MUMBAI: International television executive Gerhard Zeiler will join Turner Broadcasting System International, the company?s global portfolio of branded television networks and related businesses, as president.

Prior to this, Zeiler served as the CEO of RTL Group, a division of Bertelsmann AG and Europe?s largest television production and broadcast company.

In his new role, Zeiler will have executive oversight for all entertainment and kids networks and media services offered outside of North America; the distribution and commercial operations of CNN?s international services; all of Turner Broadcasting?s international joint ventures; and all licensing and merchandising activity.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. chairman and CEO Phil Kent said, ?We are delighted that Gerhard is joining us and look forward to the leadership, perspective and wealth of international television experience he will bring to one of the most successful and most strategically important areas of our company. His programming success; entrepreneurial experience within a big company; ability to run multiple lines of business; deep understanding of the digital landscape and opportunity; relationships across the media landscape; and passion for the television business are a strong addition to our executive committee and the company overall. We all look forward to working with him to extend our core brands, target and develop new markets and build scale around the world.?

Zeiler, who will report to Kent, will lead a 3,800-person division across Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

Zeiler said, ?As a longtime observer of Turner?s networks, I am keenly aware of their strength with consumers and the company?s profile in the international business community. This move is an opportunity to help grow some of the most valuable media brands in the world and develop new businesses alongside people I admire, like Phil and colleagues across Time Warner I have known and worked with over the years. This is an exciting time for our industry and for Turner Broadcasting, and I believe in our ability to lead and succeed.?

As RTL CEO, Zeiler was a member of the executive board of Bertelsmann AG. Under his leadership, RTL expanded its international television footprint across Western Europe and into Croatia; brought the hit shows American Idol and America?s Got Talent to the U.S. market; and grew its holdings to 41 channels and 34 radio stations in 10 countries.

He started his career as a journalist and later spokesman for two Austrian Chancellors. After serving as secretary general of Austria?s public broadcaster, ORF, he became CEO of Tele 5. He returned to his native Austria to lead the ORF as Director General. In 1998 Zeiler was named CEO of RTL.

Among his many professional honours, Zeiler is the first non-American to receive the prestigious Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award from NATPE. In 2004, he was named Media Personality of the Year at Mipcom in Cannes.

MUMBAI: Malaysia has stitched 16 deals worth $70 million at the recently concluded Mipcom.

The deals with foreign partners included India, India, the US, Singapore, South Africa, Australia, NZ, UK, Germany, France, Spain, China, Korea and Lebanon. Thee were in the areas of international co-productions, distributions and global product launches.

The companies who engaged with the foreign partners were Animasia Studio, Backbone Entertainment, Cartoon4Kids, Double Vision, Ed-Online Technologies, Escalade, Funcel, InfiniteMotion, Lemon Sky Animation, Payang Group, Sirius Pictures, Tulus Fikir, Vision Animation and Vision New Media. 

Sirius Pictures of Malaysia and Heart Command Films of India have agreed to co-produce a slate of films and documentaries for television and new media platforms. Sesame Workshop has appointed Vision Plus Entertainment of Malaysia to distribute and co-produce localised content for programme catalog of Sesame Street in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, comprising Play with Me Sesame, Elmo?s World, Abby?s Flying Fairy School and Jalan Sesama.

Animasia Studio of Malaysia has signed a production servicing contract with Strika Entertainment to continue the third season of the soccer series ?Supa Strikas? which aits in over 70 countries worldwide, including Disney Asia, ESPN Star Sports, Nickelodeon Asia, Orange and SABC.

Animasia Studio of Malaysia and ZN Animation of China will co-produce an animation series ?My Ugly Little Brother?. Backbone Entertainment of Malaysia, Neonpumkin of Korea and Millimages of UK will co-produce a 3D animated TV series ?Call for ChiChi?.

Cartoon4Kids of Malaysia and Baleuko of Spain will co- roduce a 3D animated TV series ?Smolitoon?. Double Vision of Malaysia and FFP New Media of Germany have agreed to co-produce a tele-movie ?Re-United in Malaysia?. This is the second successive co-production tele-movie project, after ?Rendez-vous in Malaysia?.

