Advanced Television

Production

Netflix orders Spanish Birdbox spin-off

Netflix movie Birdbox, which set viewing records on the streaming platform when it was released in December 2019, is getting a spin-off sequel. Netflix said that the yet to be titled film will be a “Spanish spin-off from the Bird Box universe” and production will begin towards the end of this year in Spain. Producers […]

March 15, 2021By Nik Roseveare

BBC plans commercial income boost

The BBC has set out its ambition to ‘build commercial income’ – one of four top priorities set out by Tim Davie in his first week as Director-General, and now underway to modernise the BBC and offer better value to every licence fee payer. As well as an ambition to build commercial income, these priorities […]

March 11, 2021By Colin Mann

Disney, ESPN, NHL rights deal

The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and the National Hockey League (NHL) have reached what they describe as “a historic and innovative” seven-year television, streaming and media rights deal, taking the new partnership from the beginning of the 2021-22 season through the 2027-28 season. The agreement brings the NHL back to Disney and ESPN platforms and, […]

March 11, 2021

Sutter to make feature directorial debut on Netflix

Kurt Sutter, creator of the Sons of Anarchy TV series, will write, direct and produce This Beast for Netflix – his first movie project as a director. Blumhouse will produce the feature film. The movie will tell the story of an 18th century English village besieged by a mysterious and elusive beast. Dozens of innocents are […]

March 10, 2021By Nik Roseveare

ITV upbeat despite market uncertainty

ITV has released its full year 2020 results, which it notes has been materially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Total external revenue was down 16 per cent at £2.7 billion (€3.1bn). ITV Studios total revenues were down 25 per cent, impacted by the disruption to majority of its productions from March 2020 onwards. Total broadcast […]

March 9, 2021

Research: Pandemic drives demand for virtual studios

The demand for virtual studios has increased exponentially since March 2020, with companies and broadcasters looking to shift to a virtual production in light of ongoing restrictions, according to research from transmission and production facilities search site Videstream. Historic analysis

March 9, 2021

The Carlyle Group acquires disguise

Livingbridge, the mid-market private equity investors, has announced the sale of disguise, a global player in Extended Reality (xR) technology, to The Carlyle Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, disguise is a technology platform which enables creatives and technologists to imagine, create and deliver spectacular visual experiences. The platform combines […]

March 9, 2021

Survey: Pandemic accelerates creatives’ freelancing

Findings from a survey conducted by creative platform Genero suggest that Covid-19 has accelerated an industry shift towards freelancing and independent work and highlighted some key challenges for creative production. The report, The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Creative Industry, shares first-hand from creative talent around the world about the impact Covid-19 has had […]

March 5, 2021

DAZN teams with Scuderia AlphaTauri

Sports streaming platform DAZN has partnered with the Formula One team Scuderia AlphaTauri for the 2021 F1 season and signed Yuki Tsunoda as a brand ambassador in Japan. Tsunoda will wear DAZN branding on his cap, having become the first Japanese driver in seven years, to deepen and enrich its coverage of the competition for […]

March 4, 2021By Colin Mann

ITV commissions The Masked Dancer

On the heels of hit show The Masked Singer comes The Masked Dancer. This new series, produced by Bandicoot Scotland, will see celebrity contestants perform unique dances, whilst covered in extravagant, colourful costumes and masks, leaving the viewers and star panel to guess their identities. The Masked Dancer will air late Spring on ITV and […]

March 4, 2021