News

Exclusive: Thierry Lachkar, the CEO of ITV Studios France, has added Profilage producer Tetra Media Studio to his roster following the departures of Jean-François Boyer and Sébastien Borivent.

Lachkar will oversee the day-to-day at the vet French drama indie, which has a number of scripted labels and was acquired by ITV Studios seven years ago. ITV Studios France COO Céline Roux is simultaneously expanding her responsibilities to cover Tetra.

Le Figaro revealed late last week that Boyer and Borivent are exiting after two decades at the helm of the company responsible for some of France’s biggest TV dramas down the years. The pair resigned in July and Borivent will remain in post until the end of this year to oversee a transition.

Tetra works with the likes of TF1, Prime Video, Netflix, M6, France Télévisions, Canal+ and Arte. Past hits include TF1’s Profilage, which ran for over a decade,...

Armoza Formats is back to being an independent after founder Avi Armoza bought the company back from ITV Studios.

Established in 2005, Armoza Formats is a top creator and distributor of global content internationally. They joined the ITV Studios umbrella in 2019 and in 2022 became ITV Studios’ Israeli production arm.

Going forward the formats company will continue to have exclusive rights to producing ITV Studios’ catalogue of formats – including “Love Island” and “Come Dine With Me” – for the Israeli market.

In Israel the local version of “Love Island” airs on Keshet Media Group’s Free TV while “Come Down With Me” and “The 1% Club” (created by Magnum Media) are on Kan 11.

Armoza is currently working on an Arabic-language version of “Come Dine With Me” and an Arabic-language version of “The Chase” in addition to original production “Cooking Up Memories,” which is currently broadcasting on Makan.

ITV Studios will hold on...

ITV Studios, the production arm of U.K. TV giant ITV, has sold Tel Aviv-based company Armoza Formats — which backed game show Still Standing, docu-reality series Marry Me Now and singing show The Four — back to its founder Avi Armoza.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but Armoza will become an independent firm again only a few years after ITV had acquired in 2019. The company will keep the exclusive rights to produce ITV Studios formats in Israel, while ITV Studios will retain the rights to the Armoza catalog it acquired in 2019. Ongoing productions won’t be affected by the deal.

In Israel, Armoza’s productions of ITV Studios formats include the likes of the upcoming local version of Love Island for Keshet, as well as Israeli versions of Come Dine With Me and The 1% Club.

“Under Avi’s leadership, shows like Love Island and Come Dine with Me have launched successfully,...

International TV veteran Avi Armoza has bought back his Tel Aviv formats company from ITV Studios.

Following the deal, Armoza Formats will return to independent status, but retain the exclusive rights to produce ITV Studios formats in Israel.

ITV Studios, ITV’s production and distribution wing, will retain the rights to the Armoza Formats catalog it acquired in 2019.

Known as one of the more successful indies in the international formats space, Armoza launched 19 years ago and built a reputation on entertainment shows such as Still Standing Marry Me Now and The Four. Those shows remain with ITV, but all future formats will be owned by Armoza. Ongoing productions aren’t affected.

In Israel, Armoza has produced ITV Studios formats such as Keshet’s upcoming version of dating show Love Island, plus three seasons of Come Dine With Me and two of quiz The 1% Club. An Arabic-language version of Come Dine With Me...

Conference

An in conversation event with Paramount Global executives Pam Kaufman, president and CEO of international markets and global consumer products and experiences, and Lisa Kramer, president of international TV licensing, Paramount Global Content Distribution, has been added to the NATPE Global conference.

Jens Richter, Fremantle’s CEO of commercial and international and Paulo Koelle, head of Prime Video Latin America, Amazon Studios have also joined the speaker lineup. Other executives who have recently been confirmed include Jeff Sagansky, Sky’s group director of acquisitions, Katie Keenan, Acf Investment Bank’s Richard Gray, Satmohan Panesar, commissioner, factual, ITV Studios, Michael Schmidt, president, Sipur and Ilan Arboleda, co-founder and producer, CreativeChaos vmg.

Speakers also include Patricia Jasin, country manager Colombia and head of international distribution for Warner Bros. Discovery, Latin America/U.S. Hispanic, Sandra Smester, executive VP, programming and content, NBCUniversal Telemundo, Susanne Frank, director of Drama at Zdf Studios and Lindsay Stewart,...

ITV Studios Unveils New Netherlands Boss

ITV Studios Netherlands has unveiled a new boss, with Karin de Groot set to exit after five years and be replaced by Laurens Woldberg. Woldberg joins from Dutch pubcaster Kro-ncrv where he has been Creative Director of Fiction and Non-Fiction since 2022, overseeing commissioning editors, third-party produced series, as well as (in-house) format development and sales. He will helm the Love Island and Married at First Sight maker as it seeks to produce original commissions and local versions from the ITV Studios catalog. He will report to Lisa Perrin, Managing Director, International Production, ITV Studios in London, who said that the former SimpelZodiak MD had “proved that not only is he a creative leader, but someone that can translate international formats into the Dutch market.” De Groot took over ITV Studios Netherlands when it launched in 2018 and announced her departure in October.

