Television

Traditionally, Spanish broadcasters retained all rights, paying producers a percentage of the budget of their series, which prevented them from building catalogs of their own rights. Although at first, the arrival of SVOD platforms didn’t change their business relationship, the increasing demand for TV fiction and financial needs have forced an increased use of the

Few companies have put as much energy as Brazilian TV giant Globo into pushing out their new slate during the week when NATPE Miami was scheduled to occur. Packed with new and retuning hit shows, Globo’s roster marks a robust consolidation of early last year’s business strategy of unifying free TV, pay TV, streaming and

Echo Lake Entertainment has optioned Melissa Gould’s memoir “Widowish” to develop it as a TV series, Variety has learned exclusively. The book tells the story of Gould’s life after the unexpected death of her husband. Left to raise their adolescent daughter on her own, and act as if she could resume life without him by her

Shondaland has rounded out its new executive leadership team, promoting longtime development executive Alison Eakle to chief content officer, TV & film, while Chris DiIorio has been upped to chief marketing officer. Both of these are newly created roles at the company. “Both Alison and Chris have been integral to the growth and success of

Mary Parent will be honored with the David O. Selznick achievement award at the upcoming Producers Guild Awards. The Producers Guild of America announced the honoree on Thursday morning. Parent is currently serving as the vice chairman of worldwide production at Legendary Entertainment. Her work has contributed to a gross above $20 billion at the

Disney Plus has ordered the drama series “The Crossover,” based on the book of the same name by Kwame Alexander. The project was first ordered to pilot at the streamer in March 2021. Production on the series will begin in February. The show introduces teen brothers Josh and JB Bell, widely considered basketball phenomenon. Through his

Discovery Plus is launching a “Black Voices” hub that will feature programming spotlighting the African American community, including two new originals: docuseries “Profiled: The Black Man,” featuring commentary from celebrities like Billy Porter and Tina Knowles-Lawson, and “Uprooted,” a true-crime doc about the hanging of Black teen Keith Warren in 1986. Per the Discovery, Inc.-owned

Olivier Bibas is to join the French pay TV giant Canal Plus as head of its fiction label Création Originale. As such, Bibas will be responsible for Canal Plus’ French drama and international co-productions. He starts on Feb. 14. Bibas will report to Gérald-Brice Viret, managing director, French TV Channels and Programs at Canal Plus

ADAPTATION Blink Studios, the new content venture from Endeavor Content, has acquired the rights to Canadian author Charlene Carr’s next novel “Hold My Girl” and will adapt the book as a series. Blink Studios will serve as the studio for the production, the company’s first since launching in November of last year. In the book,

Robert Costa, a Washington Post reporter who has become increasingly visible on TV news networks in the past two election cycles, will join CBS News as its chief election and campaign correspondent, a move that shows the often insular ViacomCBS news division luring new talent under its umbrella. Costa, who was a co-author with Robert

Aardman’s beloved characters Wallace and Gromit are returning in a new BBC and Netflix film and Ginger and Rocky from “Chicken Run” (2000) in a Netflix sequel. With a box office gross of nearly $225 million, “Chicken Run” is the highest grossing stop-motion film of all time. The sequel, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,”

There’s a scene on HBO’s new series “The Gilded Age” in which Carrie Coon, playing the aspirant socialite Bertha Russell, lectures one of her rivals. Bertha has the money to break into the whirl of New York City life in 1882, but lacks the intangible social class that would allow her to truly fit in.

London-headquartered super-indie All3Media is backing sport production outfit 3 Rock. Founded by presenter and producer Craig Doyle and Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland’s most-capped rugby player, the deal will see All3Media-owned production company North One become the exclusive live rugby co-production partner for 3 Rock. Meanwhile, All3Media’s digital agency Little Dot Studios — which last week launched a

Paris Images Online, an industry showcase promoting locations in the French capital, has lured some of France’s top dogs, including Federation Entertainment’s Pascal Breton, “Sing 2” producer Jacques Bled, and “Notre Dame on Fire” filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud. The conference is taking place on Jan. 24 as part of the Paris Images conference, which kicks off

BBC Studios has struck a partnership deal with Brock Media, the new U.K. production company founded by “Animals” producer Sarah Brocklehurst. BBC Studios have also reserved an option to take an equity stake in the business. The deal covers development, production and distribution of both television and film with a view to producing content for

