‘Print’ journalism creativity unites with global TV production
Details
John Moulding
| 30 November 2023
4 Print journalism creativity un ites with global TV production
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and news media organisation Guardian Media Group (Guardian) have announced a strategic creative collaboration that gives SPE exclusive first rights to the Guardian’s global journalism for TV and film adaptation.

Under the deal, SPE will have access to the Guardian’s current and developing news stories, and to the Guardian archive, which contains 200 years of history across articles, blogs, columns, videos and podcasts. The collaboration spans the whole of SPE’s television production groups, from its U.S. scripted and non-fiction television divisions to international production, which includes scripted companies Left Bank Pictures, Bad Wolf and Eleven.

The deal also includes unscripted, sport and factual entertainment producers such as The Whisper Group. As well as television, the agreement spans SPE’s feature film division, which includes labels such as 3000 Pictures, Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems.

Keith Underwood, Chief Financial & Operating Officer of Guardian Media Group, says: “This collaboration will serve to evolve and grow the Guardian’s activity in TV and film. Guardian journalism has a well-established track record in this space, with Oscar and BAFTA award-winning output over recent years.

“Sony Pictures Entertainment brings industry-leading development, production and distribution expertise on a global scale, and this agreement reflects our mutual commitment and shared passion to bring more Guardian journalism to screen”.

Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, adds: “It is an exciting opportunity for us at Sony Pictures to be able to draw on The Guardian’s extraordinary journalism, past, present and future, to create a new generation of dramas, documentaries and movies.”

Elizabeth Gabler, President at 3000 Pictures, comments: “With ‘Colette’ and ‘Black Sheep’, the Guardian have garnered huge acclaim for their documentary feature output. We are proud they want to work with Sony Pictures as they continue to move into this space.”

In 2021, the film ‘Colette’ picked up the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. The film ‘Black Sheep’ was nominated in the same category in 2019. The Guardian has recent deals with the BBC, Netflix and Sky, and they have a slate of other projects in development in the UK and U.S. There are also three Guardian option deals with SPE – and these will launch the new collaboration.