ITV

Category: News Headline

  • Fox to make ‘Simpsons’ movie

    Fox to make ‘Simpsons’ movie

    MUMBAI: Fox has announced that it will make a film based on the television series The Simpsons. the film wioll be released on 27 July, 2007.

    Starring in the animated film are series regulars Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille. Guest starring in the movie are Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, and Albert Brooks.

    One of the film’s producers Matt Groening says, “We are very excited about the performances in this movie. Come next Oscars, we think it’s going to be Milhouse’s night”.

    Another producer Al Jean says, “I can absolutely guarantee that this film will far exceed the wildest expectations of every Simpsons fan. Start lining up at the theater now, preferably in costume.”

  • ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ competing for intl TV Audience Awards

    ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ competing for intl TV Audience Awards

    CANNES: The Monte-Carlo TV Festival and Eurodata TV Worldwide have joined forces to allow viewers to reward programmes who delivered the highest ratings worldwide.

    The first edition of the International TV Audience Awards will be designated by viewers through the sum of the TV ratings across five continents. It will reward the programme delivering the highest
    ratings worldwide in 2005 in three categories: Drama Series, Comedy Series and Telenovela/ Soap Opera.

    Nominees were revealed on the occasion of the television event MipTV 2006 in Cannes, France during the Eurodata TV Worldwide’s cocktail party.

    Competing in the drama category are Lost, CSI and Without a Trace.

    The comedy series nominees are Desperate Housewives, Mr. Bean and Joey.The Telenovela” / Soap Opera nominees are The Bold and the Beautiful, RUBI and Pasión de Gavilanes.

    The nominees are pre-selected among the ten best imported fiction programmes in 51 countries, i.e. 2.5 billion potential viewers. The winners will be presented at the 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Awards on 1 July 2006 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

  • Warner Bros. announces deals in Ireland, Bulgaria

    Warner Bros. announces deals in Ireland, Bulgaria

    CANNES: Warner Bros., International Television Distribution has announced deals with Channel 6 in Ireland and Nova TV in Bulgaria.

    The new Irish network has taken a raft of drama and comedy series. Among the first-run series set to premiere on Channel 6 are The Closer, Related, Four Kings, and The New Adventures of Old Christine.

    Also, the channel has secured the free-TV rights to The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Without a Trace.

    The studio has announced a multigenre deal with Nova TV in Bulgaria, that gives the broadcaster the exclusive free TV rights to a range of current and library features, television series and miniseries, and animation. Key titles include The Matrix Reloaded, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, as well as Invasion, Nip/Tuck and Joey.

  • Endemol secures deals on reality formats

    Endemol secures deals on reality formats

    CANNES: Endemol international has secured a range of agreements on its reality formats, including Fear Factor, in addition to several new game show format deals.

    The format of Fear Factor has also just gone to air on SET India. The format has now been sold to 24 countries worldwide including the U.S.

    Set to premier this April, Fear Factor will air on RTL in Croatia, Show TV in Turkey, and later this year on Caracol in Columbia. This follows the success of the format’s recent launches in Indonesia on RCTI and Malaysia on Channel 7. The series is made on locations in Argentina and Malaysia as a co-production between Endemol affiliates.

    The Match , the sports reality format, has been acquired in Croatia by HRT and in Switzerland by SFDRS. And, Fool Around With is due to launch on Europe TV in France later this year.

    The Big Brother rollout will premiere on Top Channel in Albania this September. This follows the launch of the first series on 17 March in Serbia on B92, simulcast in Bosnia on Pink TV. The format has now been sold to 38 countries.

    Endemol’s director of international sales Ed Louwerse said, “All the signs are that the worldwide reality TV phenomenon is here to stay. The vintage formats are as popular as ever and the more recent hits are showing significant growth.”

  • SCI FI UK signs first scripted drama deal

    SCI FI UK signs first scripted drama deal

    MUMBAI: The SCI FI channel in the U.K. has signed its first scripted drama production agreement, inking a deal with CHUM International and SpaceWorks for the 22-episode adventure series Ice Planet.

    The show was created by SpaceWorks and will be filmed on location in London and Canada.

    Set to debut this October, the series stars Michael Ironside as the head of a crew of scientists and soldiers on the maiden voyage of the spaceship Magellan after a vicious alien attack on Earth.

    SCI FI programming director Jon Farrar noted, “Epic in scope and inventive in storytelling, Ice Planet promises an original look and feel to sci-fi scripted drama and we’re really excited to be involved. This production deal furthers SCI FI’s commitment to providing viewers with the best the genre has to offer and allows us to play an integral role in the development of what we hope will be a hit franchise in the UK and around the world.”

    The production deal was arranged by Jon Helmrich of IBC representing CHUM International, which holds the exclusive worldwide distribution rights for the series.

    There are plans to create an Ice Planet video game that will be linked in character, story and action to the show. A mobile game will also roll out in time for the television premiere. Also, SCI FI has appointed former Sky One head of drama Sara Johnson to consult as executive producer on the show.

  • FremantleMedia secures international deals for Martha Stewart’s new show

    FremantleMedia secures international deals for Martha Stewart’s new show

    CANNES: The distribution arm of global production outfit FremantleMedia, Fremantle International Distribution (FID) managing director David Ellender announced at MipTV that it has secured a raft of global sales for Martha.

    Martha (180 x 1 hour), the latest series from American lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and reality television producer Mark Burnett, has now been sold into 10 territories worldwide, with more on the cards.

