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Let’s start at the end. We’re at the base of the Ngorongoro Crater, a two-million-year-old collapsed volcano in Tanzania. A heavy downpour is thumping the roof of our safari vehicle. Yes, it’s raining in Africa. Before we begin the steep ascent up the walls of the crater along muddy brick roads, our tour guide breaks and turns off the ignition. He gestures toward an unseasonably lush clearing where a committee of elephants is assembled to wish us adieu.

For the last week, we’ve been on a press trip in the Serengeti with one unique wrinkle: National Geographic embedded our excursions with the creative talent behind their new natural world series, Queens. In addition to local guides, we were accompanied by National Geographic’s filmmakers, who are brave enough to tackle assignments like night shoots in open-sided vehicles amongst lions and hyenas. We were in safe hands.

4Dplex Experiences Added In Cambodia, Thailand

Korean tech firm Cj 4Dplex has struck a deal with Thailand’s Major Cineplex to add two ScreenX locations in Cambodia and Thailand. One will be located at the Aeon Mall Mean Chey, have almost 500 seats and have a 75-foot-wide central screen, making it the largest ScreenX auditorium in Southeast Asia. The other will be at Bangkok’s ICONSiam Mall location, debuting on July 27.

ScreenX is a multi-projection system with an immersive 270-degree field of view. That creates a virtual reality-like setting with cinema quality resolution. Major’s first ScreenX launched in 2022 at its Siam Paragon location in central Bangkok.

“We’ve received amazing reactions and feedback from our moviegoers for ScreenX in Thailand and expect to generate the same response at our Cambodia location,” said Vicha Poolvaraluk, CEO, Major Cineplex.

The two companies previously partnered on 4Dx installations, where viewers experience motion, vibration,...

Prime Video has acquired the rights to “Wild Isles,” the nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough, through a deal with distributor Banijay Rights, Amazon announced on Thursday. All five episodes will be available Friday, April 21, a day before Earth Day on April 22.

The docuseries caused a stir in the U.K. when a reputed sixth episode was not shown. The Guardian reported in March that it was withdrawn to avoid upsetting conservative politicians and press, who objected to the project being funded by the World Wildlife Fund.

BBC, however, denied the existence of the additional installment: “This is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘sixth episode.’ ‘Wild Isles’ is — and always was — a five part series and does not shy away from environmental content. We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the Rspb and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.

Wild Isles, the latest BBC nature documentary series narrated by Sir David Attenborough, has been picked up by Amazon.

The streamer will air the five-part series in the U.S. and around the world, excluding the UK, after acquiring the rights from distributor Banijay Rights.

The series, which launched in the UK earlier this year, comes from All3Media’s Silverback Films and is exec produced by Alastair Fothergill, the man behind Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, and Our Planet.

It centers on the British Isles, which is one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes on Earth, and the series is full of behaviors never before seen on screen. It shows a “wild side to the British Isles,” exploring why the region is so globally important for nature before profiling one key habitat per ep: woodlands, grasslands, freshwater and marine. The like of killer whales, sea eagles and butterflies...

Johns and Merhige met working on ‘Shadow Of The Vampire’.

Richard Johns, producer and founder of Argo Films, and US director E. Elias Merhige, who first collaborated on Shadow Of The Vampire in 2000, have launched UK-based Promethean Pictures and have a slate of film and TV projects in development.

A survival story called Howl is in advanced development, to be directed by Merhige. It is the story of a family dog left at home during an extreme winter after his owners die in a car crash. Told from the dog’s point of view, he goes through a rollercoaster survival ride,...

Johns and Merhige met working on ‘Shadow Of The Vampire’.

Richard Johns, producer and founder of Argo Films and US director E. Elias Merhige, who first collaborated on Shadow Of The Vampire in 2000, have launched UK-based Promethean Pictures and have a slate of film and TV projects in development.

A survival story called Howl is in advanced development, to be directed by Merhige. It is the story of a family dog left at home during an extreme winter after his owners die in a car crash. Told from the dog’s point of view, he goes through a rollercoaster survival ride,...

In this follow-up to 2011’s Frozen Planet, Sir David Attenborough (who else?) takes us back to regions where snow, ice, and freezing temperatures serve as essential surroundings for some of Earth’s most fascinating creatures. The six-part series, Frozen Planet II, visits frigid poles, arid tundra, icy seas, snowy forests, and mountain peaks to meet Siberian tigers, penguins, polar bears, snow monkeys, and other hardy animals braving extreme conditions. (Credit: Jason Roberts/BBC America) Attenborough thoughtfully surveys the measurable ecosystem effects of climate change, which is thawing our frozen planet at an alarming rate. Here’s a peek at the first three episodes. “Frozen Worlds” (January 28) Journey through remote lands to discover the incredible ways that animals have overcome the challenges of subzero survival. “Frozen Oceans” (February 4) Dive into a world of water and ice to visit creatures thriving in and under the Arctic Sea. “Frozen Peaks” (February 11) Explore ice worlds born of altitude.

