AETN UK, a joint venture between A+E Networks and BSkyB, is rebranding as A+E Networks UK. The new company name and logo is part of a rebranding that will see the company adopt a new look and a new mission statement. Tom Davidson, managing director for A+E Networks UK, says: “At A+E Networks UK we’ve […]
Private equity fund Permira has cancelled its plans to sell All3Media. UBS had been appointed last March to find a buyer. All3Media is best known for producing hit shows such as Shameless and Skins. Permira had reportedly been looking for about £750 million to £800 million for All3Media, and while plenty of would-be buyers conducted […]
Tony Cohen, the chief executive of RTL subsidiary Fremantle Media, which co-produces The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, has accused the BBC’s commercial arm of “distorting the market” for British television producers operating overseas. Cohen told the Royal Television Society that BBC Worldwide pushed up the price of assets and properties for commercial rivals […]
The electronic media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing and most competitive sectors in Pakistan, according to the Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory (PEMRA). Presenting the watchdog’s report for the year 2010-11 to President Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Abdul Jabbar advised that PEMRA, by the end of the 2010-11 financial year, had […]
The start of the Islamic special month of Ramadan has seen a clutch of new channels launched. Some are wholly secular and look to target in on the month when Arab viewing is at its highest. Others reflect the special religious focus of the month. Arabia Entertainment’s Arabia Drama has gone live after a soft […]
The Middle East has around 30 all-news channels, with plenty more in the offing, including BSkyB’s upcoming Arabic-language service launching early next year. To that number must now be added a proposed Lebanese-Syrian all-news channel, called Al-Khamisah (“the fifth”). Launch date is October 1, at least for a ‘soft launch’ service, with a full-scale launch […]
There are challenges ahead in sustaining content investment across the UK broadcast industry, according to Mike Darcey, Chief Operating Officer, BSkyB, who expressed fears that there are no guarantees that there will always be the same level of incentive to invest. Darcey’s comments at the Future of Broadcasting conference came after the broadcaster revealed plans […]
Rupert Murdoch has warned that China will encourage piracy and limit opportunities for its own movie market if it does not open up to foreign films. Delivering a speech on ‘Film Dream in the Era of Capital’ at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the News Corp. chairman praised China’s optimism, global aspirations and creativity, saying […]
New films and high quality TV dramas are becoming increasingly reliant on projected video entertainment sales revenue in order to be green-lighted for production, according to an independent survey conducted by Oxford Economics. The study, commissioned by the British Video Association, shows that video revenues account for 47 per cent of revenues of feature films […]
Sky has announced plans to significantly increase its support for Britain’s creative industries as it continues to broaden the range of programmes enjoyed by customers. Speaking at an event organised by the leading independent think tank, Reform, Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said the company intended to increase further its investment in commissioning and producing […]