ViacomCBS Networks Int'l Sets “No Diversity, No Commission" Production Policy

ViacomCBS' ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) said on Monday that it is launching a kids content division, led by Nina Hahn as head of VIS Kids. She will hold the position in addition to her role as senior vp of production & development at Nickelodeon International.

Comic-turned-media mogul Byron Allen and his Allen Media Group have acquired MGM's over-the-air broadcast television networks This TV and Light TV. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but both TV nets feature a slew of MGM's film and TV titles as they broadcast for free round the clock to around 81 million domestic households via over-the-air, cable and online platforms.

Peter White Television EditorNetflix has ordered a darkly comic thriller starring and exec produced by The Good Place’s Kristen Bell.Limited series The Woman In The House comes from Will Ferrell’s production company Gloria Sanchez Productions. It was created by Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson and Larry Dorf, the creators of TV Land comedy Nobodies.

ViacomCBS said on Monday that it has promoted Wincie Knight to the role of vp, global inclusion strategy at its ViacomCBS Networks International unit. Based in London, Knight will report to Marva Smalls, the New York-based executive vp of global inclusion at ViacomCBS and executive vp, public affairs, kids & family entertainment brands at ViacomCBS Media Networks, as well as Maria Kyriacou, president of ViacomCBS Networks U.K., Australia and Israel.

Christopher Vourlias ViacomCBS International Studios is setting its sights on Southern Europe, with company execs outlining their plans for the region at Rome’s MIA market on Saturday.“South Europe is a focus for us right now.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerThe American Film Institute (AFI) has teamed with AMC Network to establish the Black Production Fund, which will provide grants for thesis productions by Black fellows in their second year at the AFI Conservatory.AFI made the announcement today in the midst of its 2020 virtual festive. The Black Production Fund, as well as recently announced Thomas P.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorSubscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.Launch dates for broadcast, cable and streaming programsUp-to-date lists for broadcast, cable and streaming seriesPandemic-proof vs.

Also Read: Ratings: Biden's Town Hall on ABC Tops Trump's Simulcast Across NBC, MSNBC and CNBCTrump’s simulcast tune-in breaks down like this: NBC’s broadcast channel drew 10.9 million total viewers, MSNBC added 1.8 million and CNBC chipped in with 720,000 viewers.Clearly, it was not enough to topple Biden on ABC alone.More to come…

Dade Hayes Finance EditorA+E Networks has appointed former longtime Fox exec Matthew Glotzer as EVP, Strategy and Business Development, a newly created post in New York.Glotzer will develop distribution and sales strategies for A+E library content, support programming, acquisitions and productions for A+E channels outside the U.S., and help oversee international content sales across 220 territories.

picked up 13 episodes of the comedy last year.Chalamet will play Kimberly, the valedictorian of her high school in the Arizona suburbs who is described as “Smart, caring, earnest, and ambitious, she’s prepared for college academically — but not so much socially.”Kaur will play Bela, a “comedy-obsessed, super confident cornball from the affluent suburbs of northern New Jersey who is never afraid to say what she’s thinking.” Per HBO Max, “She describes herself as “extremely sex-positive” — even

Annika Pham Produced by Iceland’s powerhouse Sagafilm for local public broadcaster RÚV, “The Minister” has been sold by Cineflix Rights to SBS for Australia, AMC Networks International for Southern Europe, and TVO for Canada.The multiple sales follow the recently announced acquisition by North American streaming platform Topic, with more deals pending.The eight-part TV show headlines Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Trapped”) as populist Icelandic prime

Justin Kroll Senior Film Reporter EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter, Winslow Fegley And Lidya Jewett are set to star in the Netflix family pic Night Books with David Yarovesky on board to direct. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will produce through Ghost House Pictures along with MXN Entertainment’s Mason Novick and Michelle Knudsen.Based on the J.A.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorViacomCBS has expanded its UK “no diversity, no commission” policy to its entire international organization, which spans 180 countries.Originally launched in July, the measure is designed to help promote diversity both on-screen and behind the scenes on international networks including MTV and Comedy Central.The policy requires production companies to adhere to diversity guidelines before budgets are signed off and productions are approved to begin.ViacomCBS

Syfy fan-favorite Wynonna Earp, the genre drama from showrunner Emily Andras, is headed to Europe. Cineflix Rights announced a deal on Monday with NBCUniversal International Networks to carry all four seasons of Canadian supernatural western across its science fiction channels in Iberia, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland and in Poland and the Balkans, as the show is launched at MIPCOM's online market.

Will Thorne Staff WriterAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, broadcasters, cablers and even streamers found themselves in a mad dash for content, as their original productions toppled like a pile of dominos.“It was like a fire sale when we all started shutting down back in March and April,” says Val Boreland, head of program planning for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Nellie Andreeva, Alexandra Del Rosario HBO Max has assembled the cast for its YA drama pilot Red Bird Lane, from John Wells Prods. It will be led by Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, with Kiersey Clemons, Isidora Goreshter, Danny Huston, Ash Santos, Fiona Dourif, Dizzie Harris and Tara Lynne Barr also starring.Red Bird Lane, written by Sara Gran and directed by David Slade, is a psychological thriller that follows eight strangers who arrive at an isolate house, all for different reasons.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentRevving up its streaming service expansion in Europe, ViacomCBS will launch leading AVOD service Pluto TV in Spain from the end of October. It will then roll out Pluto TV in France and Italy in 2021, the French launch being set for first quarter 2021, ViacomCBS Networks Intl.

Peter White Television EditorEXCLUSIVE: UMC is preparing its thriller Terror Lake Drive starring Empire and Designated Survivor’s Malik Yoba for a Thanksgiving premiere.The AMC Networks-backed streamer will launch the limited series, which was created by Blackout director Jerry LaMothe and Kajuana S.

ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS), a unit of ViacomCBS Networks International, has launched a unified sales arm. It will be overseen by Lauren Marriott, who has been named senior vp of sales & business operations and distribution lead for the U.K., and Laura Burrell, who will serve as vp, international formats, effective immediately.

Jamie Lang This year’s Mipcom is hosting a slate of online, streamed presentations via its Mipcom Online Plus platform, available to accredited badge holders from anywhere in the world.