RTS London Unveils Lineup & Warner Bros Discovery’s Priya Dogra As Chair
Priya Dogra, the big winner in the recent Warner Bros Discovery international reshuffle, will chair this year’s Royal Television Society (RTS) London Convention entitled The Fight For Attention, with bosses of all the major channels addressing the event. The day of talks and sessions is the first to be principally sponsored by the newly-combined entity. Dogra, who was recently promoted to become President & Managing Director for EMEA in a major reshuffle, will set the tone for the one-day convention featuring keynotes from BBC Director General Tim Davie, ITV CEO Carolyn McCall, Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon and Sky Executive Vice President & CEO, UK & Europe, Stephen van Rooyen. More speakers are incoming for the event, which moves between London and Cambridge each year. “With more choice than ever before of what to watch and how to watch it, the fight for consumer attention between broadcasters, streamers and other types of entertainment is changing the way we create, compete, and collaborate,” said Dogra “Our collective response to this shifting landscape will have a profound impact on the shape of our industry, the stories we tell and the rewards for success over the years to come.”
Starzplay Acquires ‘Queer As Folk’ Reboot For UK & Others
Starzplay has acquired Peacock’s reboot of cult Channel 4 hit Queer as Folk for the UK and other territories. The remake of Russell T Davies’ classic will land in Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Latin America, Luxembourg, Spain, Netherlands and the Nordics in July, along with the UK, where the original was created. Penned by Stephen Dunn, Universal Content Productions’ remake stars Grey’s Anatomy’s Devin Way and The Gifted’s Fin Argus and features the likes of Kim Cattrall. The show moves from Manchester to New Orleans, where the main characters’ lives are transformed after a tragedy. The original aired in the late 90s on Channel 4 and propelled the likes of Davies and lead Aidan Gillen to success.
Red Sea Film Foundation Reveals CEO
The Red Sea Film Foundation has appointed Chairman of the Committee Mohammed Al Turki as CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. Al Turki joined the Red Sea Foundation in 2020 to support the development of the film industry in the country and the festival’s mission to champion emerging Saudi and Arab talent. As CEO, he will spearhead the growth of the festival, building on the success of the inaugural edition that welcomed more than 30,000 filmgoers along with 3,155 industry professionals last year. Al Turki has worked as a producer during a 12-year career in both Hollywood and the Arab world. His credits include Ramin Bahrani’s 2014 drama 99 Homes and Nicholas Jarecki’s 2021 thriller Crisis. The next edition of the Red Sea Film Festival will be held in December this year.
‘Three Identical Strangers’ Exec Tom Barry Heads To Sky
Three Identical Strangers exec Tom Barry has joined Sky’s factual commissioning team. The Raw TV Director of Programmes, UK Factual, becomes Commissioning Editor under Poppy Dixon and will order shows for the recently-launched Sky Documentaries channel, along with Sky Crime and Sky Nature. During a seven-year stint at All3Media-backed Don’t Fuck With Cats producer Raw, he exec produced BAFTA-nominated hit CNN doc Three Identical Strangers along with the likes of Stanley Tucci; Searching for Italy, Eva Longoria; Searching for Mexico and Paddy and Christine McGuinness; Our Family and Autism. “I have enviously watched the projects Poppy and her team have commissioned in such a short time from afar and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join such a vibrant team,” he said. Elsewhere, Sky Arts has commissioned Liam Gallagher 48 Hours At Rockfield, in which the former Oasis star heads to the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales with his sons, Lennon and Gene for 48 hours of music, memories and mayhem.
