Manori Ravindran
Verified- Journalist, Freelance
- London Correspondent, The Ankler
- Senior Contributing Editor, Broadcast Magazine
London
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Indie journalist covering the business of TV and film. Migrated elsewhere: manori-r.bsky.social. 📩 manoriravindran@gmail.com
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Articles by Manori Ravindran
Jeff Zucker on the Biggest Studio You’re Overlooking: ‘We’ll Take Them By Surprise’
I wrote about British TV falling into U.S. hands, what the U.K.’s YouTube trap means for Hollywood and how Saturday Night Live UK survived the skeptics. Email me at manori@theankler.com RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker helped assemble the world’s biggest independent production company in Banijay Entertainment, but even he knows Hollywood — consumed by its own current dramas — has barely noticed.
‘A Colony of America’: How British TV Is Falling Into U.S. Hands
I wrote about what Britain’s YouTube trap means for Hollywood, Saturday Night Live UK surviving the skeptics, and, with Ashley Cullins and Katey Rich, the Cannes Film Festival and market. Email me at manori@theankler.com While Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were getting hitched in front of 1,000 of their closest friends in New York during Independence Day weekend, another megawatt union — this one bringing the U.K. even closer to America — was in the works across the pond.
How TV appeals melted hearts and raised billions
One of British TV’s greatest success stories has no RTS awards, Baftas or Emmys to its name. It has, however, been an intrinsic part of domestic broadcasting for 60 years, raising £2.5bn in the process, and it continues to anchor a rare and enduring collaboration between public service broadcasters.
British TV’s YouTube Trap Is Coming for Hollywood
I wrote about SNL UK surviving the skeptics, the Cannes Film Festival and market with Ashley Cullins and Katey Rich, and YouTubers hijacking reality TV. Email me at manori@theankler.com Hello, Series Business readers and guten tag from Germany. I’m in Cologne this week for the Seriencamp TV conference, where things are getting existential. This year, discussions around the creator economy have dominated — why, for example, haven’t we seen a breakout à la Markiplier’s Iron Lung out of Europe yet?
Exclusive: ‘SNL UK’ Showrunner & Cast on Surviving the Skeptics
I covered the Cannes Film Festival and market with Ashley Cullins and Katey Rich, and I wrote about YouTubers hijacking reality TV, HBO Max invading the U.K., and the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production. Email me at manori@theankler.com Something about the prospect of a U.K. edition of Saturday Night Live put noses so out of joint in Britain, you’d think SNL creator Lorne Michaels killed one of Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis in a past life.
Deal Scene: Hot Titles, Who’s Buying & the Market’s ‘800-Pound Gorilla’
Ankler international correspondent Manori Ravindran, Dealmakers columnist Ashley Cullins and awards editor Katey Rich are on the ground in Cannes. Ashley and Manori previewed the festival market, Ashley spoke with top indie dealmakers and AI stakeholders, and Manori interviewed StudioCanal’s Anne Chérel and Iron Lung filmmaker Markiplier. It’s Monday in Cannes, the clouds are descending and I hear the whirr of suitcases hitting the pavement.
Adam Driver Deflects Dunham, Markiplier Mobbed
International correspondent Manori Ravindran, Dealmakers columnist Ashley Cullins and awards editor Katey Rich are on the ground in Cannes. Ashley and Manori got early dish on the festival market, Ashley spoke with top indie dealmakers and Manori interviewed StudioCanal’s Anne Chérel about the company’s ambitious global strategy. Today: my report on YouTuber Markiplier and the wave of talent who hit the fest this afternoon.
StudioCanal Throws Down: Lit Hits, Gen Z Bait & U.S. Buyers
I previewed the Cannes market with Ashley Cullins and wrote about YouTubers hijacking reality TV, HBO Max invading the U.K., and the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production.
