Friday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Friday, 1.15pm: Russell T Davies: streamers are heading for a South Sea Bubble 

Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies predicted the demise of streamers as he considered the future of television in an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme.

The writer, who was on the radio programme to promote the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, turned to the subject of streamers and declared that “surely this is a South Sea Bubble”. Read more

Friday, 1.03pm: UK’s C4 to provide further funding for emerging indies

Channel 4 in the UK has launched an ancillary fund to its Emerging Indie Fund, providing additional support to production companies based in the nations and regions.

The Emerging Indie Fund (EIF) Extra will support 13 companies that have previously been part of the EIF. The indies (listed below) will get financial backing to develop a diverse slate of content, as well as training to refine and align content strategies with C4’s priorities.

The fund is only available to indies based in the nations and regions that successfully participated in the previous four years of the EIF, including those that received discretionary awards.

Friday, 12.45pm: NBCU snags US, US rights to The Power

In case you missed it, NBCUniversal in the US and UK has picked up rights to French format The Power, which is being also being remade for local audiences in Germany, Hungary and Greece.

The Power is a strategy game created by French production companies Dreamspark and Studio 89. The format features 13 celebrities living together and competing in a strategic game while under surveillance an Artificial Intelligence device called Delta. Read more

Friday, 10.45am: Sports streamer DAZN extends Bundesliga rights

DAZN has extended its Bundesliga rights in Germany and other DACH markets.

In a five year deal, from 2025, the Bundesliga Konferenz and all Sunday matches will be available live exclusively on DAZN, in an expanded offering that will cover around 80% of all Bundesliga games.

DAZN will show 240 matches per season (up from 106), including the Saturday Konferenz. The Bundesliga Konferenz, new to DAZN, is a live simulcast format that covers multiple simultaneous matches live on Saturday afternoons. The streamer’s coverage will cut between games to showcase highlights in real-time.

Friday, 9.50am: WBD’s Max extends LatAm, European dramas

Warner Bros Discovery also used its international originals showcase yesterday to confirm a flurry of recommissions as it ramps up non-US output for streamer Max.

Salma Hayek was in town to confirm that her project, Like Water For Chocolate, has been extended into a second and final series, while a third series of Polish crime drama The Thaw is in the works, with production starting at the end of November. Read more

Friday, 9.43am: WBD’s Casey Bloys ‘prepared’ for Max launch in UK

Warner Bros Discovery’s Max has not begun making plans for local programming as it looks ahead to launching the streamer in the UK in 2026, according to content chief Casey Bloys.

Talking up the international expansion of the streamer at its 2025 Max Global Content Presentation on Thursday evening, the chairman and chief exec of HBO and Max content said he was comfortable that “we’re covered in the UK for launch in 2026”. Read more

Friday, 8.35am: Italy’s Rai takes Belgian gameshow

Italian broadcaster Rai is adapting Belgian gameshow format 99 To Beat.

A six-part local version has been ordered for Rai2 and will be known as 99 Da Battere, with a premiere in January. Endemol Shine Italy is attached to produce.

The original format was created by Belgium’s De Chinezen and VRT, on which it debuted in 2018. It has since been adapted in 10 countries, including on SBS in the Netherlands and ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany. A UK version for ITV and a French show for M6 will be rolled out in 2025.

The format requires contestants toi compete in 99 games to be in with a chance to win a cash prize, but if they finish last in any of the games they are out.

Friday, 8.05am: France Télévisions preps factual drama on Egypt

France Télévisions has partnered with production firm Pernel Media to develop a primetime factual drama series exploring Egypt’s pharaohs.

Explorers of Ancient Egypt is a six-part returnable series based on the latest research on the most iconic pharaohs of all times.

Each episode will feature a major Egyptian site, such as Karnak, the Valley of the Kings or Abu Simbel, allowing viewers to discover through the eyes and emotions of the first explorers through factual dramatisations.