Escalade of Malaysia and Latin Media Corporation from the US will co-produce a telenovela drama series ?Only You?Sofea Hana? for the local and global market, promoting Malaysian cultural values and traditions through suspense and mystery, with a strong storyline.

Funcel of Malaysia and August Media of Singapore will co-finance and co-produce a slate of three animated series of 52 episodes each. Funcel will be the animation production partner for the slate of series, while August Media along with its Scottish subsidiary ? Red Kite Animation would be responsible for development, finance, executive production and distribution. The titles of the three series are expected to be announced before the end of the year.

Infinite Motion of Malaysia and DuArt Film And Video of the US will co-produce an undisclosed animation series title, inclusive of script writing and dubbing. Infinite Motion of Malaysia and Three Black Cat of UK will co-produce an animation series ?Ella Brella?.

Lemon Sky Animation of Malaysia, Lion Rock Ventures of NZ and Media Tropics will co-produce a Pre-School animation series ?Buzzy Bee and Friends? that is based on a popular NZ-brand, as seen on TVNZ. Distributed by Australia?s Beyond Distribution, the series is a finalist of this year?s Mipcom Junior?s Kids Jury Award.

Malaysia?s official contingent to Mipcom more than doubled since last year from 30 creative content companies to 75 this year.

The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia joined forces with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Multimedia Development Corporation, in association with the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation to reshape and enhance the local film and digital content industry by exposing multiple content properties to the global marketplace.

The Malaysian contingent?s objective this year was to put innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship at the forefront of the global film and multimedia content supply chain and to make this industry as an engine of growth and contributor to national GDP. Its primary aim is to capitalise on past investments in cellular and data networks, by building the vertical industries, such as the creative content and application industry, as the next engine of growth. The end-result will be to enhance Malaysia?s capacity and capability to create many original, locally produced content and develop competency in content-related services to the regional market.

In regards to strategically and effectively promoting Malaysian content to its fragmented target audience, the Government?s priority will be to allign all its plans to help the local industry create a greater presence in the local and international broadcast market with a special focus on global IP development through formalisation of international co-production deals and partnerships with international distributors.

MUMBAI: Veria Living Network, the US-based media company devoted to showcasing wellness programming and related content, has sold two of its popular series - Feng Shui Living and Under The Sun - to South African network Saffron TV.

Veria Living finalised the sale at Mipcom, the company said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Veria Living head of programme sales Raymond Donahue said, "The healthy ?lifestyle? and wellness category transcends cultural barriers. We?re excited to be entering into a partnership with Saffron TV for two of our most-watched series, and we look forward to the opportunity of offering their consumers additional programming from our extensive catalogue in the future."

At Mipcom, Donahue is selling the network?s English-speaking wellness catalogue of original programming with more than 1,000 HD episodes available for license.

"We are delighted to introduce these new shows from Veria Living to our viewers," said Ochre Moving Pictures CEO Stan Joseph.

Ochre Moving Pictures produces Saffron TV. "Feng Shui Living is a lifestyle trend that will be of interest to our Indian and non-Indian viewers while Under the Sun is a fresh take on travel programming that will once again attract a broad audience," Joseph added.

Launched in September 2008, Saffron TV offers viewers a mix of lifestyle programming including food shows, holistic wellness and travel from the Indian continent that appeals to both Indian and general audiences. The channel is broadcast on the South African pay television platform DSTV.
 

MUMBAI: Janson Media has announced its slate of programming for next month?s television trade event Mipcom 2011, to be held from 3-6 October in Cannes, France.

The company is at Mipcom for the 23rd consecutive year. ?Crossing Borders? is a new feature documentary that follows four Moroccan and four American university students as they travel together through Morocco and, in the process of discovering ?The Other,? discover themselves. Although filmed in an MTV ?Real World?-style, the documentary looks at serious real-world issues, and was produced in anticipation of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

?The Wereth Eleven? is a riveting new docudrama narrated by Corey Reynolds. It recounts the heroic battle waged by the African American 333rd Field Artillery Battalion against the massed attacking German army at the start of the Battle of the Bulge and the dramatic escape made by 11 men of Battery C. They were soon after captured and massacred at Wereth, Belgium by Hitler?s most ruthless soldiers, the SS.

