ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Sony Pictures TV to acquire Japanese distributor Funimation’s majority stake

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television Networks has reached an agreement to acquire a substantial majority stake in Japanese anime distributor Funimation Productions, subject to regulatory approvals and certain other closing conditions, valuing the company at approximately $150 million. 

    Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga will retain a minority stake in the business and remain CEO.

    J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Funimation along with Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP acting as exclusive legal advisor. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP acted as legal advisor to Sony Pictures Television Networks.

    With a catalogue that includes popular titles such as “Dragon Ball Z”, “Cowboy Bebop”, “One Piece”, “My Hero Academia” and “Attack on Titan”, Funimation licenses and distributes Japanese anime content in the U.S., and operates the subscription streaming service FunimationNOW, available via the PlayStation Store, iTunes Store, Google Play, Amazon Apps, Xbox Store and mobile devices. Additionally, the company sells merchandise and DVDs through its website, Funimation.com.

    “Around the world, Sony’s networks have been major players in the anime space for nearly two decades, and in more recent years we have rapidly increased our networks’ over-the-top and digital offerings to consumers. With the acquisition of Funimation, the combined IP of Animax, Kids Station and Funimation allows us to deliver the best anime to fans across all screens and platforms,” said Sony Pictures Television president – worldwide networks Andy Kaplan.

    Gen Fukunaga added, “With Funimation’s long-established leadership position in anime and Sony’s direct access to the creative pipeline in Japan, it will be a great partnership to take Funimation to the next level.”

    Outgoing Funimation chairman John A Kuelbs, and lead investor Doug Deason, said, “Funimation experienced tremendous growth and success since 2011. We believe Sony, Gen and his team are uniquely positioned to lead Funimation and its fans into an exciting and entertaining future.”

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  • Globo’s ‘Under Pressure’ portrays docs’ dilemma, premieres with 44 mn Brazilian viewers

    MUMBAI: A genuinely Brazilian and fast-paced medical drama series portraying patient-doctor dramas in a substandard hospital in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, ‘Under Pressure’ premiered on Globo’s late prime time on Tuesday, 25 July, reaching the impressive mark of 44 million viewers. Five out of every 10 Brazilian households watching TV were tuned in to Globo. A co-production between Globo and Conspiração, the drama series uncovers the mishaps and intimate conflicts experienced by a medical staff facing the harsh reality of a chaotic environment, struggling to overcome adversity and the lack of resources to keep patients alive.

    With around 75% of the scenes shot at a deactivated ward of a public hospital, the production takes on even greater depth. Series creator Jorge Furtado and his team of writers dove into Rio de Janeiro’s public health system to learn about real-life stories that inspired the episodes. In addition to this extensive on-site research, there were also meetings and talks with physician Marcio Maranhão, author of the book “Sob Pressão – A rotina de guerra de um médico brasileiro” (Under Pressure – a Brazilian doctor’s war routine, in a loose translation), which inspired the plot. Maranhão worked as an adviser in the production, ensuring a perfect match between the technical medical aspects and the actual drama.

    “We gathered real stories that happen every day in Brazilian public hospitals and whose debate is extremely relevant for society. We talk about abuse, suicide, AIDS, disrespect, and neglect, among others,” said Andrucha Waddington, artistic director of ‘Under Pressure’ and of the film with the same name that originated the drama series.

    “One of the strongest aspects of ‘Under Pressure’ is the drama lived by patients. Every day arrive in the hospital ambulances where impressive stories emerge. These people’s personal lives combined with the doctors’ personal issues and their commitment to the patients is what fills the series with its strong dramatic content,” said Jorge Furtado.

    In the drama series, an unlikely relationship between two doctors arises in the midst of this stressful environment: on the one hand, the skeptic Dr. Evandro (Julio Andrade, ‘Above Justice’), chief surgeon of the hospital’s medical team. A professional of incomparable talent, but addicted to work and medications. Depressed, he has not overcome the loss of his wife yet, who died on his shift at the hospital during an emergency surgery. On the other side there is the religious and efficient Dr. Carolina (Marjorie Estiano, ‘Dangerous Liaisons’), a vascular surgeon who resorts to faith seeking the antidote against all the misery she faces every day. As work colleagues, the two of them share a common urge to save lives. And they must find the balance between the hardships of the profession and their personal conflicts to face the reality of an extremely chaotic environment, under constant pressure.

  • Discovery may emerge as sole Scripps bidder

    MUMBAI: Scripps is reportedly moving ahead on talks with Discovery, and Viacom is out of the bidding race. TV network owners are struggling owing to a decline in subscriptions for satellite and cable services as they lose viewers to social networks and online video services.

