Nippon TV and Disney Strike Local Content and Co-Production Deal

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCBS News hasn’t put the same kind of spotlight on weather as many of its rivals, but that may all be about to change as quickly as a shift in the wind.The Paramount Global news unit is teaming with The Weather Channel to bring more reporting on weather and climate to CBS News programs including “CBS Mornings” and “The CBS Evening News,” as well as the division’s streaming efforts. Some of the most popular Weather Channel personalities — including Stephanie Abrams, Jim Cantore and Mike Bettes — are likely to turn up on CBS News programs in reports that originate from Weather Channel’s Atlanta headquarters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefGlobal streamer Netflix has expanded its slate of unscripted entertainment programming in Japan. The company says it has 15 shows in the comedy, reality television and documentary genres in different stages of development.

‘Fortnite’ is no stranger to crossovers and collaborations, and it all started with ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War’ where you could play as Thanos, but since then we’ve seen Japanese Pro Tennis player Naomi Osaka, multiple Disney properties including Star Wars, and Ariana Grande holding concerts in-game. 

Numerous Emmerdale fans were brought to tears on Monday night after much-loved character Marlon Dingle suffered a tragic stroke. Mark Charnock, who has played the Yorkshire chef since first joining the show 25 years ago, has been praised nationwide for his heart-wrenching acting skills during the episode when the dramatic scenes unfolded. And Mark's surreal portrayal seems to have hit home in particular with This Morning host Phillip Schofield, who has commended him for his astonishing performance.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLaysla De Oliveira will star alongside Zoe Saldaña in the upcoming Paramount Plus series “Lioness” from Taylor Sheridan, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), described as a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, who is recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Saldaña will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives. The series is set to go into production in June.De Oliveira currently stars in the Netflix series “Locke & Key,” with the third season of that series set to debut later in 2022.

Naman Ramachandran Heavily localized content complementing a wealth of new and library offerings out of the U.S. is very much the modus operandi for HBO Max in Europe.The WarnerMedia-backed streamer, which will soon be combined with Discovery Plus, rolled out recently to 13 countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), as well as Portugal and the Netherlands, with Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to follow later this year.

Vijay Subramaniam, the former Amazon India and Disney India executive, has launched an independent venture that will develop, produce and finance content for the Indian market.

K.J. Yossman Film Mode Entertainment has inked a multi-project distribution deal with Australian director/producer Luke Sparke’s company Sparke Films.Among the titles Film Mode will represent worldwide are Sparke’s upcoming projects “Weapons of Choice,” a television adaptation of John Birmingham’s World War Two trilogy “Axis of Time” and “Primitive War,” a horror feature franchise based on Ethan Pettus’ book series.Film Mode will also handle worldwide sales rights for “Occupation: Rainfall 2” and “Occupation: Rainfall 3” – the third and fourth films in Sparke’s franchise – as well as a number of other projects still in development.

sequel,. While speaking to ET, Nicol reflects on a decade of playing the cook in charge of the downstairs kitchen staff in the acclaimed British drama and what inspired her return to the stage. Created by Julian Fellowes, first launched in the U.K. in 2010 before quickly becoming an international sensation, thanks to its captivating stories about the lives upstairs versus downstairs at the Crawley family estate in Yorkshire county in the early 1900s.

Marlon Dingle will face a health shock in Emmerdale next week when he suffers a stroke.

DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter opened tonight’s DGA Awards gala with a history lesson and a look ahead at the “exceptional challenges” facing the guild next year when it begins negotiations for a new film and TV contract. The guild’s current contract, reached just days before the Covid pandemic shut down production across the country, is set to expire June 30, 2023.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIn a move that befits the streaming era, Japan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System Television is looking to make itself more of an international force. It will invest in more international shows and strike new coproduction partnerships.The company unveiled its new strategy on Friday at the South By South West (SXSW) festival in the U.S.It followed ten months on from the launch of TBS’s Vision 2030 program which sought to increase content spending, launch a new division and expand into related areas such as licensing.

Andrew Barker Senior Features WriterWhen the Directors Guild of America’s annual awards gets underway March 12, there will be a number of changes from years previous. Most obviously, the ceremony will finally be held in person at the Beverly Hilton, after two straight years of virtual celebrations.

K.J. Yossman Leading Latin American animation studio PinGuim Content have inked a deal with LA-based sales agent MultiVisionnaire Pictures to represent “Tarsilinha” internationally.“Tarsilinha” is the award-winning animated children’s feature based on the whimsical worlds created by Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral.

Hilary Krane has been appointed as CAA’s Chief Legal Officer, overseeing all corporate legal matters, including those related to strategic business initiatives, mergers & acquisitions, and international expansion, among other areas.  She most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel at NIKE, Inc.

EXCLUSIVE: Cory Nieves, the teen wunderkind baker and owner of Mr. Cory’s Cookies, is to host a competition reality series as part of a partnership between Intentional Content and Wise Miller Productions.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Power Book IV: Force” has been renewed for Season 2 at Starz.The third spinoff of the original “Power” to debut on Starz, the series saw Joseph Sikora return as Tommy Egan, who leaves New York and finds himself caught up in the Chicago drug game. The series also stars Isaac Keys, Lili Simmons, Gabrielle Ryan, Shane Harper, Kris D.

Selome Hailu Pop! Six! Squish! Uh-uh! Cicero … Tax credits!The 2002 film “Chicago” brought the stage musical and the song “Cell Block Tango” to the big screen.It also helped revolutionize the industry. When the Rob Marshall-directed movie debuted to critical and commercial success, Chicago Mayor Richard M.