News round-up: Murdoch’s Sister buys into music venue Koko; NBA’s Patterson launches prodco; Discovery UK expands true crime

LR: Jane Featherstone, Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider

Sister buys into music venue Koko

Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider’s prodco Sister has taken a 40% stake in famous UK music venue Koko.

Koko has previously hosted talents from Charlie Chaplin to The Clash and Oasis. It is owned by Olly Bengough and will relaunch next year after a $100m overhaul with a variety of new performance areas and studios.

It’s the latest investment for Murdoch-backed Sister, which has stakes in Olivia Colman’s South Of The River Pictures and podcast firm Campside Media.

Sister’s TV slate, meanwhile, includes BBC and AMC show This Is Going To Hurt, and HBO and Sky’s Landscapers, among others.

Patrick Patterson

NBA’s Patterson launches US/Canadian prodco

NBA basketball player Patrick Patterson and producer Joel Reilly have teamed up to launch a new firm that seeks to capitalise on “production efficiencies” between Canada and the US.

Undisputed Pictures will produce across genres and will develop and finance on film, TV, media and entertainment projects.

Patterson and Reilly most recently executive produced the Carly Stone-directed drama North Of Normal, starring Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace) and Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) in Canada. The film is currently in post-production.

The next feature in development under the new company banner is baseball feature biopic, Dock, while an unnamed TV show is also in the works.

Reilly said: “We really wanted to create a positive and inclusive collaborative environment. It’s time to grant new opportunities for aspiring talent and break new ground with some of the top talent around the world.”

Discovery UK expands true crime

Discovery UK has commissioned two new true crime series – Deadliest Mums & Dads (working title) and The Real Death In Paradise – for its Quest Red linear service and streamer Discovery+.

Deadliest Mums & Dads is an 8 x 60-minute series from Crackit that explores parents who have killed their children.

Meanwhile, The Real Death In Paradise is a 10-episode series produced by Banijay-owned Workerbee that dives into the mysterious deaths of British citizens in paradise. Both shows will debut later this year.

Clare Laycock, SVP of planning & insights, head of entertainment at Discovery, said both shows “delve into front-cover stories that shook the world, leaving many questions unanswered.”