    Ellender said, “We are delighted to have acquired such a high profile and keenly-awaited daytime series from the cream of US television talent. These strong initial sales for Martha further confirm our reputation and standing as the leading independent distributor of US originated reality and lifestyle programming.”

    FID’s sales team has brokered a number of deals which has seen the informative and educational new daytime chat show licensed to IBC Channel 2, Iceland; Good Life Channel, Israel; KTN Baraza, Kenya as well as TV4 and TV4 plus, Sweden, SIC Mulher, Portugal and Canal Plus, Poland.

    The Martha momentum is building, with the popular series also going to New Zealand free-to-air channel Television New Zealand (TVNZ) and pay TV’s The Living Channel. ABS-CBN in the Philippines; Kablevision, Indonesia and ONIMedia, Korea have also picked up Martha.

    A new recipe for daytime success, Martha shows Martha Stewart as we know and love her – and as we’ve never seen her before. The daily one-hour programme offers a new and different format for daytime TV. Combining Martha’s signature sense of humour with her love of people and projects, the show presents inspiring ideas from cooking and entertaining, to decorating, and home renovating, states an official release.

    Launched in September 2005 in the US on NBC, Martha is shot in front of a live studio audience and features a variety of celebrity guests joining Martha, fast becoming the doyenne of daytime, in her culinary and domestic activities.

    FID also holds the worldwide distribution rights to Martha excluding North America (US and Canada), Japan, Australia, and the Arabic-speaking Middle East. As part of the deal, the company has also acquired the Martha Stewart Living Television back catalogue for international distribution.

  • Discovery commissions new travel series ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’

    Discovery commissions new travel series ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’

    CANNES: Discovery Networks International, has commissioned a new lifestyle series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It is based on the popular series of travel guides, for launch on Discovery Travel & Living in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

    The 5×30-minute series will reach 147 million homes outside the U.S. when it launches this fall. The series is executive produced by Helen Veale for Outline Productions and Robert Curran for Discovery Networks International.

    Discovery Networks International executive VP of creative development and brand management Rebecca Batties said, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith goes beyond the standard travel series format to focus on luxury, style and design trends in some of the most inviting locales in the world. The series embodies the true essence of the Discovery Travel & Living brand as it encourages viewers to explore their world, imagine possibilities and live life to the fullest.”

    In each episode of the series, the co-creators of the books-Andrew Grahame and Juliet Kinsman-will investigate rural spa retreats, funky boutique hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and other sites in locations around the world to determine which deserve a place in the latest Mr. and Mrs. Smith guide.

  • NHK-Japan, Discovery-Canada tie up for HD programming

    NHK-Japan, Discovery-Canada tie up for HD programming

    MUMBAI: NHK-Japan and Discovery channel Canada team up to leverage their shared high-definition (HD) programming, production, and distribution.

    The agreement will see each broadcaster’s existing science magazine show – Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and NHK’s Science Zero – mutually benefit from exchanging footage and segments.

    Discovery Channel Canada president and general manager Paul Lewis said: “As leaders in factual programming, Discovery Channel continues to make great strides in high-definition content and technology in Canada, and this alliance with NHK fits our strategy perfectly.

    “We have enjoyed a relationship with NHK in recent years and we’re excited to see this agreement solidify our relationship and take it to the next level as partners, enabling us to work together on projects that will continue to benefit Discovery, NHK and the audiences we serve.”

    Besides collaborating on content, NHK & Discovery will regularly discuss and explore opportunities to work together on other areas of mutual interest, including new technologies and distribution in all media platforms.

    NHK’s Multimedia Development Department director general Yoshinori Sekimoto said, “NHK and Discovery Channel Canada share a passion for science programming and HD broadcasting. Taking our already-successful relationship to a higher level opens the door to exciting possibilities in terms of co-production, broadcasting and media strategy.”

  • International Academy Day to be held in Beijing in August

    International Academy Day to be held in Beijing in August

    CANNES: The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will host its second International Academy Day on 16 and 17 August in Beijing in conjunction with the State Administration of Radio, Film & Television (SARFT), Phoenix Satellite Television and CCTV.

    The event will feature panels and keynotes from leading television organizations from China, Japan, Korea and Thailand as well as breakfasts, lunches and cocktails hosted by international sponsors.

    Academy president and CEO Bruce Paisner said, “We are looking forward to using the International Academy’s convening power to shine the spotlight on Asia’s vibrant television industry. This two-day conference program will be a one of a kind networking opportunity, and because of SARFT’s central role, I imagine any international media company looking to do business in China will want to be represented.”

    Participants will include members of the International academy, government officials and television and film executives from across the region. The highlights include a presentation on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a case study on a hit Korean TV show, and an opening speech by a SARFT executive, stated a media report.

  • BBC Worldwide licenses deals with Netherlands

    BBC Worldwide licenses deals with Netherlands

    CANNES: BBC Worldwide has reached deals totalling 170 hours of programming with networks in Netherlands like NOS, RTL, SBS and Talpa.

    BBC Worldwide has licensed to NOS many series including Extras and Little Britain, as well as the dramas Life on Mars, Doctor Who and Afterlife, plus Stephen Poliakoff’s Gideon’s Daughter and Friends and Crocodiles. SBS took Hotel Babylon, while Superstorm was presold to RTL.

    Talpa has in its largest ever deal with BBC Worldwide acquired 26 hours of programming, with titles such as Surviving Disaster, The Rise and Fall of Rome and a selection of programs from the One Life series.