Amazon Taps Longtime NBCU Exec Krishan Bhatia To Lead New Global Video Ad Sales Team

Katcy Stephan A film adaptation of author Colleen Hoover‘s bestselling romantic thriller “Verity” is in development at Amazon MGM Studios. Hillary Seitz (“The Unforgivable,” “Insomnia”) is currently writing the script. Eat the Cat’s Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund will produce.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Amazon Prime Video‘s upcoming series based on James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels is being renewed for Season 2, Variety has learned from sources. The show, which stars Aldis Hodge as Cross, has yet to debut its first season or even set a premiere date. But according to sources, Amazon was impressed enough with what they have seen from the first season to greenlight the second and begin casting.

NewsNation is making changes to its top leadership, with Michael Corn becoming president of programming and specials and Cherie Grzech upped to president and managing editor of news and politics.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In its latest expansive move, independent production house Nevision is opening offices in Barcelona, its first in Europe outside its London-based headquarters. The Barcelona operation is headed by seasoned publisher, author, journalist and producer Tim Parfitt who will work with Nevision founder James Cabourne to develop scripted series in Spanish for both local and global markets, Nevision announced last week in a written statement. First up are three projects, two with scribe-helmer Roger Guäl, who broke out with 2002’s “Smoking Room,” an acerbic take on office politics.

The subject of a timely new Variety profile praising his versatility, British actor Dan Stevens is having a moment. The actor is currently competing with himself at the box office with two different films: MonsterVerse installment “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” for Warners and directing duo Radio Silence’s new vampire movie “Abigail” for Universal.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Jo Ann Ross, the first woman to run a broadcast TV network’s ad-sales efforts and one of the last senior ad-sales executives in the TV industry to hold direct relationships with advertisers when primetime broadcast programs were seen as the primary venue for Madison Avenue’s dollars, is leaving the industry, stepping down from her role as chairman of Paramount Global‘s ad sales division at the end of April. Ross had already stepped back from day to day duties, ceding that role to John Halley, who was named president of ad sales for the company in 2022.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music City Parks Foundation has announced the 2024 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, bringing 85 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 13 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. Andra Day, Ethel Cain, Ghostface Killa and Kim Gordon are just four of the artists slated to perform.

A pair of top international executives have joined forces to build a UK-based talent agency and production business.

John Torode and Lisa Faulkner were beaming with joy as they announced the release of their new cookbook on Instagram.

Meghan Markle just soft-launched her first American Riviera Orchard product — only for it to totally help out a competitor!

Taylor Swift has fans clamoring to decode a new video she just posted on Tuesday evening (April 16)!

Rebecca Minkoff is joining The Real Housewives of New York City Season 15, Deadline has learned.

Max Cutler, the former Spotify executive who oversaw the audio streamer’s deals with the likes of Alex Cooper and Joe Rogan, is launching his own company.

Alex Ritman “Shazam” star Zachary Levi is set to headline rock-climbing action thriller “Free Fall” for XYZ Films, with acclaimed New Zealand stuntwoman and stunt coordinator Zöe Bell tapped to direct. The film — written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker — tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air.

Daily Mail: “To have your own flesh and blood lead the assault must feel like the ultimate betrayal for Meghan.”She further described the footage as “grotesque.”Thomas has reportedly not spoken to his half-sister in more than a decade, but seemingly has no qualms about milking his connection to the royal. “If you don’t like it, don’t watch, right? I’m gonna be riding those coattails, baby,” he shamelessly says in the clip.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor As Amazon ramps up its efforts to woo ad dollars that once were earmarked for traditional TV, it is also luring ad executives who tried to capture that money for TV networks. Krishan Bhatia, previously a senior executive at NBCUniversal who ran the business aspects of the company’s ad-sales division, is joining Amazon as vice president of global video advertising for Amazon Ads. He will be charged with leading a global sales seeking to monetize Amazon’s growing video operations tied to sports, Freevee, Twitch and Prime Video.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor John Dahl, an ESPN veteran who helped produce the much-lauded Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance,” is getting into gear at NASCAR, where he will lead new efforts to connect to fans with content. Dahl has been named senior vice president of content, and will start in his new role on May 1.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The title of Laufey‘s new single and music video, “Goddess,” is intended somewhat ironically. The storyline of both has a star feeling she’s let down a lover who only wanted the glamorous version of her he’d seen on stage, not the everyday person.

Melissa Mahtani has been named executive producer of CBS News Confirmed, a newly launched unit to identify, combat and inform viewers of misinformation.

Jordan Moreau New York City is calling all intrepid heroes. Dimension 20, the popular Dungeons & Dragons show streamed on Dropout, is heading to Madison Square Garden on Jan. 24, 2025, for a live tabletop show experience, titled “Dimension 20: Gauntlet at The Garden.” Hosted by comedian and dungeon master Brennan Lee Mulligan, Dimension 20 consists of players Emily Axford, Ally Beardsley, Brian Murphy, Zac Oyama, Siobhan Thompson and Lou Wilson.