Streaming Ad Spending Increases 57% to $15.2 Billion in 2021

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentEurope’s movie production levels bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. The continent’s box office, however, lagged way behind, gross revenues coming in at less than half those before COVID-19, according to the 2022 edition of Focus – World Film Market Trends.  A reference for much of the film industry in Europe, the annual report is prepared for Cannes Marché du Film by the European Audiovisual Observatory.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In its continued bid to ramp up its programming content, ViX Plus, the upcoming premium SVOD  service from TelevisaUnivision, has formed a strategic alliance with Spain’s The Mediapro Studio, which will produce exclusive original content for the new Spanish-language streamer slated to launch in the second half of this year.First out the gate are scripted series “Las Pelotaris” and the sports-themed docuseries, “La Sangre y la Gloria” (“The Blood and The Glory”).Welcoming The Mediapro Studio as a crucial partner in its efforts to build “a service that will offer the best content in Spanish for our audience in the United States and Latin America,” Rodrigo Mazón, executive vice president and general manager of ViX Plus, said: “We are very excited to present the first original productions resulting from this strategic alliance and to be able to develop more stories together with the highest of production values.” Commented Marta Ezpeleta, director of international, The Mediapro Studio: “This alliance represents an important step in the international expansion of the studio and in its consolidation both in Latin America and in the United States, where we already have a solid infrastructure, with our own production facilities and a great team of creators.”Set in the 1920s, “Las Pelotaris” follows three pioneering women who broke multiple glass ceilings in order to succeed.

Emmerdale will take a look back at the tragic death of Holly Barton in a storyline involving newcomer Suzy Merton. Suzy, played by Martelle Edinborough, has just arrived in the village and has already created a stir. She became a love interest for Vanessa Woodfield and the pair developed a connection.

Martin Lewis has waded in with his thoughts on The Games as viewers continue to be left divided over the format. Viewers are now three days in to the ITV show which sees 12 celebs pushed out of their comfort zones and competing in Olympic-style events.

Yard Act’s James Smith has shared a poem, commissioned by mental health charity Mind to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week this week. The short piece was created in collaboration with a woman named Mel, who lives with bulimia, in order to tell her story.“I was asked by Mind to collaborate with one of their clients to write a poem for Mental Health Awareness week”, he says.

Good Morning Britain viewers were left fuming at the programme on Thursday (May 12) thanks to a 'massive spoiler alert'. Susanna Reid was back at the helm of the ITV show alongside Ben Shephard, while Kate Garraway was on hand to bring the latest headlines.

Coldplay have issued a statement following criticism of some of the partners they have chosen to work with in order to reduce the CO2 emissions on their latest world tour.“When we announced this tour, we said that we would try our best to make it as sustainable and low carbon-impact as possible, but that it would be a work in progress”, they said. “That remains true.

Ezra Furman has announced her upcoming new album, ‘All Of Us Flames’, and released new single ‘Forever In Sunset’.“The biggest influence on the lyrics of this song is a conversation I had with a friend of mine”, she says. “When COVID was first hitting, she was talking to me a lot about how ready she felt”.“She was like, ‘People who have been comfortable in life are freaking out right now. But queer people like me have been in crisis before.

EXCLUSIVE: BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU), the UK production powerhouse behind Planet Earth and The Green Planet, has hired BAFTA-winning Mike Davis to lead a major push into CGI.

A Lanarkshire daredevil who filmed himself while climbing a towering crane in Glasgow has been fined.

A man found himself in a moral dilemma after buying a second hand safe on eBay for £80 - as it had £20,000 inside and the previous owner asked for it back.

Will Young has returned to Twitter following the airing of his heartbreaking documentary, Losing My Twin Rupert.READ: Who was Will Young's twin brother Rupert?The show took a compassionate and brave look at alcoholism, inspired by Will's brother who tragically died in August 2020 at the age of 41. WATCH: Jeremy Kyle shares reaction to documentary Death on DaytimeRupert had battled depression, anxiety and alcoholism for more than 20 years.

Deborah James has revealed she's given her husband "strict instructions" to move on following her death, but begged him not to marry a "bimbo".The BBC podcaster, now 40, was just 35 years old when she diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in December 2016, which went on to become stage four. Since then, she has tirelessly campaigned to bring awareness to the disease, some of that through her Instagram account @bowelbabe.

The BBC are set to sign This Morning chef Gino D’Acampo for the 20th anniversary of its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, which will take place later this year. 43 year old Italian chef Gino has become a firm favourite on Britain’s TV screens, with his hilarious sense of humour – and brilliant cooking skills – earning him legions of fans. Not only has he been a chef on This Morning for 13 years, he also won I’m A Celebrity...

With the Eurovision Song Contest fast approaching, fans across Europe will be tuning in this weekend to watch the cool and quirky performers take to the stage. And while seeing unusual antics unfold on-stage has become part of the occasion, it turns out that the competition’s judges have some pretty unusual rules of their own that they must follow. In fact, in an interview with Times Radio, Murder On The Dancefloor songstress Sophie Ellis-Bextor revealed that she once turned down the role because of the “kooky” rules in place.

I know this is beauty sacrilege but I have to admit that, up until the past year or two, I avoided using SPF creams on my face. I used skincare with SPF in (I’m not a maniac), but chemical sun cream formulas never suited my fussy, sensitive skin. We all know how important it is to be wearing a high factor, targeted sunscreen daily to avoid sun damage and premature ageing, so I made it my mission to go on a hunt for a formula that didn’t cause my skin to go red and break out in tiny spots – something that happened so often after a day spent wearing a chemical SPF.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently enjoying a tour of Scotland with a focus on discussing mental health. While they are there Prince William, 39, and Catherine, 40, are addressed as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn. When William married Catherine in 2011, the Queen bestowed many titles upon the couple including this one amongst others including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Baron and Lady Carrickfergus.They’re not the only royals to go by different names in Scotland, though.

A former Love Island star has dished all the dating show's secrets, including the incredibly racy audition process. A sexy new set of singletons looking for romance are set to descend on the new Mallorcan mansion when the ITV series returns to screens on 6 June.

Adele and boyfriend Rich Paul have taken the next step in their relationship by moving in together.The singer, 34, poses next to her sports agent beau, 40, in a series of snaps posted to Instagram to celebrate the first year of their relationship. The couple looking ecstatic as they pose on the lawn of a huge mansion in the first snap, and they're both holding up the house keys in a celebratory pose. The post was captioned: “Time flies” and also included a series of other sweet snaps of the pair, who got together in 2021, throughout their relationship.

A young man who died after being hit by a car in south Manchester has been named as 19-year-old Cameron Pearman. The fatal incident happened on Princess Road in the early hours of Sunday (May 7).

David de Gea is arguably one of the few Manchester United players who can still hold his head high after a dismal season.