Strategy: Last News

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief In cricket-mad India the upcoming Indian Premier League tournament could be a watershed for the country’s jostling media empires, according to Singapore-based consultancy and analysis firm, Media Partners Asia. Video rights for the tournament were split between incumbent pay-TV player Disney Star India, which paid close to $3.1 billion for broadcast rights to the five 2023-2027 editions, and Viacom18, which is backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Paramount (as a minority stakeholder), in partnership with financier Bodhi Tree Systems. It paid a similar sum for the separate digital rights. Media Partners Asia estimates that advertising revenues spawned by the two-month 2023 competition will end up around $550 million – representing a clear loss on the annualized cost of $1.2 billion, or roughly $600 million per conglomerate, for the tournament rights. (The analysis firm forecasts that RIL will earn $300-350 million in ad sales, while Star’s best-case scenario is $220 million.)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Fremantle is restructuring management of its Italian operations by promoting Marco Tombolini to the role of CEO Fremantle Italy. Tombolini, who since May of 2022 was Fremantle Italy co-CEO, will now “Take the helm of all areas and functions of the company, with the senior management of Fremantle Italy reporting directly to him,” a Fremantle statement said. Gabriele Immirzi – who had long served as Fremantle Italy CEO prior to sharing the CEO role with Tombolini since last May – has now stepped down but is staying in the Fremantle fold becoming co-CEO with Lorenzo Mieli of The Apartment Pictures.

K.J. Yossman U.K. podcast production outfit Blanchard House has tapped HBO Max podcasting strategy director Hassan Chaudhry as its new head of partnerships and strategy, Variety can exclusively reveal. Meanwhile Amica Sciortino Nowlan, formerly of The Economist, joins as managing producer. The new hires come ahead of a busy year for the podcast outfit, which is set to launch five shows this year, including two at Audible. Chaudhry, who is based in New York, is responsible for establishing and leading HBO Max’s podcasting group, whose output includes “The Game of Thrones Podcast” and “Batman: The Audio Adventures.” At Blanchard House Chaudhry will look after film and TV relationships and lead growth.

EXCLUSIVE: The British Film Institute, one of the UK’s most powerful movie funding bodies, admitted to a filmmaker of color last year that it is “systemically racist” after apologizing for how it handled his long-running complaint over alleged discrimination.

Carole Horst The new head of the AFCI has big goals for the organization, and looks to promote stability within the leadership, which has seen a few presidents come and go in the past handful of years. “I really want to reassure people that I’m in this for the long haul and I feel like I have the right skill set to take the organization through and develop a really good strategy for it for the next 10 years,” says Jaclyn Philpott, the recently installed AFCI exec director. “I’ll be ready and willing to answer any questions that they may have. You know, I’ve had a very good look under the hood at the organization, from the financials through the previous strategies to what’s happening in the market right now, and I feel like I have a good idea of what they want based on what they’ve told me and in my own research.”

Patrick Harvie has signalled the Greens could quit their coalition deal with the SNP if the next first minister backslides on opposing new oil and gas drilling.

Roberto “Rob” Lopez is the latest Houseguest to be shown the door in the new season “Big Brother Canada”, and he opened up with ET Canada’s Britnee Blair about what led to his eviction.

EXCLUSIVE: This is one iconic renewal.

. On March 24, revealed on her Instagram Story that Bieber had reached out to let her know that she had been receiving death threats online as a result of the toxicity between their respective fandoms. “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity,” Gomez wrote. “This isn't what I stand for.

A "Jeopardy!" contestant is going viral this week after making what many fans are considering one of the biggest blunders in the show's history. On Wednesday's episode, a woman named Karen had a huge lead over the other two contestants as they neared the end of the second round – she had earned $21,800, while her competitors had earned $7,100 and $6,400. When there were only a few clues left on the Double Jeopardy board, Karen found a Daily Double in the "Hans, Solo" category.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has congratulated Harry Kane on becoming England's all-time record goalscorer.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime has opted not to renew The L Word: Generation Q for a fourth season. The decision comes two months after the series’ third season ended its run. However, the franchise may continue on the network — The L Word: New York (working title), a reboot of the groundbreaking original series, is in development with the 2004 series’ creator Ilene Chaiken attached, I hear.

While Manchester United are enjoying a fine first season with Erik ten Hag at the helm, it's fair to say that the month of March ended up being a mixed bag for the Reds.

Katcy Stephan Next-generation social platform Spill has named cultural leader Kenya Parham its new global VP of community and partnerships. In her role, Parham will be the voice of the Spill community within the company and the face of the platform to creators, communities and media partners externally. Spill, founded in December 2022 by a group of ex-Twitter employees, is named after the phrase “spill the tea.” It aims to recognize and reward culture drivers and voices from the most marginalized groups, in addition to crafting a strong advertiser and creator ecosystem with more nuanced content moderation.  Parham will create and execute upon Spill’s audience development strategy from the ground up, with a focus on helping onboard and support creators in the U.S. and in key markets abroad. In addition, this role will drive partnerships and activations with media partners, complementing movie premieres, TV shows, events and other culturally relevant moments people are talking about.

Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus says he has submitted a unique bid to buy half of Manchester United and says he will allow fans to buy the other half.

The BBC has been told that it must be more transparent about its content acquisitions strategy after being accused by ITV of buying glossy U.S. shows to chase ratings.

Another radio star is leaving the BBC as the Reverend Richard Coles tells fans he's moving on from his show Saturday Live after 12 years.

Learning from the best! Gisele Bündchen wants to follow in Bridget Moynahan‘s footsteps when it comes to coparenting with their mutual ex, Tom Brady.

Netflix teased its slate of European series, including part 3 of its hit heist show “Lupin,” starring Omar Sy, during its showcase at Series Mania in Lille. The panel was attended by Katja Hofem from Germany, Damien Couvreur from France and Jenny Stjernströmer Björk from the Nordics, who each discussed their editorial strategies. The streamer also announced season 2 of its off-beat comedy series “Represent” starring Cesar-winning actor-director Jean-Pascal Zadi (“Tout simplement noir”) as an ordinary man from a project becomes President of France. The show, whose French title is “En Place,” launched earlier this year and was one of the service’s biggest local hits. Other new French titles in the pipeline include “Thicker than Water,” “Tapie,” “Fury” and “Anthracite.”

Gisele Bündchen dating her jiu-jitsu instructor, Joaquim Valente?It's been an ongoing question amid recurring sightings of the two together following her October 2022 divorce from Tom Brady. In a new  interview — her first since her high-profile split -- Bündchen elaborates on her ties to Valente. «They’re all like senseis,» she says of him and his Miami-based siblings, Pedro and Gui Valente. As for Joaquim specifically, he's an instructor for the runway icon and her two children, Benjamin and Vivian.

Lamia Chraibi is one of Morocco’s best-known indie film producers whose credits include Mica, about a boy from the slums who is discovered to have a talent for tennis, and Sitges prize-winning horror Achoura as well as co-producing 2016 Cannes Critics’ Week winner Las Mimosas.