Hulu and IFC Films have inked a multi-year agreement. Under the deal documentaries from IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight Documentary Films will be released on Hulu exclusively directly following theatrical releases and on-demand. The first film under the docu deal will be IFC Films’ King Georges, releasing on February 26.
Baidu’s iQIYI online video platform has signed a multi-year output agreement with 20th Century Fox for new release digital TVOD and exclusive first-run SVOD rights in China to the studio’s theatrical releases. This makes iQIYI the first Middle Kingdom platform to distribute Fox movies via TVOD and SVOD. The companies earlier enriched their existing library licensing deal by considerably increasing the films available on iQIYI’s online streaming service. IQIYI has an wide-ranging catalog of films available online and reached 10 million subscribers.
Independent film distributor XLrator Media has started a documentary releasing label, Lifeframe. They have already set a slate of films including Queen Mimi and It’s So Easy And Other Lies. Under the deal, Lifeframe is teaming with Peter Spirer’s Rugged Entertainment to co-produce three films to be distributed through Lifeframe as well as partner to attain programming for the slate. The first film in this deal is the marijuana documentary Legend Of 420.
Relativity Media has signed a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Media Fund to co-finance and produce upcoming feature films. Terms of the agreement were not given, but reportedly the entities previously co-financed and produced a thriller, The Disappointments Room, to be released this year.
Sinclair Broadcasting will has acquired The Tennis Channel for $350 million. The pay TV service reaches 30 million homes currently, but that number will increase to 50 million with recent carriage deals. Under the deal Sinclair picks up more than $200 million of net operating losses which can be utilized to reduce future taxes.
Discovery Communications has signed a long-term partnership to make the BBC the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster in the UK for the next five Olympic Games. BBC will sub-license exclusive free-to-air audio-visual and non-exclusive radio rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games. Discovery will sub-license from the BBC the exclusive pay-TV rights in the UK to the 2018 and 2020 Games. Additionally, the BBC’s package is enhanced by digital rights to TV content.
Writers-producers Karyn Usher and Lisa Zwerling have inked an overall deal with Lionsgate TV to develop and produce original scripted programming through their new Carpool Entertainment banner. They previously worked together on Presidio Med. Zwerling had a previous overall deal with ABC Studios, where she executive produced Betrayal and co-executive produced FlashForward. Usher had an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV, wrote for the acclaimed drama Prison Break, which she also co-executive produced.
The NFL has inked a deal with CBS and NBC to share the primetime Thursday package with its NFL Network. CBS had divided the games with the league-owned cable net the past two seasons. Each network will broadcast five Thursday Night Football games in 2016 and 2017. The NFL Network will also air eight Thursday night games.
Open Road Films has inked a multipicture deal with Crystal City Entertainment/Boundary Stone Films that gives the company funding to develop its own movie projects. The deal will see two to four films developed annually with each film getting a wide domestic release via Open Road. Foreign sales will be handled by Open Road International and partner FilmNation. Crystal City/Boundary previously funded The Ides of March and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
Angela Kang has inked a two-year overall deal at AMC to develop new shows, both projects that she would create and projects that she would supervise. Under the deal, Kang will continue to executive produce The Walking Dead, where she has been for the past five years. Her previous credits include FX’s Terriers and on NBC’s One Day.
ITV’s Talpa has signed a joint venture with Middle Kingdom media company Zhejiang Tangde to develop and operate over 200 variety shows of which Talpa owns the copyright. The first production to be aired in China will be Dance Dance Dance, a celebrity competition with augmented reality. Under the deal, Zhejiang Tangde also licenced the rights to produce and broadcast Seasons 5-8 of The Voice Of China for $60 million. Zhejiang is further promising $50 million to be used for the development of local formats.