David Decker will take on the role of president of content sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, effective January 2, 2023, replacing longtime executive Jim Wuthrich, who plans to retire from the company at the end of this year. Decker will report to Bruce Campbell, the company’s chief revenue and strategy officer. Decker will b e
Television
The nighttime soap, with its amped-up rivalries and luxurious trappings, may be somewhat out of fashion on broadcast TV right now. In the years since “Empire,” there hasn’t been a new show with commensurate vivid ambition, or such a shameless desire to thrill. Which has created an opening for streamers. Earlier this year, the Kerry
FAST has captured the imagination of the content industry in 2022. Seeing revenues growing among early adopters of the format has whetted the appetite of other content owners, with an ever-increasing number of channels available as media firms ensure they don’t miss out on a new revenue stream. With more attention being paid to what
Anchors and TV-news producers have long looked to Nielsen ratings to measure the success of their programs. What if another yardstick became available? NewsGuard, a company that got its start examining the veracity of news content on digital sites and the ways in which it is produced, is making a move to gauge the quality
Kids’ entertainment company WildBrain has hopped in to save beloved Ukrainian animation “Brave Bunnies,” taking a majority stake in the IP after its production was disrupted by the Russian invasion. Created by Olga Cherepanova, co-founder of Ukrainian kids’ producer Glowberry, “Brave Bunnies” is a 2D animation for ages 2-5 which tells the story of bunny
Netflix EMEA boss Larry Tanz has said the streaming platform is explicitly telling creators not to write shows with Netflix’s new ad-tier in mind. “We’re being really clear to our creative partners: tell the stories the way you would with Netflix normally and no changes,” said Tanz, who was speaking at U.K. TV conference Content
CNN’s cost-cutting efforts are expected to have significant effects on the cable network HLN, according to three people familiar with the matter, with potential ramifications for one of the nation’s longest-running morning programs. HLN, the cable network once known as CNN Headline News, is home to a bevy of true-crime series, endless showings of “Forensic
CBS Studios has expanded its international co-production slate to include projects in Australia, Spain and France. These productions include “Gold Diggers” from Australia, and “Electric Years” from Spain and France. “Gold Diggers” is produced by CBS Studios with The Alliance (a Stampede Ventures and Kojo Studios joint venture) for The ABC in Australia. It is
Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow’s Two Shakes Entertainment is developing “Shuga: Baltimore” at CBS Studios for Paramount+, it was revealed at the ongoing Content London conference on Thursday. “Shuga: Baltimore” is an offshoot of “MTV: Shuga,” the MTV Staying Alive Foundation’s long-running drama series and multimedia campaign that launched on Dec. 1 (World AIDS
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are about to pull back the curtain on their love story and subsequent retreat from life as working royals. After months of mystery, distributor Netflix released a first-look trailer for the highly anticipated doc series on Thursday. The project, which is directed by “What
Nexstar has named Michael Strober chief revenue officer. Per the TV station giant, in this newly created executive vice president role, Strober will be “responsible for leading the reimagination and execution of a new advertising sales and go-to-market strategy” across linear, digital, mobile and streaming platforms. Strober, who will report to Nexstar chairman and CEO
Amazon Prime Video has come a long way since launching in France in 2016. The streamer, whose first French film original, “The Mad Women’s Ball,” recently picked up an International Emmy Award, unveiled a landmark deal with French guilds during a posh dinner with industry players and talent in Paris on Wednesday evening (Nov. 30).