Over a decade ago, four-time Emmy®-winning series Frozen Planet gave viewers unprecedented insight into life in the Poles. Now, the highly-anticipated sequel, Frozen Planet II, returns to the Arctic and Antarctic to observe the amazing species that thrive there. But, going further than the first season, it also explores life beyond the Poles – witnessing the wildlife dramas that play out in all the world’s coldest regions: our high mountains, frozen deserts, snowbound forests, and ice-cold oceans. These are the last true wildernesses on earth; places so challenging for survival that only a heroic cast of animals can live here. From polar bears to penguins, Siberian tigers to snow monkeys, each species must overcome unique challenges to survive their extreme environments. Narrated by Emmy®-winning famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough (Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II), Frozen Planet II premieres Saturday, January 28 at 8pm Et/7pm C on BBC America and AMC+.

In his 2011 docuseries “Frozen Planet”, Sir David Attenborough brought viewers on a journey from the Arctic to the Antarctic, winning four Emmys in the process.

Now, the acclaimed British documentary filmmaker is delving even deeper in a new followup series, “Frozen Planet II”.

Read More: Exclusive: Sir David Attenborough Discusses The Importance Of Plants In First Look At ‘The Green Planet’ Documentary

Eleven years later, Sir David returns to the coldest parts of the world to observe the amazing species that thrive there. Going even further than the first series, “Frozen Planet II” also explores life beyond the Poles, witnessing the wildlife dramas that play out in planet’s chilliest places, including high mountains, frozen deserts, snowbound forests and ice-cold oceans.

Polar bear mother and cub, Svalbard, Arctic Norway. Photo courtesy of BBC Earth Musk ox are hardy tundra residents who weather conditions all year round and even give birth...

Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory follows National Geographic explorer, Bertie Gregory, as he embarks on some of the most daring journeys in the world.

Gregory recently sat down for an exclusive with uInterview founder Erik Meers to discuss what it was like filming the largest herd of whales ever.

“We went with such an ambitious target. It was definitely the most ambitious expedition I’ve ever run,” Gregory revealed. “That was the big one because that was really what I’d gone to National Geographic with when I was pitching this project. We can go for the biggest gathering of whales ever in Antarctica and they went, ‘Yeah!’ and I went, ‘Oh okay, how are we going to go do it?’ We had a month aboard an ice strength and sailboat across the infamous Drake Passage from South America down to Antarctica.

“The weather was awful,” he continued. “We had...

There are few things of which Britain is a world-leading exporter these days. Marmalade, perhaps, or nostalgia. But above all else, this country is incontrovertibly the market’s premier provider of wildlife documentaries, from Blue Planet to Planet Earth, Dynasties to The Hunt. Now, the BBC is back with its latest colossal undertaking, Frozen Planet II, a five-episode series sifting through the snow and peering beneath the ice sheets of our vast glacial landscapes.

This new series opens with its narrator, Sir David Attenborough, speaking on camera about the urgency of its themes. It’s an alarming start: not just because of the perils of climate change, but because I’m so used to Attenborough being a disembodied voice. The point of portraying these frozen wastelands, he announces, is “to witness their wonders, while there is still time to save them”. It is a theme that will recur throughout the episode,...

Camila Cabello has teamed with Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer for the new song “Take Me Back Home,” the theme from the BBC’s upcoming nature documentary series Frozen Planet II.

“I wrote a song with [Zimmer] for Madre Tierra. Anyone who knows me knows this feels so true to me,” Cabello tweeted of the track. “The natural world is an endless well of awe, magic, and deep belonging to me. I had this song in my body, in my soul for many many years before we wrote it.”

I wrote...

Exclusive: Ryan Reynolds will narrate the Discovery+ documentary Curb Your Carbon which uncovers the 10 simple and effective things we can do right now to help fight climate change.

The streamer also revealed its Earth Day programming slate to be featured from April 15-24. Included as part of the line-up is content that celebrates the exploration and conservation of our planet and the inspiring people, places, and wildlife that depend on it to survive.

A full breakdown can be found below.

