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| Newsweek Productions and Carlton Television Announce Co-Venture |
NEW YORK, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsweek Productions, Inc. and Carlton
Television LTD announced today the signing of a significant production deal to
develop programming and content for the American and international markets
including nonfiction and reality specials and series for broadcast and cable.
The co-venture brings together the programming and international
distribution expertise of Carlton, a leading distributor of television
programs and films worldwide, with the production and marketing knowledge of
Newsweek Productions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Newsweek, Inc., which
publishes Newsweek magazine in the U.S. and three international
English-language editions.
Newsweek Productions President and Vice President of The Washington Post
Company Patrick Butler said, "This joint venture will greatly expand our
ability to develop and produce nonfiction programs for both the U.S. and
international markets. We look forward to a successful partnership with
Carlton."
"British television has been one of the creative driving forces in the
American market of late," said Steve Hewlett, Carlton's director of programs.
"We look forward to working with Newsweek Productions to establish a strong
Anglo-American alliance in producing quality, factual programming for the U.S.
market."
To oversee development and project decisions, an editorial board will be
established with executives from both companies including: Hewlett; Butler;
Polly Bide, controller of factual programming, Carlton; and Timothy Smith,
who was recently appointed vice president of Newsweek Productions, following
Emmy-winning experience with MacNeil-Lehrer Productions and Unapix
Entertainment.
In addition, the joint venture will establish a development fund to
finance the early stages of television and other projects. The companies
expect to announce a range of projects before the end of the year. The
executive in charge of production will be Richard Clemmow, a distinguished
journalist who most recently served as head of TV News for the British
Broadcasting Company.
Carlton Television is a major production company based in the United
Kingdom that produces a wide range of programming for broadcast, cable and
satellite channels. Carlton's production credits include "Inspector Morse," a
police drama series that has been running on Public Broadcasting Stations in
the U.S. since the 1980s, and "World War II in Colour," which won the
prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1999.
Carlton's latest move into the U.S. follows its recent acquisition of
Hamdon Entertainment (renamed Carlton America), one of the largest worldwide
co-producers, financiers and distributors of U.S. made-for-television movies,
based in Los Angeles. This year, Carlton America is co-producing
17 television movies.
Newsweek Productions produces the weekly health series HealthWeek for PBS
and another health series, Health Point, for WebMD TV. In the past two years,
Newsweek Productions has also produced three nonfiction specials, two for CNBC
and one for PBS: e-Planet - A Cyber Day, Destination Space and John Glenn:
American Hero.
Founded in 1933, Newsweek provides comprehensive coverage of national and
international affairs, business, society, science and technology, and arts and
entertainment. Headquartered in New York, Newsweek has 21 bureaus located in
the U.S. and around the globe. In addition to its U.S. and three
English-language editions overseas, Newsweek is the only newsmagazine that
publishes weekly foreign-language editions (through licensing agreements) --
in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. Newsweek's circulation is
more than 3.1 million in the U.S. and more than 4 million worldwide.
Newsweek's total U.S. audience exceeds 19 million and 22.5 million worldwide.
The magazine appears in more than 190 countries. Newsweek holds more National
Magazine Awards, given by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME),
than any other newsweekly. Newsweek is also on the World Wide Web at
http://www.Newsweek.MSNBC.com.
SOURCE Newsweek Productions, Inc.
back to topRelated links:
CONTACT:
Roy Brunett, of Newsweek Productions, Inc.,
212-445-4343; or Peter Rushton of Carlton Press Office,
011-44-20-76151502
