Thomas Dey: Celebs Rumors

Warner Bros. Discovery has become the first major studio to sell a movie’s NFT bundle,with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring dropping tomorrow.

Mipcom — the first full-strength edition of the fall confab since 2019 — prepares to come to a close in Cannes on Thursday, Variety presents the top takeaways from a vibrant market. Mipcom Proves Itself Those of us who saw tumbleweeds rolling across the Croisette at a painfully quiet Mipcom 2021 and Miptv earlier this year will know that this Mipcom was the first since since pre-pandemic times that the international TV industry has congregated from all over the globe. Morale was sky high as sellers saw their Asian contacts for the first time in three years, and U.S. studios assured global buyers amid a strained period of domestic consolidation. While specialized markets such as Series Mania, MIA, Realscreen and Sunny Side of the Doc returned this year, delegates seemed to recognize the value of having the entire industry together in one place. Mip organizer RX has confirmed that MipTV is indeed going ahead in April — and will likely face the perennial struggle of getting exhibitor buy-in — but if there’s anything no one is questioning, it’s the fact that Mipcom is an essential meeting of minds for television.

Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment has struck a deal worth $125M for the securitization of the Got Talent franchise.

K.J. Yossman Simon Cowell has securitized the Got Talent franchise in what’s been described as a “groundbreaking” $125 million deal. The securitization relates to the intellectual property behind the franchise, including both the U.S. and British versions of the show, “America’s Got Talent” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” As part of the deal, the assets to the franchise and its spin-offs have been pooled, including “production margins and fees, digital income, franchise and original content sales and sponsorship income.” The Got Talent franchise has been commissioned across 72 global territories, including Armenia, Chile and Egypt. As of 2017, it holds the Guinness world record title for “Most international versions for a reality television format.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe media and entertainment industry’s rapid shift to streaming video will certainly lead to winners and losers.