Curb Your Carbon- (premiering April 21) Humor, crazy stunts, and stunning animations: the documentary reveals the simple and effective ways we can all help fight climate change in an easy-to-understand way. Narrated by Ryan Reynolds. (Discovery)

Chasing Ocean Giants- In this 8-episode series, Patrick Dykstra, a Wall Street lawyer turned filmmaker and conservationist, uses state-of-the-art exploration technology, to help scientists decipher the mysteries of the ocean’s giants. (discovery+ Original)

Crikey!

Passport

U.K. broadcasters Channel 4, ITV, BBC, Stv, UKTV, S4C and Paramount U.K. have teamed to create access and inclusion passports aimed at removing barriers and supporting better inclusion of disabled people and other colleagues at work. The passports, adopted from an initiative introduced at the BBC in 2019, will be confidential and will support conversations with line managers to ensure disabled colleagues and others get the right support they need at work. They will also be transferrable to enable holders to move smoothly across departments and between broadcasters, reducing the need for disabled talent and staff to repeatedly disclose their adjustment needs to each new employer or manager.

Managers will be supported at each organization to help them work with employees and their passports most effectively. The plans will also be introduced into the independent production sector to support disabled freelancers.

Channel 4 recently set a disabled presenting team...

Kim Shillinglaw, a former BBC Two Controller and Endemol Shine Factual Director, has become a Non-Executive Director of Squad Goals and Reclaiming Amy producer Curious Films.

Shillinglaw, who has held some of the most senior roles in British TV, will seek to help the non-scripted company capitalize on a spate of recent commissions as it actions a growth plan over the next 12 months.

Curious said it is in production on a range of major projects for UK broadcasters and international streamers, having found success with BBC Three football doc series Squad Goals, which is now into its third season co-produced with Insight TV, and BBC Two’s Reclaiming Amy, the Amy Winehouse feature that is the BBC’s most-watched music documentary on iPlayer of all time.

Shillinglaw was most recently Endemol Shine Factual Director overseeing a raft of labels, but she left soon after the company was bought by Banijay.

After its first ever virtual Showcase earlier this year, the 2022 BBC Studios Showcase will also be fully digital, the outfit revealed on Tuesday.

The producer-distributor will hold a three-day program of virtual events running from Feb. 28-March 2, rather than host global buyers in person at its usual Liverpool extravaganza. While the event is still at least six months out, sources tell Variety the company needed to let its suppliers know well in advance.

“We’re proud that BBC Studios Showcase has made the U.K. a key destination for the world’s content buyers but the pandemic has accelerated changes in the way we can help them discover our shows,” said Paul Dempsey, president of global distribution for BBC Studios.

“Their terrific response to our virtual Showcase earlier this year, coupled with continued uncertainty around international travel means that we will once again bring our content to customers digitally next February.

A renewed focus on natural history programming has led WildBear Entertainment to appoint wildlife biologist and writer, producer and director Dr Chadden Hunter as an executive producer.

Hunter has previously worked for the BBC as a producer, director and writer on Seven Worlds, One Planet, and Planet Earth 2, as a series producer on Wild Arabia, and as a principal director on Frozen Planet.

His credits also include National Geographic programs Hunter & Hunted and Cliffhangers, both of which he presented.

Overall, his projects have won 12 Emmy Awards and eight BAFTAs.

In his new role, Hunter will be working with the Wildbear team to deepen its slate of natural history content and films, secure new commissions, and run productions.

He said he was excited to start the next chapter of his career with the company.

“I’ve been a fan of [WildBear’s] work for years and it’s great to be back on home turf in Australia,...

‘Bad Education’ (Photo credit: HBO)

Launched today, Foxtel’s low-cost entertainment streaming service Binge offers 10,000 hours of content, rising to 20,000 hours by the end of the year – but no exclusives and relatively few Australian shows.

Yet executives are confident the curated mix of drama, movies, lifestyle and reality shows and documentaries will appeal to the younger segment of the population who will never subscribe to Foxtel and are hooked on streaming content.

With similar pricing to Netflix and Stan, its monthly fees range from $10 for one stream in Standard Definition to $14 for two streams in HD and $18 for four streams.

It may well be the last throw of the dice if the platform co-owned by News Corp. and Telstra is to succeed in arresting the slide in Foxtel’s customers and the company’s revenues and profits.

Executives at Streamotion, which houses Binge and Kayo Sports, tested the concept and...

BBC Studios has signed a content deal with Xigua Video, the Chinese streaming service owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.

Under the agreement, Xigua will get exclusive rights to carry BBC and PBS’s three-part natural history co-production Primates, as well as science documentary Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed. Another ByteDance platform, Toutiao, will also have access to the shows.

