ITV

Tag: Paul Smith

  • Swati Shetty’s & Grant Kessman’s prodco Bridge7 acquires Slumdog Millionaire sequel rights

    Swati Shetty’s & Grant Kessman’s prodco Bridge7 acquires Slumdog Millionaire sequel rights

    MUMBAI: For those who know Swati Shetty, they will always commend her for her never-say-die spirit. The Los Angeles-based former Netflix director international originals & acquisitions and  producer of Umrika has got together with former CAA agent Grant Kessman to set up a production outfit Birdge7.

    And amongst the first transactions it has done is acquiring the film sequel and television series rights of the Oscar winning, Danny Boyle-directed Celador produced Slumdog Millionaire.

    This is what the duo had to say after striking the deal with Celador: “Some stories stay with us long after the credits roll and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is undoubtedly one of them. Its narrative is universal, cutting across cultural and geograpahical lines and it embodies the kind of stories we love — ones that bridge entertainment with profound human experiences. What makes ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ extraordinary is not only its cinematic brilliance — spanning storytelling, music and its remarkable accolades, but also how it brought together talent from across the world to make a global winning team.”

    Celador International chairman Paul Smith expressed his confidence in the duo acquiring the rights and said the studio was looking forward to working with Bridge7. 
     

  • Ibope, Repucom launch sports marketing research service in LatAm

    Ibope, Repucom launch sports marketing research service in LatAm

    MUMBAI: Ibope Media, a joint venture between Grupo Ibope and Kantar Media, has entered into an agreement with Repucom, a member of the RSMG Insights group, to launch a comprehensive sports marketing research service in Latin America, excluding Brazil.

    The cooperation will begin operations under the name Ibope/Repucom Sports in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with additional services across the region’s Hispanic countries coming on line through the remainder of the year.

    “We have followed the growth of the sports sector in Latin America and have considered various means of entry however an appropriate partner was key to successful rollout of services and Ibope Media is the logical fit in this regard,” said Repucom CEO Paul Smith.

    Added Kantar Sports head Richard Brinkmann: “In keeping with Kantar Media‘s long-standing relationship with IBOPE Media we have greatly enjoyed working alongside them to develop critical additional media research services that focus on the rapidly-growing sports sponsorship sector. We are greatly looking forward to playing a role in this venture and excited to offer Kantar clients the additional insight into the Latin American market that it will bring.”

  • Celador completes first stage of buyout

    MUMBAI: UK production house Celador Productions, which developed the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? format, has completed the first stage of a management buyout led by its MD Danielle Lux.

    Reports state that Lux’s interest in acquiring the company became public after parent company Complete Communications Corporation (CCC) put Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, plus licensing and distribution arm Celador International up for sale last year.

    Outgoing Celador Productions chairman Paul Smith is supporting the buyout and will remain a shareholder in the company until his shareholding is purchased in its entirety by the management team. Smith will also keep an ongoing, non-executive role in the company.

    In addition to the management buyout team, Celador Productions management includes: Ruth Wrigley, the recently appointed head of entertainment; and Liz Anstee the head of the group’s radio interests.

    Lux said: “This is an amazing opportunity. It’s not every day that a fistful of programmes, including You Are What You Eat and one of Britain’s best production companies are landed in your lap. But that is what has happened to us.”

  • CCCL puts TV production firm Celador up for sale

    CCCL puts TV production firm Celador up for sale

    MUMBAI: Complete Communications Corporation (CCCL), the parent company of television production firm Celador Productions and Celador International, has announced that it is making the worldwide intellectual property rights and UK programme library of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, its globally successful quiz show format, available for sale.

    If a sale of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is agreed, the parent company will encourage and support a management buyout of both Celador Productions and Celador international.

    CCCL has employed the services of corporate finance advisory house, LongAcre Partners, to advise on the sale.

    CCCL chairman, Paul Smith said, “I have been at the helm of Celador for over 20 years and it is no secret that I have, for some time, wished to reduce my responsibilities within the television division to allow me to focus my attention on opportunities within radio broadcasting and film production. I also wish to allow myself more leisure time. To that end I have been pursuing a partial exit and succession strategy for the past 18 months.

    “I have already significantly downscaled my day-to-day involvement with Celador Productions and Celador International by devolving responsibility to the managing director of each company. Both are led by motivated and accomplished management executives, have healthy current projects as well as a number of exciting developments in the pipeline, and prosperous futures ahead of them.”

    Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was launched in September 1998 in the UK on ITV1 and quickly became a ratings phenomenon. In India, it changed the fortunes of Star in its local avatar Kaun Banega Crorepati? The format has won over 60 awards globally and been licensed to 105 countries. Now in its 19th season in the UK, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is a mainstay of ITV1’s Saturday night schedule, regularly attracting audiences of over seven million viewers.

    Alongside its on-air success, the format’s reach extends into a range of hugely popular consumer products and pioneering interactive applications.

    Although renowned for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celador has enjoyed success spanning two decades and has earned a reputation for producing innovative and original programming for broadcasters at home and abroad, and distributing and licensing entertainment brands across a global platform.

    Celador Productions’ factual entertainment format, You Are What You Eat, became one of Channel 4’s highest rating shows when it launched in 2004. Now in its third series, the completed programme or format has been sold to 17 countries and spawned a range of successful consumer products including a series of best-selling books.

    The company is currently producing a brand new factual entertainment series, Turn Back Your Body Clock, for transmission on UK’s Channel 4 in May, which will be launched internationally at the television event MipTV in Cannes, France next week.

    A tenth series of Commercial Breakdown recently concluded on BBC1 having consistently won its slot with an audience share of over 20 per cent, and a new six-part comedy for BBC3 Live! Girls!, has just commenced production. Celador Productions is also expanding its operations to a regional office, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.

    Celador International’s portfolio of successful game shows includes Talking Telephone Numbers, The People Versus, and Brainiest. Last year the company acquired the rights to the kids animated show Roobarb & Custard, the new series of which is currently showing on Five’s Milkshake strand and on Boomerang, as well as ABC in Australia and Ireland’s RTE. It has also just been released on DVD in the UK.

    Celador International also holds the merchandising rights to the new Tales of the Riverbank movie, which has recently commenced principal photography.