Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Sky, Universal moves for Revival

Universal Networks in Europe and Sky in the UK and Ireland are among buyers of Syfy’s supernatural thriller Revival.

The 10 x 60-minute series, produced by Blue Ice Pictures and Hemmings Films, will air on the NBCUniversal-owned channels in France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and the Balkans.

Cosmote in Greece, Tivibu in Turkey, and Foxtel in Australia have also bought the show, which is sold by Dynamic Television.

It is based on the graphic novel by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton that sees the dead returning to in a small Wisconsin town. The series debuted in June on NBCUniversal’s Syfy and USA Network, as well as streamer Peacock.

NATPE unveils Amazon, BBCS, Netflix execs on board

Amazon MGM Studios’ Brad Beale and BBC Studios’ Rebecca Glashow are among the new executive board unveiled by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE).

The execs will guide NATPE’s long-term strategy and support its evolution, including its flagship events NATPE Global and NATPE Budapest.

Beale and Glashow join Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs, NBC Universal’s Michael Bonner, Versant’s Val Boreland, Sony Pictures Television’s Flory Bramnick, Apple TV+’s Brandon Brito, Paramount alum Dan Cohen, Lori Conkling from Netflix, WBD’s David Decker, and A&E’s Elaine Frontain-Bryant.

Claire Macdonald, senior vice president and executive director of NATPE, said the board “embodies the innovative, cross-platform spirit that defines today’s content landscape.”

Passion, Middlechild link for digital slate

Passion Distribution digital content unit UpStream Media is partnering with Canal Boat Diaries indie Middlechild Productions to create a slate of original, digital-first programming targeted at on-demand audiences.

The line-up will feature a mix of standalone specials and mini-series exploring a range of subjects, including the realities faced by people rebuilding their lives post-incarceration; the resilience of young mothers navigating financial hardship; And the hidden waste lying beneath Britain’s waterways.

The content will air across UpStream Media’s network of YouTube channels including leading brands OMG Stories, Filth, and Origin.

GB News moves into MENA

GB News has partnered with Swiss company iKO Media Group to launch a FAST channel in the Middle East and North Africa.

The deal will make a 24-hour GB News’ feed available to more than 66m households using iKO Media Group’s FASTonSAT service. This marks the first time GB News has adopted satellite-based FAST distribution.

More 4 opens Yorkshire Pub

Full Fat TV will follow comedian Jon Richardson’s efforts to breathe life back into an old Yorkshire pub in a multi-part series for More 4.

A Yorkshire Pub with Jon Richardson (w/t) captures his work with the community in Fadmoor, North Yorkshire to save The Plough, which dates back to 1782, and has been closed for 14 years. Cameras will follow him as he becomes a shareholder in Fadmoor Community Pub Ltd and sets to work with the locals to restore it to its splendour.

Along the way, Richardson will get to know the local rural community, joining with them to tackle the myriad challenges along the way in their ambitious journey to re-open The Plough. Read more