BBC India Staffers...

Nathalie Garcia is leaving Fremantle Spain to join ITV Studios as the managing director of their newly announced ITV Studios Iberia. The new entity will open next month in Madrid and will be the exclusive home of the studio’s formats in Spain, including “The Voice” (La Voz), “The Voice Kids” (La Voz Kids) and “The Chase” (El Cazador).

The top executive leaves the British multinational after nine years as the CEO of Fremantle Spain. During her tenure, Garcia oversaw the production of formats such as “Got Talent España,” “The Masked Singer,” “Password,” “The Farm” and others. On the original front, Garcia helmed IPs such as “Game of Talents” (Adivina Qué Hago Esta Noche), which went on to air on Fox in the U.S., and Netflix reality show “Love Never Lies.”

In her new position, Garcia will report to ITV Studios’ managing director, international production, Lisa Perrin. In an official statement,...

Fremantle Spain boss Nathalie Garcia is heading to ITV Studios to head up a new entity helming evergreen formats in the nation.

ITV Studios Iberia will open next month and produce the likes of The Voice (La Voz), The Voice Kids(La Voz Kids) and The Chase (El Cazador) from Madrid, where Garcia will report to ITV Studios’ Managing Director, International Production, Lisa Perrin.

Garcia has spent the past decade as CEO of Fremantle Spain, where she oversaw the production of entertainment formats such as Got Talent España and The Masked Singer; game shows like Password; and reality show The Farm, among others. Prior to her position at Fremantle Spain, Nathalie was CEO of Plural Entertainment, Media Capital/Prisa’s production label and Managing Director of the TV division of Vértice 360 Group.

Perrin said: “Our brands like The Voice and The Chase have enjoyed long-running success in Iberia, we’ve...

Marco Chimenz, Co-CEO of Italy’s Cattleya the prominent ITV-owned outfit behind “Gomorrah” and “ZeroZeroZero,” will be leaving the company in January to join pan-European powerhouse Federation Studios.

At Federation Chimenz will serve as group co-managing director of the expanding production and distribution studio that currently comprises 35 production companies, working closely with founder and CEO Pascal Breton and Federation co-director Lionel Uzan.

Founded in 2013, Federation is a production, financing and distribution studio with subsidiaries and associate production companies based in Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Cologne, London, Brussels and Tel Aviv. The group’s best-known titles include “The Bureau,” “In Treatment,” “Baby,” “Hostages,” “Marseille,” “Bad Banks,” “Your Honor,” and “Around the World in 80 Days.”

Chimenz will continue to work with Cattleya’s Spanish affiliate on several productions until 2025. He will also continue to operate with longtime collaborator Joshua Berman, who is currently head of business affairs at Cattleya.

‘The Woman King’ & ‘Aftersun’ Dominate Girls On Film Awards

The Woman King and Aftersun dominated the main awards at the second annual Girls On Film Awards. The Woman King picked up Best Ensemble, sponsored by Netflix, and Best Female Friendship On Screen. Woman King star Viola Davis was also awarded the Feminist Superhero award. Woman King lead Sheila Atim was there in person to accept the awards. Aftersun nabbed Best Feature Film Sponsored by Eon Productions, while the film’s publicity team also won Best Publicity Campaign. Other big winners included Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder, which took home Best Cinematography and the Sinéad O’Connor pic Nothing Compares (Best Documentary). Nominees for the awards were chosen by a selection of critics and journalists. Girls On Film was launched by Deadline critic and broadcaster Anna Smith and producer Hedda Archbold with the aim of rewarding excellence in the field of feminism,...

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content will deliver a keynote at Series Mania’s Lille Dialogues whose one-day summit looks set to take the pulse on a global content industry as content investment flattens and ask how to build a more responsible industry in the future.

Marking an early opportunity to hear from streaming platforms after both Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have announced multi-billion dollar cuts in content investment, the Lille Dialogues also count on a keynote from James Farrell, head of local originals, Prime Video.

Further keynotes will be delivered by top execs at France’s biggest free-to-air service, TF1, as well as its energetic public broadcaster France Télévisions and Europe’s biggest pay TV operator, Sky. Jan Mojto, CEO, Beta Film, can be expected to deliver a wide-angled vision of how stories made in Europe can find a market worldwide.

“With the theme...

ITV Studios’ head of global distribution Ruth Berry has been promoted to lead both of the company’s global commercial divisions.

ITV Studios’ global distribution and global entertainment arms have been brought together under a single leadership and organizational structure, led by Berry, who will work closely with COO David McGraynor. Due to the restructure, Arjan Pomper is stepping down as managing director of global entertainment, ITV Studios said.

The rejig will enable ITV Studios “to align more closely with buyers and reflects the evolution of the global market with the growth of the streaming platforms, on-going market consolidation and the adoption by many buyers of a single buying approach across all genres,” the org said.

