Tag: Canal Plus

  • GRB Media Ranch announces license deals at NATPE Global

    GRB Media Ranch announces license deals at NATPE Global

    Mumbai: GRB Media Ranch president, Sophie Ferron announced that Discovery Spain had renewed the license of five seasons of Untold Stories of the E.R.,  the company’s flagship medical reality series, and purchased an additional license for the most recent season (13) of that program. GRB Studios’ Gary R. Benz created the iconic series, exec-producing 13 seasons in 15 years. Untold Stories of the E.R. has been broadcast in 214 territories. The company has also received renewed interest in formatting the show around the world.

    Untold Stories of the E.R. is a dramatic medical docu-series re-enacting intense real-life stories of the emergency room, demonstrating the true nature of medicine practiced under pressure, where every moment can be a turning point. Audiences witness how a doctor’s personal blend of expertise, coolness under fire, and decision-making ability are challenged by unpredictable circumstances – and how character makes the ultimate difference.

    Death Walker, another GRB Media Ranch program with four seasons produced, has been purchased by both Discovery UK and France’s Canal Plus. The paranormal investigative series is hosted by series creator, Nick Groff, who theorises and investigates the origin of some of the most notorious hauntings in America, redefining our understanding of the paranormal.

    Ferron said: “GRB Media Ranch is thrilled start the year with deals for the iconic Untold Stories of the E.R. which is ripe for a Format version which we are diligently exploring. We are also pleased to bring our intriguing paranormal series, Death Walker to the UK and France.”

    Benz added, “the continued demonstrated interest in the series, with the ordering of new seasons as well as extending the license of prior seasons, speaks well to the program’s broad-based and long-lasting appeal.”

  • Al Jazeera to acquire significant stake in Canal Plus

    Al Jazeera to acquire significant stake in Canal Plus

    NEW DELHI: Al Jazeera is set to acquire a significant stake in Canal Plus to ease regulatory concerns from the Spanish Creation of National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) and give green light to Telefonica’s takeover of the Spanish pay-TV platform.

     

    Telefonica is reportedly in talks with Al Jazeera in this connection. In May, Telefonica agreed to purchase the 56 per cent stake in Digital+ owned by Prisa for €750 million before subsequently agreeing to acquire Mediaset’s 22 per cent stake in Digital+ for an initial €295 million.

     

    However, regulator CNMC has yet to approve the deal and recent reports have suggested that it is likely to impose strict conditions, such as the requirement to open up the content of Digital+ to rivals Vodafone-Ono and Orange.

     

    The European Commission has also expressed concerns that the proposed merger would give Telefonica control of 80 per cent of Spain’s pay-TV market.

     

    Qatar’s Al Jazeera is said to be particularly interested in the rights to live Spanish football matches owned by Canal Plus. In February, Telefonica signed a one-season rights deal with Barcelona for 2015-16 and the company recently announced that it is planning to double Movistar TV subscribers to four million this year.

     

    Qatar has a €30 million a year shirt sponsorship deal with Barcelona through the Qatar Foundation.