Canneseries Expands; Bavaria Takes SPi’s ‘Codex 632’; MSR Adds 4 Features – Mipcom Global Bulletin
CANNESERIES EXPANDS
Set to run April 14-19, Canneseries has introduced a new competition documentary section, the International Documentary Series Competition, to be included in its next go-round in Cannes. The idea is to keep storytelling at the heart of the event. “Whether the main character is sport, history, a crime, a celebrity, the environment or a changing society, it is always about telling stories. And Canneseries, which promotes serial writing in all its forms, had to highlight this narration of reality,”, said Albin Lewi, artistic director of Canneseries.
PLUTO TV PACTS WITH MONDO TV
Paramount’s free ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV has pacted with Mondo TV Studios, the European producer and distributor of animated content, to bring a number of successful titles from the Mondo TV library to Pluto TV in Italy.
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The deal also includes distribution across Pluto TV’s platforms in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
“Pluto TV is experiencing tremendous growth internationally. Our first step outside the U.S. was in October 2018. Four years later, we have launched more than 1,000 channels internationally, with over 400 international media partners,” said Olivier Jollet, executive VP & international general manager for Pluto TV.
He added: “This is an incredible result that we also achieved thanks to our valuable partners like Mondo TV that allow us to bring unique content to our audiences worldwide, through carefully curated channels that offer the best of traditional TV and streaming.”
Mondo TV titles now being made available on Pluto TV in Italy include more than 20 movies such as “Felix All Around The World,” where the protagonist Felix gets lost in Norway and must find his way home; “Jungle Book,” a movie about Mowgli, a young guy adopted by a family of wolves: and “Welcome Back Pinocchio,” which turns on a cat, a fox and a harlequin, all under the control of the Butterman, who manage to convince him to steal from the school safe.
BAVARIA TAKES SPI’S ‘CODEX 632’
Bavaria Media International has sealed a distribution agreement with major Portuguese production house SPi to handle worldwide distribution of “Codex 632.” The six-part series is based on the bestseller of the same name by José Rodrigues dos Santos. “Codex 632” is a co-production between SPi, Portuguese TV station RTP, and Brazilian streaming provider Globoplay, and is scheduled to premiere in 2023.
“The partnership with the renowned production house SPi fits perfectly with our strategy of acquiring more international projects. ‘Codex 632’ is one of our highlight projects for MipTV 2023,” said Maike Haas, Bavaria Media director of acquisition and co-development.
MSR BRINGS FILMS TO MIPCOM
MSR Media has added four new films to the company’s production line-up, with sales beginning at Mipcom. The new slate includes action film “The Island,” mystery thriller “Ocean Deep,” the sci-fi/action feature “Black Nois,” and mystery drama “Strictly Confidential.”
“The Island” and “Black Noise” are the latest films to shoot under a multi-title program, signed in 2022, between MSR Media and the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.
“We are working with skilled creatives in all departments and showcasing a diversity of actors across multiple genres,” MSR Producer Philippe Martinez commented. “Our new productions utilize the beauty of the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis to enhance their stories and all four films exemplify the company’s objective to match film talent with exciting storylines that will appeal to global audiences,” he added.
MCONTENT TAKES 54 HOURS FROM ESPRESSO
MContent, the world’s first fully decentralised content ecosystem, has acquired 54 hours of content from U.K. factual distributor Espresso Media International. The series and documentaries will run on MContent’s web3 video streaming platform, which is the world’s first Watch2Earn platform. It is described as a “tokenized collaborative content ecosystem, launched with the idea of seed funding, incubating and curating filmmakers around the globe.”
YOUTUBE SERIES REBOOTED IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC
“The Adventures of Mansour,” a West Asia cartoon with more than 2 billion YouTube views, is being repurposed as an all-new sci-fi adventure series, intended for 6-12ss around the globe.
The 52-part “The Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I.” launched at Mipcom, and will be produced in English and Arabic.
Issues tackled in the series include artificial intelligence, technology, climate change and space exploration.
The production was created in Abu Dhabi to teach Arab children about the above subjects. It now has 3 million subscribers and 280 million watch hours, and 25.2 million unique viewers in just the last 90 days across West Asia. It will be the first Arab cartoon to be originally produced in both English and Arabic.
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