All the latest news from the global content industry on Friday, 20 December

 

Friday, 2.35pm: Netflix takes rights to FIFA Women’s World Cup

Netflix is ramping up its live TV efforts by securing exclusive US rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for 2027 and 2031.

Financial details have not been disclosed but the streamer will carry exclusive coverage of matches from both the 2027 event in Brazil and the 2031 event, whose location has not yet been confirmed.

Netflix is also planning a raft of additional coverage around the tournaments, including documentaries on key teams and players.

The streamer has been increasing its live TV experiments recently, most notably streaming Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano.

It is next planning to stream NFL matches on Christmas day and will offer WWE Raw from early January.

 

Friday, 11.49am: Sky Kids extends Wiggles in UK

Sky Kids in the UK and Eire by acquiring two new series of The Wiggles. 

The sixth series of Ready Steady Wiggle (26 x 15) and complementary short form educational series Wiggle and Learn (40 x 10’) have both been picked up and will debut this month and next Spring respectively, ahead of the children’s entertainment group’s tour of the UK in May.

The deals for Ready Steady Wiggle and Wiggle and Learn were secured by ABC Content Sales.

 

Friday, 10.47am: Who’s watching what on Netflix?

ICYMI, check out Netflix’s Top 10 English language TV shows (globally) week commencing 9 December. Read more

 

Friday, 10.13am: Atresmedia takes VIX into Spain

TelevisaUnivision streamer ViX is to be rolled out in Spain in January. 

The Spanish-language service will be available via Atresplayer, the streaming platform owned by local operator Atresmedia. Read more 

 

Friday, 9.10am: Hearst appoints head of commercial partnerships

Hearst Networks (fka A+E Networks) has appointed Passion Distribution’s senior sales manager of digital distribution Tom Burton as EMEA head of commercial partnerships.

Based in London, he will lead the development and management of commercial relationships across the broadcast and digital portfolio, focusing on driving revenue growth and expanding distribution.

Burton joined Passion Distribution as a sales manager in 2019, managing finished and format rights for titles such as Drag Race, Robot Wars, and Paradise Hotel.

 

Friday, 8.55am: Van Hecke exits Universal Pictures Content Group 

Universal Pictures Content Group exec Jasper Van Hecke has left the company.

He was most recently senior vice president of global, acquisitions & production at UPCG, based out of London.

During his time at the company, Van Hecke worked across the group’s film & documentary slates, acquiring, prebuying and exec producing content for global & multi territory. He joined UPCG in 2008 and had been in his latest role since 2017.

 

Friday, 8.43am: Rogan preps Nelson Mandela freedom doc for C4

The global campaign and political struggle to free Nelson Mandela from prison is the basis of a doc for Channel 4 from Rogan Productions.

Free Nelson Mandela (w/t) is a 3 x 60-minute series that recounts the biggest campaign for a single prisoner in history, which led to Mandela being freed from Robben Island prison after 27 years.

The doc details his journey from activist to revolutionary, prisoner, negotiator and, ultimately, to the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.

Free Nelson Mandela is co-produced with GroupM Motion Entertainment and comes out of it and C4’s Diverse Indies Fund. It was commissioned by Shaminder Nahal, head of specialist factual, with Soleta Rogan exec producing alongside GroupM’s head of creative diversity Deep Shegal. Samora Tikly and Xinlan Rose serve as producers while James Rogan will helm the series. BBC Studios will handle global sales.