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Major BBC natural history documentaries Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet are included in the Xigua deal, as well as children’s programs Bluey and Hey Duggee, and drama Orphan Black.

Phil Hardman, BBC Studios’ acting general manager for Greater China, said: “This content deal with Xigua Video in China takes...

BBC Studios and ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, unveiled a deal Thursday that will see a diverse batch of the U.K. broadcaster's factual content stream over the Chinese video giant's growing longform video channel Xigua.

The deal includes BBC Studios' acclaimed documentary series Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet, as well as exclusive China rights to new factual series: Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed (1x100 minutes) and Primates (3x50 minutes).

The partnership follows a deal for BBC Studio's Dracula, which premiered on Xigua Video in January.

"We are committed to providing our users with a variety of contents and ...

AMC Networks is offering free programming across its networks — AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV and the Svod service Sundance Now as part of its “We’re With You” initiative to help entertain during the coronavirus pandemic.

Content will be available for free across digital and on demand, along with specially curated programming marathons across linear networks. The network also will be running a variety of spots with scenes that have renewed relevance to current circumstances that feature series stars including Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito and more in home-made videos.

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Among the free programming — AMC has made the first half of The Walking Dead Season 10 available in front of the paywall until May 1 on AMC.

AMC Networks announced Friday a new coronavirus initiative that includes a host of free programming from across its network portfolio.

The “We’re With You” campaign will allow viewers to watch the first half of “The Walking Dead” Season 10 on the AMC website, and will also make several BBC America nature documentaries free to watch. Free IFC programming will include full seasons of “Baroness von Sketch Show,” “Birthday Boys,” and “Spoils of Babylon” among others. It was previously announced that AMC and BBC America had moved up the premiere ate of “Killing Eve” Season 3 to April 21.

The networks will also be running a variety of spots that feature talent like Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito and more in home-made videos meant to encourage and entertain viewers. One of the spots can be viewed below.

“We want to join with our talent and respond to this moment in the...

BBC America is doubling down on its wildlife programming by extending its micro-net Wonderstruck across a second day of its schedule.

The AMC Networks Entertainment Group-backed broadcaster is also launching a new short-form digital companion site.

The network is launching Wonderstruck on Thursdays, beginning April 2, in addition to its regular timeslot of Saturday. This comes after it launched the strand in November. It will feature series such as Planet Earth and Seven Worlds, One Planet. Next month, it will kick off its Thursday run with shows celebrating U.S. wildlife including Wild West, Wild Alaska, Seasonal Wonderlands featuring New England, Seven Worlds, One Planet featuring North America and Yellowstone.

Later in the month,...

Netflix has confirmed that 54 new original series, movies and specials will be debuting on the streaming service in December. Leading off the lineup is the eagerly awaited Noah Baumbach family drama “Marriage Story” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. While that starts streaming on Dec. 6, another awards hopeful, “The Two Popes,” with Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and Tony champ Jonathan Pryce, won’t hit the service till Dec. 19.

In the lead-up to Christmas, Netflix is programming a slew of holiday fare, including the third entry in the “A Christmas Prince” franchise, as well as the one-offs “A Family Reunion Christmas,” “Home for Christmas” and “Three Days of Christmas.”

Below is the full schedule of everything that is coming and leaving Netflix in December 2019.

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Available December 1

Dead Kids — Netflix Original Movie

Available December 2

Nightflyers: Season 1

Team Kaylie: Part...

Netflix has released their list of everything coming and going throughout the month of December.

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re gaining Season 2 of “You,” which features Penn Badgley as a handsome murderer who seems to kill the women he loves the most. In a surprising twist, we’re also getting the 2005 classic, “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” and other highlights like Ian Somerhalder’s new vampire show “V Wars,” “Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah,” and the new Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson-led film “Marriage Story.”

The bad news is, we’re losing Season 7-11 of Anthony’s Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown.” We’re also losing “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Billy Elliott,” “Rain Man,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Rocky” I-v.

Also Read: 'Black Summer' Renewed for Season 2 by Netflix

Here’s the full list of everything coming and going throughout Dec.

As the BBC gears up to premiere its epic new nature series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, later this month, the show continues to prove popular with international broadcasters.

The co-production with BBC America, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, has been sold by BBC Studios to Sweden (Svt), Denmark (Dr), Norway (Nrk), Spain (Telefonica), Czech Republic (Prima and Czech TV) and Latin America’s Discovery as part of an existing multi-year partnership.

The seven-part series – which tells the story of the planet through the eyes of a different continent in each episode – already counts Tencent Penguin Pictures, Zdf, France Télévisions and China’s CCTV9 among its co-production partners.

