Former Disney Exec Ravi Ahuja Named Chairman of Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development

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Naman Ramachandran Struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s media and entertainment sector collapsed by nearly a quarter in 2020. But an industry study projects a robust rebound.The report, compiled annually by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and consulting firm EY, shows that sector revenues shrank by 24% to $18.9 billion in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Jonathan Smith, a co-exec producer of Cobra Kai, is sticking with Sony Pictures Television.

Sony Pictures is twitching its nose as it orders early development of a movie version of the classic Bewitched TV sitcom, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Bewitched ran for eight seasons on ABC, from 1964 to 1972 and starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, a witch who marries Darrin, a mortal (Dick York and later Dick Sargent), and attempts to become a typical suburban housewife.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has set a movie based on Bewitched, the classic TV series that starred Elizabeth Montgomery. Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, who ran the TV series MacGyver and 12 Monkeys, will write the script. John Davis and John Fox are producing through Davis Entertainment.

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Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorLego Ventures, the investment arm of the Danish toy company, named Cecilia Qvist, formerly Spotify’s global head of markets, as its new head.With Qvist’s appointment, Lego Ventures will boost its focus on two strategic investment spaces: digital play and “super-charging education,” Lego Group said in a statement.Qvist had joined Spotify in 2017 and oversaw the music and audio streamer’s global growth strategy in existing and new territories with a focus on

Jamie Lang In today’s Global Bulletin, Acorn TV greenlights “Queens of Mystery” season two; NATPE Budapest confirms in-person event in August; Lionsgate Play unveils “U-Special” — its second original series in India; ITV commissions relationship drama “You & Me”; Dave Johns joins the cast of “I’m Still Ethan”; and Mexico’s Dopamine creates a new in-house entertainment team.AMC Networks-owned streaming platform Acorn TV has renewed its Primetime Emmy-nominated British crime series “Queens of

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Her Lullaby” from Hong Kong and “The Catch” from India were the winners of the top fiction prizes at the 2021 edition of the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum.A total of 17 cash and in-kind prizes worth a combined HK$1,200,000 ($157,000) were awarded at the conclusion of the three day (March 15-17, 2021) project market, which was operated in parallel with the FilMart rights market.HAF returned to its regular March slot after the 2020 edition was first delayed

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video is making its first foray into Indian feature movie co-production with Bollywood film “Ram Setu,” starring Akshay Kumar.Directed by Abhishek Sharma (“Parmanu”) with Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi (“Prithviraj Chauhan”) as creative producer, the film is an action-adventure drama that is rooted in Indian cultural and historical heritage.

In a first for its Indian operations, Amazon Prime Video will act as co-producer on upcoming Hindi movie Ram Setu, which will be led by superstar Akshay Kumar.

Starz’s India-based streamer Lionsgate Play today announced its second original series, the college romantic drama U-Special.

the glaring lack of international inclusivity in the Grammys’ newly redubbed global music (formerly world music) category. In the category’s 38-year history, almost 80% of African nations have never had an artist nominated; no Middle Eastern or eastern European musician has ever won; every winner in the past eight years has been a repeat winner; and nearly two-thirds of the nominations have come from just six countries (the US, the UK, Brazil, Mali, South Africa, India).

EXCLUSIVE: MarVista Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights for the indie coming of age pic The Miseducation of Bindu directed by Prarthana Mohan and executive produced by Jay and Mark Duplass.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has tapped Oscar-nominated scribe Guillermo Arriaga to be the creative lead on “Yo No Soy Mendoza,” an SPT project Colombian writer-creator Fernando Gaitan was developing before he died unexpectedly in January 2019.Gaitan was best known for his Colombian aspirational telenovela “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” (“Ugly Betty”), deemed by the Guinness World Records as the most successful telenovela in history.“Ugly Betty” aired in some 180 countries, was

Ravi Ahuja, who left Disney at the end of last year, has been named Chairman of Global Television Studios at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development.

Jamie Lang In today’s Global Bulletin, Women In Motion launches a special International Women’s Day podcast featuring Jane Fonda and Jameela Jamil, Amazon Prime Video announces a new women-fronting original series in India, BritBox heads to Amazon Prime Channels in the U.K., Keshet International acquires three new titles ahead of the London TV Screenings, BBC One unveils new casting for “The Responder,” Young Films Foundation beefs up its writing talent scheme and Paramount Plus goes all in on

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefVeteran animation executive Steven Wendland has been appointed as president of Discreet Arts USA, the newly-launched offshoot of Indian animation firm Discreet Arts. The new unit is based in Burbank, California.He is expected to expand the company’s work-for-hire business while also developing a slate of original productions.

EXCLUSIVE: Mumbai-based Abundantia Entertainment, which has credits including the Amazon series Breathe and follow-up Breathe: Into The Shadows, has taken rights to the Indian young adult book Along Came A Spyder.