UPDATED: The network upfronts are once again front-and-center for the television industry as major players gather in New York May 15-17 for the springtime ritual of presenting programming plans for the upcoming TV season. Upfronts are always a hectic time, but this year it’s even more so because of the writers strike…
Endemol Shine
Jock Zonfrillo, a Scottish TV presenter and former chef, known for his recent role as a judge on “MasterChef Australia,” has died suddenly. He was 46. Zonfrillo died on April 30 in Melbourne, TV broadcaster Network Ten said in a statement on Monday. No cause of death was disclosed. “With…
9 Network and Endemol Shine Australia have unveiled a new travel adventure series entitled “Rush,” hosted by “Australian Survivor” star David Genat. “Rush,” an original concept developed by the Banijay Group-owned ESA and Nine, follows 12 contestants deprived of all their senses who are then dropped into exotic locations and…
Shooting has resumed for the third season of hit series “Aarya” at Jaipur, western India, locations. The producers have revealed a teaser. An adaptation of Dutch show “Penoza,” where a woman has to join a mafia gang and avenge her slain husband, the series is headlined by former Miss Universe…
ZDF Boots Factual Entertainment ZDF Studios is boosting factual entertainment with the establishment of new company Content Laden. Founded with managing director Tom Gamlich and creative director Jan Fritzowsky, the Munich-based subsidiary will focus on the development and production of innovative and high-quality formats. Gamlich and Fritzowsky most recently served…
BAFTA-winning producer Patrick Spence is leaving ITV Studios after three years, Variety has confirmed. Spence, who serves as creative director, will leave at the end of March, ITV Studios managing director Julian Bellamy told staff via an internal memo on Thursday. Spence will continue to partner with ITV Studios on…
Banijay, Stéphane Courbit’s TV production and distribution powerhouse behind “Survivor” and “Peaky Blinders,” has made a vibrant debut in the Amsterdam stock market. The Paris-headquartered company, which took over Endemol Shine Group in 2020 in a splashy $2.2 billion deal, saw its revenue climb by 16.5% – or 13.3% at constant…
Nick Offerman plays a food-obsessed neo-Nazi in an upcoming episode of Starz’s “Party Down.” In a clip exclusive to Variety, Offerman’s alt-right character compliments the food cooked by Party Down’s head chef Lucy, played by Zoë Chao. As a flustered Chao picks up a knife for self-defense, Offerman praises her:…
Lenny Henry’s “Three Little Birds,” Steven Knight’s “This Town” and a first look at “The Summit,” billed as a blockbuster adventure reality series, look like just three highlights of Banijay Rights extensive and wide-ranging lineup at what promises to be one of the biggest presentations at this week’s London TV…
Banijay’s Endemol Shine Israel and Munich-based producer Neuesuper (“8 Days”) have inked German adaptation rights to Israeli hit comedy series “Nevsu,” to air on public broadcaster ZDF. Israel’s “Nevsu” won the International Emmy Award for best comedy series in 2018. Its German adaptation, “I Don’t Work Here,” sees three generations…
Following in the footsteps of its Nordic neighbors, Finland is fast becoming a destination of choice for foreign co-productions, not least thanks to its up-front cash-back tax incentive introduced in 2017. Despite a slight drop in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, figures show a 40%-plus growth of the audiovisual…
Banijay’s Endemol Shine India and Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan’s Black Knight Films will adapt hit Danish/Swedish scripted series “Bron/Broen” (“The Bridge”) for Indian audiences. ” ‘The Bridge’ is actually something that I was actively looking to produce. So I went looking for it,” Khan told Variety. The original show…