Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

TVF takes record 160 new hours to Cannes

TVF International is taking more than 160 new hours to Cannes for Mipcom next week, including Deep Sea Big Tech, which dives into the race to transform the ocean into humanity’s next home.

Bloomberg’s Posthuman explores the future of humanity in this age of innovation, while Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War (1 x 70 minutes), featuring exclusive on-camera testimony from IDF soldiers, and Inside Iran: War and Revolution (1 x 70), are also on the slate. The latter two are both for ITV Exposure and from Zandland.

Elsewhere, Finnish show Cold Frontier, commissioned by YLE and produced by NTRNZ Creative, goes inside NATO's secretive training in the Arctic, while Inside China’s Future Industries is from Mediacorp and CNA.

Headlining TVF’s history line-up is the BBC’s Queen James: Passion, Plots and Power in the Court of King James I from Waddell Media, which recreates the sensational life of Britain’s first king.

ITVS reveals drama slate for Cannes

ITV Studios has unveiled its Mipcom slate, led by thriller First Woman, a co-production of Mammoth Screen and Alcon International Studios with ZDF.

Workplace drama Number 10, set inside the most famous address in the UK, is also heading to Cannes, alongside French drama Balthazar, starring a gifted yet unconventional pathologist in Bristol, and World Productions’ adaptation of Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel The Party.

ITVS is also taking a raft of talent to Cannes, with Luke Evans (Nine Perfect Strangers) in town for The Party, Richard Armitage (Missing You) representing Winter, and Adrian Dunbar (Ridley) for returning police procedural Line of Duty.

Prime Video takes Emmy Awards rights

Starting in 2027, Amazon Prime Video will exclusively stream the Emmy Awards in the latest example of a major streaming platform assuming distribution rights of a leading US awards show.

The six-year deal replaces the previous arrangement whereby the ceremony rotated between the broadcast networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Prime Video said on Tuesday it will “elevate the Television Academy’s mission, delivering new experiences and entry points for fans to discover, engage with and celebrate what they love about TV”.

In December 2025 the Academy announced an exclusive multi-year deal for YouTube to air the Oscars ceremony starting in 2029. Netflix currently streams the SAG Awards under its multi-year deal with SAG-AFTRA. Read more

Secrets of Hitler's Elite heads to Viasat

Off the Fence (OTF) is launching three new history titles at Mipcom, including Secret of Hitler’s Elite, a four-part documentary series from WildBear Entertainment that has already been acquired by international pay-TV broadcaster Viasat World.

Also on the slate is I Shot the President (1 x 52 mins or 90 mins), produced, written and directed by filmmaker Neil McGregor. It examines the 1981 assassination attempt on US president Ronald Reagan.

OTF is also showcasing The Mystery of the Jaguar People (1 x 52 mins), co-produced for ARTE by Wanted Media Productions and Cutting Edge Productions.