BBC Earth in India and BBC Earth channels across Africa, Canada, Nordics, Asia, Medme, Poland and Cee will also be showing the series.

Paul Dempsey, president of global distribution for BBC Studios, said: “The appetite for blue chip series from BBC Studios’ natural...

BBC America is set to launch its natural history micro-net Wonderstruck on Saturday November 2 and has revealed the creative behind the strand.

Wonderstruck, which previously had a working title of Project Awe, will run 24 hours every Saturday from 6 a.m. and will feature over 2,000 hours of nature programming. It will be the exclusive U.S. linear home to the Planet Earth franchise and will also include original premieres and specials across the year.

A launch trailer and a clip of elephants, which you can watch above and below, will begin running on the cable network and across the company’s social media sites on Saturday October 5.

As part of Wonderstruck’s launch, BBC America and BBC Studios conducted research in association with Kresnicka Research & Insights to figure out the value that viewers derive from wildlife programming. It found that nature programming has been shown to heighten clarity, concentration and creativity,...

BBC Studios and German pubcaster Zdf have formed a strategic partnership to develop and co-produce “world-class content,” the two companies announced Thursday.

The new long-term partnership will bring BBC Studios, the British pubcaster’s commercial arm, and Zdf together to co-develop scripted TV series, such as “The Mallorca Files,” created by Dan Sefton. Both companies will pitch scripted projects with international appeal.

The deal also gives Zdf an exclusive first-look option in Germany to co-produce new landmark titles from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, such as the upcoming “One Planet, Seven Worlds,” as well as a first option on BBC Studios’ factual catalog.

Norbert Himmler, chief content officer at Zdf, said the two companies shared “the aspiration to offer the highest-quality programs across all genres.”

“The new substantial agreement consolidates the traditional and successful cooperation between the two broadcasters and strengthens our position against increasingly fierce competition – especially in times of limited financial resources,...

AMC Networks is making a play for one of the most desirable TV audiences of all – families.

The New York-based media company, which operates AMC, IFC,We TV, SundanceTV and BBC America, intends to go after broad family viewing by launching a “micro-network” devoted to programming about natural history and by expanding its efforts around Christmas-themed programming to all five of its entertainment networks.

“What advertiser wouldn’t want to be in the kind of content that makes people feel good?” asked Sarah Barnett, president of the entertainment networks group at AMC Networks, in an interview.

In the fourth quarter of this year, AMC Networks will launch “Project Awe,” a Saturday-only schedule devoted to nature and wildlife programming that will air on BBC America. Thanks to a new five-year deal with the BBC, viewers can get first U.S. looks at new installments of popular franchises like “Planet Earth” and “Frozen Planet.

Discovery and the BBC are going to create spin-offs and sequels of brands including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet in a move that Discovery chief David Zaslav called their Marvel universe.

Zaslav also called the BBC the Boston Red Sox to its own New York Yankees and that it would be “crazy” not to bring together the two best teams in the natural history space.

This was on the heels of the two company’s landmark deal that will include exclusive rights to BBC Natural History Unit content for Discovery’s forthcoming streaming service, a pact to develop original content in the genre and the division of assets at UK broadcaster UKTV.

Zaslav said, “The IP is a big piece of the core strategy; these landmarks and that library is our Marvel IP catalogue. That’s the business we’re in. Those are the stories that are loved...

BBC America will serve up a third installment of its popular “Planet Earth” series in 2022 after setting a five-year extension with BBC Studios for high-end natural history programming.

The deal covers BBC America’s rights to the ambitious “Planet Earth III” production as well as “Frozen Planet II” in 2021 and the David Attenborough-narrated “One Planet: Seven Worlds” in 2020.

“One of the things we’re most proud of at BBC America is that we’ve established the network as the U.S. destination for the very best nature programming on the planet, from the BBC’s award-winning natural history unit,” said Sarah Barnett, president of entertainment networks for AMC Networks. “To bring together audiences for this kind of transcendent event television is a true privilege, we couldn’t be happier to continue to do this for the next five years.”

“Planet Earth III” is planned as eight one-hour episodes. The...

The BBC is doubling down on its landmark Planet strand with three new major natural history titles. The British public broadcaster has ordered Perfect Planet in addition to follow ups to Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

The move is a major statement of intent from the BBC, which has regularly backed big-budget wildlife series. The BBC has called these orders part of an “unprecedented commitment” to natural history.

Perfect Planet will be a unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth sciences explaining how the living planet operates. This five-part series will show how the forces of nature – weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes – drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of life. It will broadcast in 2020.

