Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Discovery alum Danny Tipping launches prodco

Former Transistor Films chief Danny Tipping has unveiled his indie Longwave Studios with a true crime documentary for Crime+Investigation.

Building on Tipping’s track record in unscripted, his indie will focus on premium factual content for the global TV market and will be headquartered in London. It plans to span the unscripted genres, from investigative series and factual entertainment formats.

As chief of Transistor Films Tipping delivered series including Netflix global top 10 show I am a Killer. He has been in the industry for 25 years, having started his career working at Channel 4 before moving on to senior positions at Discovery Networks International and Sky. Read more

Fox buys podcast firm Meet Cute

Fox Entertainment has acquired podcast firm Meet Cute as it looks to expand its creator-driven entertainment ecosystem.

The firm will be overseen by Hannah Pillemer, head of scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios, having been launched in 2019 by Naomi Shah with investment from Union Square Ventures and Lerer Hippeau.

The service offers bite-sized scripted audio storytelling and has released more than 200 hours of original programming, reaching over 2.5 million listeners globally.

FES said the acquisition, along with recent deals with vertical video firm Holywater, experiential culinary event outfit Chain, and publisher HarperCollins would allow it to develop IP across books, audio and digital while shortening traditional development cycles and using data to inform decision making.

Holywater agrees AMO Pictures pact

Fox-backed vertical video firm Holywater has struck a strategic partnership with AMO Pictures that will see the companies produce over 70 new titles together.

The two parties previously combined on Holywater shows including Spark Me Tenderly, Chained by Her Love, and Young Elite.

The deal comes a month after Fox Entertainment invested an undisclosed minority stake in Holywater and agreed to produce more than 200 shows together. Latin American studio Elefantec Global has also partnered with the vertical firm on a pipeline of Spanish-language content.

Canadian producers react to budget windfall

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has welcomed government support totalling around C$500m (£270m) to support local creators and the cultural economy revealed in its budget for 2025.

The support includes $127.5M for the CMF, $150M for Telefilm Canada, and $26.1M for the National Film Board, over three years.

The additional CMF funding of $127.5M ($42.5M per year) will supplement the CMF’s previously announced investment of $346M to support the Canadian audiovisual industry.

The CMF develops, finances and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms.

Netflix returns to Nobody Wants This 

Netflix has ordered a third season of comedy series Nobody Wants This, slated to premiere in 2026.

The series will continue to film in LA and comes after the second season premiered on 23 October, with co-showrunners Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan again attached.

The show, which explores the life of a podcast host and an unconventional rabbi, was created by Erin Foster and is produced by 20th Television.