Berry will now lead the distribution and monetization of a catalogue of 90,000 hours, including 285 formats spanning “Love Island,” “My Mum Your Dad,” “Maternal,” “The Voice” and “Line of Duty.” The sales teams will remain...

There’s change afoot at Love Island seller ITV Studios.

Current ITV Studios Managing Director of Global Distribution Ruth Berry has been upped to lead a unified global commercial division. This will comprise her Global Distribution arm and ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Arjan Pomper, currently Managing Director of formats division ITV Studios Global Entertainment, is stepping down.

ITV Studios says uniting the units under single leadership “will enable ITV Studios to align more closely with buyers and reflects the evolution of the global market with the growth of the streaming platforms, on-going market consolidation and the adoption by many buyers of a single buying approach across all genres.”

In effect, this means formats such as Love Island, My Mum Your Dad and The Voice will sit alongside finished series such as Line of Duty and LItvinenko. The catalog will comprise 90,000 hours and 285 unique formats.

Dedicated format and finished programming teams will remain in the Netherlands,...

ITV Studios is expanding its international scripted footprint by acquiring a majority stake in Australian production company Lingo Pictures.

Led by Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens, Lingo Pictures will be ITV Studios’ first-ever Australian scripted label.

Bowden and Stephens will continue to head up the business based in Sydney. Lingo will now be part of the wider ITV Studios Group, under the international production arm led by managing director Lisa Perrin.

Lingo’s recent productions include a second season of “The Secrets She Keeps” for Paramount+, BBC One and Sundance/AMC and the company has also just completed production on the second season of the Foxtel Australia and Sky Original series, “Upright,” starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”).

Upcoming projects include “Queen of Oz,” a comedy starring and co-written by Catherine Tate, commissioned by BBC One in the U.K.; “The Messenger,” based on the best-selling novel by Markus Zusak,...

ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Australian producer Lingo Pictures — marking its first acquisition in the country.

ITV’s production and sales arm paid an undisclosed amount for the Sydney-based company, which is best known for Upright, the Sky and Foxtel Australia drama starring Tim Minchin and House of the Dragons‘ Milly Alcock. Deadline understands the deal value is in the eight-figure US dollars region.

The deal highlights the growing value international production groups are seeing in Australia, whose favorable tax breaks system is increasingly attractive, and Australian dramas, with Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross one of the most sought-after titles available at Mipcom last month.

Lingo owners Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens will continue to head up Lingo, which will now sit in ITV Studios’ international production arm, which Lisa Perrin leads as Managing Director.

Other international drama labels in the group include Ben Stephenson...

There isn’t a typical co-production model when it comes to international drama, said panelists at Mipcom.

“I wish there was. That’s our struggle now: finding the model that would make everyone happy,” noted Fremantle’s Christian Vesper.

“It all starts with the passion of the writer or creator, who really wants to make the show, and the supporting platform. Let’s be honest: They are all streamers now,” said Lisa Perrin, ITV Studios.

“The budgets are getting tougher but expectations are as high. There will be different funding models, outside money coming in. Private equity money, which can complicate things.”

However, private equity coming into series could be “interesting,” added Matt Brodlie of Upgrade Production.

“That is the indie film model. Without private equity, you wouldn’t have Sundance, just Marvel over and over again. Which we have anyway.”

While the budgets are changing, so are the tastes.

International TV market Mipcom came back with gusto this year, but it’s not back to the level reached at its pre-pandemic peak.

A total of 10,896 delegates attended this year, which is down from the peak year of 2019, when more than 13,500 delegates came to the Cannes event. MipJunior, which ran over the weekend, had 1,311 delegates this year. In 2019, there were 1,500.

There were 3,100 buyers this year, compared with more than 4,700 in 2019. The largest numbers of buyers this year came from the U.S. (442), followed by the U.K. (301), France (251), Germany (242) and Spain (140). In 2019, it was U.S. (461), U.K. (450), France (423), Germany (359) and Russia (207).

The number of company stands this year was 321, with Paramount, BBC Studios and Disney in new homes. Other major players attending included Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures Television, Paramount Global Content Distribution, NBCUniversal Intl., AMC Studios, A+E Networks, ITV Studios and Fremantle.

Lucy Smith, director of Mipcom and MipTV,...

Welcome to International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, ITV Studios International Production MD Lisa Perrin talks through some of the biggest topics of the moment. Lisa is responsible for a host of well-respected labels outside the U.S. and UK that are primed to take advantage of the current penchant for foreign-language drama. She joined two years ago and is finally able to get out and about after the pandemic curtailed travel.

The year so far has been the year of non-English-language drama and ITV Studios’ Lisa Perrin is perfectly poised to take advantage.

In the Managing Director of International Production post at UK broadcaster ITV’s production and sales arm, which she has occupied for the past two years, Perrin oversees global strategy along with the day-to-day production issues...

