ITV

Tag: Sundance Channel

  • TV and online video execs unlock mysteries of China’s TV market

    TV and online video execs unlock mysteries of China’s TV market

    MUMBAI: Nobody knows TV content in China like Hunan Broadcasting Station VP and Mango Media executive director Molly Mei Nie. Unless it’s Anke Redl – China Media Management (CMM-I) managing director and partner. Both are featured as top speakers at ‘China and the World’ convention in Shanghai that is scheduled to take place on 10 June, 2015 at Swissotel.

     

    It’s often said China will be the second largest TV market on the planet by 2016 but what is less known is how much China will change the global landscape of TV and online video. The convention will present ‘In Conversation with Molly Mei Nie’ for answers.

     

    In ‘China Going Global – Opportunities and Challenges,’ Redl will join Glocal Media founder and CEO Dennis Young and AMC Global and Sundance Channel Global president Bruce Tuchman. Young is an expert at exporting Chinese and Asian content to the US and around the world, whereas Tuchman is a specialist on the global footprint for content. 

     

    What are China’s ambitions? And what are the best opportunities? What about the regulatory front? Are you where you should be? Answering these questions will be CCTV Copyright Management Dept deputy director and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union copyright committee chairman Yan Bo. 

     

    China and the World, organised by Lightning International and CASBAA, promises to offer a unique perspective on great TV.

  • AMC Networks makes acquisitions for Sundance Channel Global

    AMC Networks makes acquisitions for Sundance Channel Global

    MUMBAI: AMC Networks International has acquired a wide range of first run original series and miniseries to fuel growth across Sundance Channel Global’s linear and authenticated video-on-demand (VOD) and television everywhere (TVE) services.

     

    The second season of the critically acclaimed Sundance Channel original series The Red Road (6 x 60’) has been acquired from Entertainment One (eOne) as a first window for Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and key European territories including France, Iberia, Benelux, Poland and CEE. It will debut less than 24 hours after its premiere in the US.

     

    The award-winning political thriller The Honourable Woman (8 x 60’) starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Maggie Gyllenhaal has been acquired from BBC Worldwide and will premiere as a first window in Asia (except a second window run in Thailand). 

     

    Also premiering exclusively in Asia will be the period drama based on one of the world’s most notorious crimes, The Great Train Robbery (2 x 90’), acquired from Content Media. Premiering in Dutch Benelux will be the first run original series Catastrophe (6 x 30’) acquired from Avalon and Welcome to Sweden (10 x 30’) acquired from Entertainment One (eOne). 

     

    AMC Global and Sundance Channel Global president Bruce Tuchman said, “These new acquisitions further highlight our commitment to providing distinctive, compelling first run original programming for Sundance Channel audiences worldwide. Alongside our other global hits from AMC Networks, this diverse range of series will help to increase the momentum of our successful international growth strategy. We’ll continue to offer exclusive original series combined with independent films and documentaries fresh from some of the biggest and most prestigious festivals around the world.”

     

  • AMC Networks to acquire Chellomedia from Liberty Global

    AMC Networks to acquire Chellomedia from Liberty Global

    MUMBAI: Cable television networks’ AMC Networks has reached a definitive agreement to substantially acquire all of Chellomedia, the international content division of Liberty Global for €750 million (approximately $1.035 billion). The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.

     

    The acquisition would bring AMC Networks a wide number of television channels on board that are distributed to more than 390 million households in 138 countries. The channels span a range of genres, including movie and entertainment networks, providing significant long-range opportunities for AMC Networks to distribute its popular original programming from AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv across an expansive global footprint.

     

    “Chellomedia has developed a remarkable portfolio of popular channels that reach millions of people around the world. As AMC Networks has expanded internationally, we have had a great desire to do something we consider fundamentally strategic, which is to take our content and put it on channels we own. This acquisition allows us to secure a large, global platform on which to distribute our increasingly successful original programming through a collection of strong, well-established and well-managed assets worldwide,” said AMC Networks president and CEO Josh Sapan. “Together, we can grow these assets and make them even more popular and valuable around the world.”

     

    Chellomedia president Niall Curran said, “AMC Networks are content professionals with an excellent creative and business track record. They are highly enthusiastic about the business we have built at Chellomedia and are ambitious to develop it further, making AMC Networks a great owner and partner for Chello’s next phase of growth.”

     

    In addition to the AMC channel, AMC Networks also owns IFC and IFC Films, WE and the Sundance Channel.

     

    The agreement includes the acquisition of Chellomedia’s operating businesses including: Chello Central Europe, Chello Latin America, Chello Multicanal, Chello Zone, the ad sales unit Atmedia and the broadcast solutions unit Chello DMC.

     

    Chellomedia’s has many channels in various genres such as movies, entertainment, sports, children, lifestyle and documentary.
    Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as lead financial advisor to AMC Networks as well as providing capital structure and financing advice. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has provided a commitment for debt financing for the transaction and also served as financial advisor to AMC Networks. Legal advisors were Clifford Chance.

  • Sundance Channel Global Expands with New European Launches

    Sundance Channel Global Expands with New European Launches

    NEW DELHI : AMC/Sundance Channel Global, the international division of AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX), has announced today new launches for Sundance Channel in Europe.  The company has also appointed Geraud Alazard as Vice President of Marketing, AMC/Sundance Channel Global.  Bruce Tuchman, President of AMC/Sundance Channel Global, made the announcements today ahead of the company’s participation at MIPCOM.

