EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Play has landed another carriage deal in the Philippines.
20.03.2024 - 16:57 / variety.com
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Pocket FM, a fast-growing audio entertainment startup based in India, said it banked $103 million in Series D funding as it looks to boost its presence in the U.S. and expand into Europe and Latin America. The round — which brings Pocket FM’s total funding to date to $196.5 million — was led by previous investor Lightspeed Ventures with participation from StepStone Group.
Other investors include Tencent, Times Internet, Tanglin Venture Partners, Goodwater Capital and Naver. The company said the new funding will strengthen its push into the U.S. market and also support global expansion into Europe and LatAm markets in 2024.
Launched in 2018, Pocket FM focuses on producing original and unique audio series across multiple genres including romance, horror, thriller and drama. It offers some series or episodes for free, with others available for in-app purchase in its apps for iOS and Android. Pocket FM claims its library comprises more than 100,000 hours of content, including over 2,000 exclusive audio series and more than 400,000 episodes across genres and languages.
The company said it has an annual revenue run rate of more than $150 million (including more than $100 million in the U.S.) and recorded over 20 million transactions in 2023. Globally, listeners spend an average of over 115 minutes daily listening to Pocket FM content, according to the company. U.S.
EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Play has landed another carriage deal in the Philippines.
Jeff Bezos continues making colossal investments, and his latest acquisition in Miami is no exception. Reports have emerged that Bezos, with an alleged net worth of $203.7 billion, has splurged a staggering $90 million on a third mansion on the exclusive Indian Creek Island, further solidifying his status as one of the area’s most prominent residents.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Kurt Sutter‘s upcoming western series “The Abandons” is rounding out its cast. Variety has learned exclusively that Ryan Hurst, Michael Greyeyes, Michiel Huisman, and Toby Hemingway have all joined the Netflix series in recurring roles. Exact character details are being kept under wraps.
BBC Studios Launches First Kids Streamer In Korea
Indian director-producer Karan Johar wrapped up the conference section of the first Cinevesture International Film Festival with a lively conversation that ranged from working with the right people and Bollywood’s shifting gender politics, to letting slip a few new projects from his Dharma Productions slate.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After three days of release, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” stands as the third-highest-grossing movie of the year. It has collected a mighty $194 million globally in its opening weekend, ranking behind only “Dune: Part Two” ($626 million after five weeks of release) and “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($347 million after four weeks of release) in terms of overall ticket sales. The monster mashup, from Warner Bros.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Dev Patel makes his feature directorial debut with the upcoming action movie “Monkey Man,” which blew the roof off SXSW earlier this month and earned strong reviews, but getting the film made was no walk in the park. During a Reddit AMA ahead of the film’s April theatrical release, Patel told fans that directing, acting in and producing “Monkey Man” was “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life” because “everyday we faced absolute catastrophe.” “I begged our financier not to shut us down a few weeks before principal photography,” Patel wrote.
Busan Hires Deputy Director
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Mother’s Day weekend 2019 marked a turning point in the young life of Madhuri Shekar. It all started two years before with a phone call from a woman named Kate Navin, then head of theater for Audible. Navin said she’d recently been armed with money to develop original works from emerging play- wrights, and she was calling to offer Shekar, just a year out of Juilliard, the chance to write.
Following the axing of Top Gear, hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris have set their sights on their next TV project.The duo - who hosted Top Gear with Fredie Flintoff - are set to reunite in new BBC series Chris & Paddy: Roadtrip. Paddy, 50, and Chris, 49, will head out on new adventures across Europe in the programme, which will reportedly kick off in spring, according to The Sun.
Naman Ramachandran The first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival and market (Chandigarh, March 27-31) will feature a range of masterclasses and panels headlined by a range of luminaries including filmmakers Shekhar Kapur (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”) and Karan Johar (“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”). The lineup also includes actors Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”), Roshan Mathew (“Paradise”), Suvinder Vicky (“Kohrra”), Rajshri Deshpande (“Trial by Fire”), Boman Irani (“Dunki”), Rasika Dugal (“Mirzapur”), Abhay Deol (“Trial by Fire”), actor-producers Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal (“Girls Will be Girls”), filmmakers Tahira Kashyap (“Sharmajee Ki Beti”), Sudhir Mishra (“Tanaav”), Ajitpal Singh (“Tabbar”), Anurag Singh (“Kesri”) and Saugata Mukherjee, head of content at streamer SonyLiv.
Shares of Paramount Global popped in afternoon trade on a report that Apollo Global has made an $11 billion bid for the company’s film and TV studio. The private equity giant has been in and out of the mix of suitors, which also include David Ellison‘s Skydance Media and Byron Allen.
Scripted formats were placed front and center of BBC Studios’ panel at Series Mania, as the Doctor Who seller confirmed it is making up to three more versions of Ghosts and has bought Spain’s Brutal Media.
Naman Ramachandran Prime Video has revealed a title and the extended cast for the Indian instalment of “Citadel,” the espionage action series created by the Russo brothers. The Indian series within the “Citadel” universe will be called “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” As previously announced, Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu will lead the cast. Prabhu will play Honey and Dhawan portray Bunny.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Beverley McGarvey has been appointed president of Network 10, head of streaming and regional lead for Australia and New Zealand, with immediate effect by Paramount Global. She reports to Pam Kaufman, president & CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences at the group.
A Netflix docuseries featuring the youngest No.1 player in tennis history Carlos Alcaraz will premiere in 2025.
The Prince of Wales looked smart in a tuxedo as he arrived at the Science Museum in London this evening (Thursday, 14 March) to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Diana Legacy Award and present the prizes to 20 lucky winners. Prince Harry will also appear at the event via video call from Montecito and will congratulate this year's inspirational winners.The Diana Award was created to keep Diana, Princess of Wales' belief alive that young people can make the world a better place.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Paramount Global has sold its 13% ownership stake in TV and streaming company Viacom18 to Reliance Industries for $517 million. Reliance was already the majority owner of Viacom18. The pact comes two weeks after Disney and Reliance Industries announced a blockbuster $8.5 billion deal merging their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses.
Paramount Global has sold its 13% equity interest in Viacom18 Media to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries for the equivalent $517 million.
Naman Ramachandran Revered Indian actor Waheeda Rehman, who was accorded the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor, last year, has donated her personal memorabilia to the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for preservation. Rehman, the 86-year-old grande dame of Indian cinema, has worked with most of the legendary filmmakers of her country during her career and the roles she chose were in films that are considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema.