Spin Master, Netflix Bet on ‘Unicorn Academy’ Kids’ Adventure Series Through 2025

Netflix teased its slate of European series, including part 3 of its hit heist show “Lupin,” starring Omar Sy, during its showcase at Series Mania in Lille. The panel was attended by Katja Hofem from Germany, Damien Couvreur from France and Jenny Stjernströmer Björk from the Nordics, who each discussed their editorial strategies. The streamer also announced season 2 of its off-beat comedy series “Represent” starring Cesar-winning actor-director Jean-Pascal Zadi (“Tout simplement noir”) as an ordinary man from a project becomes President of France. The show, whose French title is “En Place,” launched earlier this year and was one of the service’s biggest local hits. Other new French titles in the pipeline include “Thicker than Water,” “Tapie,” “Fury” and “Anthracite.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti, who played Dr. Andrew DeLuca on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is set to star in “Inganno,” Netflix’s Italian adaptation of the U.K. TV series “Gold Digger” that starts shooting this week on the Amalfi coast. The taboo-breaking show – which was dubbed a “toyboy thriller” by the British press – depicts the passionate and turbulent relationship between an older woman and a man who is half her age. In this case the affair disrupts and subverts Italian social and family norms. A “Gold Digger” adaptation for Indian audiences is also reportedly in the works. “Inganno,” which means “deceit” in Italian, is being directed by Neapolitan auteur Pappi Corsicato whose “The Seed of Discord” competed at the Venice Film Festival in 2008. Corsicato’s visual style is often compared to Pedro Almodovar, of whom he has been an assistant.

Savannah Chrisley has a newfound respect for single parents as she rejoins the dating scene while taking care of her younger siblings after her parents, Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, were sentenced to prison.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MALAGA, Spain —  “My Parents’ Great Bazar,” from “Ane is Missing” co-scribe Marina Parés, bio “Costus,” on the iconic Madrid Movida artists, and “Villa Futuro,” a queer old age drama from “Locked Up” star Alberto Velasco, all feature among eight winners of Tell Us the Stories That Nobody Tells, a diversity drive contest for movies and TV shows backed by Netflix and Dama, the Spanish audiovisual authors’ rights collection body. Announced Wednesday at an awards ceremony hosted by the Malaga Film Festival, the winners of the competition, which forms part of the partners’ Cambio de Plano initiative, will receive €6,000 ($6,348) a piece. 

Netflix‘s popular K-drama series The Glory has officially become the streaming platform’s most-watched release of the week.This is according to Netflix’s latest weekly list of Top 10 most-viewed TV shows and movies of the week for the week of March 6 to 12. The revenge-thriller series racked up over 124million hours viewed, and ranked in the Top 10 in 79 countries globally.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Running March 13-17, the Málaga Festival’s Mafiz-Spanish Screenings Content weigh in this year as one of the biggest dedicated Spanish movie platforms in history, boasting also a strong line in Latin American arthouse projects and productions. 10 Takes as the event kicks off, blessed by early Spring sunshine, in the Andalusian city: XXXL In 2022, super-sized by the Spanish Screenings Content, part of Spain’s €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) AVS Spain Hub, a vibrant Mafiz, the Malaga Film Festival industry area, fair exploded, delivering  a sterling confirmation of Spain’s build as a fiction force in a platform age, aided by robust state sector backing. This year, Mafiz looks even larger. At 1,560 delegates and counting as of March 6, Mafiz is tracking to pass 2022’s final attendance figure of around 1,600, Juan Antonio Vigar, Málaga Festival director told Variety. Participants come from 62 countries, up from 53 last year. “The event’s consolidation is clear,” Vigar added. “It makes us feel that the work we do is useful for the sector,” he adds. 

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the nation’s biggest telecommunications companies is betting that college sports will keep it connected to consumers. AT&T will remain a top-tier sponsor of NCAA athletic events through the 2024-2025 academic year, having signed a deal to extend its pact with the massive college-sports league. AT&T has been an NCAA “corporate champion” since 2001, and unveils the extension just as the NCAA’s 2023 “March Madness” basketball tournament is kicking off.. “We love the audience size,” says Kellyn Kenny, chief marketing and growth officer of AT&T, in an interview, speaking of the basketball championship event. “It does a really nice job of attracting an audience that is fairly diverse — it’s young, it’s GenZ, and has a bunch of business decision makers.”

Luis Miguel. The seasoned and beloved singer is getting ready for his world tour and appears to be settling in in Madrid, where he spends most of his time. According to sources near to him, this willingness to spend time in Spain appears to be linked with his relationship with Paloma Cuevas.

