More from Georg Szalai
Hasbro, Bandai Namco Back UGC Game Studio Look North World, Bringing Seed Funding to $4.5M
Los Angeles-based Look North World, a user-generated content game studio and publisher led by founder and CEO Alexander Seropian, a founder of Halo developer Bungie and an ex-top executive at Disney’s former game development unit Disney Interactive Studios, has raised an additional $2.25 million, bringing its total seed funding to $4.5 million. The financing round, unveiled […]
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Why the Paris Olympics Are Key for Max’s Streaming Growth In Europe
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is ready for the Paris Olympics and the opportunities that the Summer Games will bring for the media and entertainment giant’s streamer Max and beyond, Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of WBD U.K. & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe, signaled in a chat with journalists on Thursday. And he discussed […]
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BBC Studios Productions Names Sky’s Zai Bennett CEO and Chief Creative Officer
Comcast-owned European pay-TV and technology giant Sky is losing a top executive, as BBC Studios said Thursday that its BBC Studios Productions arm has named Zai Bennett as new CEO and Chief Creative Officer, starting in the fall. “He joins from Sky where he is currently managing director of content and will take the reins […]
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Judi Dench, Jay Blades Travel Documentary to Air on U.K.’s Channel 4
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has ordered a one-off hour-ong biographical travel documentary featuring Judi Dench and British furniture restorer and TV host Jay Blades (The Repair Shop), titled Dame Judi & Jay: The Odd Couple. “Despite being born nearly 40 years apart and taking very different journeys in life, stage and screen legends Dame Judi Dench and Jay […]
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ITV Studios Buys Majority Stake in ‘Sherlock’ Producer Hartswood Films
ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Hartswood Films, the award-winning production company behind such hit scripted series as the recent ITVX and ITV1 drama Douglas Is Cancelled, Prime Video’s psychological thriller The Devil’s Hour, and the BBC’s Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The news was unveiled on Thursday as ITV, led by CEO Carolyn McCall, […]
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ITV First-Half Ad Revenue Jumps 10 Percent, But Studios Arm Posts Drop After Hollywood Strikes
U.K. TV giant ITV reported first-half 2024 revenue on Thursday, including a slight drop in total revenue and a 10 percent improvement in advertising revenue. The latter jumped 17 percent in the second quarter, driven by the UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament that took place in June and July. ITV had previously forecast advertising revenue to be up around […]
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BBC Commercial CEO on ‘Bluey,’ ‘Baby Reindeer,’ Record Emmy Noms Haul and Hollywood Cuts
Tom Fussell, CEO of BBC Commercial, the commercial arm of the U.K. public broadcaster, has ambitious growth goals. He and his team have acquired production banners in various countries, bought full control of streamer BritBox International, and are targeting to double the business’ 2021/2022 revenue and profit by 2027/2028. On Tuesday, BBC Commercial, which is […]
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Peacock Quarterly Loss Narrows to $348M as Subscribers Drop to 33M
Peacock, the streaming service of Comcast’s entertainment unit NBCUniversal, grew its second-quarter revenue and narrowed its loss to $348 million from $651 million in the year-ago period, and $639 million in the first quarter of 2024. The streamer ended June with 33 million paying subscribers, compared with 33.5 million as of the end of March, the company […]
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‘Bluey’ Merch Sales Rise, But BBC Commercial Profit Drops on Investments, Post-Peak TV Cuts
BBC Commercial, the commercial arm of the U.K. public broadcaster that is mainly driven by BBC Studios, reported lower full fiscal-year financials on Tuesday, driven by “softness in the commissioning and advertising sales markets,” year-ago revenue benefits from multi-year deals, and what it called record investment to transform the business and ensure future growth. However, despite […]
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TelevisaUnivision Says Streaming Business on Track to Turn Profitable This Year
Spanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision reported higher U.S. revenue of $799 million in the second quarter of 2024 as a 2 percent advertising revenue gain outweighed a 1 percent drop in subscription and licensing revenue, as well as “other” revenue. The company also reemphasized that its streaming business, which had ended 2023 with more than 7 million subscribers, would […]
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Amazon Buys ‘The Rings of Power’ Studio Bray Near London as U.K. “Creative Home”
Amazon Prime Video is acquiring Bray Film Studios, the U.K. studio complex where The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shot its second season. The vast production site is located in Water Oakley, Berkshire, 26 miles from central London, and is set to become the U.K. “creative home” for Amazon MGM Studios. Other productions that have […]
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Vivendi Eyes Canal+ Stock Market Listing in London as Part of Split Into Four Companies
Vivendi will pursue a stock market listing for its Canal+ Group pay-TV unit in London, the French telecom and media giant said on Monday in an update about its study to split into four companies. “Canal+ would be listed on the London Stock Exchange to reflect the company’s internationaldimension, particularly as part of the ongoing […]
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