Month: February 2020

AMC Networks delivered lackluster earnings for the fourth quarter that were dragged down by write-downs in the international unit and declining advertising revenue for its U.S. networks. The results underscore the crossroads that pure-play programmers such as AMC Networks have reached in terms of growth potential for the traditional linear channels that are its core

Dutch public broadcaster EO has commissioned a local adaptation of Keshet Intl.’s “The A Word” from Fiction Valley. The series is based on Keren Margalit’s hit family drama “Yellow Peppers,” produced by July-August Prods. for Keshet Broadcasting. Like the original, Fiction Valley’s six-part adaptation traces a family’s painful and often humorous journey of denial and

When the final act came in the corporate succession drama that has captivated Hollywood for years, it turned out that Bob Chapek was the logical candidate who was hiding in plain sight the whole time. The news that Chapek would succeed Bob Iger as CEO of the Walt Disney Co. hit the entertainment industry like

February 26, 2020 6:23AM PT To be a teenage girl is to be a tight coil of confused rage, a fact that “I Am Not Okay With This” both knows and depends upon. The new Netflix comedy tells the story of Sydney (Sophia Lillis), a seething Pennsylvania teen who first seems to be, as she

Fremantle has taken a 100% stake in Naked Television, and has named Naked founder Simon Andreae CEO of Fremantle U.K. A founding partner of Optomen Television and a former Fox executive, Andreae will take over from outgoing CEO Liam Humphreys. As head of U.K.’s operations, Andreae will report to group CEO Jennifer Mullin, and take

Cate Blanchett has spoken out about Harvey Weinstein’s conviction, urging the industry to move forward and ensure a new culture is established, particularly around gender parity in off-screen roles. “I think it’s about moving forward, and moving forward without repetition and with genuine progress,” Blanchett told Variety at the Berlinale Series Market on Wednesday, where she

Netflix is looking to create more transparency and dispel some of the myths around working with the streaming giant as it ramps up its European operations, though the company’s fast-paced shooting schedules are “not for everyone,” director of international originals Rachel Eggebeen said Tuesday morning at the Berlinale Series Market. “It’s a fast pace that

Swedish broadcaster SVT has ordered a six-part TV adaptation of Kerstin Ekman’s crime novel “Blackwater” from Piv Bernth’s Apple Tree Productions. The series will be coproduced with ARD Degeto in Germany, and Filmpool Nord, and distributed internationally by ITV Studios. It has pre-sold to DR in Denmark, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, and RUV

“Freud,” Netflix’s upcoming mystery thriller from director by Marvin Kren, places a young Sigmund, before his establishment as a worldwide medical icon, in the middle of a brutal 19th century murder case in Vienna. A Vienna native himself, Kren won numerous awards for his work in TV (“Four Blocks”) and film (“Rammbock,” “Blood Glacier”). In addition

BERLIN — Underscoring its ambitions for Central and Eastern Europe, “Babylon Berlin” and “Gomorrah’s” Beta Film has just taken a majority stake in Zagreb-based Drugi Plan, producers of Netflix pick-up “The Paper” and “Success,” HBO Europe’s first HBO Adria original. The investment builds on Beta Film owner Jan Mojto’s determination to plow ever more into

A new wave of Australian drama series has shined a light on Indigenous cultures, with Aboriginal-led productions reshaping the domestic market while finding a global platform for Indigenous stories. What that might mean for Indigenous Australians was the focus of “Mainstream, Genre and Indigenous Perspectives: New Wave Australian Series,” a panel that took place Tuesday

BERLIN — In the run-up to the Berlinale Series Market, the Endemol Shine Group announced the launch of a new and powerful scripted label in Berlin, MadeFor Film, headed by joint CEOs, Nanni Erben and Gunnar Juncken. Here, “The Bridge” executive producer Lars Blomgren, who was appointed Endemol Shine head of scripted, EMEA in June

Netflix’s “Stateless,” which premieres Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival, looks at the plight of refugees in a detention center in Australia. Co-creators Cate Blanchett, who also appears in the show, Elise McCredie and Tony Ayres talk to Variety about it, ahead of an on-stage discussion in Berlin moderated by Variety. The story, which is

Reciprocating an exchange which saw Series Mania 2019 Co-Pro Pitching winner “Capturing Big Mouth” participate at this year’s Berlin CoPro Series, German project “Transitniki” will make the return trip to Lille next month, having been selected by Series Mania representatives in Berlin. From Germany’s Rohfilm Factory, “Transitniki” is set in 1985, behind the Iron Curtain,