Fremantle International Bolsters Scripted

Fremantle International has bolstered its scripted content team, promoting Rebecca Dundon to Senior Vice President, Scripted Content and bringing in former ITV Studios and BBC Studios exec Jill Kellie in the newly-created Director of Acquisitions, Scripted Content role, reporting into Dundon. Both will work on scripted programming for Fremantle International, with Dundon, who has been with Fremantle for six years, widening her role to include the development of new funding models and producer outreach. Fremantle label Dancing Ledge was behind Martin Freeman-starring BBC One drama The Responder and the outfit is also producing Italian dystopian drama Anna and Germany’s We Children of Bahnhof Zoo, amongst others. Kellie is a former Global Scripted Consultant for ITV Studios Global Distribution and Commercial Director, BBC Earth for BBC Studios. “Rebecca’s expertise in deal making and development has helped elevate our business to deliver a number of...

Avi Armoza’s 17-year-old company Armoza Formats is becoming the Israeli production arm for ITV Studios, Variety can reveal.

The business, which has specialized in global formats, will expand under the new structure to become Armoza Productions. Meanwhile, Armoza Formats will remain the development hub for new format IP and will continue to serve as the brand used for international distribution.

Armoza told Variety that the company’s expansion boils down to “facing the challenges of the new world of television.”

“With consolidation and the global streamers, and the fact that often you need to sell worldwide rights, how do you complement [your] income? It’s raised the importance of being a production company and being part of a production group,” said Armoza. “It’s a natural development and extension that we get into production.”

The company will produce all ITV Studios content out of Israel in the future, and is...

ITV has revealed a first look at “Romulus 2,” the second season of Cattleya’s innovative Rome origins skein enacted in archaic Latin.

The outfit is also launching global sales on the series, which has just wrapped shooting and is being touted as more “fast paced and in your face” than the first instalment, as Lisa Perrin, the company’s chief of international productions, puts it.

The first season of the lavish Sky Italy original produced by Sky and Cattleya — which is owned by ITV Studios — in collaboration with show runner Matteo Rovere’s Groenlandia shingle, has now attained cult status, if not stellar ratings, in Italy. It won this year’s Silver Ribbon prize given by Italy’s critics for best Italian series made for the international market.

The second serving of “Romulus” — for which there is not yet a firm Italian launch date on Sky — has several new young...

Thierry Lachkar, the former boss of Shine France, has been named CEO of ITV Studios France, whose biggest hits include local adaptations of “The Voice” and “Four Weddings.”

Lachkar will be taking the helm at the label with a focus on building and growing the company, whose shows air on France’s leading broadcasters and platforms. ITV Studios France has also delivered the talent show “Spectaculaire,” a co-production for France 2, and “Nabilla: Sans Filtre,” a co-production for Amazon Prime Video.

Lachkar is the former CEO and founder of Shine France where he spearheaded popular shows prior to the company’s merger with ITV Studios France. Lachkar also worked on the critically-acclaimed drama series “The Tunnel” and founded the French production company, Deeply Superficial, which has seen success with formats like “Surprise Sur Prise,” “Rtl Pop Rock Arena” and “W9 Urban Arena.” Deeply Superficial’s development slate will now be co-developed,...

Thierry Lachkar, the Founder of Shine France and currently MD of French indie Deeply Superficial, has been named CEO of ITV Studios France, with Deeply Superficial set to be subsumed by Itvs France.

Lachkar, who launched The Voice and MasterChef in the nation, replaces Franck Firmin-Guion, who stepped down in July to become President of French producer Mediawan.

Lachkar will take up the role next week, reporting into MD, International Productions, Lisa Perrin, and overseeing a production outfit that is behind the likes of TFI1’s The Voice, France 2’s Spectaculaire and Amazon Prime co-pro Sans Filtre.

He set up Shine France in 2009 and founded Deeply Superficial nine years later, which recently tied with former Endemol Execs Lucas Church and David Flynn’s Youngest Media to form Youngest France.

Deeply Superficial’s development slate will now be developed and pitched by ITV Studios France and ITV Studios France will become...

Appointments

The German scripted label set up by executive producer Moritz Polter and ITV Studios in April has been named Windlight Pictures, and has revealed three key hires.

Simone Ruff and Cosima Degler have joined as producers and development executives, while Georg Höss is head of legal and business affairs.

Polter is based in Germany with an international scope and reports into Lisa Perrin, managing director of international production at ITV Studios in London. He was previously executive producer of international television series at Bavaria Fiction.

Ruff is also from Bavaria Fiction, where she has been working with Polter for the last two years, and produced

the acclaimed series “Freud” (Netflix/Orf).

Degler (“Millennials”) has been part of the Hager Moss Film team, an affiliated company of Constantin Television, since 2018.

Höss (“Brecht”) joins from Bavaria Film where he was head of legal and business affairs and a member of the management board for many years,...

