Paramount-WBD Sets Skydance as New Name
In a post on X, David Ellison announced that the merged Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery—with the deal expected to close next week—will be called Skydance.
Portuguese Basketball Lands on DAZN
DAZN has become the new home of the Portuguese Basketball Federation, delivering free coverage of men's and women's competitions in the 2026/27 season.
Marquee TV Streaming Platform Partners with English National Ballet
Marquee TV has signed a deal with English National Ballet to bring dance performances and behind-the-scenes content to its subscribers worldwide.
WWE Pacts with Netflix in Japan
The WWE has a new home in Japan, clinching a deal with Netflix that includes its weekly flagship shows and its live events.
HBO Max Developing New Spanish Original
Filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, through their production company Suma Content, are developing an original series for HBO Max, in collaboration with Carles Porta and Luminol Media, penned by Fran Araújo and Eduard Sola.
High Drama: Fremantle’s Rebecca Dundon Talks Scripted Trends
Rebecca Dundon, SVP of scripted content for global drama at Fremantle, shared with ScreenMDM her perspectives on the state of the business today, weighing in on investment and windowing strategies and the keys to successful co-productions.
ScreenMDM Scripted Digest: Asian IP, Microdrama Mania, Remakes & Revivals
Content from Asia, new vertical video shifts, and a wealth of revivals and remakes defined the last month in the scripted business. Sign up for ScreenMDM Scripted Digest here.
MasterChef Junior Spain Lands on Disney+
Shine Iberia is making a second season of MasterChef Junior Spain, developed specifically for Disney+ in the territory.
FOX Entertainment Global Launching Christie Brinkley Docuseries in Cannes
FOX Entertainment Global is bringing to MIPCOM the newly unveiled FOX Nation docuseries Uptown Girl: The Christie Brinkley Story, with Brinkley herself headed to Cannes to meet with international buyers.
BiggerStage Names Chief Financial & Strategy Officer in Expansion Drive
BiggerStage has appointed Paramount alum Leda Connaughton-Deeny as its new chief financial and strategy officer, following the launch of its production hub at Troy Studios, Limerick.
Format Zone: Investing in Creativity with Banijay Entertainment’s James Townley
Ahead of Banijay Entertainment’s first MIPCOM since completing its All3Media merger, James Townley, chief content officer for development, kicks off our Format Zone strand of ScreenMDM Talks, weighing in on sourcing breakthrough new IP on YouTube and from producers around the world in the quest for the “formats of tomorrow.”
ScreenMDM Factual & Formats Digest: Known IP, Digital Scale, & Asian Ambitions
This month’s digest of the biggest stories in the factual and format spheres explores the known IP trend, digital-first activities, creator collaborations, restructuring for the new landscape, and the challenges and opportunities in exporting Asian IP. Subscribe—it's free!
Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! Scores U.K. Theatrical Release
The animated feature Kiri and Lou Go Raaa!, based on the stop-motion series distributed by CAKE from New Zealand’s Stretchy, will be released theatrically in the U.K. this month.
Mondo TV Takes on Preschool Comedy Zury & Friends
Indian animation studio Magiclume has tapped Mondo TV Group as non-exclusive distributor of its preschool CGI series Zury & Friends in Western and Eastern Europe, Greater China, and MENA.
Gen A to Z: Building a Kids’ IP Powerhouse with Studio 100 International’s Martin Krieger
Martin Krieger, CEO of Studio 100 International, reveals how the company is evolving into an integrated IP company to meet today's challenges and opportunities in serving kids and family audiences.
ScreenMDM Kids/YA Digest: Cannes Plans, Brand Savvy & Teen Dreams
Our latest digest of the developments in kids/YA content includes MIPJunior updates, a raft of L&M deals, and Emily Horgan’s latest deep dive into what young ones are watching on Netflix. Get your free subscription here.
ScreenMDM Selects
Strawberry Shortcake’s Bake Shop: Strawberry Shortcake’s cozy neighborhood bakery is officially open, serving up sweet treats to her Berry Besties and baking the world a better place! Produced and distributed by WildBrain.
