Disney Strikes Deal for Sony to Take Over Its DVD, Blu-ray Disc Business

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock with you in London, where the TV world has decamped this week for a series of screenings. Read on, and sign up for the newsletter here.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios has bought British broadcaster ITV‘s 50% stake in streamer BritBox International for £255 million ($322 million), the companies revealed on Friday. The streamer was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between BBC Studios, which is the commercial arm of the British broadcaster, and ITV. “The transaction will provide net proceeds including loan repayments and accrued dividends and after tax of around £235 million,” the companies said.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “BMF” has been renewed for Season 4 at Starz, Variety has learned. The news comes ahead of the upcoming Season 3 premiere of the crime drama. Season 3 of the series will debut on March 1 at midnight on the Starz app before its linear network premiere at 8 p.m.ET/PT in the U.S.

Champagne Problems.“Hope this lady found out what song it is,” the fan who posted the footage teased.The innocent clip sparked a passionate response online, with thousands of diehard Swift fans saying the highly-coveted Eras tour ticket should have gone to a more passionate fan.“Damn I lost the battle to Ticketmaster and spent ($1,000) on an aftermarket ticket to this,” one commenter lamented.Another echoed: “I lost a ticket to THAT?” Her reaction was liked almost 10,000 times.The lion’s share of commenters, however, were glad to see another member joining the immense Swiftie fraternity.“This is actually so sweet – I’m sure she came with her daughter or someone and realized just how beautiful Taylor’s lyricism is,” one wrote.“Imagine her experience of falling in love with this masterpiece live for the first time – what a truly blessed experience she has,” added another.Others speculated the woman might have been a mother taking her child, hence her lack of knowledge of Swift’s back catalog.While not at the dizzying heights of popularity like other hits like Anti-Hero or Cruel Summer, the 2020 track in question appeared on eight global charts for 27 weeks after its release and peaked at six in Canada and Ireland.

EXCLUSIVE: Buoyed by the overperformance of music-driven films Bob Marley: One Love and Mean Girls, Paramount Pictures has slotted Better Man for an exclusive qualifying release on December 25, followed by a wide theatrical release on January 17 in the heat of awards season. The film is an original musical by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, based on the life and music of singer Robbie Williams.

BBC's Race Across the World is set to return to TV screens for a new series and the show is looking for intrepid duos of all ages to take a step into the unknown and embark on a epic race across land and sea.

Cancer patients in Scotland receive less cancer care than in other comparable countries, a new study has shown.

The Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival on Monday revealed 11 new recipients for its annual RE:Focus Fund, celebrating its fifth year of supporting filmmakers identifying as women, non-binary and/or trans. 

Major news today for Oscar-nominee To Kill a Tiger. Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas is joining the award-winning feature documentary as an executive producer, alongside Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, and other bold-faced names. The news comes as Netflix inks a deal to launch the film globally on its platform soon.

Jessica Mulroney is back on Canada’s social scene following her fallout with ex-best friend Meghan Markle.The Duchess of Sussex, 42, purportedly froze out the Canadian stylist, 43, after she was accused of exhibiting “white privilege” back in 2020 amid widespread Black Lives Matter marches. The scandal is said to have caused a rift between the pals, who had been close since 2011. Mulroney subsequently spent several years out of the spotlight, but has begun to more reassert herself more publicly in recent months.

In the latest sign of difficulty for niche streaming, Warner Bros. Discovery is shifting programming from its MotorTrend+ streaming service onto Max and Discovery+ and will shut down the stand-alone auto enthusiast app.

EXCLUSIVE: The Kumars are plotting a return — this time on American television. Fox has ordered a presentation for multi-camera comedy Meet The Kumars, a followup to the award-winning 2001 BBC series The Kumars At No. 42. Most of the original cast is back for the U.S.-flavored revival of the family sitcom/talk show.

UK office workers have been warned about a bed bug infestation that is spreading, with staff at one office being told to work from home.

Disney has reached a licensing deal with Sony under which the latter’s home entertainment division will handle all Disney releases on DVD and Blu-ray as well as all physical media production.

EXCLUSIVE: Buenos Aires-based Filmsharks has sold a series of its EFM titles, including Spanish horror pic The Boogeyman: The Origin of the Myth (El Hombre Del Saco) and a new 4K remastered version of the cult Argentinian thriller Nine Queens, to multiple international territories. 

Prince Harry has pronounced himself “willing to return to a temporary role within the British Royal Family, it has been reported in the UK media.

Nicky Tilsley is seemingly set to walk down the aisle in Coronation Street. But his comments to brother David Platt suggest he may not be as convinced as he first thought about marrying his partner Leanne Battersby.

And this was before her extremely generous and thoughtful donation for the victim’s family of the tragic parade shooting.

If you’ve got a ski trip or snowy holiday coming up and are looking for the perfect winter wardrobe, then you’re in luck as Meghan Markle has just given us some major fashion inspiration. Spotted in Canada for a program to promote next year’s winter Invictus Games, Meghan was seen in a beige quilted coat, paired with a black beanie and the real star of the show, a pair of Sorel’s faux-fur cuffed snow boots, currently on sale for £136.50 here.

EXCLUSIVE: France TV Distribution has posted new deals for French director Delphine Deloget’s custody battle drama All To Play For (Rien à perdre) starring Virgine Efira.