Though local theatrical exhibitors have yet to find their pre-pandemic footing, the myriad technicians making up Paris’ 160,000-strong production workforce have never had so much to do. Buoyed by the local industry and sent to the stratosphere by the demand of international streamers, audiovisual production has soared in Paris and its surrounding region. As film

The BBC and BBC Studios have revealed that U.K. television coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest will be produced and broadcast from their broadcast center at Salford, Greater Manchester. From this year the points awarded by the U.K. professional jury will be announced by the spokesperson from a North West of England location for the

Like the rest of us, Aubrey Plaza devoured the first season of “The White Lotus,” HBO’s buzzy social satire about insufferable vacationers and seemingly cheerful employees at a luxurious Hawaiian resort. Unlike the rest of us, Plaza was cast on the show’s second season. Beyond the chance to appear on the hit show, Plaza says

Chase Sui Wonders has joined the upcoming “City on Fire” series at Apple, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is based on the book of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg. In “City on Fire,” NYU student Samantha (Wonders) is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July, 2003. Samantha is alone; there are

“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” Pedro Almodóvar’s hit dark comedy starring Carmen Maura and Fernando Guillén, will be adapted for an Apple TV Plus series. Gina Rodriguez is attached to star as Pepa Marcos, Maura’s original role in the 1988 film, and Almodóvar is slated to executive produce the show via his

Magnolia Network opened its doors on Jan. 5 to an audience of about 3 million viewers, powered by the linear launch of “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home,” the renovation series hosted by Magnolia chiefs Chip and Joanna Gaines. Magnolia Network’s first night of primetime programming garnered about 3 million viewers in Nielsen’s L3 ratings. The lifestyle

Laura Miele knows that video gaming is having a big moment. The industry veteran, who was named chief operating officer of gaming giant Electronic Arts in September, also knows that well-heeled competitors are ready to barrel into the sector that is becoming ever-more intertwined with Hollywood’s core businesses. On the latest episode of Variety podcast

AARP The Magazine announced on Wednesday that Lily Tomlin will receive this year’s Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award. Tomlin will be honored at the 20th anniversary special of the annual Movies for Grownups Awards, which will broadcast on March 18 at 9 p.m. ET by Great Performances on PBS. “I am honored to receive

By the time New York Magazine published its thorough and extremely damning new piece on how Joss Whedon and his entertainment empire fell apart, I couldn’t summon much more than an exhausted sigh. After years of loving his work, followed by years of reconsidering everything I knew about it within the context of the serious

NBC has pushed “American Song Contest,” its ambitious U.S. take on the legendary Eurovision Song Contest, back a month in order to give the production more time to handle COVID concerns when it comes to having a live audience. “American Song Contest” will now premiere on Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET, and air

Principal photography is underway on Argentine Sebastian Schindel’s romcom-spy adventure hybrid “Mienteme” (“Lie to Me”). Delayed slightly by the pandemic, filming of the Chilean-Argentine co-production has been taking place in and outside of Buenos Aires, now experiencing a summer heat wave. Schindel is best known for psychological thrillers such as his upcoming film for Netflix, “La Ira

FilmLA has released its report for fourth quarter filming in the L.A. region. From October to December there was an all-time quarterly record of 10,780 shoot days. The report states it was 4% above the previous three-month high of 10,359 SD set in Q4, 2018. It is also an increase over the previous quarter, revealing

Fox will debut its new celebrity competition series “The Real Dirty Dancing” next month in the Tuesday time slot that was previously reserved for the now-pushed-to-fall, high-profile Susan Sarandon drama “Monarch.” The Stephen “tWitch” Boss-hosted dancing show, which was ordered to series by the network last fall as part of its 2021-2022 programming lineup, follows

Fra Fee is staying in business with Disney Plus with a role in the upcoming “Beauty and the Beast” prequel series, Variety has learned exclusively. The live-action musical series was ordered at the streamer in June 2021. It stars Luke Evans and Josh Gad, who will reprise the roles of Gaston and LeFou (Louie) respectively from

Lily James and Sebastian Stan spent months working together on the set of Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy.” Yet when they recently reunited for a photo session it was a bit jarring to both actors. “I barely met Sebastian out of Tommy Lee, and he barely met me out of my Pamela Anderson,” James says. “It