Notably, Perfect Planet, which is being producd by Silverback Films in association with China’s Tencent Penguin Pictures, France Télévisions and The Open University, does not yet have a U.

National Geographic is launching a slate of new series that will showcase the natural world, exotic wildlife, and a veteran Nat Geo photographer in action in the field. The channel will launch “America,” a new series using high-end camera tech to offer a new portrait of the U.S.; “Planet of the Whales,” a landmark series on the planet’s largest mammals; and “Photo Ark,” which looks at National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s ongoing effort to document and save rare species.

The cameras will also head back into Yellowstone after last year’s live broadcast from the national park garnered 13 million viewers. “Yellowstone Live” will run for four days this June. British shingle Plimsoll Productions and U.S. producer Berman Productions are making the show. There is also the previously announced Bear Grylls-fronted, Plimsoll-produced “Hostile Planet.”

Nat Geo recently solidified its leadership ahead of ownership shifting to...

Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions, whose credits include “Medici: Masters of Florence,” “Ransom” and Emmy winning “The Man in the High Castle,” has named Oliver Lang as chief operating officer. Based at the company’s London headquarters, Lang will oversee its operations, strategic partnerships and financing for drama projects.

Writer-showrunner Spotnitz, who credits include “The X-Files,” “Hunted” and “Strike Back,” founded Big Light five years ago to produce a diverse slate of international television series, and has since become one of Europe’s fastest-growing independent production companies.

As well as Amazon’s “The Man in the High Castle,” now in its fourth season, the company’s projects include “Ransom,” now in its third season for CBS and Global; “Medici: Masters of Florence” and two seasons of “Medici: The Magnificent,” both for Rai and Netflix; and “The Indian Detective” for Netflix.

Lang is managing director of Sharp Edge Media, the...

ITV has hired executives from BritBox and the New York Times as it looks to grow its digital services.

The British broadcaster has hired BritBox’s Reemah Sakaan and Nyt’s Karine Serfaty to help with its ‘More Than TV’ strategy.

Sakaan becomes Group Launch Director – ITV Svod. Most recently, she was Svp Creative & Editorial BritBox Us and Canada of the BBC Worldwide Jv. She will still be involved in the Svod service but will oversee its subscription video on demand plans in the UK. She has been at ITV since 2013, having previously worked at the BBC for eight years, holding posts including Head of Marketing for BBC One and BBC Drama and BBC Film leading launch campaigns for Sherlock, Doctor Who and Frozen Planet.

Meanwhile, Serfaty becomes ITV’s first Chief Data Officer. She was most recently Senior Vice President of Data and Insights for the New York Times,...

According to our racetrack odds, the Emmy front-runner for Best Documentary/Nonfiction Series is the nature program “Blue Planet II.” But are we underestimating Netflix‘s “Wild Wild Country”? The six-part series generated water-cooler discussion after it premiered in March and could appeal to the same voters who awarded this category to the true-crime docs “The Jinx” in 2015 and “Making a Murderer” in 2016.

Directed by Maclain Way and Chapman Way, “Wild Wild Country” recounts the story of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his charismatic personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, and the escalating conflict between his spiritual followers and the Oregon community that surrounded them. The series has five total nominations, also including bids for its directing, picture editing, sound editing, and sound mixing.

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As of this writing “Blue Planet II” leads our predictions with 2/5 odds. It would be the third nature series...

The BBC has announced today that it’s giving its viewers a special treat over the upcoming yuletide period, as several of the network’s top shows will be made available to stream online. The series chosen include Doctor Who, Sherlock, Line of Duty, Planet Earth, Happy Valley and many more. From what we understand, they’ll be made available on the BBC’s catch-up service BBC iPlayer, in a move that suggests the corporation is trying to rebrand the site as a rival to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.

BBC director of content Charlotte Moore had this to say about the treat in a statement released earlier:

“It’s fantastic to give audiences a special gift on iPlayer to complement our schedules. Sit back and indulge as we curate some of the most loved shows you may have missed first time round or favourites you want to watch again.

It’s been a decade since the original “Planet Earth” became a cultural event on TV, thanks to its stunning filmmaking and unparalleled access to the natural world. Since then, the team has surpassed its previous efforts to capture footage for “Planet Earth II,” thanks to innovations in technology and good old-fashioned human tenacity.

Being able to observe the natural world is not as easy as sending out a cameraman to just point and shoot. Elusive snow leopards are rare and avoid humans, soaring birds spiral up and down heights with dizzying speed, some predators are too dangerous to get near, many prey animals are too skittish to hang around humans, and some animals — such as a massive population of penguins that rule a remote island — are simply too difficult to access because of the unfriendly terrain.