ITV Studios Sets Up Shop In Spain With Netflix Exec

Cattleya, the ITV Studios-backed Italian producer behind Gomorrah, is launching Spanish subsidiary Cattleya Producciones and has hired Netflix’s Arturo Díaz as managing director. The company will be ITV Studios’ first scripted producer in Spain. Díaz was a director of local language originals at Netflix, working on shows including Las Chicas de Cable, the streamer’s longest-running non-u.S. series. Cattleya Producciones will be overseen by Cattleya founder and co-ceo Riccardo Tozzi, alongside his co-CEOs Giovanni Stabilini and Marco Chimenz. Lisa Perrin, managing director of international production at ITV Studios, will also have oversight of the outfit. ITV Studios will distribute its drama series internationally.

Sky Sets Cast For ‘The Midwich Cuckoos’

Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard), and Max Beesley (The Outsider) are to lead the cast of Sky’s modern-day adaptation of John Wyndham’s sci-fi novel The Midwich Cuckoos. The...

ITV Studios is growing its sizeable global footprint with a new Spanish scripted production company that extends one of the super-indie’s most recognizable banners.

Leading Italian producer Cattleya, the makers of “Gomorrah,” “Suburra” and “ZeroZeroZero,” will expand into Spain with Cattleya Producciones. Led by former Netflix executive Arturo Díaz — in a rare instance of streaming talent rejoining the production ranks — the company will specialize in high-end drama for Spain and the global market.

Díaz, who will serve as managing director, was recently director of original content at Netflix, overseeing series in Spain and Latin America, and based out of Los Angeles for five years. His executive producer credits include the smash hit “Las Chicas de Cable,” the streamer’s longest-running non-u.S. series. He also oversaw the development of “Elite” and the recent “Rebelde” reboot.

Cattleya Producciones will be overseen by Cattleya founder and co-ceo Riccardo Tozzi alongside co-CEOs Giovanni Stabilini and Marco Chimenz,...

Moritz Polter, the executive producer behind Sky’s German series Das Boot and Netflix’s Freud, is setting up a production label with ITV Studios in Germany.

Polter joins from Bavaria Fiction, where he was executive producer for international television series. He will unveil the name of his production outfit later this year and will report to London-based Lisa Perrin, ITV Studios’ managing director of international production.

Prior to Bavaria Fiction, Polter spent nine years at Tandem Productions, rising to vice president of production. He oversaw shows including Crossing Lines, starring Donald Sutherland and William Fichtner, and Spotless, a Canal+ Création Originale series.

Perrin said: “We have long been aware of the scope for high quality European drama to find international success, but currently the opportunity is at a record high. Increasingly, well-produced German drama series are proving themselves to have global resonance and several of the most successful have...

Moritz Polter, executive producer of Sky series “Das Boot” and “Freud” for Netflix/Orf, is joining ITV Studios and establishing a high-end German scripted label.

The label will be launched later in 2021. Moritz will be based in Germany with an international scope and will report into Lisa Perrin, managing director of international production at ITV Studios in London.

He was previously executive producer of international television series at Bavaria Fiction.

Moritz was named as one of the Variety Top 10 Global Creatives to Watch, and has won accolades like the Romy Award for best producer TV-Fiction for “Freud” and the Romy Award jury prize for “Das Boot.”

The name of the new label will be revealed in due course and ITV Studios will distribute its series internationally.

Perrin said: “We have long been aware of the scope for high quality European drama to find international success, but currently the opportunity is at a record high.

ITV Studios is boosting its investment in German TV, launching a new label for high-end scripted television with Moritz Polter, the producer of such hit German-language series as Sky’s Das Boot and the Netflix/Orf production Freud.

A former executive at Bavaria Fiction and StudioCanal-owned Tandem Productions, Polter will set up the new German fiction division under the auspices of ITV Studios. The label, which is still unnamed, will be launched later this year.

Polter will develop and produce high-end fiction series for the German-language market which ITV Studios will distribute internationally. He will report to Lisa Perrin, ITV Studios’ managing director ...

ITV Studios is boosting its investment in German TV, launching a new label for high-end scripted television with Moritz Polter, the producer of such hit German-language series as Sky’s Das Boot and the Netflix/Orf production Freud.

A former executive at Bavaria Fiction and StudioCanal-owned Tandem Productions, Polter will set up the new German fiction division under the auspices of ITV Studios. The label, which is still unnamed, will be launched later this year.

Polter will develop and produce high-end fiction series for the German-language market which ITV Studios will distribute internationally. He will report to Lisa Perrin, ITV Studios’ managing director ...

ITV Studios has acquired a controlling stake in Apple Tree Productions, the Danish production outfit founded by BAFTA-winning producer Piv Bernth.

ITV Studios previously had a 25% stake in the business, which has now risen to 51%. Apple Tree will now be part of ITV Studios’ international production group with bases in 12 countries, under managing director Lisa Perrin.

Bernth is one of the pioneers of the globally popular Nordic noir genre, having produced iconic shows like “The Killing” and “The Bridge.” Lars Hermann, producer and former deputy head of drama at Danish broadcaster Dr, co-founded Apple Tree in 2017 with Bernth.

