boss Cecile Frot-Coutaz On Need For “Simplification” – Series Mania
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Walter Presents Seals Five-Title Drama Deal With Beta For Australia & New Zealand
EXCLUSIVE: Non-English language drama streamer Walter Presents has acquired a package of five drama titles from Beta for release on its services in Australia and New Zealand. The titles include Italian YA drama The Sea Beyond , Spanish investigative drama Rapa and German WWII miniseries The Turncoat . The Sea Beyond , revolving around young inmates in a Naples prison, has enjoyed strong ratings in Italy on Rai, RaiPlay and Netflix since its launch in late 2020. The third season is currently enjoying linear success on Rai2. Rapa , which was the most watched show on Spanish streamer Movistar Plus+ in 2022, follows a high school teacher and local police officer in the Spanish port city of Ferrol, who form an unlikely team in solving a murder case. Two-part, event mini-series The Turncoat is about a young German soldier in 1944, who is posted to a small unit in the Polish woods, where he connects with local partisans and becomes torn between a sense … [Read more...] about Walter Presents Seals Five-Title Drama Deal With Beta For Australia & New Zealand
Jenna Lamia To Pen ‘The Perfect Couple’ Adaptation Based On Elin Hilderbrand Book In The Works At Fox
EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Lamia ( Good Girls ) has been tapped to write and executive produce The Perfect Couple adaptation, based on Elin Hilderbrand ’s bestselling novel, which is in the works at Fox . The previously announced one-hour mystery drama hails from Fox Entertainment’s SideCar Content Accelerator. Based on Hilderbrand’s book, The Perfect Couple centers around wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people – an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin – with a body discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony – everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the bride, the groom, the groom’s famous mystery novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield – and no couple is perfect. Lamia executive produces with Hilderbrand and … [Read more...] about Jenna Lamia To Pen ‘The Perfect Couple’ Adaptation Based On Elin Hilderbrand Book In The Works At Fox
Apple Considering Bid For English Soccer Streaming Rights — Report
Apple is said to be interested in bidding for the rights to broadcast English soccer games, according to a new report published this morning. The report, found in Bloomberg, states that the rights currently under consideration at Apple would allow the company to broadcast games from the Premier League , the highest level of English soccer, alongside games from the lower-ranked English Football League. Deadline has reached out to Apple for comment on the matter. The move would expand the company’s global soccer coverage following its $2.5B, 10-year deal with Major League Soccer to stream games from the US-based league. The MLS deal was one of the biggest sports streaming deals in history. Apple also recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball and broadcasts live Baseball games on AppleTV+ every Friday alongside pre and postgame shows available across the world without local broadcast restrictions. The English Football League is offering the rights to seasons … [Read more...] about Apple Considering Bid For English Soccer Streaming Rights — Report
‘Son Of A Critch’ Renewed For Season 3 By CBC
EXCLUSIVE: Canadian comedy Son of a Critch is establishing itself as a mainstay of CBC ’s schedule as it is greenlit for a third season before the second has finished airing. CBC said Season 2, which finishes next week, is the pubcaster’s most-watched English Canadian comedy series and most-watched show with 18-49 year olds. The series is produced by Schitt’s Creek’ s Andrew Barnsley and created by Mark Critch, who plays a fictionalized version of himself based on his award-winning memoir, with The Office scribe Tim McAuliffe. The show tells the story of 11-year-old Mark coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the ’80s, a boy much older inside than his 11 years – using comedy and self-deprecation to win friends and connect with the small collection of people in his limited world. Filming begins on Season 3 in Newfoundland this summer. “I’m honoured to have such talented people bringing my life story to the screen,” said Critch. “It’s a joy to start work … [Read more...] about ‘Son Of A Critch’ Renewed For Season 3 By CBC
Oscar Winner Roger Ross Williams: Spending On Oscar Doc Campaigns Has “Gotten Insane” — CPH:DOX
Oscar winner and Academy member Roger Ross Williams is saying publicly what many in the documentary community have stewed over privately – that the sums of money being spent on Oscar documentary campaigns has “gotten insane.” And Williams, a former Academy Governor representing the Doc Branch, says something may be done about it. “We in the Academy, in the Doc Branch, have a campaign finance reform committee… to sort of try to work through that and figure out solutions to that. It’s gotten insane. It’s gazillions of dollars to get seen and heard,” he said, “and that’s so troubling because it should be on the merit of the films.” His remarks, less than two weeks after the Academy Awards, came in a discussion with documentary programmer and Pure Nonfiction podcaster Thom Powers at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. Powers asked the filmmaker about “the escalating attention that awards season sucks up in our industry,” and Williams didn’t hold back. “We know it’s awards, it’s the … [Read more...] about Oscar Winner Roger Ross Williams: Spending On Oscar Doc Campaigns Has “Gotten Insane” — CPH:DOX
