‘Dead Pixels’ Remake Set At India’s Disney+ Hotstar; David Rhodes Sky News Role; Channel 5 Royal Murder Doc; BBC Studios Zinc Deal – Global Briefs

‘Dead Pixels’ Remake Set At India’s Disney+ Hotstar

India’s Disney+ Hotstar has greenlit a remake of gamer comedy Dead Pixels, the British show produced by Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain and Phil Clarke’s Various Artists Limited. BBC Studios India and Tamada Media are behind the remake, which will be in Telugu and follows the journey of three young friends whose lives revolve around an online video game, with the ultimate goal of defeating a virtual villain. The Indian version moves from the UK to Hyderabad, depicting the main characters’ obsession with the game and how it interferes in different aspects of their daily lives. Aditya Mandala is director, Akshay Poolla is writer and the version stars Niharika Konidela, Harsha Chemudu, Sai Ronak, Akshay Lagusani and Bhavana Sagi. The British Dead Pixels has aired for two seasons on E4 and was picked up in the U.S. by The CW. Created by Jon Brown, it stars the likes of Starstruck creator Rose Matafeo and Ghosts‘ Charlotte Ritchie. It is one in a long line of Indian adaptations of British shows including the likes of Luther, The Night Manager and Doctor Foster.

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Sky News Unveils John Ryley Replacement & Ups David Rhodes

Former CBS News President David Rhodes has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Sky News Group and Jonathan Levy has been promoted in effect to replace the departing Head of News John Ryley. Reporting to Sky Studios CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Rhodes, who moves up from Group Director of International Business Development, will have overall responsibility for Sky’s news services across EMEA, focusing on the development of a long-term commercial strategy for both Sky News UK and Sky-owned TG24 in Italy. He is a former CBS News President and previously led Bloomberg Television in the U.S. Levy, meanwhile, has been promoted to Managing Director and Executive Editor of Sky News UK, in effect to replace departing news veteran Ryley, who is exiting after 17 years at the helm. Levy has been in the role of Director of Newsgathering and Operations for Sky since 2011 and was previously Head of Politics, where he helped negotiate Britain’s first televized Prime Ministerial debate. Sky Group CEO Dana Strong said the appointments “will ensure that we continue to produce eye-catching journalism of which we can all be proud.” She praised Rhodes’ “wealth of commercial experience, strategic insight and digital acumen” and called Levy a “highly experienced news executive with first class judgement and a

Paramount’s Channel 5 Orders British Aristocracy Murder Doc

Channel 5 has ordered a feature-length doc on the life and untimely death of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. Titled The Earl, His Lover, The Escort and Her, the Spun Gold TV-produced film includes the first interview with the woman convicted of aiding and abetting the Earl’s murder. It looks at how the Earl, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, met and married escort Jamila M’Barek in 2002 while enjoying hedonistic lifestyle of drink, drugs and sex on the French Riviera, before disappearing a few years later. Jamila later confessed to police that her brother had killed the Earl in a crime of passion and the body was soon found. The film includes the first interview with Jamila since her conviction for aiding and abetting a murder. All3Media International has worldwide distribution rights.

BBC Studios Re-Ups Zinc Media Deal

BBC Studios is kicking off its annual Showcase this morning in London, and has started by re-upping its distribution deal with UK indie group Zinc Media. Set for another three years, the agreement extends an existing rep partnership. BBC Studios will have a first look at titles from Zinc’s subsidiary indies – Red Sauce, Rex, Supercollider and Atomic Television. The BBC’s commercial arm already sells shows from Zinc companies. These include Brook Lapping’s Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me for the BBC, 9/11: Life Under Attack for ITV and the recently launched two-partner Afghanistan: Getting Out for BBC Two.

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