    Viacom, the owner of Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon, had earlier reportedly made an all-cash bid for Scripps, the value of which could be as much as $10.6 billion. Scripps was popular among pay-TV distributors that offer low-cost and smaller bundles of family-centric channels to budget-conscious subscribers.

    Discovery Communications, the owner of TLC and Animal Planet, is reportedly offering around $90 a share for Scripps Networks Interactive, eventually closing in on a potential cable TV merger which could be worth around $12 billion. The offer was good enough to reportedly pressure Viacom Inc. to leave its efforts to buy the owner of Food Network and HGTV. Discovery and Viacom declined comment.

    The companies are in the process of discussing unspecified issues and may not reach a definitive agreement until next week.

    Buying Scripps, with its popular programming on travel, food, and home repair, could help Discovery reduce costs, gain negotiating leverage with distributors and expand internationally as its U.S. TV businesses face pressure.

    While Discovery networks such as Investigation Discovery and TLC are no stranger to reality programming, the company’s main focus has been on shows centered on nature, science, and exploration. Its focus on non-fiction is seen as a smooth fit with Scripps, whose networks focus on travel, food, and home-improvement.

    The negotiation between Discovery and Scripps may result in a deal as early as next week, though the talks could still fail.

    AlsO Read :

    Discovery & Scripps reported to be discussing merger

     

  • Star World launches Game of Thrones season 7 with personalized posters

    MUMBAI: The great war is finally upon Westeros as the much anticipated first episode of Game of Thrones premiered on Star World last Tuesday at 11 PM. In order to promote the launch, Star World undertook a mammoth digital campaign to engage with fans. By tapping into current trends on social media and capitalizing on three focal crowd-pullers: selfies, user-generated content and customization, the brand opened doors to the Game of Thrones universe for Twitterati fans of the series.

    Undertaking a real time digital activity, Star World invited fans on Twitter to send in a selfie with the hashtag: #GOT7onSW which they then transformed into a personalized Game of Thrones season 7 campaign poster.

    The channel went on to receive a response that not only re-affirmed the cult status of the show but also love for the brand. Star World India trended worldwide and #GOTS7onSW trended in India for 11 hours with Star World receiving over 25,000 tweets. The fervor, however, didn’t stop as the activity garnered an estimated 161 million impressions with over 3000 personalized posters being rolled out on a real time basis. Influencers like Aashka Goradia, Atul Khatri, Madan Chikna and Pakchikpak Raja Babu got their own personalized posters. Star World also engaged with birthday girl Priyanka Chopra by tweeting out birthday wishes to her through the personalized poster. Indian media, too, supported the initiative with complete enthusiasm.

    Star World truly engaged with fans in a unique manner by giving them a chance to be a part of the Game of Thrones universe thereby creating new marketing benchmarks for the show.

  • GRB Entertainment announced sales of it’s top 4 documentaries

    MUMBAI: GRB Entertainment announced sales of four of its top documentaries to broadcasters in Brazil, Japan and the U.K.

    Globosat Brazil renewed Remembering Whitney, a documentary featuring legendary singer Whitney Houston, just in time to celebrate the icon’s August 9thbirthday. This breathtaking one-hour special celebrates the legacy of the six-time Grammy winner, featuring “never-before-seen footage” of Whitney, including interviews with the pop icon, exclusive concerts, private home videos, and candid insights from her family, including her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.

    Nippon Television Network in Japan acquired Michael Sam, a 65-minute doc spotlighting the life of Michael Sam, the first openly gay U.S. football player in the NFL. Cameras follow Sam along his brave journey – from a football player at the University of Missouri to the biggest professional sports league in America as he works to earn a spot on a NFL team.

    Sky UK acquired two docs: Confessions of a Superhero follows the lives of three mortal men and one woman who make their living working as superhero characters on the sidewalks of the infamous Hollywood Boulevard. This deeply personal view into the daily routines of these characters reveal their hardships, and triumphs, while they pursue and achieve their own kind of fame; and The Mona Lisa Myth, narrated by Morgan Freeman, is a lavish period docu-drama that takes viewers from Leonardo Da Vinci’s happy sojourn in the duchy of Milan to his struggling years in Florence, through the controversy surrounding his famous painting The Mona Lisa and finally, his retirement at the French royal court in Amboise.

    “GRB is well-known around the globe for its wide-ranging portfolio of factual programs and we are fortunate to also represent many top-notch documentaries. From a sports’ figure with a ground-breaking story to a great singer and her tragic life to a group of people chasing a Hollywood dream to the great artist Da Vinci, GRB has programs that transcend borders and language barriers,” said Michael Lolato, SVP of International Distribution, GRB Entertainment.

