Paramount+ Sets International Rollout Plans for Ad Tier, Premium Offers in Australia and Canada, Among Other Markets

Australian actor and singer Johnny Ruffo, famed for playing Chris Harrington in Home and Away, has sadly passed away aged 35 following a lengthy battle with brain cancer. The former Home and Away actor and X Factor contestant tragically passed away on Friday 10 November at a hospital in Sydney surrounded by his family and partner Tahnee Sims. News of Johnny's passing was shared on his Instagram account and his heartbroken celeb pals have flooded the comment section with their emotional tributes.

Plans for a new tourist attraction in a West Lothian village were set out at a special exhibition for locals.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was shot and stabbed in Salford. A 34-year-old man was rushed to hospital with a gunshot injury and stab wounds following an incident at a property on Norfolk Street, Walkden, at around 6.30pm on Saturday November 4.

EXCLUSIVE: Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Cesar nominee Lucie Zhang (Paris, 13th District) are set to star in Jenny Suen’s English language feature debut Peaches, which Coco Francini (Fingernails) will produce and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton will executive-produce for Dirty Films.

The Weeknd has postponed his forthcoming Australia and New Zealand stadium tour due to “unforeseen circumstances”.The singer was due to kick off his ‘After Hours til Dawn Tour’ in just two weeks at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on November 20 before calling at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and Eden Park in Auckland over the remaining 10 shows. But they have now been pushed back.“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we must reschedule the Australia/New Zealand tour,” a statement from The Weeknd said (via IQ).

IMAX is continuing its expansion drive, this time in Australia and Germany via an agreement with Oz-based exhibitor EVT for five new state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser systems in the two markets. Under the deal, EVT will integrate a new IMAX screen in an Event Cinemas location in Sydney, as well as at four CineStar locations in Germany.

To comply with European regulators after getting on the wrong side of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Meta said today it will be offering users in the EU, EEA and Switzerland the option of paying a monthly subscription fee to use Facebook and Instagram without any ads.

Naman Ramachandran Australia and New Zealand company Via Vision Entertainment is expanding its media distribution business with the launch of the Imprint Asia label. The brand will be launching with a host of new films including Cui Rui and Liu Xiang’s box office smash “Lost In The Stars,” Larry Yang’s action comedy “Ride On,” starring Jackie Chan and sci-fi epic “The Wandering Earth 2” starring Andy Lau. In addition to the new release slate there will be ongoing classic releases with new restorations and extras produced for physical media collectors including Chen Kaige’s “The Emperor and The Assassin” (1998) and “Farewell My Concubine” (1992), Tsui Hark’s “The Legend of Zu” (2001) and Kei Kumai’s “The Sea is Watching” (2002), which is co-written by Akira Kurosawa.

Emily Longeretta Kelly Severide is coming back to the firehouse. Taylor Kinney, who left “Chicago Fire” midway through Season 11, will be back for the upcoming 12th season, Variety confirms. It’s not yet determined how many episodes he will appear in.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Elvis Lenić has picked up the coveted Opus Bonum award for Best World Documentary for his latest work “Ship” at Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival. He also got to say goodbye to a place that has defined his life.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Amazon MGM Studios, the renamed joint venture of Amazon Studios and MGM, has acquired rights to James Ponti’s popular children’s book series “City Spies” and is developing a film based on the first novel. The idea is for the initial installment to launch a global franchise, described by the company as a “four-quadrant action-adventure that will delight audiences of all ages and as a universe-building property for the studio.” The story follows a 12-year-old coding prodigy, who is recruited by an eccentric MI6 agent to join the City Spies, a team of kids from around the world who feel unnoticed in their own lives.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Funny Birds,” an heartwarming comedy-drama starring Andrea Riseborough, Catherine Deneuve and Morgan Saylor, has sold in key territories in the run up to the AFM. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the movie is directed by Marco La Via and Hanna Ladoul.

Former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman handed over a tranche of WhatsApp messages to the inquiry but has denied deleting any. The ex-MSP gave officials phone data but it is understood that not all had been retained.

EXCLUSIVE: In the world of Highlander reboots, there can still only be one…and it’s a good one at that.

EXCLUSIVE: SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said it on the picket lines earlier today, and now it seems that “cautious optimism,” as an insider also stated, has become the takeaway term Thursday for the state of talks between the guild and the studios.

Paramount+ said Monday that it will roll out its Premium tier subscriptions in Australia, Canada, Brazil and Mexico on November 16, with more international markets to follow.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has submitted plans to build a fence around his country home following a protest by Greenpeace activists earlier this year.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Nadav Palti is about to mark his 20th year as CEO of Dori Media, the prolific Israeli production and distribution firm headquartered in Tel Aviv. Earlier this month, Palti and Dori executives from Argentina, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, Singapore and other locations were busy preparing to bring the company’s largest-ever slate of TV shows and movies to pitch to global buyers. Everything changed on Oct.

Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro’s breakup shocked fans and was one of the biggest celebrity splits this year. The former engaged couple has seemingly spent their lives apart since they shared the news in July.

EXCLUSIVE: Ted Sarandos may have insisted today that he and other studio CEOs want to end the over three-month long actors strike and “get everyone back to work,” but for SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, the Netflix boss is full of nothing but hot air.