“Expanding the international scripted footprint is very important to ITV Studios and this acquisition couldn’t be at a better time with Piv and Lars producing some of the best scripted content in the world right now,” said Perrin.

Shows produced by Apple Tree include Netflix supernatural thriller “Equinox.” Pre-production is also...

ITV Studios has taken control of Apple Tree Productions, the Danish scripted producer founded in 2017 by The Killing and The Bridge producer Piv Bernth.

ITV Studios has upped its stake in the company from 25% to 51% and it will become a more integrated part of the production arm’s family of scripted producers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Co-founded by Dr deputy head of drama and producer Lars Hermann, Apple Tree is behind Netflix supernatural thriller series Equinox.

Pre-production is also underway on an adaptation of Kerstin Ekman’s multi-award winning crime novel, Blackwater, for Svt in Sweden and Ard in Germany.

Bernth and Hermann said: “We hope that we, closer together now, can merge all our best efforts and make Scandinavian and international drama to viewers all over the world.”

Julian Bellamy, ITV Studios’ managing director, added: “The global appetite for the Nordics’ very distinctive style of storytelling has grown and grown,...

ITV Studios has said that around 80% of its productions shut down by the coronavirus are now filming again or have been delivered.

The broadcast giant had been forced to halt 230 in-house shows at the height of the pandemic, which dented revenues for the first half of this year by a painful 17%.

Speaking this morning during the ITV Studios Fall Festival, a series of virtual content and production sessions for buyers held over three weeks, the broadcaster struck an upbeat tone, promoting dramas such as submarine thriller Vigil (pictured above), Cattleya’s Romulus and evergreen Line Of Duty 6, as well as reality shows including Love Island USA, whose second season has been shot on a Las Vegas hotel rooftop, and ten year anniversary special The Voice Allstars.

Julian Bellamy, ITV Studios MD, confirmed that “of shows paused in March or April due to the pandemic around 80% have resumed or are complete and this number is rising.

ITV Studios has said that 80% of its productions impacted by coronavirus have now resumed shooting or have been delivered, but that international travel restrictions have limited the scope of filming.

Broadcaster ITV said in its August earnings call that 70% of the 230 productions impacted or paused by lockdown had resumed. That figure has now risen, with around 23 more shows back in business or pushed through in the last month. However, in an interview with Variety, Lisa Perrin, managing director of international production for ITV Studios, said “most countries are staying where they are” in filming new shows, as multi-location shoots are rife with challenges due to shifting quarantine orders.

In Europe especially, shoots are increasingly complicated by changing regulations around travel, particularly for the U.K., which has been steadily plucking countries such as France, Spain and Croatia off its safe travel list.

“’Love Island Germany’ is happening in Mallorca because...

Sophie Turner Laing is to step down as the CEO of Endemol Shine Group next week after Banijay Group completed its $2.2Bn takeover of the production giant.

Turner Laing has run MasterChef and Big Brother producer Endemol Shine since 2014, but will step down on July 10 and Banijay Group CEO Marco Bassetti will take control of the combined entity, which will be named Banijay.

The completion of the takeover follows the European Commission providing regulatory approval for the deal earlier this week, eight months after Banijay first announced it was acquiring its competitor from Disney and Apollo Global Management.

Commenting on her departure, which Deadline first mooted last year, Turner Laing said: “This deal bookmarks a creatively rich, commercially successful and relentlessly prolific five and a half years as Endemol Shine Group.

“It has been a real privilege and honour to lead such a talented and dynamic group of people, each...

Banijay Group has raised €2.4B ($2.6B) in a major refinancing that will allow it to complete its $2.2B takeover of Endemol Shine Group.

Banijay provided few details on the raise and declined to reveal the names of participating investors, but said the money would re-finance the group’s existing debt, as well as that of Endemol Shine.

Banijay said the refinancing was “oversubscribed” and multiple investors took part. The refinancing was done in euros and U.S. dollars with a maturity of five years.

Banijay is currently securing regulatory approval for its takeover of Endemol Shine, which makes shows including Peaky Blinders and Big Brother. This is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020.

A number of executives have left Endemol Shine in recent weeks ahead of the takeover, including formats guru Lisa Perrin and UK factual chief Kim Shillinglaw.

Kim Shillinglaw has become the latest executive to down tools at Endemol Shine Group. The director of factual for Endemol Shine UK is leaving after three years at the business.

Shillinglaw, the former BBC Two controller, joins formats chief Lisa Perrin and Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones in heading for the exit door in recent days.

The departures come as Banijay Group looks to finalize its takeover of Endemol Shine The deal is currently subject to regulatory scrutiny, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020.

Shillinglaw looked after factual indies including Dragonfly and Dsp, and Endemol Shine UK CEO Richard Johnston said she had “done a fantastic job.”

“Under her leadership these businesses have been transformed. Bringing in new creative and commercial talent, Kim’s worked closely with those teams to restructure the factual portfolio, open new offices and deliver outstanding growth in both revenues and profitability,...