Cannes Daily Archives - The Ankler
Deal Scene: Hot Titles, Who’s Buying & the Market’s ‘800-Pound Gorilla’ I talk to Richard Lorber and more about top players — Amazon and Black Bear to Warners’ Clockwork — as Netflix pulls back and insiders ask, ‘Where are the market makers?’ Adam Driver Deflects Dunham, Markiplier Mobbed High energy as ‘Paper Tiger’ roars, creators take the Croisette and — sacré bleu! — the fest even warms to AI StudioCanal Throws Down: Lit Hits, Gen Z Bait & U.S. Buyers Exec Anne Chérel reveals her global...
Quiet Croisette, Hot Market: Cannes Dealmakers See Demand Rise
I previewed the Cannes market with Ashley Cullins and wrote about YouTubers hijacking reality TV, HBO Max invading the U.K., and the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production. Email me at manori@theankler.com Hello from the Cannes Film Festival, where the Croisette is packed but, four days in, still oddly low on obvious drama. The ovation wars have begun of course, Vin Diesel has turned up for The Fast and the Furious screening, and AI execs are suddenly part of the fest scrum.
YouTube Series Are Hijacking Reality TV. Studios Want In
I cover global TV and film from London. I wrote about the collapse of NATPE and Realscreen, HBO Max invading the U.K., the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production and the antitrust challenges for Paramount-WB in Europe. Email me at manori@theankler.com One hundred cameras. A high-speed freight train. A visionary realizing his wildest dream. This isn’t the premise of Unstoppable, Snowpiercer or Train to Busan.
YouTube Series Are Hijacking Reality TV. Studios Want In - The Ankler
3 hours ago A former singer for Spandau Ballet who believed he could have "sex on demand" has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of eight charges, including rape and attempted rape. Ross Davidson, who used Ross Wild as his stage name, sang with the 80s band Spandau Ballet in 2018, and …
The NATPE-Realscreen Collapse and Where to Go Sell Your Show Now
3 hours ago Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun have officially taken their relationship to the ’gram. Last week, as Sweeney celebrated the third season-release of her hit HBO drama Euphoria, it turns out she was joined by her record executive beau, as evidenced by a new series of snaps shared by photographer Eddy …
The NATPE-Realscreen Collapse and Where to Go Sell Your Show Now
(Ankler illustration; Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) I cover global TV and film from London. I wrote about HBO Max invading the U.K., the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production, and the antitrust challenges for Paramount-WB in Europe. Email me at manori@theankler.com “The party was over.
HBO Max Invades Britain — Testing a New Playbook for Global Streaming
(Ankler illustration; The Print Collector/Getty Images) I cover global TV and film from London. I wrote about the Iran war’s impact on Mideast deals and production, the antitrust challenges for Paramount-WB in Europe and Disney’s scramble to catch up with Netflix in global TV. I’m manori@theankler.com HBO Max hasfinally landed in Britain. But instead of rolling out the playbook that turned Netflix into the dominant force in U.K. television, Warner Bros. Discovery is trying something very different.
TV in 3: JB Perrette on HBO in Merger Limbo; ‘Grey’s’ Cuts
EXIT, ENTRANCE, EXEC From left: Grey’s Anatomy’s Kim Raver, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s Dominic McLaughlin and WBD’s JB Perrette. (Ankler illustration; image credits below) I wrote about Dana Walden’s Disney TV re-org, who slayed the Buffy reboot, Netflix’s “prestige envy” and the org chart from hell looming at Paramount-Warners.
Hollywood Money Gushed from the Gulf. Then Came War
(The Ankler illustration; evgen Romanenko/Getty Images; Imagine Photographer/Getty Images) I cover global TV and film from London. I wrote about the antitrust challenges for Paramount-WB in Europe, Tubi U.K.’s success with Gen Z and Disney’s scramble to catch up with Netflix in global TV.
Int’l Brief: The Banijay Behemoth, Europe Tests Paramount-WBD, ‘SNL’ vs. London
(The Ankler illustration; Shahfarshid/Getty Images) I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about Tubi U.K.’s success with Gen Z, Disney’s scramble to catch up with Netflix in global TV and the international fallout of Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. I’m manori@theankler.com “Absolutely fucking embarrassingly terrible.” That’s how one international staffer described to me the Feb. 27 Warner Bros.
