London – FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has acquired rights to adapt the successful French supernatural thriller series Les Revenants for the English language. The English adaptation, They Came Back (working title), will be produced by the multi-award-winning writer, creator and producer Paul Abbott and his company AbbottVision, with which FME has a first look deal. FME will distribute the English adaptation internationally. Les Revenants tells the story of a group of men and women in a … [Read more...] about FME and AbbottVision to adapt French series for English-speaking audiences
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SES reports solid growth for 3Q12, YTD results
Satellite company SES has achieved total revenues of EUR1.36 billion for the first nine months of the year, up by 6.1% compared to the same period last year. On a constant FX basis, this figure was up by 1.6% despite the significant impact of the switch-off of analogue transmissions in Germany at the end of April. The first nine months of 2012 also witnessed the successful launch of three satellites, two of which—SES-4 and SES-5—have now been brought into service. SES’ 52nd … [Read more...] about SES reports solid growth for 3Q12, YTD results
CSA okays Canal+ acquisition of Direct 8 and Direct Star
France’s media regulator CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel) has approved Canal+ Group’s proposed acquisition of Direct 8 and Direct Star from the Bollore Group. The Council based its approval on the promise of enriched programme offerings, which are for the interest of the viewers. However, it noted that Canal+ should maintain the format of the two channels and strengthen original production. Along with the approval are strict conditions, such as: D8 (Direct 8) … [Read more...] about CSA okays Canal+ acquisition of Direct 8 and Direct Star
Xbox moves beyond gaming
Microsoft has announced a slew of deals that will put TV content from 50 content providers in more than 20 countries onto its Xbox console. Subjected to geographic restrictions, these will be available to the existing 35 million users of the service. The BBC, Channel 4, Lovefilm (UK), Telefónica (Spain), Mediaset (Italy) and ZDF (Germany) join North American partners that include Bravo, Comcast, HBO Go, Verizon FiOS and Syfy in an updated version of the Xbox Live, which will launch before … [Read more...] about Xbox moves beyond gaming