UK multichannel operator UKTV has secured a deal to broadcast 350 hours of terrestrial net Channel 4′s (C4) factual and lifestyle programming, taking the place of Discovery Communications.

From the third quarter of this year, C4 programmes from 16 UK indies will begin broadcasting on UKTV, which operates a mixture of 10 free- and pay-TV channels.

The multi-million dollar deal sees UKTV replacing Discovery as the primary broadcaster of second-run C4 content and comes in a period during which UKTV claims to have increased its ratings 9% year-on-year.

The programmes include: Embarrassing Bodies and One Born Every Minute, for Really; A Place in the Sun and 4 in a Bed, for Home; Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals and River Cottage, for Good Food; and Time Team, for factual-skewed Yesterday. Non-exclusive video-on-demand rights are bundled too.

The agreement comes after C4 scored a 10-year agreement to sell UKTV advertising for its digital and linear content last year. The pair also has an existing deal covering comedy, entertainment and drama content. UKTV’s former CEO David Abraham took on the CEO role at C4 in 2010.

“UKTV and Channel 4 are successfully collaborating in a number of areas and as the category leaders in lifestyle and factual channels, this deal will enable UKTV to pull further away from its competitors,” said UKTV CEO Darren Childs.

UKTV has upped its original commissioning activity this year as budget increase 20% to £75m (US$119m). Initial plans to increase the budget by £50m over the next five years first emerged in August last year.

“UKTV’s content deals with the BBC, Channel 4 and now with investment in its own award-winning commissions, continues to strengthen its channel brands and ensure they are the most sought after destinations on the digital broadcasting landscape,” added Childs.

C4′s chief operating officer Anne Bulford said the deal was a “great example of how we are working closely with our independent production partners to maximise the value of their secondary UK rights.”

This article has been taken from C21media.net

Photos are now on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/showcomotion-conference2007/sets/72157629604856599/

Thanks for everyone who came along!

An afternoon of presentations, case-studies, expert insights and information on new routes to market for animation projects.

Sessions will explore new partnerships and new platforms, the potential and pifalls of video-on-demand, interactive opportunities and where licensing fits in the digital space.  Speakers will be drawn from a range of production, distribution, licensing and research companies, with digital business affairs and rights advice included.

With the standard of editorial input the CMC provides at its summer Conference, this first London event of 2012 will provide invaluable new insights for animators, producers, writers and digital agencies – PLUS networking opportunities throughout.

It’s an un-missable opportunity to expand your business horizons and release creative potential.

Confirmed speakers include:

Orion Ross (VP Original Series, Disney Channel & Disney XD, EMEA at The Walt Disney Company) with a keynote overview of working pan-platform to maximize the potential of your brand
Plus:
Andrew Baker (Rights.tv)
Jos Carlyle (Persian Cat Press)
David Curry (LeSinge Media)
Dan Efergan (Aardman Digital)
Gina Fegan (Screen & Digital Media Specialist, UK Trade & Investment)
Ed Galton (Cake Entertainment)
Marc Goodchild (IpDipSkyBlue.tv)
Eric Huang (Penguin Digital)
James Huggins (Made in Me)
Oli Hyatt (BlueZoo and Animation UK campaign)
Helen McAleer (Walker Books)
Greg McLeod (Brothers McLeod)
Juliet Tzabar (PlugIn Media)
Maurice Wheeler (DoCo)
James White (Studio Lidell)
Karl Woolley (Impossible Kids)

A new £15 million fund to invest in creative content in film, TV, games and the digital sector within Yorkshire and Humber has been announced by Screen Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Content Fund has secured £7,500,000 of investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which will be further matched by private sector investors on a project-by-project basis.

The Yorkshire Content Fund is managed by Screen Yorkshire and will invest in Yorkshire-based companies as well as being used to attract productions looking to locate within the region. Investments will be made on the same commercial terms as the matching private investor’s, and the intention is that investment returns will produce a legacy fund to support content development and production in Yorkshire for many years to come.