  • AXN brings double treat for ‘Sherlock’ fans with restaurant hopping and binge watching

    MUMBAI: It is Benedict Cumberbatch’s aka Sherlock Holmes’ birthday month. And to celebrate the birthday of the man who plays the most iconic detective on screen Sherlock Holmes, AXN has taken an unconventional route for its fans. In addition to showing all Sherlock episodes back-to-back for the first time, the channel will host a unique restaurant crawl across 5 premium venues in 5 cities – Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata.  

    To be a part of this premium restaurant crawl, one can register on AXN’s Facebook page by answering questions around their favourite Sherlock character. At the crawl, participants get to play detectives! Each venue will be linked to a Sherlock character that the participants will have to look for. Upon finding the ‘cos-player’, they need to answer a simple Sherlock-related question correctly, click a selfie with the character and upload it on Facebook to avail free drinks and starters. One also needs to get a stamp from the cosplayers to be eligible to win some cool merchandise at the final venue.

    Sherlock restaurant Crawl is AXN’s perfect gift to celebrate Benedict’s birthday as Sherlokians will get to party and relive Sherlock moments, the Sherlock way!

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    The channel will also air all four seasons of the show along with Abominable Bride, July 24 onwards every Monday to Friday, from 10PM to 12AM. Watching Benedict’s finest work ‘Sherlock Holmes’ for his birthday is the best treat for all you Sherlockians out there. So are you all ready to be part of the biggest birthday bash?

  • Game of Thrones Season 7 starts on Hotstar, minutes after US showing

    NEW DELHI: The highly anticipated premiere of Game of Thrones Season 7 launched on video-on-demand platform Hotstar on 17 July, with the first episode of the new season available for the audience to view within minutes of its American telecast.

    The series was telecast under the Hotstar Premium service. In response to the burgeoning audience for international content in India, Hotstar has partnered with the world’s largest studios, like HBO, Disney and Showtime, to bring the most celebrated international movies and shows to India.

    Game of Thrones is the world’s most avidly watched and anticipated show, with immense excitement and conjecture preceding every season premiere. Unfortunately, it is also the most illegally downloaded show in the world, despite the content being legally distributed, globally, by its creators.

    (In India, the telecast was held back for some minutes, leading to angry comments by viewers in social media. Fans who subscribed tio Hotstar, got an error message on their screens saying, “Something went wrong – we’re working on it. Please try again in a bit”. Reacting to angry messages to the crash on Twitter and other social media, Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan said, “As a service, we are proud that we have built a platform that can handle big surges in viewership. This morning, however, we faced an unprecedented surge in interest around the opening of the new season of Game of Thrones which resulted in a service disruption of about eight minutes.”)

    Taking a humorous lens to this, Hotstar has launched a bold marketing campaign, intended to upend the behavior of illegal downloading. Titled ‘Torrents Morghulis’, a play on ‘Valar Morghulis’, as fans of the show will instantly recognize, the theme translates to ‘All Torrents Must Die’. The campaign lightheartedly highlights the trouble people put themselves through for finding and downloading illegal content, and how redundant these pains are in the current day and age where shows are readily available, at the user’s fingertips.

    Leading with the promise of ‘Minutes after America, hours before Russia’, the campaign takes Torrents head on with 4 TV commercials, an outdoor campaign in key cities, and high impact digital activation. The films features two characters, one, who still labours through the process of procuring his content illegally, and another, who’s got a Hotstar Premium subscription and is able to enjoy the Game of Thrones experience the way it is meant to be – available to watch with the world, ad-free, unbeeped and unblurred.

    Based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series, Game of Thrones has run for six extremely acclaimed seasons and holds the record for the highest Emmy wins for any Primetime TV show.

  • Discovery & Scripps reported to be discussing merger

    MUMBAI: Media companies Scripps Networks and Discovery Communications are reportedly in merger talks, supposedly revisiting a probable deal that did not materialise around three years ago.

    Channels of Scripps, which has a market value around US$ 8.8 billion, are — HGTV, Travel Channel and a significant major stake in Food Network. It has been seeking a purchaser when it is under pressure to grow, Reuters reported sources as saying. Discovery, which has around US$ 15 billion market value, telecasts a channel by the same name, as well as others such as Animal Planet and TLC, the WSJ added.

    Reuters sources added that Viacom Inc also was in discussion to buy Scripps. All three companies denied comment.

    A deal between Scripps and Discovery may lead to creation of a US$19-billion cable network that primarily concentrates on non-scripted shows.