Tubi’s Gen Z Grab in the U.K. Heats Up
Now There’s a scene from a movie I can’t get out of my head. It’s from a 2021 film called “Don’t Look Up,” not my idea of a cinematic classic. It’s a dark comedy about the end of the world, an allegory intended to skewer those who are in denial about climate change, but in this film people are in denial …
Tubi’s Gen Z Grab in the U.K. Heats Up
(The Ankler illustration; Bruno Nunes/Getty Images; Nelson A. Ishikawa/Getty Images) I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about Disney’s scramble to catch up with Netflix in global TV, the international fallout of Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. and how sports doc producers navigate a “brutal” landscape.
Tubi’s Gen Z Grab in the U.K. Heats Up
(The Ankler illustration; Bruno Nunes/Getty Images; Nelson A. Ishikawa/Getty Images) I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about Disney’s scramble to catch up with Netflix in global TV, the international fallout of Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. and how sports doc producers navigate a “brutal” landscape.
The D’Amaro-Walden Test: Disney vs. Netflix on International
(The Ankler illustration; messenjah/Getty Images; Vasko/Getty Images; Tomasz Skoczen/Getty Images) I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about the global fallout of Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros., how sports doc producers navigate a “brutal” landscape and the British company behind Netflix’s Adolescence.
The Global Media Reorg Is Here
(The Ankler illustration;PaPa.Graphics/A.collection/Getty, Logos courtesy of brand) I cover int’l TV from London. Before my mat leave, I wrote about how sports doc producers navigate a “brutal” landscape, why Amazon is fumbling its U.K. business and the British company behind Netflix’s Adolescence. I’m at manori@theankler.com Someone asked me recently if much had happened on my beat while I was on maternity leave, and, well, I think it’s safe to say everything happened.
Best of ’25: TV Seller Guides, Amazon & WB Chaos, 10 Top Exec Q&As
(The Ankler illustration; image credits below) Congrats, folks,you survived ’til and through ’25. To hear you tell it, the year in some ways turned out better than expected. You found work where work was to be found, and you got back into pitch rooms and landed new jobs, all while bracing for the ways AI and the next big studio merger will reshape the business. If I had to describe the TV industry in one word, I’d say 2025 was a year of resilience.
'It’s not a question of if Doctor Who returns, but when and how': Jane Tranter talks TARDIS and Bad Wolf's international success
Producers at the top of their game don’t lose sleep over much, but the prospect of filling a single soundstage in an industry downturn might keep even the most seasoned veteran awake at night. Bad Wolf boss Jane Tranter oversees seven of them. But she’s not just any producer. Most people setting up an indie tend to start slow, perhaps with a gentle comedy pilot. Or, if they’re lucky, a three-parter for a public service broadcaster.
Netflix & Amazon are Now French TV Channels - What?!
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about how sports doc producers navigate a “brutal” landscape, why Amazon is fumbling its U.K. business and the British company behind Netflix’s Adolescence.
‘It’s Brutal’: Shut Out by Leagues, Indie Sports Doc Creators Get Creative
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about Amazon fumbling its U.K. business, the British company behind Netflix’s Adolescence and Ireland’s “conveyor belt” of unscripted production. I’m at manori@theankler.com The season 7 finale of Netflix’s Formula 1 documentary series Drive to Survive, which dropped in March, opens with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner FaceTiming his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, from a limo.
Losing Your Virginity on TV Is a Gen Z Smash. What Is Happening?!
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about why Amazon has fumbled its U.K. business, the British company behind Netflix’s Adolescence and Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production. I’m at manori@theankler.com Is there an American out there who hasn’t stumbled upon Naked Attraction while channel-surfing in a London hotel room?
Is the US appetite for UK series changing in a temperamental market?
