Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Viaplay buys out Allente amid H1 subs decline

Nordic media outfit Viaplay has spent SEK1.1bn (£84m) to acquire the 50% of satellite and broadband firm Allente Group that it did not already own.

The deal is being financed through available cash and a new SEK1.7bn term loan facility and is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Allente has around 850,000 subscribers across the Nordics and was launched as a joint venture between Viaplay and Telenor in 2020. Viaplay chief exec and president, Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, described the Allente deal as “an important milestone in our transformation”.

The move comes as Viaplay, which counts Canal+ and Czech firm PPF among major shareholders, attempts to stabilise its operations having seen its share price plummet from SEK126 in January 2022 to SEK0.87 today.

In its Q2 results revealed today, Viaplay saw revenue decline from SEK4.48bn this time last year to SEK4.31bn in 2025 but operating income rose from SEK7m in Q2 2024 to SEK88m this year. Subscribers in H1 stood at 4.25m, down from 4.76m for FY 2024 .

Casta Diva makes double hire

Italian producer Casta Diva has hired experienced exec duo Paolo Mastromarino and Dimitri Cocciuti.

Mastromarino has worked on Italian shows including X Factor, Dinner Club, and 4 Ristoranti, and has a remit to focus on scouting and acquiring formats for adaptation and development.

Cocciuti previously worked in creative at Italian producer Ballandi, overseeing the development and acquisition of formats such as A Raccontare Comincia Tu and Drag Race Italia.

Casta Diva is part of the Casta Diva Group, which has bases aorund the world and produces TV formats, ads, short films and movies.

Bing heads to Middle East

MENA media giant MBC Group has struck a programming and licensing & merchandising representation agreement with Acamar Films for its kids brand Bing.

The deal will bring the preschool series to families across the Arabic-speaking world via MBC3 and its global streaming platform Shahid. The launch is scheduled for July 2025 and will also include US English, French, and Arabic versions.

Tattooist of Auschwitz indie options Liam

The Scottish indie behind Sky drama The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Synchronicity Films, has optioned Liam McIlvanney’s latest novel The Good Father.

Published last month, the Ayrshire coast-set novel explores what happens when a child goes missing. The Good Father unveils how family secrets and community suspicion come to the fore when a child disappears on the beach outside a family home.

The adaptation will be exec produced by the indie’s founder and creative director Claire Mundell and long-term creative collaborator Jacquelin Perske, who will also write the adaptation. Read more