Fox Renewal Status Report: ‘9-1-1’, ‘Lone Star’, ‘The Resident’, ‘Animal Control’, ‘Call Me Kat,’ ‘Flatch’ & More
Fox just announced Season 2 renewals for two freshman drama series, anthology Accused and missing person drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit , both from Sony Pictures TV and Fox Entertainment. They join previously renewed sophomore drama The Cleaning Lady as well as animated stalwarts The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers . That leaves dramas 9-1-1 , 9-1-1: Lone Star , The Resident and Fantasy Island and comedies Animal Control , Call Me Kat and Welcome Flatch on the live-action side. Last year, the renewals for 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star and The Resident — all from Disney’s 20th Television — went down to the wire, only closing an hour or so before the network’s upfront presentation. I hear conversations have started on the 9-1-1 franchise. The flagship is Fox’s top-rated scripted series and most watched series overall. It is also the most expensive six seasons in, with a big-name stars, Oscar nominee Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, and … [Read more...] about Fox Renewal Status Report: ‘9-1-1’, ‘Lone Star’, ‘The Resident’, ‘Animal Control’, ‘Call Me Kat,’ ‘Flatch’ & More
‘The Perfect Couple’ Drama Based On Elin Hilderbrand Book In The Works At Fox From SideCar
EXCLUSIVE: Fox has put in development The Perfect Couple , a one-hour mystery drama based on Elin Hilderbrand ’s bestselling novel, from Fox Entertainment ’s SideCar Content Accelerator . Search is underway for a writer to pen the adaptation. Based on Hilderbrand’s book, The Perfect Couple centers around wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people – an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin – with a body discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony – everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the bride, the groom, the groom’s famous mystery novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield – and no couple is perfect. The Perfect Couple was published by Little, Brown & Company in 2018. Hilderbrand executive produces … [Read more...] about ‘The Perfect Couple’ Drama Based On Elin Hilderbrand Book In The Works At Fox From SideCar
‘SNL’ Editorial Crew Ratify Deal To Avert Strike; Late-Night Show Will Go On With Inaugural Contract
EXCLUSIVE: Saturday Night Live ’s editorial crew has said yes in a big way to its first-ever union contract at the Lorne Michaels -led NBC late-night show. Five days after the Editors Guild and NBCUniversal reached a tentative deal to advert an April 1 strike, the 20-plus SNL editorial crew unanimously voted last night to ratify the agreement. The post-production team and guild reps met virtually Wednesday for the vote, I hear. “The solidarity and bravery of this crew are just so impressive,” Cathy Repola , National Executive Director of the Editors Guild, said of the vote and the team upon ratification of the inaugural deal. “They fought not just to improve their own working lives; they have also set a standard that will benefit all those who follow in their footsteps at this TV comedy institution.” “It was an honor to work with them on reaching this significant agreement.” Unveiled on March 17 after about a week of last-ditch and sometimes tense … [Read more...] about ‘SNL’ Editorial Crew Ratify Deal To Avert Strike; Late-Night Show Will Go On With Inaugural Contract
‘Missing Richard Simmons’ Creator Dan Taberski Strikes Multi-Show Deal With Pineapple Street Studios, Plots Four New Podcasts
EXCLUSIVE : Dan Taberski , the man behind podcasts including Missing Richard Simmons and 9/12 , has struck a multi-show deal with Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios . The move will see Taberski create four new podcasts for the studio, which is behind many of his previous hits. It comes as the podcasting world begins to evolve with an increasing number of talent deals, ala the television and film world. Campside Media, the company behind the Chameleon franchise, struck a trio of first-look deals with Believe Her creator Justine van der Leun, Sam Mullins, who is behind Wild Boys and Dr. Dante , and Sean Flynn, the man behing The Bering , earlier this year. Taberski previously created Andrew WK-hosted series Destroy Build Destroy for Cartoon Network and was a producer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart before moving into audio. He started working with Pineapple in 2017 on six-part series Missing Richard Simmons , which became a breakout hit with … [Read more...] about ‘Missing Richard Simmons’ Creator Dan Taberski Strikes Multi-Show Deal With Pineapple Street Studios, Plots Four New Podcasts