Endemol Shine U.K.’s director of factual Kim Shillinglaw has stepped down after three years in the job.

A former controller of BBC2 and BBC4 and head of natural history and science commissioning at the BBC, Shillinglaw has overseen factual at the superindie and its four U.K. production labels: Dragonfly, Dsp, Tigress and Workerbee.

In a note to staff, Endemol Shine U.K. chief executive Richard Johnston said: “She leaves these businesses in excellent shape and in excellent hands, and while incredibly sad to see her go, I understand her desire to move onto her next challenge.”

Programming delivered by Endemol Shine’s factual labels include Dragonfly’s “Ambulance” and “One Born Every Minute,” Tigress’ “A Year in the Wild,” Dsp’s “What Britain Buys and Sells in a Day,” and Workerbee’s upcoming “Elba Vs Block” for Quibi.

Johnston said that Shillinglaw had helped to increase Endemol Shine’s BBC business significantly,...

Long-time Endemol Shine Group executive Lisa Perrin has joined ITV Studios as managing director of international studios, overseeing its production assets outside of the UK and U.S.

Perrin will work closely with production chiefs in more than 13 different territories, including Australia, France and Germany. She will report directly to Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios.

Perrin moves to ITV Studios after six years at Endemol Shine Group, where she was most recently the CEO of its creative networks division, rolling out formats including The Wall and All Together Now globally.

She is the latest executive to exit the company as it undergoes a takeover from Banijay Group, with other departures including Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones last week.

As part of her work at ITV Studios, Perrin will also take ownership of the Nordics from Mike Beale, who now takes on the expanded role of...

ITV Studios has snapped up Endemol Shine executive Lisa Perrin, appointing her as the new managing director of international production.

Perrin joins the company from Endemol Shine Group (Esg) where she served as CEO of Creative Networks. Her exit comes as the business prepares to merge with Banijay Group, resulting in the departures of a number of long-time execs, such as head of Endemol Shine International Cathy Payne.

Reporting directly to Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios, Perrin will form part of the senior management team, overseeing the day-to-day operation of ITV Studios’ production labels outside the U.K. and U.S., developing business strategy and vision as well as identifying growth opportunities in new and existing markets.

She will work closely with the managing directors of ITV Studios Australia, France, Germany, Middle East, Netherlands Finland, Sweden and Norway as well as Tetra Media Studios in France, Talpa and Imago in Germany,...

Global production and distribution giant Endemol Shine is to duet with leading Chinese producer and broadcaster Hunan TV on primetime entertainment format “Sing or Spin,” which has an innovative spin: a revolving stage that lets singers know how well they are scoring.

The show has been co-developed by Endemol Shine China and Hunan TV as part of the Biu Project, an initiative set up to create a pipeline of pilots for the Chinese broadcaster. The initiative created more than 500 hours of original non-scripted content last year.

“Sing or Spin” will be showcased Monday at an exclusive event at Mipcom in Cannes, where the promo will be premiered to buyers at the Hunan TV International Biu Project Conference. Lisa Perrin, CEO of Creative Networks at Endemol Shine Group, will join Hunan TV’s executives to talk about their partnership, which has been approved by China’s National Radio and Television Administration.

Endemol Shine Group is set to roll out a brand-new run of “Big Brother” in Sweden, which will be the fourth European territory to revive the flagship reality format after a hiatus.

The Swedish production company Meter, which is part of Endemol Shine, has been commissioned by TV4 to produce a new season of “Big Brother.” It will air in 2020.

The deal marks the fourth comeback for “Big Brother” in Europe this year, following revivals in Poland, Finland and Germany. Endemol Shine will be celebrating at Mipcom the 20th anniversary of the hit reality series, which was created in Netherlands and became a cultural phenomenon.

“Reality television is one of the most popular genres in television, and Big Brother has always been the original and best format out there,” said Karin Stjärne, the CEO of Endemol Shine Nordics.

“We are thrilled that Sweden is the fourth market to bring the show back after a break,...

The big money going into drama means scripted grabs all the headlines in TV these days, but under the radar there’s a surprising amount of innovation going on within unscripted entertainment, too.

At first glance, it seems like little has changed in that genre, as the list of top formats is familiar. Franchises such as “Dancing With the Stars,” “Survivor,” “American Idol” and “Got Talent” still draw in millions of live viewers around the world, despite each being well over a decade old. In the U.K., the latest installment of the country’s most-popular format, “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here,” was its most-watched ever — in its 18th season — and will debut in France later this year.

For many broadcasters, these tentpole shows remain reassuringly popular at a time when their business is being disrupted by the streamers. “The big brands are still attracting big audiences,...

Endemol Shine Group has acquired the format rights for hit Japanese cookery show “The Rolling Kitchen” from Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation. It will represent the title outside Japan and launch the format at Miptv in Cannes next week.

“The Rolling Kitchen” is a studio-based cooking series from the director of “Iron Chef” that sees couples competing to create the best dish to win a cash prize. Each pair of contestants is separated from one another to create individual dishes in separate kitchens. Every ten minutes the kitchen is rotated by 180 degrees requiring each contestant to take over their partner’s recipe where they left it, guess the cooking method, and attempt to complete the dish.