Read More: ‘Planet Earth II’ Video: Epic Iguana and Snake Battle Sets Internet Ablaze — Watch

Fortunately,...

Another Dick Wolf fake-out trailer strikes again.

Seriously, if there was an Emmy category for most creatively misleading promo, Chicago Med Season 2 Episode 4 would have it in the bag. Despite the lack of follow through on all that hype, there was plenty of damn good medicine, and possibly the grossest procedure so far.

In addition to the nauseating abscess drainage, there was plenty of human drama to captivate us. Nat may be more confused about her relationships than ever, even as she helped Connor understand his teacher. And it turns out that Dr. Charles is great at helping others, but he's got plenty of his own problems too.

I can't decide if the editor who puts together the promos for Med should be fired or promoted to the writing staff. I'm sick of teasers that are so misleading, but at the same time, the stories that they pitch us are so much.

At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered.

New on DVD and Blu-ray

"Goosebumps"

Jack Black plays author R.L. Stine in this monster family hit, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD January 26. The "spook-tacular" special features include an alternate opening and ending, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and a casting gallery. There are also two new featurettes -- "Beginners Guide to Surviving a Goosebumps Creature" and "Strange Things are Happening...On-Set" -- with actors Dylan Minette and Ryan Lee. Blu-ray exclusives include "All About Slappy" and a "Creaturefied!" featurette with makeup FX artist Steve Prouty demonstrating how to become your favorite Goosebumps creature.

Check out this exclusive clip with Jack Black and Slappy talking about working with each other: "Chi-Raq"

Spike Lee's clever modern-day adaptation of the Greek play "Lysistrata" comes out on DVD...

If you’ve a mind to listen to officials from up and down the east coast this weekend (Mayor Bill de Blasio, for one, insists New Yorkers stay indoors through Saturday and Sunday’s projected blizzard), then this weekend is the perfect time to grab your roommate, a bottle (or two) of wine, and movie marathon your way straight through to Monday morning. For your viewing pleasure, we’ve rounded up the best of Netflix's January 2016 movie releases, in all featuring six excellent performances from the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Kendrick, and Tilda Swinton. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until Jan. 28 to catch “Frozen Planet” (though you have “Ice Age: The Meltdown” to tide you over till then). Stay safe and warm out there, and happy watching! 1. “Along Came Polly” Sure, the chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller as this comedy's central odd couple is tepid,...

The new year is upon us, and it’s time to clean up Netflix once again. Don’t fear too much though, as much as we hate to see some of our favorites leave Netflix, they do a pretty good job at adding some great new content. We lose Almost Famous, A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, The Graduate, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and all the Rocky movies – and we get Intolerable Cruelty, Training Day, The Rundown and a new Netflix Original for Degrassi: The Next Class.

All Title Dates are Subject to Change

Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only

Available 1/1/16

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Along Came Polly (2004)

American Girl: Grace Stirs up Success (2015)

Angry Birds Toons: Season 1

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009)

Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007)

Catwoman (2004)

The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills: Season 1

Constantine (2005)

Forensic Files: Collection 2

Friday Night Tykes: Season 1-2

The Good Road...

What to watch in the post-holiday doldrums of January? Coming to Netflix streaming next month are the Ben Stiller comedies "Meet the Parents," "Meet the Fockers," and "Along Came Polly" as well as "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The Ladykillers" from the Coen Brothers.

Also check out the new "we faked the moon landing" comedy "Moonwalkers," starring Rupert Grint and Ron Perlman, the Chelsea Handler special "Chelsea Does," and, of course, "Sharknado 3."

New on Netflix in January 2016

Available Jan. 1, 2016

"2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003)

"Along Came Polly" (2004)

"American Girl: Grace Stirs up Success" (2015)

"Angry Birds Toons:" Season 1

"Bring It On: Fight to the Finish" (2009)

"Bring It On: In It to Win It" (2007)

"Catwoman" (2004)

"The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills:" Season 1

"Constantine" (2005)

"Forensic Files: Collection 2"

"Friday Night Tykes:" Season 1-2

"The Good Road" (2013)

"House of Wax" (2005)

"How to Change the World" (2015)

"Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" (2006)

"Intolerable Cruelty" (2003)

"Journey to Le Mans" (2014)

"Loins...

BBC Worldwide has sold a range of natural history titles to the Nine Network and Network Ten and two new science series to the ABC.

Nine.s package deal includes the landmark wildlife series The Hunt from Alistair Fothergill, the executive producer of Planet Earth and Frozen Planet, which examines the relationship between predators and their prey.

