CJ ENM & TBS Making First Unscripted Collab ‘Mugen Loop’
Korea’s CJ ENM and Japan’s TBS have moved to the next stage of their splashy deal with a new game show in which challengers are locked in a hexagon-shaped space and face missions. Translated as “Infinite Loop” in English, Mugen Loop is the first unscripted show to come from the deal and will feature challengers including Koko of K-pop girl group Izna, who move through endlessly connected rooms, identical in color and shape. As long as they keep succeeding in the missions, they can accumulate an unlimited amount of prize money. Premiering later this month, the new show comes from the tie-up struck between CJ ENM and TBS last year (following a joint business agreement in 2021), which will see at least three TV shows and two films co-produced and airing on TBS TV channels. CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun dove deep into the deal this morning in a trade exclusive with Deadline. Jangho Seo, EVP of Content Business Division at CJ ENM, said: “As more and more Korean unscripted shows are well-received on a global scale, it has become crucial for both content providers and creators to discover distinctive yet comprehensible ideas that can foster the viewers’ interests. Mugen Loop is a ‘big yet clear-cut’ show that will propose a clear answer to those challenges.”
Tom Daley Documentary Set With WBD & Olympic Channel
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Warner Bros. Discovery is teaming with the Olympic Channel for a Tom Daley documentary. Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds will chart the diver’s phenomenal success from his first Olympics in Beijing as a 14-year-old to winning gold at Tokyo 2020 to his final olympics appearance last year. It is named after the critical time in 10 metre diving between platform exit and pool entry. Offering an intimate glimpse into his life, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds features exclusive footage, personal family films and candid interviews with Daley and those closest to him including mother Debbie Daley, husband Dustin Lance Black, mentor Leon Taylor, his first coach Andy Banks and Jane Figueiredo who coached him to Olympic gold. In an interesting new model, the doc will broadcast in the UK on the Really Channel and TNT Sports in June. Outside of the UK and Ireland, it will be broadcast on Max and discovery+ across mainland Europe in early June and broadcast on 23 June 2025 on Eurosport, while Olympics.com will take the premiere in the U.S. and territories outside of Europe. Daley, one of Great Britain’s most popular olympians of all time, said: “For most of my life, my head has been in competing. I’ve lived in four-year Olympic cycles, trying my best to constantly improve my performance as an athlete. That 14- year-old me back at his first Olympics in Beijing, 2008 has been on such a journey and I’m so grateful for every moment, good and bad.” The documentary has been produced for Warner Bros. Discovery and the Olympic Channel by Western Edge Pictures and is directed by award-winning filmmaker Vaughan Sivell.
‘Leaving Neverland 2’ Sells Around The World
Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson has sold to networks around the world. The latest in Dan Reed’s Michael Jackson series will broadcast on channels in Australia (Nine Network), Israel (Hot8) and Spain (Movistar+) amongst others. Produced by Amos Pictures and filmed over five years with full access to Wade Robson and James Safechuck, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson documents the second stage of their quest to get to trial. The third and final film will cover the trial, scheduled for late 2026, thus completing the Leaving Neverland trilogy. In the U.S., the show second in the trilogy will no longer air on Max but will be on Little Dot’s YouTube channel Real Stories. Reed has spoken in the past few days about being targeted by thousands of death threats from Jackson fans as a result of making the documentary. Sphere Abacus struck the global deals. “The story resonates deeply on a global scale, sparking critical conversations and capturing the attention of audiences worldwide,” said Sphere Abacus boss Jonathan Ford. “We are proud to be part of sharing this important documentary with a diverse global audience.”
Jane Featherstone and Anne Mensah Honored At BPG Awards
Black Doves producer Jane Featherstone and Netflix content boss Anne Mensah will be honored with special gongs at this week’s Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards. Featherstone is winning the Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, while Mensah, who commissioned Black Doves amongst other big hits, takes the Excellence in British Drama, Outstanding TV Executive prize. Mensah is coming off the back of a hugely successful year during which she backed Baby Reindeer, The Gentlemen and One Day. Featherstone runs Black Doves and Eric producer Sister and is a former top BBC drama exec. A BPG Jury Award for Excellence in British drama will also be given to Playground and Company Pictures for their series Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light. The BPGs take place on Thursday in London. Wolf Hall will do battle with Rivals, Baby Reindeer, Day of the Jackal and Mr Bates vs The Post Office in the best drama series category.
Fifth Season Inks ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Deals
Fifth Season has inked multiple digital and broadcast deals on Toho’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. Deals include Talpa TV (Netherlands), Peppermint Anime Gmbh (Germany and German-speaking Europe), TVN (Poland), RTL (Hungary), TV Azteca (Mexico), SVT (Sweden), and RTV Slovenija (Slovenia). The film is also launching on iTunes, Amazon, and Google in the UK and Germany, and iTunes, Fetch, and Google in Australia this month. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One grossed more than $110 million worldwide and won the Best Visual Effects Oscar. The film surpassed Shin Godzilla as the most successful Japanese Godzilla film in history and won eight awards at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2024.
FilmRise & UKTV Search For ‘Has#Tag Homicide’
A doc series about the “dark intersection of social media and true crime” has buyers from the U.S., UK and Ireland. Has#Tag Homicide is currently in production through New York’s Big Media, investigating crimes carried out, initiated or solved through social media. North American FAST channel FilmRise and UKTV in the UK and Ireland have boarded ahead of a Q4 delivery. BBC Studios-owned UKTV will run the show on its U&W channel. “The impact of social media on our lives and its potential to be exploited by bad actors has become an irrefutable part of modern society,” said Big Media President and co-founder Danny Wilks. “In Has#Tag Homicide, we look at how online predators and scammers have preyed on victims by hiding behind the friendlyveil of social media, luring the unsuspecting followers and friends into some very dark places.”