“The series has been a huge hit here in Japan and we’re confident that the show will be equally successful in other markets,” said Kazuo Tani, director of the content business department at Yomiuri. “The...

When Ted Sarandos said over the summer that Netflix’s young adult film “The Kissing Booth” was “one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe the world,” ears pricked up across the industry. The comment from the Netflix content chief underlined that the Ya audience, far from being lost to TV, is tuning in. But the rules of engagement are different.

“The critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave us 13, but the audience [rating] was at 82 at one point,” says Andrew Cole-Bulgin, chief creative officer of the “The Kissing Booth” producer Komixx Entertainment. “There’s disconnect because most of the critics are in their 40s and it’s not aimed at them.”

Komixx has mined digital self-publishing platform Wattpad for IP in this space. In the wake of “The Kissing Booth,” the shingle is now packaging Kelly Anne Blount’s thriller, “Captured,” and Ali Novak’s “My Life With the Waterboys,...

French broadcaster TF1 is launching a local version of Endemol Shine format Big Bounce Battle, arguably one of the noisiest non-scripted shows that launched at Mip TV in April.

The order is the first international adaptation of the format, which was created by Endemol Shine’s Dutch and German divisions and was originally commissioned by German broadcaster Rtl. It is set to go into production later this year and will be produced out of the same hub as a the original version.

The Wipeout-style show sees contestants race the clock and gravity as they try to conquer massive obstacle courses of trampolines as fast as they can.

Peter Salmon, Chief Creative Officer at Esg, told Deadline earlier this year that as producers of Wipeout, “it makes sense for us to look at the next one.” He said that using an international production hub for the show is something that “helps broadcasters afford ambition.

Sophie Turner Laing, boss of Endemol Shine Group, is to receive a special award at this year’s International Emmys. CEO Turner Laing is to receive the International Academy’s 2018 Directorate Emmy® Award at the event, which is held in New York on November 19. The award is to recognize her work overseeing Endemol Shine Group’s network of more than 120 production companies in 23 markets as well as her positions at Sky, BBC and Hit Entertainment. “Sophie Turner Laing’s career is exemplary in every respect. From co-founding Hit Entertainment in 1989, to leading roles at the BBC, Sky and now Endemol Shine, she has time and time again made her mark on our industry.,” said Bruce Paisner, President and CEO of the International Academy. “We are looking forward to recognizing her visionary leadership and unyielding passion for the world’s best production talent, at our Gala in November.”

British multichannel broadcaster...

Germany’s two largest commercial broadcasters have ordered local versions of three big international formats, with Rtl ordering “All Together Now,” and ProSieben moving for “Masters of Dance” and “All Against 1.”

Talent show format “Masters of Dance” (pictured) comes from Israeli broadcaster Keshet. It is distributed by Keshet International, whose German production company Tresor will produce the local version. The format sees thousands of dancers audition to be in a troupe. Under the tutelage of a well-known choreographer, they then go head-to-head with another dance group.

ProSieben has not confirmed scheduling details, but will play the show in its primetime schedule. “’Masters of Dance’ for me is the most exciting dance-format worldwide. It combines big talent with big emotions. I am very happy that ProSieben was able to secure the rights to this show,” said Daniel Rosemann, the broadcaster’s general manager.

The German channel has also greenlit a local...

Channel 4 surveillence format Hunted is being remade in France after local broadcaster Rmc Découverte struck a deal with Endemol Shine. The superindie’s Endemol Shine France will produce 12-part series Escape: 21 Jours pour Disparaitre to air later this year. The show, which was also remade in the U.S. by CBS, sees groups of ordinary people go on the run with little cash and limited ability to contact their network of friends and family. The contestants are pursued by a team of highly skilled, professional investigators, including detectives, psychologists, and surveillance experts. The show was originally produced by Shine TV for the British broadcaster. Lisa Perrin, Endemol Shine Group’s CEO of Creative Networks says, “Since its UK launch in 2015 Hunted has become one of our most widely travelled and creatively fresh formats with a concept that has remained at the heart of the global zeitgeist, we can’t...

China is the big focus at Mip TV in Cannes so it’s no surprise that Endemol Shine has revealed that it is selling Chinese format Puzzle Masters at the market. The superindie has struck a deal with China’s Vision Media to launch the local format internationally.

The show, which launched in China on Jiangsu Satellite TV in January, is a competition format for young undiscovered puzzle wizards who are looking for a challenge and want to be mentored by the best “puzzle masters” the world has to offer.

This original Chinese format was co-developed by Endemol Shine China and Vision Media.

This comes after Endemol Shine Group announced a deal to co-develop and distribute two series, including a variety show with Chinese Svod service Youku.

Lisa Perrin, CEO of Creative Networks at Endemol Shine Group said, “China is one of the world’s biggest television markets and by...