PARAMOUNT PLUS
Beverley McGarvey has been appointed president of Network 10, head of streaming and regional lead for Australia and New Zealand, with immediate effect by Paramount Global. She reports to Pam Kaufman, president & CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences at the group. The role gives her oversight of Network 10 and its portfolio of brands, including 10 Play.
McGarvey will maintain her current responsibilities, overseeing all original content out of Australia in alignment with Paramount’s global studio organisation and the businesses’ commercial capabilities. She will also continue to lead Paramount+ in Australia, reporting to Marco Nobili, EVP and international GM of Paramount+.
“Beverley is one of Australia’s leading media executives and has a proven track record of driving creative and commercial success in one of our most important, priority markets,” said Kaufman.
“We are well-positioned to maintain our strong position in Australia as the only global media company with a successful free-to-air network and powerful free and paid streaming platforms, powered by our global content pipeline and our range of originally produced Australian shows,” said McGarvey.
PUSSYCAT DOLL
Priyanka Chopra Jonas will narrate Disneynature’s “Tiger,” which will launch on Disney+ on ‘Earth Day’ or April 22, 2024, exactly 15 years after the label’s first release, “Earth.” The story lifts the veil on our planet’s most revered and charismatic animal, inviting viewers to journey alongside Ambar, a young tigress raising her cubs in the forests of India.
Directed by Mark Linfield, co-directed byVanessa Berlowitz and Rob Sullivan, and produced by Linfield, Berlowitz and Roy Conli,“Tiger” involved 1,500 days of filming.
FOREVER YEUNG
The 2024 edition of CinemAsia, a specialty Asian film festival held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, wrapped up last week with a screening of Laha Mebow’s “Gaga,” at the end of a record-breaking edition. Organizers reported that both 2023 and 2024 editions welcomed more visitors in 2023 and 2024, its previous peak year of 2020. “This anniversary edition witnessed a remarkable 20% increase in festival attendance compared to 2023,” they said.
Then 2024 Jury Award was awarded to Chinese directorGeng Zihanfor her coming-of-age film“A Song Sung Blue,” while the Filipino-Canadian director Seán Devlin received a special mention for his hybrid documentary “ASOG.” The festival’s audience award went to “Abang Adik,” by Malaysia’s Jin Ong.
A selection from the program will tour the Dutch cities of Nijmegen, Rotterdam and The Hague in May and June.
Separately, the festival said that founder Doris Yeung will step down after two decades of leadership.
FORMAT FRIENDS
Leading independent distributor All3Media International has entered into a partnership with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, (TBS) in Japan that will see the two format powerhouses collaborate for the first time and co-develop new entertainment formats.
The first fruit of this initiative sees All3Media group company North One Productions (Fifth Gear,) join the collaboration to develop“Lovers or Liars?,” a studio entertainment format. In each episode, a celebrity panel must try to identify the real (married) couple from amongst other couples that have actually only met for the first time that day.
The pilot series of“Lovers or Liars?”premieres in Japan on TBS on March 23 and the show will belaunched at a showcase within the upcoming MIPFORMATS, MIPTV.
DIRECTORS CUT
Blockbuster hit, “A Guilty Conscience,” directed by Jack Ng (aka Ng Wai-lun), was named the best film on Friday at the annual Hong Kong Film Directors’ Awards. Soi Cheang won the best director award for last year’s “Mad Fate.”
Tony Leung Chiu-wai was named the best actor for his role in “The Goldfinger,” while Jennifer Yu was named best actress for her portrayal of an investigative journalist in “In Broad Daylight.”