Screen speaks with buyers, sellers and analysts to assess the US’ continuing desire to bet on UK shows. Source: BBC / Playground Entertainment These days, it is not uncommon to hear a UK producer instantly invoke Susanne Simpson’s name when asked where their new show might land in the US. “Let’s just hope Susanne likes it,” goes the refrain.
Why Amazon Can't Find Its Way in the U.K.
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about the U.K. company behind Netflix’s Adolescence, Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production and Blue Cheap: 4 new ways of making TV only look expensive. I’m at manori@theankler.com Install one American executive for a key content job in London, and the Brits will grin and bear it. But send two across the pond within months and, well, you’re going to hear about it. “Do they want to be successful here?
The making of Ocean with David Attenborough, as told by Silverback Films
It’s opening night for the new feature documentary from Silverback Films, Ocean With David Attenborough, and 40 or so people are gathered in a Reading cinema. Teenagers slouch at the back while a child leads his grandfather to the front row, keen to see the 99-year-old presenter’s latest marine adventure. On a Thursday night, it’s an impressive turnout for a cinema that can struggle to draw half this number for a Hollywood blockbuster.
The $3M Episode Squeeze: ‘Downton’ Duo Rethink How to Sell Prestige TV
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about the U.K. company behind Netflix’s Adolescence, Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production and Blue Cheap: 4 new ways of making TV only look expensive. I’m at manori@theankler.com Carnival Films made the biggest British drama of the last two decades. But could it have made the same TV show today? Unlikely.
Global TV Market Reboot: A New Second Window Blows Open
I cover int’l TV from London. I wrote about the U.K. company behind Netflix’s Adolescence, Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production and how the U.K.’s Studio Lambert mints reality hits like Squid Game: The Challenge and Traitors. I’m at manori@theankler.com My social feeds this week were a heady mix of film execs sipping rosé in Cannes and TV execs schmoozing with the likes of Donnie Wahlberg and Shemar Moore on studio lots in Los Angeles. Same same, but, um, different.
“A love letter to Lagos”: ‘My Father’s Shadow’ producers talk filming on location in Nigeria
Nigerian cinema joins the A-list with Akinola Davies Jr’s debut, following two brothers on a road trip across Lagos. Screen talks to producers Rachel Dargavel and Funmbi Ogunbanwo. Nigeria’s thriving, domestic-focused Nollywood may sit just behind the likes of Hollywood and Bollywood as one of the world’s largest film industries, but Cannes Film Festival has for decades remained elusive. This year, however, it cracked the A-list festival circuit with Akinola Davies Jr’s My Father’s Shadow.
Kristen Stewart unpacks her feature directorial debut, Trump’s tariffs and why there’s ‘no f***ing way’ she’ll ever self-finance a movie
Kristen Stewart has arrived in Cannes for what feels like the umpteenth time. But this edition is different – this time, she’ll be walking the red steps as a director premiering her feature directing debut The Chronology Of Water, a movie that has taken her half a decade to get made. It’s been suggested in the press that Stewart may have had the resources to fund her own film, but the actor has a visceral reaction to the prospect of doing so: “No fucking way.
Nigerian cinema joins A-list with Akinola Davies Jr's debut 'My Father's Shadow'
Nigeria’s thriving, domestic-focused Nollywood may sit just behind the likes of Hollywood and Bollywood as one of the world’s largest film industries, but Cannes Film Festival has for decades remained elusive. This year, however, it cracked the A-list festival circuit with Akinola Davies Jr’s My Father’s Shadow. Premiering in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, the film is a UK-Nigeria collaboration between London and Dublin-based Element Pictures, Lagos-outfit Fatherland and the UK’s Crybaby.
Young hearts: Is the BBC doing enough to reach youth audiences?
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TV Chaos Underway in U.S.-Canada Trade War: 'Someone Takes the Hit'
I write about int’l TV from London. I recently reported on the European film and TV community’s resistance to Trump trade policies that could impact their industry, and I wrote about the U.K. company behind Netflix’s Adolescence. Hello, Series Business readers.