    Sundance Channel has launched as a 24-hour linear network on the cable/IPTV platform Bouygues Telecom in France, one of the fastest growing pay TV platforms in France. This partnership adds to the network’s broad distribution in France on Numericable, Virgin, SFR on Neufbox and Free. In addition, Sundance Channel is now available as a 24-hour network on the cable TV operator VOO/BeTV in Belgium for French-speaking audiences. This deal enables Sundance Channel to be seen widely across Wallonia to complement the network’s extensive distribution across Brussels and Flanders on Belgacom and Telenet. Both deals include access to authenticated on demand programming.

    In Eastern Europe, Sundance Channel has experienced substantial growth in recent months. The network has expanded in Poland, where it has been widely seen across numerous pay-TV platforms, via recent deals with Inea, Promax and many other local operators. The network is now also being carried on UPC Hungary in standard definition and high definition on the basic tier, which has significantly increased distribution throughout the country. Sundance Channel has previously been available in high definition on UPC Hungary. Today’s announcements follow numerous recent launches, including Sundance Channel’s debut last month for the first time across Latin America.

    The company has also made a personnel announcement to help bolster growth across the globe. As Vice President of Marketing, Alazard will oversee marketing and multiplatform media campaigns for AMC/Sundance Channel Global to support affiliates and drive consumer and distributor demand for the company’s international brands, Sundance Channel and WE tv. Based in New York, he will report to Tuchman. He will also report to Ed Palluth, EVP Global Distribution, on affiliate marketing matters related to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. 

    Alazard has an extensive background in international marketing and distribution.  Most recently, he served as managing director at PureScreens in Paris, France, where he negotiated and executed distribution on European pay-TV platforms for The Museum Channel. Prior to this role, Alazard served as Director of Marketing, Sales and Business Development at Televista, which operates French lifestyle channel Vivolta. He has also held positions at A+E Television Networks in the US and Germany.  He holds a MS in International Corporate Strategy from ESSEC Business School, Thunderbird Graduate School and a BS in Politics and Management from Sciences-Po Paris, Heidelberg Universität .

    Tuchman commented, “These exciting launches reinforce the strong demand for the globally renowned, high quality programming exclusively available on Sundance Channel.” He continued, “Geraud is an accomplished brand strategist with a wealth of valuable experience. His experience in identifying global marketing and distribution opportunities will enable him to play a key role in our rapid multi-platform expansion.”

    Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of first run original drama and other iconic programming, award winning and locally appealing independent films and documentaries. It is available to pay-TV operators as a standard and high definition linear television channel, VOD service and via mobile and online authenticated streaming.

    Additionally, select VOD program offerings are available during theatrical windows so audiences can watch films that are still in theatres from the comfort of their own homes.

    In addition to Sundance Channel, AMC/Sundance Channel Global offers WE tv in Asia, a women’s lifestyle focused network featuring top industry figures in food, weddings and fashion with acclaimed series by Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray and Joe Zee, inspiring viewers with their expertise and innovation.

  • Anchor Bay Entertainment in home video distribution deal with AMC Networks

    Anchor Bay Entertainment in home video distribution deal with AMC Networks

    MUMBAI: After a partnership distributing US media company AMC‘s series, ‘The Walking Dead‘, Anchor Bay Entertainment has announced a new deal with AMC‘s parent company, AMC Networks, for home entertainment distribution across the company‘s networks including AMC, IFC and Sundance Channel. The home entertainment distribution output agreement includes future scripted series to be produced in-house by AMC, IFC and Sundance Channel.

    This includes the Sundance Channel scripted series, ‘Rectify‘ and AMC‘s recently greenlit original drama series ‘Low Winter Sun‘. The deal covers all US and Canadian distribution on DVD, Blu-ray and certain transactional digital distribution rights.

    Anchor Bay Entertainment president Bill Clark said, “AMC‘s ‘The Walking Dead‘ has quickly become our best-selling TV-on-DVD title to-date. AMC has been an exceptional partner over the last few years and we look forward to expanding our relationship to distribute future scripted drama series from AMC, IFC and Sundance Channel.”

    AMC Networks COO Ed Carroll said, “Anchor Bay has been a terrific partner on ‘The Walking Dead‘ and we look forward to continuing to work with them to extend the life of the series from AMC Networks‘ into the DVD and transactional digital marketplace”.

    AMC‘s ‘Low Winter Sun‘ and Sundance Channel‘s ‘Rectify‘ will be the first two releases under the new deal. ‘Low Winter Sun‘ is a co-production between Endemol Studios and AMC Studios. This is a story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred.

  • VH1 & Sundance to air documentary series on drug use

    VH1 & Sundance to air documentary series on drug use

    MUMBAI: VH1 partners with Sundance Channel for a four-part documentary about illicit drug use in America and its impact on popular culture.

    The Drug Years is based on the book Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, by Martin Torgoff. It premieres on 12 June on VH1, with repeat telecast on Sundance beginning from 16 June. It spans from the 1950s to the present and uses archival footage and interviewed to show how music, movies, television and theater were affected by the rise in drug use.

    The first episode, Break on Through focuses on the period from the 1950s to 1967, when artistic and social subcultures embraced marijuana and LSD use. The second episode, Feed Your Head, covers 1967 to 1971, when film and television content began to address drug use in America. The third installment, Teenage Wasteland, explores the years from 1972 to 1979, marked by the popularity of High Times magazine, drug humor by comedians like George Carlin and the emergence of Cocaine as the celebrity drug of choice. The last episode, Just Say No, takes viewers from 1980 to now.

    Produced by Hart Perry and Dana Heinz Perry, who has delivered titles such as Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century Art and the Peabody Award-winning John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen.