All the latest news from the global content industry on Wednesday, 1 July

 

Glória prodco rejigs top team

Portuguese production company SPi has rejigged its senior team to refocus its international copro activities.

Sofia Moura, who was most recently leading sibling prodco SP Entertainment, becomes chief operations & business officer at SPi, which was behind Netflix’s first Portuguese original Glória.

The show’s screenwriter and showrunner, Pedro Lopes, has been named chief creative & strategy officer. He remains chief content officer of SP TV Group, the holding company of SPi.

SP TV said the restructure would increase SPi’s ability “to develop, produce and bring distinctive stories to global audiences.”

 

TikTok, Food Network expand live shows

Food Network is expanding its partnership with TikTok that pairs creators with chefs from the US network’s shows.

TikTok Live x Food Network Presents: Tomato Season will stream on 8 July at 8:00pm ET and follows the duo’s Future of Flavor Live event earlier this year.

The hour-long livestream will feature chefs Antonia Lofaso and creator Jose Elcook creating tomato recipes, with audiences voting on dishes and asking questions in real time.

 

Baby Reindeer post house shutters

Post-production house No.8, which worked on high-profile TV projects including Baby Reindeer, series seven of Black Mirror, The End of the F*ing World and After Life, has closed down.

The company, which was based in Soho and opened in 2019, specialised in audio post-production, VFX and grading for both commercials and TV and film, is entering insolvency proceedings.

The directors of No.8 explained the closure was because “the industry has changed and, despite our best efforts, we are sad to say that it has not been possible to keep the business going.” Read more

 

Barbie, Pingu FAST channels head to Europe

Rakuten TV is launching two FAST channels in Europe following a deal with toy giant Mattel.

Barbie & Friends offers shows featuring the doll brand alongside other Mattel franchises including Monster High, Enchantimals and Polly Pocket. It is now available in Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and Ireland.

The second channel focuses on Pingu, featuring the complete Pingu series in a continuous, dialogue-free stream. It is available in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

 

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