Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Corus co-chief exec Troy Reeb steps down 

Corus Entertainment’s co-chief exec Troy Reeb is leaving the Canadian company after 25 years.

Corus said Reeb had left to “pursue opportunities outside the company”. He had initially joined the Toronto-based firm as a reporter in 2000, before rising to become exec vice president of networks and content in 2023.

Reeb then took the top job last year alongside John Gossling, who is now sole chief exec at Corus.

Gossling is also interim chief financial officer, while others changes see Jennifer Abrams becoming senior vice president of content and marketing.

France 2 preps It’s A Knock-Out return 

Banijay Entertainment is returning iconic gameshow It’s A Knock-Out to French screens.

The show will debut on France 2 this summer and is being produced by Banijay Production Media, with four primetime live shows hosted by Bruno Guillon, Nagui and others.

The format debuted in France as Intervilles over 60 years ago and has been adapted in over 20 countries, with shows including the widely known UK version titled It’s A Knock-Out. A French version last aired on Gulli in 2016, with the show seeing contestants in costumes competing in physical challenges.

Prime Video Germany unveils Summit among new slate

Prime Video has ordered a local version of Banijay Entertainment’s format The Summit.

Banijay Productions Germany will produce the eighth international version of the adventure reality format, which was originally created by Endemol Shine Australia and Nine Network.

The latest version will launch in Q3 and follows 12 celebrities climbing a New Zealand mountain peak while carrying backpacks filled with €1m.

It was unveiled at Prime Video Presents in Germany, where the streamer also confirmed Bildundtonfabrik’s new drama Perfekt Zusammen and a remake of Mexican scripted format El Juego de las Llaves (aka Game of Keys), as well as LOL: Last One Laughing Germany S7. The streamer also said hit drama Maxton Hall would return for its second season on 7 November.

Anton, Globalgate prep King’s Ransom

Globalgate Entertainment, Barry Films, Wachafilm, and UK-based Anton have teamed up to develop and produce King’s Ransom, an action thriller series about a hostage taking at the world’s most elite Swiss boarding school.

Tony Saint (Tehran) is attached to write the pilot episode and is showrunner for the series, which is based on an original idea by Chris Peppe (The Flash, Nikita).

Benito Mueller and Wolfgang Mueller of Barry Films will executive produce along with Clifford Werber, William Pfeiffer and Paul Presburger of Globalgate Entertainment, Manuela Noble and Mark Sandell of Wachafilm, and Sebastien Raybaud, Caroline Kusser and Serena Karp of Anton. 

DOX TV, Keshet Int’l sells across CEE

UK-based distributor Sphere Abacus has sold more than 200 hours into multiple CEE territories, with the deals revealed ahead of next week’s NEM Dubrovnik.

DOX TV has acquired a raft of programmes for its platform across Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo, including Leaving Neverland, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson and One Day in October.

Also included are true crime docs The Man Who Stole the Scream, Breaking Dad: Britain’s Unlikeliest Drug Dealer and Vanished: The Lucie Blackman Mystery, plus true crime docuseries Millionaire Murders, Murder: Fight for the Truth, Bloodline Detectives (S4-S6) and Making a Serial Killer S1.

Elsewhere, Czech TV and HRT in Croatia have taken docuseries Travels with Agatha Christie & Sir David Suchet, while Viasat World has taken Clapperboard Studios’ true crime drama Maxine for Viasat True Crime in the Baltics, CEE and CIS (excluding Belarus), Deals were brokered by sales director Ros Ali. 

AMC, Paramount’s True Crime orders from Back2Back

UK channel True Crime - a co-venture jointly owned by AMC Networks International UK and Paramount Global - has ordered Murder in Mind, produced by Back2Back in partnership with FilmRise and Blue Ant Studios.

The 10 x 60-minute series, which is fronted by criminal psychologists Dr Julia Shaw and Kerry Daynes, examines murder cases from the UK and the US, delving into not just what happened but why it happened. 

US production-distribution outfit FilmRise holds exclusive rights in North America, and Blue Ant Studios is overseeing global licensing and distribution for the series outside of commissioning territories. Murder in Mind follows Killers: Caught on Camera, which was also produced by Back2Back for True Crime.

APC sells stake in APC Kids 

French outfit APC Studios has sold its majority stake in kids distribution company APC Kids to fellow French group Madgic.

Madgic, headed by Jean-Michel Spiner, will take control of the company, which also owns animation studio, Zephyr Animation. The latter produces Lana Longbeard and Mogu & Perol.

Chief executive of APC Kids Lionel Marty will continue to own the rest of the company’s shares and will remain in his role with David Sauerwein continuing as producer at Zephyr Animation, which he co-founded. Madgic was formed in 2022 when 2 Minutes and Label Anim merged.  

Cantilever, ReDefine Originals enter co-pro deal 

UK indie Cantilever Media and DNEG-owned animation producer ReDefine Originals have struck a first-look co-production deal that will see the two companies jointly develop and finance animated feature films for kids.

They aim to produce two to three features per year over an initial period of three years. ReDefine Originals will be the animation studio for the projects, with Cantilever Media producing and Cantilever Media’s distribution company, Kazoo Films, taking UK rights.

The DNEG Group’s content financing and production arm, Prime Focus Studios, will serve as co-producing partner on the slate of features.   

Wedotv expands in Malaysia

Global streaming firm Wedotv is taking four of its FAST channels into Malaysia.

The deal with local operator Sooka will provide viewers with access to Wedotv movies, Wedotv BIG stories (documentary and lifestyle content), Wedotv sports, and Wedotv amor (telenovelas).

The agreement marks Wedotv’s second expansion in Southeast Asia this year, following its launch in Indonesia through Dens.tv.