Strategy: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: Asylum Entertainment Group is stepping up its M&A credentials.

The BBC has movedproduction of Silent Witness, one of its most popular long-running dramas, from London to the West Midlands.

More households across the country will now able to claim £200 of energy bill support after the government changed an application scheme.

A police officer who subjected his partner to a campaign of domestic abuse for nearly a year has been allowed to walk free from court without being punished.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery finally revealed the plans (and confirmed the long-rumored name) for its new streaming service, Max, which will combine offerings from HBO Max and Discovery+ into one product, during a splashy press presentation on the Warner Bros. Studio lot Wednesday. The event kicked off at 10 a.m. at the iconic Burbank location, presided over by WBD CEO David Zaslav, president and CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette, HBO and HBO Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys (who now also has oversight of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network), and U.S. networks group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch. Variety is on the scene, ready to fill you in on all the details about the new streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer strategy, the future of HBO and the standalone version of Discovery+.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Granito, an executive who has been with AMC Networks for more than a decade, has been appointed head of marketing at the media company, replacing veteran Len Fogge, who intends to retire next month. Granito, who has been executive vice president of integrated marketing at the company, has been at the helm of a range of interesting projects over the years, including an e-commerce venture built around its “Interview With The Vampire” series, as well as broader branded content initiatives that utilize intellectual property from various programs affiliated with AMC cable and streaming properties.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Fremantle has appointed British producer Katy Tallon in the newly created role of global sustainability manager. A a clear sign that the company is doubling down on eco-friendly production practices. The super indie owned by German giant RTL has hired Tallon with a mandate to reach Fremantle’s climate objectives by working with production teams across the 27 territories in which Fremantle operates to implement and create a culture of sustainability, the company said in a statement. Fremantle’s stated environmental goal is to become climate neutral by 2030, a target that includes a 50% reduction on absolute emissions from a 2018 baseline, the statement specified.

Jennifer Garner is opening up about keeping her kids off of social media.

A transformational approach to supporting families and young people is gaining momentum across South Lanarkshire.

A fund to help Falkirk residents struggling with the cost of living crisis will receive a further £1 million to help people cope through to next winter.

When it comes to investing, putting your money into properties can be a great way to help increase your income. Samuel Leeds is the founder of UK-based property training company, Property Investors, and is currently on a UK tour showcasing his training opportunities in property investing.

The CW Network has named Ashley Hovey chief digital officer, a newly created position, starting April l7 reporting to President Dennis Miller.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The CW network has tapped Roku exec Ashley Hovey as the broadcaster’s first-ever chief digital officer. Per the the Nexstar-owned CW, in this new role, Hovey will be responsible for overseeing the business strategy and day-to-day operations of the network’s digital operations and OTT streaming platforms, including the CW App. An AVOD platform, the CW App has over 92 million downloads to date and serves as home of new episodes and seasons of the CW’s primetime programs, live streaming of its sports content and on-demand library. Hovey, who most recently served as senior director of the ad-supported business for The Roku Channel (TRC), including both on-demand and FAST channel content, will begin her duties at the CW April 17. She will report to Dennis Miller, president of the CW.

Attention Bravoholics! BravoCon is moving to a new location for this year’s highly anticipated reality TV fan convention.

Katcy Stephan Bravo is upping the ante in 2023. After drawing 30,000 fans to New York for a successful iteration in 2022, BravoCon is rolling the dice and officially moving to Las Vegas. From Nov. 3-5, thousands of Bravoholics will descend upon Caesars Forum for the opportunity to rub shoulders with Bravolebrities and connect with fellow superfans. Special editions of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live,” complete with a Bravo Clubhouse, will also return for the weekend. “BravoCon is about celebrating our Bravoholics, whose impassioned commitment and loyalty continue to raise the bar on what it means to be a fan,” said Ellen Stone, EVP of consumer engagement and brand strategy at NBCUniversal. “In fact, their invaluable insight and devoted engagement drives us to come back stronger and smarter. You can bet this will be the best BravoCon yet.”

Labour has its narrowest lead over the Conservatives since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, according to a new poll.

Further to its April 3 announcement that it had reached a conditional agreement with lenders to emerge from Chapter 11, Regal owner Cineworld today submitted its reorganization plan to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animation “Suzume” held on to top spot for a fifth consecutive weekend at the South Korean box office, as Korean-produced sports film “Rebound” proved to be misnamed. Arriving only in second place, “Rebound” failed to provide any bounce to the beleaguered cinema sector, leaving the weekend as the lowest scoring this year.

McKinley Franklin author TNT has announced an official premiere date for its scripted action thriller “The Lazarus Project,” which was previously set to come out earlier this year. “The Lazarus Project” will make its debut on Sunday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET. The eight-hour drama will follow the story of George, The Lazarus Project’s latest recruit. The organization holds the power to travel back in time at any moment when the world may be on the brink of extinction. When one of George’s closest friends suffers an accident, he has to come to answer the question — “if you had the power to re-write your past, what would you sacrifice to do it?”  The television series was originally set to release on January 8 but was shelved by its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, as it continues to adjust its linear network strategy. “The Lazarus Project” was acquired from the U.K.’s Sky Max, which aired Season 1 in June 2022. The show is now one of the few original scripted series left on TNT, as WBD has wiped most of the original fare off of TBS/TNT in favor of mostly acquired movies and TV repeats, along with sports.

A British radio and TV presenter has expressed the fear that his career will be rendered obsolete with the rise of ChatGPT, and the prospect of A.I. robots who will become better, funnier, cleverer, and at the fraction of the price of human beings on screen. 

A poll has shown that ambulance delays have left one in three people to make their own way to hospital. The survey, carried out by Savanta, showed that a third of adults who said they have called for an ambulance in the last year for either themselves or a family member made their own way to hospital due to the lengthy waiting time.