Reality Beat: WWE strikes New Deals with Netflix, Jamie Foxx Drafts plans with Fox
David st. john - x
Docusoaps: Primedia Studios in South Africa has secured the format rights to create localized versions of Side Hustlers and Double the Money. Prime Studios hopes these entrepreneurial reality shows will aid in economic growth and educate small business development in South Africa.
"While these shows will empower contestants to follow their business dreams, South African audiences can also gather invaluable tips and tricks of the trade to boost their own business ideas."
Ruth Berry, president of global partnerships & Zoo 55, ITV Studios, says "We are thrilled to see these entrepreneurial formats going to South African shores in partnership with Primedia Studios. We hope these fresh concepts are just what viewers have been waiting for."
ABC’s The Bachelor co-executive producers Michael Margolis and Keely Booth exit the franchise amid pauses in The Bachelorette cycle and accusations of executive producers Claire Freeland and Bennet Graebner's “toxic” work environment.
Producer of I Am Jazz, America’s Next Top Model, and The Ts Madison Experience, David St. John passed away at 56 on Dec. 19.
“David was more than just the executive producer of I Am Jazz — he was family, and we loved him deeply,” the Jennings family said in a statement. “In our most challenging moments, he lifted our spirits with his warmth, reassured us that everything would be OK and gave us the strength to share our family’s journey.
“His kindness, infectious laughter and unwavering belief in our story will forever be woven into the heart and legacy of I Am Jazz and remain a cherished part of our lives.”
Julie Adenuga - Dave Benett
Docuseries: Now You Know a new BET UK show produced by Pangaea Group will host KSI and Love Island Host Maya Jama as the two first interviewees on Paramount 5 and Youtube discussing their journeys and influences behind their words. Broadcaster Julie Adenuga will host Now You Know as the head interviewer.
Adenuga said: “I’m incredibly excited to be able to put my own twist on interviewing with this new show. It’s something I’ve been doing for over a decade but thanks to GroupM Motion Entertainment and BET UK I’ve been given the opportunity to not just host it, but also executive produce the show with Pangaea and bring my vision of giving audiences a peek behind the curtain of what goes into a great conversation.”
Monta Mino - éûéñ
Competition Series: Hasbro Entertainment looked into the reality TV market through an unscripted TV adaptation of the board game Monopoly and a feature film adaptation of its two other board games Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble.
Guinness World Record Holder, president of Nikkoku Corp., and host of the Japanese version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Monta Mino passed away at 80 years old on March 1, 2025.
Oscar winner, host of Beat Shazam, executive procedure Alert: Missing Persons Unit, and actor Jamie Foxx formalized with Fox Studios to develop more scripted and unscripted projects. Fox Entertainment Studios will have exclusive rights to Foxx’s projects and producing services for unscripted shows.
We are ready and excited to kick-start this very promising new creative partnership with Jamie as we build on Fox’s longtime association with him — initiated by our CEO Rob Wade and network president Michael Thorn,” said Fernando Szew, president and head of Fox Entertainment Studios. “Jamie is a renowned multifaceted talent, so as a studio, we want to support his tremendous creativity with access to the full scope of our genres, formats and brands. Together we will deliver unexpected, unforgettable content to audiences everywhere. At Fox Entertainment Studios we are expanding our reach and portfolio, and this is a keystone creative partnership as we build.”
Fremantle obtained the production and distribution rights to Hasbro and Mattel’s Scrabble. With the rights, they plan to create localized versions across the globe for audiences from international territories to play.
Vasha Wallace, Fremantle’s executive VP of global acquisitions and development, added: “The ‘Scrabble’ television series is the winning formula of what we know broadcasters worldwide are looking for right now – proven IP and strong audience recognition with a very cost-effective production model.”
“Partnering with an iconic brand like ‘Scrabble’ is an innovative moment for Fremantle as we continue to expand our global footprint,” said Michela DiMondo, executive VP of international distribution at Fremantle Canada. “This collaboration not only strengthens our commitment to creating compelling, internationally resonant content but also showcases what can be achieved with creative partners such as Hasbro Entertainment and Mattel.”
Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition show Next Level Chef renewed for two more cycles for Fox. With its renewal, a spinoff has been ordered by Fox named Next Level Baker will be produced by Studio Ramsay.
“Next Level Chef consistently raises the bar of culinary excellence as a high stakes food competition fans love, an invaluable franchise for Fox and an increasingly popular global format,” Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn said in a statement. “Extending the reach of this series with the new holiday competition Next Level Baker once again exemplifies the strength of our incredible, long-standing collaborative partnership with Gordon, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.”
Shinsuke Nakamura - Alex Bierens de Haan
Sports: SuperSport dropped the broadcasting rights for Zambia’s sports network Zambia Super League with the 2024.25 season being the last season SuperSport will broadcast. Broadcasts will end in May. Zambia is one of the countries in which MultiChoice Africa attempts to battle subscriber loss from DStv due to extreme inflation.
SuperSport in a statement notes that in its "quest to grow Zambian domestic football, made considerable investments into the league and the football community, as well as upskilling local talent, which also grew the capacity of the country's live sports broadcast industry – ensuring production teams consisted of a majority of Zambian citizens".
"Although the 18-year broadcast rights partnership concludes at the end of the current 2024/25 Zambia Super League season in May, we appreciate the professional manner in which the matter has been handled by both entities."
Korean Streamer Tving revealed plans to expand coverage of the professional Korean baseball league and hopes to find boosts in subscriptions from live sports. The expansion will aid with user-friendly platforms and increased programming for Tving Super Match to twice a week Tuesdays and Fridays.
AEW World Title winner Swere Strickland has confirmed a deal with AEW for a five-year contract on the “Bootle Kev” podcast.
Strickland said, “Yup. [I’m signed to AEW until 2029]. There’s nowhere else I would rather be. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, that’s just a PR. He’s supposed to say that sh*t.’ Nah, I mean that sh*t from the bottom of my heart. There’s no other place I’d rather be. Do I have bad days as opposed to good days? Of course. This is a job. I have frustrations here and there. But, I work through those frustrations better here than I did in other places and anywhere else in the world whether it be Lucha Underground, WWE, NXT. Tony Khan and I have always worked through frustrations.”
Seth Rollins dropped the nickname “Freakin” for the WWE; BET announced their top 15 greatest Black wrestlers of all time.
Shinsuke Nakamura remains contracted to WWE despite rumors from Wade Keller of Nakumura’s departure to return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling to take part in Hiroshi Tanahasi’s retirement run.
Netflix announced a partnership with WW for WWE Raw and has sold out ad inventory for WWE Raw title sponsorships, partnering with multiple advertisers which include Snickers, Minute Maid, Cricket Wireless, and Wingstop.
Netflix announced that beginning in April of 2025, Netflix will become the exclusive new home for WWE in India where fans will be able to stream Raw, NX,T and SmackDown as well as other Live events such as SummerSlam, Money in the Bank, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. WWE provides seamless and immersive access to their programming, in which Netflix will feature previous content to stream on demand.
