Fremantle has struck a deal with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to develop a slate of European projects adapted from Spanish, Italian and English-language stories with existing global fandoms.
28.04.2022 - 15:25 / deadline.com
Comcast began 2022 on a strong note, reporting first-quarter results ahead of Wall Street expectations with highlights including ad revenue from Super Bowl LVI and the Beijing Olympics.
Total revenue climbed 14% from the year-earlier period to $31.01 billion, while earnings per share came in at 86 cents, up 13%.
Wall Street analysts’ consensus estimates were for earnings of 80 cents a share and revenue of $30.5 billion.
NBCUniversal had a powerful quarter, with revenue jumping 47% to $10.3 billion. That tally included $1.5 billion of incremental revenue from the Beijing Olympics and the Super Bowl, both in February. The Games brought in $963 million, while the Super Bowl drew $519 million. Excluding that windfall, media revenue still went up 7%.
Universal Pictures also had a strong quarter, with Sing 2 and licensing activity driving a 15% increase in revenue to $2.8 billion. Comparisons were favorable, as theaters were largely still closed in the first quarter of 2021. Theme parks followed a similar trajectory, coming back to life after a dormant first quarter a year ago.
In the cable division, Comcast shed another 512,000 video customers to reach 17.7 million by the end of the quarter. Results still climbed on the top and bottom line thanks to ongoing strength in broadband and a net increase in customer relationships.
Sky revenue for Sky dipped 4.5% to $4.8 billion, and excluding the impact of currency, revenue was flat with a year earlier. Comcast cited lower content revenue, higher ad revenue, and consistent direct-to-consumer revenue.
Adjusted EBITDA for Sky shot up 71% to $622 million in the quarter, thanks to resets in sports rights in Italy and Germany.
New and returning series on broadcast, cable and streaming
Series that
Fremantle has struck a deal with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to develop a slate of European projects adapted from Spanish, Italian and English-language stories with existing global fandoms.
Sky has unveiled one of its biggest factual slates yet, greenlighting six shows including documentaries on the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and the Italian 1990 football World Cup, and a royal factual drama told through the eyes of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters.
K.J. Yossman Eurovision fans have been left crushed after ticket re-selling site Viagogo failed to deliver tickets to the finals, which takes place tonight in Turin, Italy.Among those left out of pocket was Hila from Israel (she asked that Variety withhold her last name for privacy reasons).
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentSince Cinecittà Studios was founded in 1937, the sprawling facilities have driven the golden age of Cinema Italiano.The famed city of cinema has also, albeit intermittently, been a magnet for international productions and endured wild fluctuations in the country’s political climate, before recently reemerging as a new frontier for the country’s film and TV industry.Located in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, a short ride from the center of Rome and its airports, Italy’s top production hub has to date, hosted more than 3,000 films that have earned 53 Oscars.During the period following World War II, the studios forged close ties to Hollywood, which helped the Italian industry gain its international standing. The myriad Italian pics made at the studios range from Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960) and “8½” (1963) to Nanni Moretti’s “Sogni D’Oro” (1981), Sergio Leone’s epic “Once Upon a Time in America” (1984), Giuseppe Tornatore’s “The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean” (1998) Paolo Sorrentino’s “Il Divo” (2008) and, more recently, his TV series “The New Pope” in 2019.
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItaly’s iconic Cinecittà Studios turn 85 this year and it’s never looked so young.The famed facilities, which in their Hollywood-on-the-Tiber heyday hosted sword-and-sandals epics such as William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” and were later home to Federico Fellini, are undergoing a major overhaul that now sees Europe’s largest LED wall situated on the lot near Fellini’s huge Studio 5.Known as Cinecittà’s T18 Virtual Production Stage, the 412-square-meter (4,434-sq.-ft.) semicircular screen made up of hundreds of high-def displays that serve as interactive backdrops for actors on a smart set, is one of more than a dozen state-of-the art soundstages being built there thanks to a multimillion-euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund. The revamp is being spearheaded by Nicola Maccanico, managing director of Italy’s Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the state film entity that operates Rome’s expanding Cinecittà Studios.
EXCLUSIVE: The anticipated reboot of cult classic The Crow is heading to the Cannes market with FilmNation Entertainment where it will be among the hot packages.
Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez has shared new adorable photos of their baby girl and announced her sweet name. Georgina, 28, welcomed their daughter in April this year, but sadly shared the tragic death of their baby's twin brother as they said at the time: "It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away." They've now shared that her gorgeous moniker is Bella Esmeralda while posting a photo of the tot appearing to smile as she slept, wearing a Moschino babygrow.
It runs in the family! Jessica Biel revealed that her two sons, 7-year-old Silas and 2-year-old Phineas, inherited their father Justin Timberlake’s love of music.
Good evening and welcome to the Monday night news briefing.
Comedian Bill Burr didn't think Gina Carano's firing from "The Mandalorian" was a "fair move." Burr worked alongside Carano on "The Mandalorian" until she was fired by Disney. Carano continuously received backlash online over controversial tweets.The final straw occurred when the actress compared the current divide in American politics to Nazi Germany. The actress didn't apologize for her tweets.
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentCinecittà CEO Nicola Maccanico, who is a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, is implementing a major upgrade and expansion of the iconic Rome studios where he recently installed Europe’s largest LED Wall on the lot near the large Studio 5 that was once Federico Fellini’s second home.
Access Hollywood, Jessica Biel reflected on her upcoming 10-year anniversary with pop icon Justin Timberlake. She said: As Jessica Biel said, they’ve had their fair share of challenges including a brief break-up before their engagement, plus some Britney Spears-related controversy. But in an industry where relationships can grow, crash, and burn in the time it takes to scroll down a Twitter feed, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have managed to thrive for over a decade.
Jessica Biel has revealed details of her marriage with Justin Timberlake. The couple wed in 2012 in a lavish ceremony in Italy and have have two sons — Silas, 7 and Phineas, 2. In an interview with Access Hollywood, the 40-year-old Biel revealed the "ups and downs" they have in their marriage, adding she’s the "happiest" she’s ever been. Jessica Biel says she and husband Justin Timberlake experience "ups and downs" like everybody. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) "I sometimes feel like 10 years has just flown by in the blink of an eye, and other times I feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, 10 years, that’s a really substantial amount of someone’s life,'" Biel shared.
“Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.” That story has been spun into a new scripted series, “The Offer,” premiering Thursday onParamount+. It tells the story of the making of “The Godfather” from the perspectiveof the film’s producer, Al Ruddy, a former Rand Corporation computer programmer who found success in Hollywood after successfully pitching the idea for the show “Hogan’s Heroes.”“I spent about two to three weeks interviewing Al Ruddy,” said Michael Tolkin, creator and writer of the series.