Other titles include Atlantic, Animal Super Parents and Nature.s Weirdest Events and library series Frozen Planet, Life In Cold Blood and The Blue Planet.

Network Ten has secured Shark, which highlights the diversity of sharks around the world, with some scenes shot by cameras mounted on helicopters, plus Natural Curiosities series 3 and two Sir David Attenborough documentaries, Attenborough.s Fabulous Frogs and Attenborough.s Big Birds, the Africa series Planet Earth and Tiger: Spy In the Jungle.

ABC pre- bought Forces of Nature, which reveals what lies beyond Earth.s beauty and...

Film and TV is guilty of instilling us with wanderlust, throwing up amazing locations from all over the world and leaving us wishing nothing more than to jump straight on a plane to distant climes.

Here are some stunning destinations from movies and shows (all ready to check out on Netflix now) that have us eyeing our suitcases with longing:

The Florida Keys - Bloodline

An amazing chain of tropical islands hanging from the tip of Florida, connected by a series of bridges running all the way to Key West and frequently offering amazing views of both sunrise and sunset.

It's the perfect temperate getaway, as long as you don't get entangled with the dysfunctional Rayburn family, that is.

New York City - Manhattan

From the opening peals of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue', Woody Allen classic Manhattan is pure New York City from head to toe.

Diane Keaton...

The geniuses behind Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet are coming back with an eight-part series called Our Planet for Netflix. The production company Silverback Films said it would be shooting the series in ultra-high-def. "Our Planet is going to raise the bar for natural history landmarks," said producer Alastair Fothergill. "We will reveal the most amazing sights on Earth and show them in ways they have never been seen before." The bad news is that the series won't premiere until 2019. (Nature documentaries take a long time!) For you, the major difference will be that you'll use a vape this time around.

Netflix continues to round out its slate of original non-fiction programming, this time with one of its biggest documentary projects yet. The streaming video service has ordered the eight-part nature docu-series Our Planet from the creators of BBC’s Planet Earth.

Filmed in Ultra HD 4K, Our Planet will explore remote parts of world and feature rare animals almost never seen by human eyes. The series will be produced by Silverback Films, with Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey leading the project. The filmmaking duo previously developed the documentaries Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet for BBC, which later aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel.

Additionally, wildlife conservation organization WWF will assist in the creation of Netflix’s Our Planet series. WWF will provide the Silverback team access to protected habitats for filming purposes. The organization will also work with the production company to develop Our Planet-inspired multimedia content for various platforms.

Netflix has ordered "Our Planet," an eight-part nature documentary exploring remote wilderness areas across the globe.

Its biggest documentary project to date, the project comes from the creators of the "Planet Earth," "Frozen Planet" and "Blue Planet" series and the various Disneynature films.

The series will be a four-year collaboration with Silverback Films and conservation group WWF and is to be shot in Ultra HD 4K format. WWF will provide the Silverback team access to its projects in protected areas around the world.

The aim is to present never-before-filmed settings featuring some of the world's rarest animals and most precious natural habitats.

The series is scheduled to premiere across all Netflix territories in 2019.

Source: Variety...

When Planet Earth first screened on the BBC back in 2006, audiences were transfixed. Offering unprecedented access to some of the world’s most elusive animals and wildlife, the documentary irrefutably raised the bar for the genre of nature documentaries and its lofty production values still set the precedent years later.

Almost a decade on, though, and it seems Netflix is hoping to emulate on its success with the eight-part natural history series Our Planet, which has been described by producers as the largest project of its kind ever attempted, projecting content from the four corners of the world in 4K resolution. Due to film over the course of four years, the online giant stated that it plans to have the series available to stream by 2019.

Silverback Films are involved in bringing Our Planet to existence, with Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey spearheading the nature documentary behind the cameras. Given that...

Netflix has teamed up with WWF to produce a follow-up to the BBC's groundbreaking Planet Earth series.

Our Planet will be an eight-part documentary series that will premiere in 2019 in collaboration with Silverback Films.

The natural history series will come from the creators of the critically-acclaimed Planet Earth, which aired on BBC One in the UK and Discovery in the Us in 2006.

The four-year project will focus on never-before-filmed wilderness areas and its animal inhabitants, including ice caps, deep oceans, deserts and remote forests, and will use the latest in 4K camera technology.

It will be led by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, who created Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Blue Planet for the BBC, as well as the Disneynature films Earth, Bears, African Cats and Chimpanzee.

"Netflix is proud to be the global home for perhaps Silverback's most ambitious project to date," said Lisa Nishimura, Vice President of Netflix Original Documentaries.