 
?USS Franklin: Honor Restored? is a documentary which tells the complete story, for the first time, of ?The Ship That Wouldn?t Die,? the aircraft carrier that survived a direct hit by a Japanese armor-piecing bomb just 50 miles off the coast of Japan in March 1945. In an instant the crew?s lives were changed forever and the events that followed would make the story of ?Big Ben? one of the most dramatic and inspiring in naval history. The film is narrated by actor Dale Dye (Saving Private Ryan).

?Harvest Eating with Keith Snow? is a new lifestyle series about food with celebrity chef Keith Snow that is entertaining, inspiring, and informative, featuring engaging interviews, easy-to-follow recipes, on-location segments at local farms and produce markets, and of course, healthy and delicious food.

Meanwhile ?Betsy?s Kindergarten Adventures? is an animation series, told from the perspective of 5-year old Betsy. It is designed to ease a child?s transition from the home setting to a school environment by generating interest and excitement about the kindergarten experience in young viewers.

?Aligned and Well? is a new health and wellness exercise series created by biomechanist, Katy Bowman, which introduces the Biomechanical Model of Preventative Medicine. Based on physics, physiology, anatomy, and engineering, the method explains how many common, expensive ailments are a result of poor motor skills and can be corrected through diligent practice of simple movements.

?Tamara Lackey: Capturing Life Through (Better) Photography? is a lifestyle series combining nearly a decade of superstar photographer Tamara Lackey?s behind-the-camera knowledge and experience with her fresh and playful approach to capturing the emotion and authenticity of real moments in photographs.

Janson Media?s current affairs documentary, Split Estate, airing in the US on the Sundance Channel, takes on the environmental issue of ?fracking? (hydraulic fracturing), as citizens in the path of a natural gas drilling boom in the US struggle against the erosion of their civil liberties, their communities and their health.

Janson Media will also bring new seasons to the market of Quilting Arts TV, Knitting Daily TV, Hands on Crafts for Kids, the jewelry-making series Beads, Baubles and Jewels, a series for scrapbooking enthusiasts, Scrapbook Memories and the popular baking and cake-decorating series, Bake Decorate Celebrate!

MUMBAI: ITV Studios Global Entertainment has announced that returning dramas ?Vera? and ?Monroe? are set to launch around the world following deals with broadcasters.

The news comes as the distribution business reveals a slate of primetime series for next week?s television trade event Mipcom 2011 in Cannes, France including ?Prime Suspect USA?, ?Underbelly: Razor?, ?The Jury? and Appropriate Adult?.

The home for returning drama, ITVS GE, will also showcase new series from its franchises including ?Vera?, ?Monroe? and ?Above Suspicion?.
 
Monroe has been licensed to broadcasters including ABC Television and Universal Channel (Australia), Baltijos TV (Lithuania), True Visions (Thailand), Sky HD (South Korea), Singtel (Singapore), NRK (Norway), Shaw Media (Canada), Prime (New Zealand) and YLE (Finland). Following deals announced earlier in the year, ?Vera? has been licensed to
further territories including RUV, (Iceland), RTV Slovenija
(Slovenia), TV4 (Sweden), NRK (Norway) and AXN Mystery (Japan).

ITV Studios Global Entertainment director global television distribution Tobias de Graaff said, "After launching series one of both Vera and Monroe at MipTV I?m delighted we?ll be heading to Cannes with confirmation that these two fantastic dramas have been commissioned for a second series. Our portfolio is rich with returning drama franchises which are seen throughout the world and with these latest deals the fantastic writing and acting talent in both Vera and Monroe will be showcased to global audiences.?

ITVS GE will showcase a host of contemporary star-studded primetime drama at Mipcom 2011, including the much-anticipated US network drama Prime Suspect from ITV Studios America and Universal Media Studios; starring Maria Bello as Lynda La Plante?s tough talking Detective Jane Timoney. ?Underbelly: Razor?, the latest installment from the crime drama franchise, will also debut alongside ?The Jury?, written by Peter Morgan and starring Julie Walters as a defence barrister at the centre of a controversial re-trial.