'Sharpest Weapon': Europe Lays Plans to Hobble Trump-Era Hollywood
Manori Ravindran writes about int’l TV from London. She recently wrote about the U.K. company behind Netflix’s Adolescence and reported on European production alliances. Europe is grinding back into work mode after the Easter holidays, and I’m packing to head to France — again. I’ll be hitting Cannes in the south for TV drama festival Canneseries (yes, another one).
'Adolescence' Producers Were Struggling. Then Netflix Said Yes
Manori Ravindran writes about int’l TV from London. She recently covered European production alliances and Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of production for U.S. reality shows. Netflix this week revealed that Adolescence, which tackles toxic masculinity and the manosphere’s impact on young boys, has surpassed the Shondaland period drama Bridgerton.
'Freeloading' No More: European TV Alliances Snub the U.S.
Manori Ravindran writes about int’l TV from London. She recently reported on a debate over credits for unscripted shows in the U.K. and the surge in Japanese co-productions. Bonjour, Series Business readers. How I find myself in France at least three times a year for television conferences is beyond me, but here I am, reporting live from Lille.
How UK agents are grappling with US competition and sky-high talent fees
While fears of an invasion by powerful US agencies have largely dissipated, UK talent agents are still facing the challenge of how to keep hold of Britain’s finest and most in-demand actors. Source: John Angelillo / UPI / Shutterstock Every few years, the UK’s agency landscape gets a jolt of American intrigue.
Unpacking the transatlantic talent battle
How cultivating relationships and negotiating hard on fees has protected UK agents from having their clients being poached by bigger US rivals
Development Execs in Development Hell Too
Manori Ravindran writes about int’l TV from London. She recently reported on the surge in Japanese co-productions and Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production. When producerEmma Young posted to LinkedIn about her husband’s missing credit on Netflix’s new Bear Grylls-hosted reality series Celebrity Bear Hunt, she never imagined her post would hit a raw nerve.
Co-Pros, Sales, Formats: 'Japan Is Now the Cool Place You Want to Be'
Manori Ravindran writes about int’l TV from London. She recently reported on Ireland’s “conveyer belt” of unscripted production and how the U.K.’s Studio Lambert mints reality hits like Squid Game: The Challenge and Traitors. If you’re in the U.K., Series Business readers, I hope you survived the double whammy of the inaugural MIP London and London TV Screenings in our winter climes. The number of times I heard a rain-sodden TV executive splutter of the current MIP location vs.
Film industry figures among 450+ signatories of letter supporting BBC Gaza doc
Actors Riz Ahmed, Ruth Negga, Carice van Houten and Peter Mullan and directors Sally El Hosaini, Penny Woolcock, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh are among the signatories of an open letter from industry professionals and journalists calling on the BBC to reinstate the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone on iPlayer.
How Mip London aims to stand out in TV sector’s crowded conference schedule
Mip London launches this month, alongside the long‑established London TV Screenings. Is the TV industry at risk of conference overkill, or could the new entrant solidify London’s place as the heart of the global industry? If there is one winner to emerge in the frenzied battle for global TV events, it is the UK capital.
SPT’s Eleven Film set for job losses
UK-based producer has been behind Netflix hit Sex Education and BBC drama Ten Pound Poms Sex Education and Ten Pound Poms producer Eleven Film is preparing to make a significant level of redundancies off the back of tough trading conditions in the scripted sector. Broadcast understands that the Sony Pictures Television-owned business, which has 12 full-time employees, has begun a consultation period with staff.
Sex Education indie Eleven braced for layoffs
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Psst! Your Fave U.S. Game Show is Probably Shot in Ireland
Manori Ravindran writes about international TV from London. She recently wrote about how the U.K.’s Studio Lambert mints reality hits Squid Game: The Challenge and Traitors and explored “Blue Cheap” workarounds for making TV look prestige on a budget. Hello, Series Business readers.
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