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Gen A to Z: Introducing KIMS Canada with France Martin & Maria Kennedy
Set for February 23 to 25, 2027, the Kids International Media Summit (KIMS) Canada aims to attract delegates from around the world for three days of deal-making, networking, and showcasing the local children’s ecosystem and its co-production opportunities, the Youth Media Alliance’s France Martin and Maria Kennedy tell ScreenMDM Talks in our latest Gen A to Z episode.
Real Talk: Factual Distribution Trends with Germaine Deagan Sweet
Germaine Deagan Sweet, head of content acquisitions and sales at PBS Distribution, reflects on the rising need for co-productions, appealing to buyers’ increasingly selective tastes, and driving gains across FAST and YouTube.
Gen A to Z: Elena Lyalina on Taking Nick the Mechanic Worldwide with WildBrain
Elena Lyalina, CEO and producer at Polydont Films, shares with ScreenMDM the origin story of Nick the Mechanic, a CG preschool series that WildBrain recently acquired the distribution rights to for launch at MIPCOM and MIPJunior.
High Drama: Samantha Cameron-Mowat on New Regency’s Scripted Distribution Strategy
Samantha Cameron-Mowat, SVP and co-head of international distribution at New Regency, previews the indie studio’s plans for Cannes and weighs in on the art of global co-pros and shifting windowing strategies.
Real Talk: Breakthrough Factual with BossaNova Media’s Francesca Johnson & Iona Hopper
Ahead of their first Development Days and MIPCOM with BossaNova Media, Francesca Johnson and Iona Hopper, who are leading acquisitions at Paul Heaney’s factual outfit, join ScreenMDM Talks to share what they’re looking for across the history/mystery, access, and true-crime genres.
Gen A to Z: Why The Next Step: Cheer Is Winning Over Audiences Worldwide
On the heels of CBBC commissioning a second season of Boat Rocker Studios’ The Next Step: Cheer, showrunners, writers, and executive producers Matt Huether and Courtney Jane Walker tell ScreenMDM about the origins of the hit series, the opportunities in the tween/YA space, and never talking down to young audiences.
High Drama: Khalil Homeissy and Ralph Matar on MForMedia’s Scripted Ambitions
Dubai-based production outfit MForMedia is repositioning itself as an IP-based studio and is looking to raise the profile of Arabic scripted content, Khalil Homeissy and Ralph Matar, managing partners, tell ScreenMDM.
Real Talk: A Story of Crime and Punishment with Lynn Novick
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Lynn Novick joins ScreenMDM Talks’ Real Talk strand to discuss her upcoming PBS documentary series, Crime and Punishment in America, which condenses more than 200 years of U.S. justice into an eight-hour series that PBS Distribution is bringing to the global market at MIPCOM.
The Asian Format IP Blueprint: Local Authenticity Wins
If you’re an Asian producer with great IP you want remade internationally, focus on local authenticity, simplicity, and collaboration, a panel of leading executives said at BCWW last week.
The Case for Gaming, YouTube’s TV Courtship, AI Evolution, and Vertical Video’s “Arrival”
Our monthly recap of the latest developments in vertical video, AI technology, the creator economy, and audience shifts, and what they mean for the content production and distribution business. Subscribe to ScreenMDM Digital-First Digest here.
The Road to Cannes with RX’s Lucy Smith
The theme of convergence runs across MIPCOM Cannes this year as the event embraces the creator economy, vertical video, branded entertainment, and AI, Lucy Smith says on the latest episode of ScreenMDM Talks.
The SwitchScreen: Philipp Rotermund on Building wedotv into an AVOD Powerhouse
As we continue our The SwitchScreen strand ahead of IBC, ScreenMDM Talks welcomes Philipp Rotermund, co-founder and CEO of wedotv, to discuss the AVOD platform’s expanding global reach, ad-tech innovations, content rights negotiations, and priorities for the months ahead.
The SwitchScreen: Decoding Streaming Economics with Bedrock’s Jonas Engwall
On the heels of the large-scale migration of RTL+ to the Bedrock tech stack, the streaming solutions provider’s CEO, Jonas Engwall, joins ScreenMDM Talks’ The SwitchScreen strand to discuss streaming profitability, European scale, and AI.
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