EXCLUSIVE: Singapore-based production services outfit Wave Films has brought on board Dave Ulmer, former CEO of Cambodian Broadcasting Service (CBS), as an Executive Producer based in Los Angeles. 

Ulmer will help the company bridge the North American content industries with Southeast Asia’s production infrastructure. He will focus on bringing U.S. and international projects into Southeast Asia, leveraging Wave Films’ production infrastructure across the region to facilitate cross-border production. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Wave Films operates production and post-production capabilities across Malaysia, Philippines and Cambodia. The company is currently line producing Pierre Morel’s The Good Samaritan in Malaysia and has recently produced or line produced projects including Dark Red, filmed in India earlier this year; Chihiro Amano’s Magical Secret Tour, filmed last year in Singapore; Korean drama Kidnapping Day, and reality shows including Bachelorette and Asia Express.

Ulmer left CBS, a subsidiary of Cambodia’s The Royal Group of Companies, in June 2026. During his tenure, he oversaw national channels including CTN, MyTV and CNC, and built production infrastructure across the country. 

Beyond Cambodia, he also spent years developing partnerships in Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. He has also been building co-production frameworks that link international capital with regionally produced slates. 

“Dave is not just a regional operator; he is a genuine bridge between Hollywood production companies or studios and Southeast Asian execution,” said Wave Films founder and head of production Jerry Koedding.

“He has walked the markets in Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore, he knows how to get an international production cleared and crewed in Cambodia, and he can speak to a showrunner or producer in Los Angeles in the same language. Add our cross-border production model, and the fact that we can park a project in the right country for the right tax break, locations or stage access, and you have a very compelling package for any North American producer looking east.”

Ulmer said: “North American producers are leaving money on the table if they are not looking at Southeast Asia. The region has the crews, the stages, the locations, the expertise, and the incentives. What it needs is a single point of contact in Los Angeles who can guarantee delivery. That is what I intend to be for Wave Films. 

“Whether you need to shoot a feature in Malaysia, post in the Philippines, or access government-level clearances in Cambodia, we can move your project across the region without the usual friction.”

ITV has a gift for shareholders this morning to the tune of £100M ($140M) as it releases its first financial results since the Sky deal was confirmed, which slightly improved on the prior year.

The broadcaster is today revealing a £100M share buyback, which CEO Carolyn McCall described as an “early return of part of the previously announced £950 million net cash return expected on completion of the sale” of its network biz to Sky.

The news will be welcome by shareholders who may have to wait patiently until at least mid-2027 to see larger returns on the £1.6B deal. The ITV share price has been a constant source of consternation for several years now and many had been pushing for a sale for a long time. McCall said the separate move to continue with an interim dividend of 1.7p totalling £60M “reflects our commitment to attractive shareholder returns.”

ITV said again today that it expects the Sky deal to complete midway through next year and it expects the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, to issue a Public Intervention Notice to examine one of the biggest deals in the history of British broadcasting. That deal, which will see a crown jewel of British TV become part of the NBCUniversal entertainment empire, is still subject to this rigorous regulatory approval process, coming as Nandy says she is “minded to intervene” in the mega-bucks WarnerMount deal.

Today’s results were the first to be published since ITV closed the deal to sell its network biz – called its Media & Entertainment (M&E) arm – to Sky, although its ITV Studios division will not be sold and is going independent.

ITV’s half-year results for the first six months of 2026 were middling, with total revenue rising 2% to £1.9B, the same percentage figure as ITV Studios revenue, which moved to £912M, and M&E revenue, which increased to £975M. This disrupted the recent pattern of ITV Studios tending to grow by larger proportions than M&E. In fact, adjusted EBITDA in the M&E division rose an impressive 37% to 48M while ITV Studios’ EBITDA was down 9%, although the period did take in the soccer World Cup, a lucrative time for the ITV network.

ITV Studios will soon be unleashed onto the market at a time when rivals Banijay and All3Media have merged, creating a production super-giant. Banijay’s CEO earlier this week played down reports that Banijay is interested in swooping for ITV Studios.

Notably, ITV Studios’ revenue in the UK was up 17% during the period but down 17% in the U.S. and 24% internationally, again reflecting a reversal of previous fortunes. ITV Studios has made inroads with the American streamers one of its pillars of growth for several years.

McCall said: “The recently announced sale of M&E to Sky represents a substantial milestone for ITV. This transaction will unlock significant value for shareholders, with a net cash return of around £950 million, excluding any contingent consideration, and continued ownership of an attractive, growing global content business in ITV Studios. Underpinned by its world class talent, global scale and unique IP library, ITV Studios is well positioned to deliver above-market profitable organic revenue growth at industry leading margins, strong cash generation, attractive returns to shareholders and an investment grade balance sheet.”