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Metan Development Group LLC and The Hollywood Reporter Enter International Programming Pact

Posted on: Thursday, 14 May 2009, 08:00 CDT

LOS ANGELES, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) and The Hollywood Reporter have inked a deal to develop programming content for the international marketplace, beginning with native Asian and Russian television audiences throughout the world. The announcement was made today by Metan Chairman and Co-founder Martin Pompadur and Eric Mika, Publisher The Hollywood Reporter and VP of Nielsen Entertainment & Media Group.

Metan, which is a new production acquisition and distribution venture set to provide cost-effective pop-culture newsmagazines and other Hollywood content throughout the Chinese market and Russia, is positioned to be the syndicator of choice for Hollywood suppliers seeking a local ally in the emerging Asian and Russian markets.

Sealing its first major deal with The Hollywood Reporter, the companies will co-produce "The Hollywood Reporter," a daily, 15-minute branded entertainment news show in the country's native language, featuring news anchors reporting from studios in China and Russia, with support from field reporters throughout the United States. Ford model and spokesperson Jenia Tanaeva will host the Russian version of the show and the host for the Asian version has yet to be named. The show's content will take a unique country specific approach to each market's audiences tastes and needs with news stories selected based on local appeal, featuring a minimum of 20% localized content.

"Metan is delighted to be partnering with such an established industry powerhouse as The Hollywood Reporter," said Pompadur. "With the Reporter's unprecedented access to news from Hollywood and the world entertainment community, we can create content that is localized and appealing to specific international audiences. By creating country specific, localized content, we also can provide top global brands a very unique and efficient way to reach specific ethnic audiences with their advertising messages."

"As a member of the Nielsen Company, The Hollywood Reporter is exceptionally positioned to provide unique entertainment news, analysis and data to content providers. This partnership is another avenue in which THR is leveraging its global brand recognition and diversifying its business model across all platforms worldwide," said Mika. "We are delighted that Metan recognizes the value of the THR brand and combined with THR's access to global entertainment communities, THR will put Metan on the inside track of entertainment business news."

Additional entertainment and celebrity-focused, country-tailored content will be developed for daily and weekly series, as well as specials, for Asia, and Russia, including all the CIS republics, as well as for other native language-speaking audiences around the globe. Content will be tailored to each local audience's interests.

Metan's senior production executive Adam Cohen will develop the new series with industry veteran Rick Portin, former production head for E! Entertainment Television and executive producer for Microsoft Interactive Television. Producers will have special access to The Hollywood Reporter's content spanning all media, as well as support from the publication's editorial staff.

The new show will be offered up to all television content buyers catering to native-language speakers in Asia and Russia, as well as to all high density Asian and Russian markets throughout the world.

Launched in February 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a new venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang.

About The Hollywood Reporter

Now in its 79th year, The Hollywood Reporter covers the business of global entertainment via a network of media outlets. They include the print daily and weekly editions, the web site, various electronic-media offerings, and high-profile events such as the annual Key Art Awards and Women in Entertainment. In addition to market dailies at the Hong Kong FilMart, The Hollywood Reporter also publishes dailies at the Cannes Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival, American Film Market, Pusan Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival. The Reporter's team of journalists and news editors numbers more than 60, with representatives in most of the world's major cities. The first Hollywood-based daily trade newspaper covering the entertainment industry, it began publishing September 3, 1930.

The Hollywood Reporter is published by Nielsen Business Media, part of The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company.

SOURCE The Hollywood Reporter

Source: PR Newswire

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