Cleopatra Wong, a kick-ass Interpol agent known to have influenced some of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, is to be revived in an upcoming Asian TV series. The female action hero was created by The Philippines’ Bobby Suarez (aka George Richardson) and featured in three movies – “They Call Her Cleopatra Wong,” “Dynamite Johnson” and “Devil’s Angels”
Studiocanal has boarded the epic action drama “Agoodjie,” an English language series based on the extraordinary true story of a fearsome female army in 19th-century Africa. The eight-part series, commissioned by Canal+ International and co-developed with Studiocanal, is created by Didier Lacoste (“Guyane,” “Spin”) and Joy Fleury (“Tristesse et beauté”), along with Nigerian screenwriters Ukamaka
The Mediapro Studio has dropped a teaser for “The Head” Season 2, with first footage in the run-up to its simultaneous premiere on HBO Max in the U.S. and Spain on Dec. 22. Season 2 rolls off a first season which has proved one of Spain’s biggest breakout hits, sold by the The Mediapro Studio
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 8, episodes 11 and 12, of “The Masked Singer,” “Two-Hour Epic Finale,” which aired Nov. 30 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” ended its eighth season on a “Glee”-ful note. Singer and actor Amber Riley, known for playing Mercedes Jones on Fox’s “Glee” and
After seven seasons, the Bordelon family’s journey came to an end. “Queen Sugar” signed off on Tuesday night with a poetic series finale centered around the importance of family — in all its forms. Series creator Ava DuVernay wrote the finale, titled “For They Existed,” and returned to the director’s chair for the first time
Lifetime has announced the airdate for “Reba McEntire’s The Hammer,” which marks Lifetime’s second collaboration with the country music singer following 2021’s “Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune.” Inspired by the life of traveling circuit judge Kim Wanker, the original film follows Kim Wheeler (McEntire), a lawyer who is appointed Judge of the 5th District of
The judge in the Danny Masterson rape trial declared a hung jury on Wednesday, after the jurors said they could not reach a verdict on any of the charges. In a note to Judge Charlaine Olmedo, the jurors said that “we are not even close to coming to a unanimous decision on any count, and
Robert De Niro is attached to star in the limited series “Zero Day” currently in the works at Netflix that hails from Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say the show would be a political thriller in which De Niro
Nicole Norwood has been named senior vice president of development for TriStar Television, the production studio run by Sony Pictures Television. In her new role, Norwood will report to Jennifer turner, who serves as executive vice president of TriStar Television. She is based in Los Angeles. Norwood moves to TriStar after most recently working at
Bernard Hill, the actor best known to “Lord of the Rings” fans around the world as King Théoden, hit out at Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” in a recent interview with Metro. “The Rings of Power” aired its eight-episode first season on Amazon Prime Video this fall. When asked if
Comic and graphic novel publisher IDW has set six of its books to be developed into television projects with showrunners attached to each. The series in development include “Bacchus,” “Dragon Puncher & Spoony,” “Korgi,” “Lodger,” “Relic of the Dragon” and “Satellite Falling.” Based on Eddie Campbell’s graphic novel published by IDW’s Top Shelf Productions, “Bacchus”
Paramount TV Studios and CBS Studios are the latest Hollywood entities to be hit with layoffs. According to sources, Paramount has let go under 30 people as a result of the layoffs. Most of those are at Paramount TV Studios and CBS Studios, with some CBS employees also affected. Most of the layoffs are in
Disney Branded Television is developing an animated workplace sitcom with Pamela Ribon and Baobab Studios. Currently titled “Intercats,” the series is said to be “about the cats who produce the hysterical cat videos that go viral on the Internet. It features a ragtag team of cats aspiring to get what all cats want: their independence.
“Tulsa King” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount+. The renewal comes after the series debuted on the streaming service on Nov. 13. On Nov. 20, the premiere episode aired on Paramount Network following a new episode of “Yellowstone.” In that airing, the series drew 3.7 million viewers, making it the best new linear
Sunday’s episode of “The White Lotus” dropped jaws and brought in eyes. Episode 5 of the anthology series’ second season was viewed by 2.3 million people in its first night — more than any previous episode of the series — according to Warner Bros. Discovery. This statistic is calculated based on a combination of linear
BTS will be the focus of a new Disney docuseries titled “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star,” showcasing the launch and history of the South Korean boyband. The news arrived on Wednesday via a teaser trailer on the Disney+ Singapore Twitter account, and although no release date has been confirmed, it will be premiering in 2023.
Superstar chef Gordon Ramsay has returned to CAA. Ramsay, who left CAA for WME in 2019 (but departed that agency nearly two years ago), will once again be repped by CAA in all of his worldwide projects and initiatives. The tenpercentary confirmed Wednesday that it would represent Ramsey in areas including productions he develops via
Chris Coelen knows what makes a TV show work. As the CEO of Kinetic Content, his current slate of shows includes Lifetime’s “Married at First Sight,” Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” and “The Ultimatum,” just to name a few. Now, he’s teaming up with Bravo for the second time, following 2020’s “Spy Games.” In Kinetic’s latest