    Discovery CEO David Zaslav had said that there were discussions about potential deals at a time when broadband and cable companies were merging and need content to de-commoditise and differentiate that pipe. RBC Capital Markets’ Steven Cahall had said that a combination of the non-fiction programmers made good sense.

    Also Read :

    Scripps TV looks for opportunities to grow, seeks to extend debt maturity

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  • Times’ Srivastava says entertainment channels aiming for 33% ad rate hike, Movies Now 2 rebranded as MNX

    MUMBAI: Times Network, with seven movie channel, has decided to rebrand its Movies Now 2, now renaming it as MNX. The brand, the Network believes, is now ready to stand on its own feet with its unique identity as a brand.

    With the legacy brand setting up high standards, the Network claims, its time for MNX to take up the challenge. With what the Times Network called ‘a full blown’ cross-platform promotion without naming, MNX is being promoted in print, outdoor and radio.

    “Increase in the viewership leads to increase in ad rates as well. The Times Group garners one-third of the English viewership in India. And so, we are aiming for 33 per cent increase in the ad rates,” Times Network EVP & head – entertainment cluster Vivek Srivastava told Indiantelevision.com

    MNX will showcase movies from its 4-5 different libraries which has a collection of around 1500 movies. MNX has lined up its properties for the weekdays and weekends: Wild Ones: Weeknights (Mon – Fri), 11 pm, Xtreme Nights: Weeknights (Mon – Fri), 9 pm, WTF (What The Flicks): Weeknights (Mon -Fri), 7 pm, Bad ass Weekends: Sat -Sun, 9 pm, Stacked Sun 9am-9pm, Get Lucky, Xterminator: Dusshera special, Xplosive Nights: Diwali special and Call X – Viewers Choice.

    “Movies Now 2, which was launched a year ago, worked excellently — with its distinct identity, library and positioning. As the channel grew, it started giving tough competition to the top three players, and it was necessary to give it a new identity from the current and future perspective,” the EVP said.

    “Movies Now 2 was not doing justice to the legacy brand — Movies Now. Therefore, it was essential to rebrand it,” he said, and claimed the “response from the sponsors has been fantastic.”

    MNX was unveiled with the telecast of its first Big Bang Movie – Mad Max Fury Road on 15 July 2017. Adding to the bandwagon of fun-filled movie festivals will be properties such as Xtreme Nights on Weeknights at 9pm.

    Xterminator will be a special movie festival during Dussehra (September 21 – September 30) which will showcase movies such as Olympus Has Fallen, The Mechanic, Hobbit and Journey to the centre Earth, to name a few.

    Finally, for its viewers, the channel will give them a chance to get lucky with awesome and super cool gadgets daily with MNX Get Lucky Contest as part of their Watch and Win Movie Festival.

  • Sky, Nippon & Globosat buy sports & music, etc. docus from GRB Entertainment

    MUMBAI: Sky UK, Nippon Television & Globosat have recently bought sports, music, etc documentaries from GRB Entertainment.

    Globosat Brazil renewed Remembering Whitney, a documentary featuring legendary singer Whitney Houston, just in time to celebrate the icon’s 9 August birthday. This breathtaking one-hour special celebrates the legacy of the six-time Grammy winner, featuring “never-before-seen footage” of Whitney, including interviews with the pop icon, exclusive concerts, private home videos, and candid insights from her family, including her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.

    Nippon Television Network in Japan acquired Michael Sam, a 65-minute doc spotlighting the life of Michael Sam, the first openly gay U.S. football player in the NFL. Cameras follow Sam along his brave journey – from a football player at the University of Missouri to the biggest professional sports league in America as he works to earn a spot on a NFL team.

    Sky UK acquired two docs: Confessions of a Superhero follows the lives of three mortal men and one woman who make their living working as superhero characters on the sidewalks of the infamous Hollywood Boulevard. This deeply personal view into the daily routines of these characters reveal their hardships, and triumphs, while they pursue and achieve their own kind of fame; and The Mona Lisa Myth, narrated by Morgan Freeman, is a lavish period docu-drama that takes viewers from Leonardo Da Vinci’s happy sojourn in the duchy of Milan to his struggling years in Florence, through the controversy surrounding his famous painting The Mona Lisa and finally, his retirement at the French royal court in Amboise.

    “GRB is well-known around the globe for its wide-ranging portfolio of factual programs and we are fortunate to also represent many top-notch documentaries. From a sports’ figure with a ground-breaking story to a great singer and her tragic life to a group of people chasing a Hollywood dream to the great artist Da Vinci, GRB has programs that transcend borders and language barriers,” said GRB Entertainment SVP – international distribution Michael Lolato.