Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

FRAPA rejigs as Gurin and Van Diepen step down

Industry veterans Phil Gurin and Lisette van Diepen are stepping down from the board of the Format Recognition and Protection Association (FRAPA) later this year.

Gurin has served on the FRAPA board for 16 years, most recently as chair for the past 10, while Van Diepen is exiting after more than a decade.

FRAPA’s management board said: “It is with sadness and huge gratitude that we thank Phil and Lisette for their incredible contributions to FRAPA for the past decade and beyond.”

The organisation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, added that it would work with its advisory board “to forge ahead into the future and explore how its mission continues in the ever evolving media landscape.”

Prime Video names Lara Croft star 

Joan and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has been cast in the lead role for Prime Video’s upcoming series Lara Croft.

The show is being produced by Story Kitchen, Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios, with the series created, written, co-showrun and executive produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Prime Video has also set Jonathan Van Tulleken (Shogun) as director and executive producer and Chad Hodge (Good Behavior) as co-showrunner and executive producer. The series will start filming in January next year.  

Hat trick Int’l adds health, wellbeing shows

Hat Trick International (HTI) has added two Channel 4 health and wellbeing titles from factual producer Plum Pictures to its slate.

Several sales have already been closed for What Not to Eat (4 x 60 mins) and Do You Have ADHD? (1 x60 mins) ahead of their international launch at MIPCOM. What Not to Eat has been picked up by SBS Australia, while Do You Have ADHD? has been acquired by TV2 Norway.

HTI already represents both the format and finished programme rights for Do You Want to Live Forever? (4 x 60 mins), produced by Lune Media for Nine Network Australia. The show focuses in on the world’s current obsession with living longer, better and healthier.

Dynamo lands Paramount exec

Narcos producer Dynamo has hired former Paramount exec Julieta Brunero as its head of scripted, leading strategy across Mexico, Colombia and Spain.

Brunero will work to ensure Dynamo shows resonate globally and joins following spells with Netflix, Disney and Paramount Global, where she was most recently head of content for Lat Am.

Dynamo has been expanding over recent months, hiring high profile execs including Carol Trussell and Kristin Jones. Brunero will also work alongside Mexico-based Daniela Gomez, Colombia’s Laura Rojas and Genrao Quiroga in Spain.

Freely engages younger demo

Younger viewer are the biggest early adopters of PSB-backed streaming platform Freely, according to data released as part of its first year in operation.

The free platform, which launched last year, has grown to reach over half a million users in its first 12 months, which it said is ahead of internal projections.

The largest proportion of users are aged 16-34 years, according to an online tracking survey of 158 users carried out by Freely’s parent company Everyone TV between August 2024 and July 2025. It registered the figure in the last week of August.

Freely brings together a mix of live and on-demand content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, as well as UKTV’s channels and some Sky and Warner Bros Discovery channels – without the need for a dish, aerial or monthly subscription. It is integrated into multiple new smart TVs and will be introduced on ‘plug-in and stream’ devices later this year. Read more