A government report into the future of the UK film industry has called on ITV and Sky to invest more money in British films. The Film Policy Review Panel, led by Lord Chris Smith, the former Culture Secretary, also recommended a new programme to bring film education to every school and a renewed commitment to […]
MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd has reaffirmed the entertainment community’s commitment to both free speech and the fight against criminals who steal online content. In remarks to Washington, DC think-tank the Center for American Progress, Senator Dodd said that creative technology and creative content were “absolutely essential to each other” and that those […]
Mediaset has put in a joint bid for Endemol, the indebted Dutch TV producer behind Big Brother, together with Clessidra, the Italian private equity group. Mediaset already owns approximately one-third of Endemol. A deal could still be months away as Endemol is going through a large restructuring of its €2.8 billion net debt following a […]
One of British TV production’s most famous brand names, Talkback Thames, is to be scrapped. RTL’s UK production subsidiary, which makes shows including The Apprentice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Channel 4’s Grand Designs is going back to its roots, with the names Thames and Talkback being separated out. The two brand names came together […]
An anticipated surge in the household penetration of next-generation Internet-connected devices indicates solid consumer interest in new content to experience on these devices, according to a new study – Connected Devices and Services: Reinventing Content – presented by global consulting firm Bain & Company at the Forum d’Avignon event, which brought together players from the […]
Discovery Communications has made its first acquisition of an independent production company by snapping up Betty – the UK firm behind shows such as Dirty Sexy Things, The Joy of Teen Sex and Freaky Eaters. The US factual broadcaster is reported to have paid about £10 million (€11.7m) for Betty as it looks to expand […]
A few weeks ago it was widely reported that China had ‘banned’ entertainment-type programming especially that emanating from Taiwan and which frequently employed ‘Western’ presentation styles and fashions. BBC Monitoring reports that speculation has arisen whether the state TV regulator has decided to stop Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainers from participating in mainland China’s […]
Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has called on the technology and creative communities to build on their partnership to keep the movie industry strong and combat the threat of piracy. Delivering the keynote address at the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers’ (SMPTE) Annual […]
Spain’s Telefonica, operator of the IPTV service Imagenio with almost 800,000 subscribers, is entering into the production TV business following its agreement with pubcaster RTVE to develop several entertainment and cultural TV programmes. The deal has already borne fruit with the release of the first TV productions: “Entre dos aguas” a documentary about music, and […]
The investment into Australian content by subscription television platforms and channels has increased to $578.4 million in 2010 from $541.4 million in 2009, show figures released by the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA). The seven per cent increase in content investment includes all STV genres covering news, sport, drama, light entertainment, movies, lifestyle, […]