Co-produced by Sundance Channel, ?Appropriate Adult? offers an insight into the role Janet Leach (Emily Watson) played in the police investigation of Fred West. Meanwhile, ?Above Suspicion: Silent Scream? is the new installment from Lynda La Plante?s crime drama.

Following their international launch at MipTV, both ?Vera? and ?Monroe? are returning for a second season joining ?Murdoch Mysteries?, ?Lewis?, ?Poirot? and ?Above Suspicion? as primetime franchises.

MUMBAI: Armoza Formats returns to the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes next month with a slate of releases led by prime-time reality format ?24/7 Love Lab?.

The new formats will join Armoza Formats? catalogue of titles, which include ?Still Standing? (NBC US), ?The Frame? (CW US), ?The Bubble? (BBC2 UK), ?Upgrade? (TV2 Norway, V Canada), ?Comedians At Work? (RTL Germany, TV2 Norway) and ?Connected? (in production in eight territories).

In the reality format ?24/7 Love Lab?, one bachelor, his entourage of 3 best friends, and 14 sexy singles live in a luxurious mansion and compete to become his one and only ? and win $1 million in the process! But with 3 other alpha males in the house, there will be plenty of competition as friendships are tested, romances are kindled, and fights explode between the players.

Produced in cooperation with Israeli internet portal Walla!, the show features a fully interactive online platform that permits 24/7 viewing from multiple cameras, access to the players? steamy Smartphone network, iPhone and iPad applications (200,000 of which have already been downloaded by fans), and the chance to influence the game and the Bachelor?s heart!

The reality show, which launched this summer on Israel?s Channel 10, is produced by Abot-Reif-HaMeiri, also the creators of Armoza Formats? docu-reality format ?TLV?. Its bi-weekly broadcast has given Channel 10 its highest rated show on air this summer. A second season has already been commissioned for 2012.

?The Green Project? is a scripted comedy format in which any scene is possible. Incorporating the familiar industry technology of green screens, the show allows comedians to perform sketches anywhere in time throughout the universe, sharing the screen with creatures as strange as drunken dragons to as legendary as Abe Lincoln. By mixing high-quality animation with cost-effective production techniques, ?The Green Project? succeeds in producing a show that looks like a million bucks, but costs much less.

?The Green Project? launched in August 2011 on Israel?s Hot Comedy Central channel. A second season is currently in production, with even more episodes ordered.

In ?The Real Chat House?, virtual reality and reality TV combine to create an innovative new prime-time format. Three Chat Masters will live for 90 days in a mansion designed like a real chat house, conversing with 16 remote Contestants via video chats ? but there?s a catch! They won?t see the contestants as they really look, but as
Avatars! Each week, instead of a typical reality format elimination, the Chat Masters invite a Contestant to join the Real Chat House with the goal of collecting as many friends as possible in order to win the game and claim the $1 million prize.

Scripted drama format ?2.3 A Week? joins Armoza Formats? scripted line-up, which includes such fare as ?The Naked Truth? (in a development deal at HBO US with Lionsgate and Clyde Philips attached) and ?Shall We Kiss? (premiering soon on HBO Central Europe ? Hungary). The ensemble drama format delves into the most intimate and least exposed element of our private lives ? sex ? within the framework of a (fictionalized) national survey on contemporary sex habits.

The show?s title is a reference to the number of times per week that a couple has sex. ?2.3 A Week? is currently on air on Israel?s Channel 10, where the channel has already committed to a 16-episode season 2.

Armoza Formats CEO Avi Armoza said, "As always, we?re pleased to return to Cannes with a line-up of stellar formats that have already proven themselves as hits in Israel. In recent years, there has been a real lack of fresh new prime-time reality concepts in the international TV market, and we?re excited to offer two excellent choices ? ?24/7 Love Lab? and ?The Real Chat House?. We?re always searching for fresh new angles to the sketch comedy genre, and with ?The Green Project? we?ve found a great-looking product that is cost-effective enough to be a part of any channel?s line-up.

?2.3 A Week? continues our tradition of high-quality, high-concept scripted dramas, and with 35 episodes scripted, it has great potential to be a long-lasting series that delves into the great emotional depths of these wonderful characters."