ACQUISITION
BBC Three has acquired 10 x 45′ hit HBO Max reality dating competition show “FBoy Island” from Warner Bros International Television production. Created by Elan Gale and hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, “FBoy Island” follows the adventures of Sarah, Nakia and C.J. – three women all looking to get into a serious relationship with men who really care about them. The good news is they have 24 guys to choose from, the bad news is only half of them are interested in forming a relationship, while the other half are self-confessed bad boys only there to win a cash prize.
Fiona Campbell, controller BBC Three, said: “This series completely flips the dating show concept on its head which makes it fun and captivating viewing. It has a lot of humor and heart and although it shouldn’t be taken too seriously, it does leaves enough room for real romance. It’s already been received really well in the U.S. and we think it will be a great addition to our original commissions on BBC Three.”
In the U.S., “FBoy Island” has been renewed for season 2.
STUDIO
Hackman Capital Partners and partner Square Mile Capital Management, the group behind the acquisition of Ireland’s Ardmore Studios and Troy Studios in 2021, have been selected to develop the new Greystones Media Campus, a state-of-the-art film and television studio facility in the coastal town of Greystones, Ireland, 15 miles south of Dublin. The two-phased development is a joint venture with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Ireland’s sovereign development fund and Capwell, a Sisk family investment vehicle. The total investment in the project is estimated at €300 million ($327 million)
The partnership’s affiliate, The MBS Group, will assist in the purpose-built studio design and will also oversee studio operations and provide production services and equipment rentals when the new studio campus opens its doors. When fully developed, Greystones Media Campus will be Ireland’s largest studio complex with more than 670,000 square feet of studio space on 44 acres with sea views, including 14 state-of-the-art sound stages. The first seven sound stages and associated office, workshop and backlot spaces will be delivered in mid-2024.
APPOINTMENTS
Louise Ortega is joining the British Film Institute (BFI) as the new senior production and development executive for the BFI Film Fund, replacing Farhana Bhula, who joined Film4 earlier this year. Reporting to Natascha Wharton, the fund’s head of editorial, Ortega will work alongside fellow senior executive Kristin Irving, editor-at-Large Lizzie Francke and development executives Aoife Hayes and Phoebe Sutherland. The role involves working across both the development and production funds, accessing applications, recommending funding decisions and providing hands-on creative, production and holistic support for filmmakers and film projects. Ortega has had previous stints at See-Saw Films, Vertigo Films and Slim Film and Television. Mia Bays is the director of the BFI Film Fund.
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Meanwhile, A+E Networks Global Content Sales has appointed Dr. Kerstin Gühne as VP of global content sales, EMEA. The news was announced Thursday by Patrick Vien, group MD of GCS, to whom she will report. In her new role based in London, Gühne will oversee distribution of A+E’s library of premium, content across all platforms including linear, AVOD, and SVOD throughout German-speaking Europe, CIS, Russia, and Turkey. Gühne joins A+E Networks following a 15-year run at Sony Pictures Television, where she served as MD then senior VP of sales and distribution. During her tenure at Sony, she oversaw distribution of all Sony Pictures Entertainment content in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. – Patrick Frater
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India’s Shemaroo Entertainment has expanded Prasanna Patil’s role from handling domestic telecom business to the head of global telecom business, with a specific focus on streamer ShemarooMe to grow further with telco as well as non-telco partnerships in the international market, reporting into COO Kranti Gada. Shemaroo is currently present in 14 countries and has partnerships with 23 international telecom operators, including Etisalat and Du in U.A.E., Celcom and Digi Telecommunications in Malaysia and Ooredoo in Qatar.
RADIO
Sydney- and Hong Kong-based Asia Radio Concepts has teamed up with Liverpool Football Club, one of the most popular and successful English soccer teams, to launch Liverpool-branded radio stations. ARC expects to work closely with interested radio groups to re-program existing radio stations in terms of both music format and content offering, starting in Asia and the Middle East, and relaunch them under the LFC Radio banner. The channels will also carry LFC content, including Liverpool match reports, LFC news updates and player and coach interviews. “We’re thrilled to be working with one of the greatest football brands in the world on this ground-breaking concept,” ARC director, Guy Dobson said. – Patrick Frater
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Elsewhere, live streaming audio service TuneIn has set partnership deals with Dutch broadcasters Talpa Network/OMS and Audiohuis Amsterdam and French broadcaster AirZen to bring local music and live news coverage to the platform. TuneIn’s connected in-home and in-car partners include Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Sonos, Bose and Tesla’s in-dash experience. Globally, TuneIn can be accessed in more than 100 countries.
CASTING
Paramount Plus has added Colette Dalal Tchantcho (“The Witcher”), Elmo Anton Stratz (“Westwall”), David Hecter (“Riviera”), Susie Porter (“Wentworth”) and Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) to the cast of original U.K. drama series “The Blue.” They join previously announced leads Abigail Lawrie (“Tin Star”) and Rhianne Barreto (“The Outlaws”) and Jay Ryan (“It Chapter Two”), Aaron Winbourne, Sean Keenan (“The Power of the Dog”) and Jake Macapagal (“Metro Manila”).
The series, produced by New Pictures, part of All3Media, has commenced filming on location in Thailand. It follows best friends, Lana and Kitty, on the run from the U.K. Together they find refuge on a romantic yacht, The Blue, crewed by a group of enigmatic, beautiful people sailing through South East Asia. But The Blue harbours dark secrets and the paradise the girls thought they had found turns into a nightmare.
The lead writer on the series is Kris Mrksa (“White House Farm”) and Hans Herbots (The Serpent, Cobra) is the lead director. Executive producers for New Pictures are Elaine Pyke and Willow Grylls with Kris Mrksa.
“The Blue” is co-produced for Paramount Plus by VIS – the international studio division of Paramount.
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