Scholastic Invests $186M In Children’s Entertainment Mainstay 9 Story Media Group

EXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade is realigning the company’s content and business operations into three groups, the Fox Television Network, Fox Entertainment Studios and sales arm Fox Entertainment Global.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox Entertainment is restructuring its operations into three divisions: network, studios and sales. As part of this re-org, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade has promoted Michael Thorn to president of Fox Television Network and upped Fernando Szew to head of Fox Entertainment Studios.

Kurt Badenhausen Longtime sports team owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have been actively investing in youth sports properties over the last two years. Now, the private equity titans are rolling up those assets into a new parent company, Unrivaled Sports.

K.J. Yossman Fremantle has completed its acquisition of global production studio Asacha Media Group, the company confirmed today. Fremantle acquired the group from founding partners, managers and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management Fremantle’s group COO and CEO for continental Europe Andrea Scrosati spearheaded the acquisition.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Acclaimed Chinese film director Chen Daming is expected to direct “The Peking Express,” a book-to-film adaptation of the story of an infamous train robbery that took place 100 years ago. The non-fiction book was written Beijing-based writer and lawyer James Zimmerman and was an ‘Editor’s Choice’ selection by the New York Times. It describes the raid on a luxury express train by Chinese bandits in Shandong Province in 1923 and the ensuing six-week hostage standoff that captivated the world.

Fremantle Completes Asacha Deal

YG Entertainment has refuted reports that it spent US$30million on BLACKPINK‘s contract renewals.According to a business report released by the company on March 22, YG Entertainment had stated a KRW41.2billion (about US$30million) sum for intangible assets last year.Per Korea JoongAng Daily, this is an accounting practice commonly used by music labels in South Korea when funds are needed for contract renewals. Of note, last year YG Entertainment had secured the contract renewal of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK for group activities, following a months-long negotiation process.However, YG Entertainment has since denied that all the funds were used for that purpose, in a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily. “There were various other contract renewals as well as new contracts formed over various intellectual property,” a YG Entertainment spokesperson said.The label added that it “cannot disclose the contract details”, but noted that “the amount in question cannot be considered exclusive to BLACKPINK’s contract extension”.In the same report, Korea JoongAng Daily also noted that YG Entertainment said that it is “planning” for group activities from BLACKPINK.

Hyphenate Media Group co-founders Cris Abrego and Eva Longoria have set the company’s executive leadership team. Jada Miranda will serve as President of Television, Karla Pita Loor as Chief Strategy Officer and Alex Chang as Chief Operating Officer. All executives will report to Abrego and Longoria.

William Earl Hyphenate Media Group, the production venture and holding company launched in October by Eva Longoria and Cris Abrego with backing from Banijay, has set its leadership team with the appointments of three senior executives. Jada Miranda, formerly of STX Entertainment, has been named president of television for the Los Angeles-based company headed by actor/director/producer Longoria and the veteran producer and TV executive Abrego.

Kim Kardashian has locked lips with another Hollywood star. The reality star is starring in season 12 of American Horror Story, where she plays the role of Emma Roberts’ publicist Siobhan Corbyn, and in the new American Horror Story: Delicate Part Two trailer, the A-listers lock lips.The trailer opens up with Roberts and Kardashian at a dinner table.

Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts share a kiss in the trailer for the second part of American Horror Story: Delicate.

Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts. Kardashian, 43, reprises her role on the Ryan Murphy-created show as Siobhan Corbyn, a best friend and publicist to Roberts’ Anna Victoria Alcott, an actress trying to become a mother after multiple failed attempts of IVF. “What would you give up for it?” Kardashian asks Robert while the duo are in a crowded room.

It’s looking bleak for Anna in her pursuit of motherhood in Part Two of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s American Horror Story: Delicate. FX has released the first trailer for the final episodes of the 12th installment of the anthology series, and not surprisingly, it features some shocking scenes.

CLC singer Seunghee has left long-time label CUBE Entertainment after nine years with the company.CLC’s Seunghee has been represented by CUBE Entertainment since 2015 both as a musician and actress. The company announced earlier today (March 20) that her contract with the label has since expired and has since left the company after nearly a decade with the K-pop agency.“We at CUBE Entertainment inform you that our exclusive contract with actor Oh Seung-hee, who has been with us for 9 years since March 2015, has ended,” reads the statement, which was released on the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the company’s subdivision for actors.“We express our deepest gratitude to Oh Seung-hee, who has displayed endless passion and talent as an artist under CUBE,” the label added.

NBCUniversal Media Group has promoted veteran executive David Pietrycha to the newly created position of Chief Business Officer, reporting into the group’s chairman, Mark Lazarus. 

Glastonbury has unveiled the line-up for its 2024 edition, with boyband SEVENTEEN set to be the first K-pop act to perform at the festival.Today (March 14), the iconic UK music festival announced its much-anticipated line-up for the upcoming 2024 edition, which will be held from June 26 to 30 this year at Worthy Farm in Pilton, England. Glastonbury 2024 will be headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain.Also on the bill for the main Pyramid Stage are South Korean boyband SEVENTEEN, who will become the first-ever K-pop act to perform at the iconic UK music festival.

EXCLUSIVE: Nowhere Special by director Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty, Still Life), and starring James Norton (Bob Marley: One Love, Little Women, Happy Valley), is set for theatrical release on April 26.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Scholastic is boosting its entertainment biz: The kids media and publishing company announced a $186 million deal to acquire full economic interest in 9 Story Media Group, a leading children’s content producer and distributor. Through the investment, Scholastic will acquire 100% of the economic interest in and a minority of voting rights in 9 Story Media, the animation studio behind TV shows including “Doc McStuffins” (pictured above), “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Octonauts,” “Wild Kratts” and “The Magic School Bus Rides Again.” The companies said the deal “solidifies” the more than two decades of collaboration between Scholastic Entertainment and 9 Story.

EXCLUSIVE: India-based animation producer Toonz Media House and New York’s Driver Studios have teamed for 3D-animated kids series The Blahs.

EXCLUSIVE: After a five-year run at the company and the recent acquisition of Oscar nominee Io Capitano, Robert Aaronson has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Cohen Media Group (CMG).