NEWS & FEATURES

• Sticking to the script pt4
  Simon Vyvyan of TVA continues looking at scripted deal-making, this week focusing on managing the possibility a script doesn’t get produced.
• Gena McCarthy set to leave Lifetime
  Gena McCarthy, exec VP and head of unscripted programming at Lifetime, is set to leave the A+E Networks-owned US cablenet.
• SPI rebrands FilmBox streamer
  NEWS BRIEF: Dutch media company SPI International has rebranded its streaming service from FilmBox Live to FilmBox+.
• Donald Glover agrees Amazon deal
  Amazon Studios has struck a multi-year overall deal with US actor, writer and producer Donald Glover.
• Zodiak Kids tucks into Huq's Cookie books
  Banijay-owned Zodiak Kids has secured a development deal to produce a live-action adaptation of UK author Konnie Huq’s Cookie book series.
• Sky, Canal+ unchain Django
  European pay TV operator Sky and French broadcaster Canal+ have commissioned a drama series called Django, loosely based on Sergio Corbucci's 1996 film of the same name.
• CBS renews comedies Neighborhood, Bob
  Viacom-owned US network CBS has renewed comedies The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola, both part of its Monday night line-up, for the 2021/22 broadcast season.
• Bluey 'proves Oz accent is no barrier'
  SCREEN FOREVER: The popularity of Australian show Bluey in the US has proved that accents are no barrier to the overseas success of kids' programming, according to Disney ABC Television Group exec Jane Gould.
• NBCU streamer Hayu expands in Europe
  NBCUniversal International’s reality programming SVoD service Hayu has launched in 11 more European countries, after appearing on Amazon Prime Video Channels in Germany and Austria recently.
• Amazon scores Alex Ferguson doc
  Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Ireland has picked up feature documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In about the life of Manchester United FC’s former manager.
• YouTube preps Alicia Keys, K-Pop shows
  YouTube's latest slate of new and returning original programming includes a project with singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and a docuseries about K-Pop.
• MasterChef Australia tops Oz demand list
  SCREEN FOREVER: Network 10’s MasterChef Australia resonates more strongly around the world than any other Australian programme, according to new research.
• Crackle Plus hires Sony's Jeff Meier
  US AVoD platform Crackle Plus has hired Sony Pictures executive Jeff Meier as head of programming.
• CJ ENM, Epic link on virtual production
  South Korean broadcaster and producer CJ ENM has partnered with the Korean arm of Epic Games, the company behind hugely popular video game Fortnite, to develop virtual production facilities.
• TV2 Sumo seeks limited series, YA content
  Norwegian broadcaster TV2 will be looking for limited series and young-adult content for its streaming platform TV2 Sumo at the virtual London Screenings next month, according to director of international acquisitions Nina Lorgen Flemmen.
• Insight's brand-funded Flying Kestrel takes off
  Millennial-focused Dutch broadcaster Insight TV has commissioned brand-funded shortform TV series and documentary film called The Flying Kestrel.
• Casualty, EastEnders adapt to pandemic
  SCREEN FOREVER: The producers and writers of the BBC’s Casualty, EastEnders and Doctors and Australia’s Home & Away found inventive ways of adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic and incorporating it into storylines.
• WarnerMedia makes kids and family push
  WarnerMedia has greenlit hundreds of hours of original live-action and animated programming for Cartoon Network, Cartoonito and HBO Max as it expands its offer for preschoolers, kids and families.
• Ex-CBS exec White goes on Escapade
  Australia-based distributor Escapade Media has hired Stephen White, the former VP and MD for Asia Pacific at CBS Paramount International Television.
• Netflix brings Wednesday Addams to life
  Netflix, MGM/UA Television and director Tim Burton are working on a live-action series centred on the character of Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.

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