Wednesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Handmaid’s Tale sequel confirmed at Hulu 

Hulu has formally greenlit The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

The show goes into production 7 April and will again star Elisabeth Moss and Ann Dowd from the original series.

It is based on author Margaret Attwood’s novel from 2019 and produced by MGM Television.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge extends Amazon stay

Amazon has extended its partnership with Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge after tying her to a new first-look pact.

Waller-Bridge, who had previously had an exclusive overall deal with Amazon, is working on shows including an adaptation of Tomb Raider and narrating a docuseries about octopi.

She first signed for the company in 2019, extending that overall deal in 2023 and agreeing another extension last year.

Nest & ATS link on development, production

US and UK-based indie ATS has agreed a development and production partnership with Dating Naked producer Nest Productions.

The deal will see the indies collaborate on unscripted productions and support and enhance major US entertainment formats and productions in the UK, as well as developing and facilitating UK productions in and for the US markets, and vice versa.

Key benefits Nest and ATS can offer US producers are reduced costs of up to 20% for projects filmed in the UK, access to extra funding for Scotland-based productions through Nest’s Scottish base and enhanced tax incentives.

Peak Sport Media makes trio of global hires

Sport content agency, advisor and investor Peak Sport Media has made three hires across its European offices.

Ed Fleet, formerly VP of football at Stats Perform, joins as head of sales in the London office. Fleet brings with him seven-and-a-half years’ sales experience in the media and broadcast space, and significant expertise creating partnerships with the world’s leading sports rights-holders.

In addition, Kenza Del, who spent six-and-a-half-years at professional services giant EY in France, also joins Peak in a senior strategy role, while Margherita Schiatti joins as a strategy associate in Peak’s Madrid office, having just completed a year as a growth and marketing analyst at Real Madrid.

Bruno Rocha, Peak co-founder and CEO, said: “The future growth and commercialisation of sports content lies in innovation, strategic partnerships, and a deep understanding of what fans and media platforms truly want. With the addition of Ed, Kenza, and Margherita to our team, we’re both expanding our expertise and strengthening our commitment to deliver new and innovative solutions for our clients.”

beIN Sports broadcasts French amateur football match

beIN Sports has given the full broadcast treatment to a French amateur football game, as part of its beIN Squad initiative.

beIN Squad is dedicated to supporting grassroots football through the sponsorship of amateur clubs, and in this case saw Aiguilhe FC (a beIN Squad team) and AS Laussonne 2 in the twelfth division of French football on beIN Sports 1 in France.

beIN provided its premium editorial and production to the match, with a pre-match buildup, full commentary, pitchside interviews, and all the usual post-match analysis. The fixture drew an average audience of 49,000 on linear, with a peak of 92,000 and 286,000 unique viewers through the course of the match. It also drew 80,000 viewers on YouTube, and over 20 million video views on social media.

Netflix & NFTS strike access partnership

Netflix and the National Film and Television School are partnering up for an initiative designed to improve access for young people to the creative industries.

The Access NFTS Programme will be rolled out across the UK, aimed at the next generation of state-educated film, TV and games creatives. The programme will see over 60 events rolled out across 2025 with key locations including Beaconsfield, Cardiff, Dundee, Great Yarmouth and Sunderland.