The fund is launched on the back of a number of successful projects which previously received Screen Yorkshire investment including Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur and Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, from Sheffield’s Warp X and Andrea Arnold’s new version of Wuthering Heights.

Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: “The Screen Yorkshire Content Fund marks a new era for the region’s creative businesses and for Screen Yorkshire as an organisation. These are difficult times and access to capital is still limited so to secure such a major pot of investment for the creative industries in Yorkshire and Humber is an incredible win for the region and for Screen Yorkshire. The fund will also create hundreds of jobs across the supply chain, which is so critical at the moment. I’m sure Yorkshire can now continue to create great content to build on its legacy of film and TV such as Red Riding; The Damned United and This is England to video games such as Broken Sword and Worms. It’s an exciting time to be in the creative industries in Yorkshire and Humber.”

Cameron McCracken, Managing Director of Pathe UK and Screen Yorkshire Board Member, said: “I’d like to congratulate Sally and her team for the huge achievement of securing this fund for Yorkshire and Humber. At a time when true risk equity is scarce, an investment fund of this scale will attract inward investment and act as a catalyst for substantial production activity throughout the region.”

Charles Cecil, Managing Director of York-based Revolution Software and Screen Yorkshire Board Member, said: “The advent of ubiquitous broadband has opened up huge opportunities for video games developers to self-publish their titles and, in doing so, retain the lions’ share of the revenues – Yorkshire, in particular, has a large number of successful, independent developers who find themselves in a fantastic position to grasp these opportunities. However, to capitalise on these opportunities upfront investment is required and can be very challenging to secure in this tough financial environment. The Yorkshire Content Fund will address this issue and also lead to significant job creation.”

Mark Herbert, Managing Director of Sheffield’s Warp Films, said: “Yorkshire has virtually everything you need to produce TV and film – stunning and diverse locations, skilled and experienced crew and now the new Yorkshire Content Fund. Finance is always a critical part of the jigsaw of getting TV or film made so this fund can only help in increasing production levels within Yorkshire.”

The Yorkshire Content Fund is officially open to Expressions of Interest now at www.screenyorkshire.co.uk

This project is supported financially by the European Union. It has attracted £7.5 million investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme 2007-13.

Rights TV has been appointed to advise Screen Yorkshire in relation to the establishment of the fund and the relevant contractual paperwork.

Sponsored by Rights TV

The Food for Thought at the event was :

“Managing production and distribution in the new digital economy“

As Netflix prepares to launch in the UK and other VoD propositions emerge, managing windows and making deals in the connected future becomes increasingly complex. At this Supper Club leading experts from the sector will suggest strategies for success and how producers and rights owners can evolve their businesses to prosper in the new environment.

“Thought Leaders” at the event were  Andrew Baker MD of Rights TV, Tom Cape (CEO Capable), Ruth Clarke (VP Head of EMEA Shine International), Richard Mansell (MD Base 79), Mark Rowland (CEO, Indiemedia) and Nigel Walley (MD Decipher Group).

It was a very interesting night with lots of ideas and suggestions plus some great feedback and contributions from delegates on each table… and the sausage and mash was well worth the wait as well!

Many thanks to C21 for organizing the event so well, and to Simon Wilkinson for his kind permission in using the photographs he took of the event.

We are now based at the wonderful new Heslington East Campus of the University of York – neatly sandwiched in between the School of Law and the Theatre, Film and Television School!

We are now settled into our lovely new office at the Catalyst and can now watch those student hard at work .. drinking coffee!

Do pop in and see us sometime !

Don’t miss this opportunity to get on the schedule!

Top programming executives from the world’s leading channels will share their development plans at C21′s one-day Schedule Watch conference on November 30.
We will be hearing about current and future programming missions in a great interactive networking event.

From the UK’s leading commercial networks, to Europe’s finest, we will be examining the grids of each channel and hearing from those defining the development agendas their commissioning, coproduction and acquisitions requirements.
This is a unique opportunity for producers, rights owners, distributors and channels to get a snapshot into the current and future trends in global programming, and meet the people making it happen.

Schedule Watch is sponsored by Rights TV.