BBC Studios vs i&u Studios

Mattel Partners with BBC's Bluey Across Multiple Brands

Mattel announced a multi-year global licensing partnership with BBC Studios to bring the animated series Bluey to five of its major brands: Fisher-Price's Little People, Barbie, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, and UNO. This move is part of Mattel's strategic shift from a traditional toy maker to a 'brand management company' focused on building lifelong fandom through an ecosystem of toys, entertainment, and live experiences. The partnership was announced by Mattel's chief marketing and brand officer, Roberto Stanichi, at ADWEEK's Brandweek. The collaboration aims to leverage Bluey's emotional resonance to deepen consumer engagement and expand Mattel's franchise ecosystem, aligning with its brand pillars of centering fans and creating immersive experiences.

• Mattel and BBC Studios signed a multi-year global licensing partnership for Bluey.
• Bluey characters will appear in Fisher-Price Little People, Barbie, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, and UNO products.
• The deal was announced by Mattel's CMO Roberto Stanichi at ADWEEK's Brandweek.

BBC Studios unveils next generation of reality formats at MIPCOM 2026

The Yacht, The Big Date, Silent Attraction and Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro launching to international buyers in session Reality Check: A New Era of Unscripted Formats, on Monday 12 October.

BBC Studios ANZ appoints new Senior Vice President, Head of Streaming & Channels

Liz Baldwin will lead the streaming and channel strategy across Australia and New Zealand.

RTL to End 'Stern TV am Sonntag'

RTL will discontinue the magazine show "Stern TV am Sonntag" after the current season, with the final episode scheduled for 2026-09-06. Launched in 2022, the Sunday edition consistently delivered low ratings—single-digit market shares in the 14–49 target group and reach below one million viewers—prompting RTL to focus on the Wednesday edition and new formats. Recent changes to the programme included a presenter change (Steffen Hallaschka stepped down earlier this year and editorial director Stefan Uhl took over), a shift in recording days, and a production-site move from EMG-Studios in Hürth to the Bavaria-Studios in Cologne. Since last year the Sunday edition has been produced by i&u Studios; RTL told turi2 it has already agreed several other formats with the production company.

• RTL will end the show "Stern TV am Sonntag" after the current season.
• The last episode of "Stern TV am Sonntag" is scheduled for 2026-09-06.
• "Stern TV am Sonntag" launched in 2022 and consistently recorded single-digit market shares in the 14–49 demographic and reach under one million viewers.

Sarah Tacke launches new ZDF summer talk

Journalist Sarah Tacke will present a five-episode summer talk on ZDF under her name. The format combines street-recorded vox pops with a live studio discussion that begins with three guests (a decision-maker, an affected person, and an expert) and later introduces a surprise fourth guest. The show is produced with i&u Studios, deliberately omits a studio audience, and uses QR-code polling to capture viewers' opinions at the start and end of each episode. Tacke, who leads ZDF's legal and justice editorial team and presents the reportage series “Am Puls” as well as programs such as WISO and ZDF spezial, says the program aims to bring more reality-based depth to societal debates. After five episodes, Maybrit Illner will return to the time slot. The first episode addresses consequences after the attack on the Berlin CSD.

• Sarah Tacke will host a five-episode summer talk series titled "Sarah Tacke" on ZDF.
• The program combines pre-recorded street interviews with a live studio format starting with three guests (a decision-maker, an affected person, and an expert) and later adding a surprise fourth guest.
• The show is produced with i&u Studios, has no studio audience, and uses QR-code polling to measure viewer opinion at the start and end of each episode.

Leonine launches Leonine C_ label

Leonine Studios has created a new label, Leonine C_, to centralize its branded- and creator-entertainment efforts. Built from the former digital unit of Cologne-based i&u Studios, the label — led by Jochen Köstler and located in Cologne — will develop platform-native formats with creators to help brands reach communities. Leonine positions Leonine C_ as a label (not a separate company) and cites prior projects such as "Love Hunter," "Splash House" and the YouTube channel "Breaking Lab." CEO Fred Kogel framed the move as a logical next step following Leonine's work on branded formats and the creator-marketing platform HOT (Home Of Talents). The launch follows an industry trend of production companies creating dedicated creator-focused units.

• Leonine Studios launched a new label called Leonine C_ to focus on branded and creator entertainment.
• Leonine C_ is formed out of the former digital unit of Cologne-based i&u Studios and will be based in Cologne.
• Jochen Köstler will lead Leonine C_ and holds overall responsibility for all non-fiction productions at the Leonine Group.