Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

New era for Disney under D’Amaro

Josh D’Amaro has formally taken on the title of chief exec at the Walt Disney Company, succeeding Bob Iger.

D’Amaro told Disney shareholders at its annual meeting on Wednesday that he would look to build on the company’s history of “bringing human creativity together with cutting-edge technology to create unforgettable storytelling experiences.”

“Simply put, while others in our industry are consolidating just to compete, or struggling to be relevant in a fragmented and disrupted world, Disney is in a category of one poised to accelerate into our next era of innovation and growth,” he added. “And this next chapter will be driven by staying focused on world-class creativity, enhanced by technology, bringing unforgettable stories to audiences wherever they are.”

Dana Walden, a frontrunner for the top job until February when it was secured by D’Amaro, has been upped from being co-chairman at Disney Entertainment to take the newly created president and chief creative officer role.

Emily in Paris creator toasts Netflix wine drama

Netflix has greenlit a drama from Sex in the City and Emily in Paris creator Darren Star exploring a woman obsessed with wine.

Uncorked delves into the life of a talented but self-destructive winemaker who returns to Napa in California for her second chance at love, legacy and an elusive 100 point wine.

Star will executive produce with David Schulner (New Amsterdam), Tony Hernandez (Emily In Paris) and Lilly Burns (Emily In Paris) under their banner Counterpart, while also continuing to helm Emily in Paris.

Google alum expected to be named BBC chief

Former Google EMEA boss Matt Brittin is widely expected to be named as the BBC’s next director general in the coming days.

The corporation’s board is expected to meet today (19 March) for a final discussion about the appointment and an announcement could be made as soon as next week, according to The Guardian.

The BBC declined to comment on what it called speculation.

The 57-year-old unexpectedly emerged as the frontrunner for the biggest job in British TV to last month. Read more

US debut for LOTF slated

Netflix will debut Lord of the Flies on 4 May in the US, following its previously announced deal with distributor Sony Pictures Television.

The drama, which has debuted on the BBC in the UK, is created and written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence), with Marc Munden (The Mark of Cain) serving as director.

It is based on William Golding’s landmark dystopian classic and explores how innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys becomes desert island castaways.

The 4 x 60-minute show is produced by SPT-owned Eleven and One Shoe Films, with backing from SPT.

SNL unveils short-form series in US

The US version of Saturday Night Live has launched a new short-form digital original series titled The Rundown, which will be available on Peacock, SNL’s YouTube channel and all social media platforms.

The Rundown will feature “memorable faces” from SNL, Peacock said, including Dana Carvey, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Colin Jost, Bowen Yang, Questlove and more.

Guests will select a favorite segment from the show’s history to add to the Rundown board, building an all-star episode along the way. The Rundown will release new episodes on Wednesdays of SNL hiatus weeks through mid-June.

The show returns Stateside on 4 April. It is produced in association with Broadway Video, with creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels. A UK version of SNL is slated to debut locally this weekend.

ProSieben sells ad and retail assets

Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Media has sold its connected TV advertising company esome and retail media specialist Kairion to German investment Pivotum Capital.

The move is part of the German broadcaster’s attempts to refocus its operations on its core entertainment business and the monetisation of its content. The transactions are expected to close in April.

UK government backtracks on AI plans 

The UK government has officially backed away from an “opt-out” system of using copyrighted material to train AI models.

It had already been reported that the government was considering other options, but it has now officially confirmed this. The “opt-out” system would have meant that copyright holders would have to actively say that they don’t want their content to be used to train AI models.

Secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Liz Kendall, said: “At the end of 2024, the government published a consultation on copyright and AI. At that stage, the government’s preferred way forward was to enable AI developers to train on copyright works, but to give rightsholders the ability to opt-out of this regime. This was overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of the creative industries.

“We have listened. We have engaged extensively with creatives, AI firms, industry bodies, unions, academics and AI adopters, and that engagement has shaped our approach. This is why we can confirm today that the government no longer has a preferred option.” Read more

Camilla Cope expands STV international remit

STV Studios has made a pair of senior promotions in its unscripted team, with Sarah Forster and Camilla Cope upped.

Forster, most recently head of production, will now become director of production while commercial director Cope is made director of commercial and international. Both report into STV Studios’ chief operating officer Paul Sheehan.

As director of production, Forster’s remit will be expanded to cover STV Studios unscripted labels including STV Studios Factual, Flicker Productions, Primal Media and Rumpus Media, as well as entertainment programming produced under the STV Studios brand. Read more