division: Last News

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has decided to fold its production arm in Denmark and centralize its Scandinavian operations out of Sweden. Under the reorganization, the company’s future TV production for Denmark, such as “The Bachelor,” will be managed out of Stockholm in Sweden under the leadership of Johan Idering, managing director of WBITVP Sweden. As such, Fredrik Hillerbrand, managing director of WBITVP Denmark will step down in the coming months. The news was first reported by Deadline. Besides Hillerbrand’s exit, the company has warned that “some roles will be impacted.” Warner Bros. had previously relocated its Norwegian operations in Sweden.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Spotify is undertaking a “strategic realignment” of its podcast division, laying off about 200 staffers. Sahar Elhabashi, Spotify’s VP, head of podcast business, announced the job cuts in a memo to employees Monday that was shared publicly. The 200 employees represents about 2% of the audio streamer’s worldwide workforce. The layoffs come after Spotify cut 6% of its total headcount earlier this year and saw the exit of Dawn Ostroff, chief content and advertising business officer, who had previously headed Spotify’s podcast business “We are expanding our partnership efforts with leading podcasters from across the globe with a tailored approach optimized for each show and creator,” Elhabashi wrote. “This fundamental pivot from a more uniform proposition will allow us to support the creator community better. However, doing so requires adapting; over the past few months, our senior leadership team has worked closely with HR to determine the optimal organization for this next chapter. As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of our group and reduce our global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people, or 2% of Spotify’s workforce.”

EXCLUSIVE: Gaumont, the production company behind Netflix’s Narcos and Apple TV+’s Stillwater, is making changes to its animation, kids and family division.

Liam Gallagher and long-suffering brother Noel seem no nearer to any kind of meaningful reconciliation, then. Liam has slated a cover Noel and his band High Flying Birds performed of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart yesterday.

EXCLUSIVE: The production and management company Citizen Skull is expanding with the launch of a BTL division to represent cinematographers, production designers, costumers, editors and others. 

Cambuslang Rangers co-boss Billy Campbell says the club needs to be restructured as they prepare for life in the West of Scotland First Division.

Armadale Thistle sealed promotion to the East of Scotland Second Division thanks to a 3-1 victory over Harthill Royal.

Private Division has announced a new partnership with Pokémon developer Game Freak for “a brand-new action-adventure IP.”Codenamed Project Bloom, the title is an “ambitious” title and is in early development but is expected to launch during Take-Two‘s fiscal year 2026.Not much has been shared about the upcoming game, but the publisher and developer revealed the first piece of concept art showing a character carrying katana in a lush forest. You can take a look at the artwork in the Tweet below.We’re thrilled to announce we're partnering with Game Freak on an upcoming action-adventure game, codenamed #ProjectBloom.We can't reveal too much yet… But for now, we're excited to share the first piece of concept art for the game: pic.twitter.com/LarOpBXdsy— Private Division (@PrivateDivision) May 9, 2023“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to create new IP that is bold and tonally different from our prior work,” said Kota Furushima, director at Game Freak.

In the latest wave of industry layoffs, the recently combined Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios as well as Paramount Media Networks, overseen by the division’s President and CEO Chris McCarthy, is reducing its domestic team by 25% today. McCarthy addressed the cuts, which he called a “very hard but necessary decision”, in a company memo. (You can read it in full below.)

Endeavor Group Holdings has sold sports educational institution IMG Academy to a division of private equity firm EQT.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and market, indie distributor Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) has launched an international sales division.

K.J. Yossman Earlier this year ITV Studios, which reps shows ranging from “Love Island” to “Schitt’s Creek,” revealed it was merging its global distribution and entertainment arms. On Tuesday afternoon, Ruth Berry, the woman who was appointed to lead the now joint arms, set out the strategy behind the move during a keynote discussion at Mip TV in Cannes. “I think we’re bringing together the formats and the finished programming businesses to create a singular multi-genre multi-brand multi-dimensional commercial business to the heart of the studio,” Berry explained. “Be that deficit financing and licencing rights to brilliant scripted slates, rolling out new formats like ‘My Mum, Your Dad’ and ‘Scared of the Dark,’ merchandising ‘Schitts Creek’ products, selling ‘Love Island’ water bottles, moving into the Metaverse, you know, all these things, having them in one place.”

ITV Studios has forged a Global Partnerships division combining formats and finished tape, helmed by the newly-promoted Ruth Berry, who detailed her new role, the Plimsoll acquisition and FAST opportunities.

King Charles is going to use his Coronation to mend the rifts within his family, according to palace insiders. It was announced earlier this week that Prince Harry would be joining his estranged family for the historic celebrations, while his wife Meghan Markle remains in the US with their two children.

Naman Ramachandran Global talent management company YMU has launched its U.S. social division under the leadership of Deanna Ritter, who will report into Lucy Loveridge, global MD, social. Ritter, who will serve as U.S. managing director, social, at YMU, will be supported by senior director of talent Haley Henning. Both executives are from the Be Social Group where, as MD, Ritter ran the creator partnership and talent management teams, developing growth and revenue strategies for key influential digital clients and brands in fashion and lifestyle; and Henning, as director of talent, led the talent management team and managed brand and digital operations for a diverse roster of clients including podcast hosts, content creators and actors.

Rutherglen Glencairn snatched a late leveller to knock Benburb off the top of the West of Scotland League First Division on Saturday.

The recently renamed Universal Destinations & Experiences (previously Parks & Resorts) has named two executives to key roles at its growing creative division.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s Embankment Films has made four key hires to lead its unscripted division. Nick Taussig and Malcolm Neaum both join as producer, unscripted; Sophie Harmer as head of production, unscripted; and Henry Farrington as head researcher. BAFTA and Grierson nominated feature documentary producer Taussig (“McQueen,” “Audrey,” “Killing Escobar”) teams with factual television series veteran Neaum (“I Shouldn’t Be Alive,” “Savile Row”) to produce varied unscripted series formats. Harmer and Taussig produced “Call Me Kate” and “Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and Me,” celebrating the work of this year’s Oscar-winning director and writer.

EXCLUSIVE: Angel Studios — the producer and distributor of the equity-crowdfunded, faith-based series The Chosen, which has done major business both online and in movie theaters — has today announced its launch of a theatrical division, as well as its appointment of Brandon Purdie as Vice President of Theatrical Distribution.

EXCLUSIVE: Indie film distributor Good Deed Entertainment has today announced the launch of their new production division, to be led by Head of Production and Development Phil Garrett. 

William Earl WME has acquired BDA Sports Management in a deal that will elevate BDA leader Bill Duffy to head of basketball representation for WME Sports. WME invested in BDA Sports Management in 2020. The buyout unveiled Thursday brings Duffy and his operations into the WME fold. BDA at present represents such hoops stars as Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić, the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma City Thunders’ Chet Holmgren, the New York Knicks’ RJ Barrett, Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers and Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics. “It is hard to name a basketball agent more respected across the league than Bill. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him and his team fully join WME Sports as we continue this chapter of tremendous growth,” said Karen Brodkin and Josh Pyatt, co-heads of WME Sports. “BDA has been a great addition to WME Sports as a whole and we’re excited to continue building on this success.”