Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

FX extends The Bear into S5   

Disney-owned FX has picked up a fifth season of The Bear, following the debut of its fourth season earlier last week. 

The hit scripted series from FX Productions won 11 Emmy Awards for its second season and was created by Christopher Storer, who serves as executive producer alongside Josh Senior, Joanna Calo, Cooper Wehde, Tyson Bidner, Matty Matheson, Hiro Murai and Rene Gube. 

Courtney Storer serves as a co-executive producer and culinary producer, with the show tracking characters played by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as they attempt to make a success of their restaurant.

All seasons, including the newly released season four, are available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ with a bundle subscription in the US and via Disney+ internationally.

Paramount strikes $16m deal over Trump lawsuit

Paramount Global is to pay $16m (£13.5m) to settle its legal dispute with Donald Trump, paving the way for the US studio’s merger with Skydance Media.

The US president alleged in a lawsuit last year that Paramount’s CBS had edited an interview with rival Kamala Harris that would “tip the scales” towards the Democratic party.

The deal confirmed yesterday means the legal dispute is now settled, with the $16 payment to be paid to Trump’s future presidential library - rather than the former Apprentice host himself. No apology will be made by Paramount.

US reports suggested the settlement had been struck to expedite Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media. The deal is currently with regulator the Federal Communications Commission, and Trump can theoretically stop the merger.

Fox lands Sopranos star for drama

Fox has lined up Michael Imperioli (The White Lotus, The Sopranos) to star opposite Patrick Dempsey in its drama Memory of a Killer.

The show, which hails from Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment, is set to premiere midseason on Fox and has been inspired by the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer (La Memoire Du Tueur).

The show is a dramatic thriller about a hitman played by Dempsey who leads a dangerous double life while hiding the fact that he has developed early onset Alzheimer’s.

Imperioli will star as an accomplished Italian chef who owns a restaurant in the Bronx, a stalwart establishment that is also a front for his criminal enterprise.

HaZimation rebrands, co-founder exits

UK-based HaZimation has rebranded as Atelier 11 and is under the sole control of Paula Crickard (Expend4bles), following the departure of co-founder Haz Dulull.

The transmedia studio, which operates across film, animation, gaming and TV series, said it is shifting to a “collaborative, multi-disciplinary model” that aims to support stories on multiple platforms.

Atelier 11’s slate includes shows including Rap Game UK (in collaboration with Fremantle and the BBC), Moontopia, and Prisoners of Paradise, a co-production with AMG International. 

RTL Nederlands copletes DPG Media sale

Germany’s RTL Group has completed the €1.1bn sale of its Netherlands-based operations to Belgium’s DPG Media, having gained regulatory approval last week.

RTL Nederlands and DPG had agreed the deal back in December 2023, but it took more than a year to make its way through regulatory checks. 

Dutch regulator ACM applied conditions to its approval, including the creation of bodies to protect independent journalism.

Confirmation of the sale disposal comes off the back of RTL’s acquisition of Sky Deutschland on Friday.

CBS, Sinclair, Nextstar snag Scrambled Up

US gameshow Scrambled Up is set to debut in the US later this autumn after securing distribution in more than 80% of the country.

The series is distributed by Playing Field Entertainment and created by Cleve Keller and Dave Noll, with Crazy Legs Productions.

CBS Television Stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, E.W. Scripps Company, Tegna, Weigel Broadcasting and Gray Television are among station groups acquiring the word game.

Production of the show’s 160 half-hour episodes starts later this month and features contestants trying to solve jumbled up words and phrases to win a cash prize.

Israeli drama Wonder eyes int’l sales

Israel’s Yes TV is preparing to debut young adult series Wonder later this week and has made the show available for acquisition.

The 8 x 42-minute sci-fi thriller, which is from Yes Studios and co-produced with Paramount’s Ananey Studios, premieres on Yes TV on 3 July and explores an unknown digital realm.

Wonder was created by Yishai Orian (The Beetle) and Yair Sagi (Burned) and stars Noa Kirel. Yes Studios and Ananey share global distribution.

Schibsted completes TV4, MTV deal

Nordic media giant Schibsted has completed its SEK6.55bn (£50m) acquisition of Telia Company’s TV media business, comprising TV4 in Sweden and MTV in Finland.

Schibsted, which owns news portals across the region, said the deal marked “a major step in building a stronger, more unified Nordic media presence that combines trusted journalism with engaging content.”

The transaction was first announced in February and will bring 887,000 subscribers to Schibsted. MTV and TV4 revenues in 2024 were SEK8.16bn.