Former BBC Executive Michael Grade to Oversee U.K. Media Regulator Ofcom

Naman Ramachandran The BBC has acquired U.K. free-to-air rights of high profile crime drama “Tokyo Vice” (8 x 60’), which has a pilot episode directed by Michael Mann, from Endeavor Content. The BBC has second window rights for the U.K.

The BBC has acquired HBO Max’s Ansel Elgort-starring Tokyo Vice from Endeavor Content.

Plans to create a £26m food and drink venue at Media City have been scaled back, it has been revealed. Peel L&P’s revised proposals would now see the firm invest £5m to build a waterside venue at the Quayside shopping centre's southern walkway.

stop the privatisation of Channel 4 has reached over 50,000 signatures.On Monday (April 4), Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted her intentions to privatise the broadcaster under the belief that government ownership is “holding Channel 4 back” from competing against streaming platforms.She said selling the channel to a private owner would give it “the tools and freedom to flourish and thrive as a public service broadcaster long into the future”.The government is hoping to raise close to £1billion by selling the channel, with the money potentially being used to boost creative training and independent production companies.A Change.org petition has been launched in response by E.L McNally to stop the plans, which has received over 50,000 signatures at the time of writing.https://t.co/7WAxfcwBBn pic.twitter.com/WOpVXzjiYk— Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) April 4, 2022The petition, which has been shared by Matt Lucas, Edgar Wright and Neil Gaiman, reads: “I am appalled at the Government’s intention to privatise Channel 4.”It adds: “To privatise Channel 4 would seriously undermine programming aimed at all the communities, across generations, that make up this country.

BAFTA-nominated St. Trinian’s, Johnny English Reborn and An Ideal Husband director Oliver Parker has launched a production shingle with former Red Arrow Studios CEO James Baker and Metro International Partner Sam Parker, and the outfit is taking a packed slate to Mip TV.

K.J. Yossman Michael Grade, the foremost candidate to become U.K.

Naman Ramachandran “Floodlights,” a feature-length single drama for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer tells the story of Andy Woodward, the former professional soccer player whose revelations about the sexual abuse he suffered as a youth player sent shockwaves throughout the industry. In 2016, Woodward went public about sexual abuse by his youth coach, Barry Bennell.

BBC Greenlights Drama On Football Sexual Abuse Scandal; Nick Rowland & Matt Greenhalgh Attached

Trivium’s Matt Heafy has shared a heavy new collaboration with Gerard Way from his solo black metal project Ibaraki’s upcoming debut album, ‘Rashomon’.The new track, titled ‘Rōnin’, features screamed vocals from the My Chemical Romance frontman, as well as composition from Emperor’s Ihsahn. The nine-minute track also comes with a kaleidoscopic music video that sees two people being brainwashed and hypnotised.Watch the music video for ‘Rōnin’ below.Heafy revealed on Twitter that the track’s screamed vocals were performed entirely by Way, and were his “favourite moment” on the song.

British broadcasting heavyweight Michael Grade, who has overseen every major UK broadcaster, has been appointed Chair of media and broadcasting regulator Ofcom, bringing to an end an at-times controversial hiring process that has been running for more than a year.

BBC show welcomed guests Michael Buble and Gordon Ramsay on Thursday (March 24). The hosts were discussing Michael's former job as a 'singergram'. Michael said: "A singing telegram we call it.

Wilson Chapman editorCandle Media co-CEOs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs have been making waves in Hollywood for the past year as they hunt for content assets to acquire with the help of a bankroll from private executive giant Blackstone.The pair has mostly kept quiet about the venture, but Mayer sat down this month at the SXSW conference and festival in Austin, Texas, for a keynote session that featured his most expansive remarks to date on the new-model studio that he and Staggs are trying to build.In the conversation with MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan that was moderated by Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton, Mayer answered a number of key questions about how Candle Media intends to function — for one, it’s not a holding company nor an operating entity — and he detailed the vision for “social commerce” activity tied to such 360-media stars such as Reese Witherspoon, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. “We do have a vision for a modern creator economy business,” Mayer said.

Marta Balaga “Vikings” creator Michael Hirst takes on his childhood hero in “Billy the Kid.” Starring Tom Blyth as the legendary gunslinger, born Henry McCarty, the eight-episode series – co-produced by Epix Studios and MGM International Television Productions, in association with Viaplay – is currently screening at French TV festival Series Mania ahead of its April 24 premiere.“It’s probably true that you shouldn’t meet your heroes; I have met a couple of mine and it didn’t go particularly well. But what I want more than anything else is for people to love this Billy,” Hirst tells Variety in Lille.“Michael [Wright, president of Epix] allowed me to tell a story I wanted to tell, which doesn’t happen very often.

The new, splashy Broadway musical about Michael Jackson is going to moonwalk across America next year. "MJ," packed with dozens of songs by the King of Pop and others, plans to hit 17 major cities over two years starting in 2023.