Channel 4 Puts 1,000 Hours Of Shows On YouTube
British broadcaster Channel 4 has signed a deal with YouTube to put 1,000 hours of programming on the Google-owned streaming platform. The agreement expands on an existing partnership between the companies and will allow Channel 4 to sell its own advertising around the show — a first-of-its-kind deal in the UK and Europe. Shows will begin rolling out this month and include 8 Out Of 10 Cats; Location, Location, Location; Nikki Grahame: Who Is She?, SAS: Who Dares Wins and The Dog House. Selected titles will be made available 30 days after their first broadcast on Channel 4 or younger sibling network E4. Channel 4 has been following a five-year ‘Future 4’ strategy to supercharge digital revenues, and its management believes today’s deal represents a “major step” in that process.
Sky Orders Children’s Authors Series ‘Wonderland’; Abacus Media Rights To Sell
Sky Arts has ordered four-part literary documentary series Wonderland. The Odyssey Television show, directed and produced by Adrian Munsey (E. M. Forster: His Longest Journey) looks at the pain behind the personal stories acclaimed children’s authors such as Arthur Ransome, A. A. Milne, J.M. Barrie, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll and Beatrix Potter. It will combine biography, literary extracts and moments from films made from their works. UK-based distributor Abacus Media Rights has taken worldwide sales rights.
London Creative Studio Launches Scripted TV Post-Production Arm
Soho creative studio Unit has launched a scripted TV post-production arm, Unit Scripted. The operation will offer end-to-end craft-led services such as color grading, online and online VFX. Post industry veterans Louise Stevenson, Dan Coles, Sion Penny and Greg Elston will oversee the division as Head of Scripted, Senior Colorist, Head of Online and Post-Producer, respectively.
Warner Bros Discovery Starts Production On Spanish TNT Original
Spanish comedy drama No Me Gusta Conductir has gone into production this week. The six-part Warner Bros Discovery series, which is for local channel TNT Spain, follows Juan Diego Botto as university professor trying to get a driving licence aged 40. It is based on the personal experiences of screenwriter and director Borja Cobeaga and will debut towards the end of this year. Sayaka Producciones is producing.
UK Producer Incubator Indielab Unveils 2022 Cohort
British indie producer incubator Indielab has revealed the 15 companies joining its cohort for this year. They comprise At Land Productions, Brown Bred Productions, Chalk Productions, Frieda, Goat Films, Gold Wala, Montrose Pictures, Osprey Television, Other Productions, Oxford Films Glasgow, Studio Crook, Studio Something, Telesgop, Tyrone Productions and Zandland Films. The fledgling companies will be provided with training in business planing and investment readiness and offer their bosses access to top-level UK figures.