Reed Hastings just made a bold claim: That Netflix is the “biggest builder of cross-European culture.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie both returned to their duties on NBC’s “Today” after dealing with personal challenges that kept both anchors off air for several days. Kotb, who had been off the program for abouttwo weeks, told viewers Monday that her youngest daughter had been in intensive care in the hospital for an undisclosed illness, but had recently returned home. Guthrie had to leave the program abruptly last week after discovering she had a new coronavirus infection. The two anchors addressed their absences early in the program, during the broadcast’s opening minutes. The departure of the show’s regular co-anchors came after “Today’ defeated ABC rival “Good Morning America” in the critical advertiser-favored demographic — people between 25 and 54 — for the first time in five weeks. “Today” and “GMA” are locked in an eternal battle for dominance among A.M. audiences ,but “Today,” which once dominated its rival in the advertiser demo, has been trying to parry against an incursion by “GMA” in the category.

Jet2 has warned holidaymakers travelling to two Spanish destinations that they may face some “disruption” due to walkouts by ground handling staff. Throughout March and into April staff with ground handler Swissport will go on strike several days a week at Barcelona and Lanzarote airports.

Brits usually head to Spain for sunshine and sandy beaches, yet the country has been hit by heavy snow showers as Storm Juliette batters parts o f the country. Temperatures have dropped to as low as -16C in Spain while the Balearic island of Majorca has been especially hard hit.

Many Brits will already be planning their summer getaways, but travel expert Simon Calder has shared a useful tip to know when booking your trip, which could help holidaymakers save up to £1,000 for a family of four. Simon appeared on ITV’s Lorraine where he issued guidance as part of his summer holiday clinic.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie had to leave the show Tuesday morning for an unwanted assignment: recuperating from a third coronavirus infection. Guthrie left the NBC News program sometime before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, NBC News disclosed during the broadcast. “By the way, it has been an interesting morning for us. As we said, Savannah left early, she wasn’t feeling great, so she took a COVID test,” said Sheinelle Jones, filling in for Guthrie and her co-host Hoda Kotb, who has been off the show for the past several days for an undisclosed reason. “It came back positive. So, as soon as we found out, she rushed home to rest up. So Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery.”

Netflix has teamed with The Pokémon Company on a stop-motion animated series marking 17 years since the release of the firstPokémon game. Scroll down for a teaser.

EXCLUSIVE: Following bidding wars in multiple territories, A24 has sold Past Lives, probably the year’s most critically acclaimed new film, to a raft of key territories.

AJ Tracey has announced the launch of a limited edition t-shirt, with proceeds going to Turkey and Syria earthquake relief.The rapper shared a post on his social media, writing that all proceeds from sales would go to Islamic Relief. The charity is providing aid to those affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6.“Special t-shirt drop to help with the aid in Türkiye and Syria,” he wrote on Twitter and Instagram.

Emiliano De Pablos Madrid-based Aquí y Allí Films, one of Spain’s most successful auteur movie production houses, is joining forces with popular Spanish actor turned writer-director Daniel Guzmán (“Nothing in Return,” “Canallas”) to produce drama thriller “La deuda.” Backed by Spain’s pay TV giant Movistar+ and public broadcaster RTVE, “La deuda” will be produced by Aquí y Allí’s Pedro Hernández and Guzmán at El Niño Producciones. The film is scheduled to roll in Madrid by the fall. Written by Guzmán, “La deuda” tells the story of Lucas, a 37-year-old man and the 86 year-old woman Antonia, who live together in a city too big to be alone. Lucas is looking for a job but the job seems not to be looking for him.

Emiliano De Pablos Spanish TV production house Mediacrest is joining forces with Helsinki-based outfit ReelMedia and Finnish public broadcaster YLE to develop climate change thriller series project “17kHz.” The co-production model resulting from the “17kHz” development deal will be one focus at the showcase “Spanish Fiction Contents: New Releases & Financial Opportunities,” which takes place Feb. 20 at Berlin’s European Film Market. Organized by ICEX Spain Trade & Investment, the meeting’s panelists will include Mediacrest‘s executives Gustavo Ferrada and Winnie Baert.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent The latest series from Alex de la Iglesia and “Veneno” creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo feature at a first-look Next from Spain Showcase which marks a massive step-up in the country’s presence at the Berlinale Series Market. Running Feb. 20-22, the showcase also unveils “Rapa” Season 2, with its first season proving Movistar+’s biggest 2022 bow, and “This Is Not Sweden,” a pioneering Spanish co-production with Scandinavia and Germany.  The Showcase titles are joined by Isaki Lacuesta’s “The Chauffeur’s Son,” a Co-Pro Series project from “Elite’s” Zeta Studios, and “Selftape,” a Filmin Original from Filmax and a Series Market Screening.