'The Sopranos' creator to head jury of new TV series awards

David Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos", is to head the jury of a new international competition for television series, its organisers said Monday.

Eight major new series will be premiered during the Series Mania festival in Paris later this month, one of the top gatherings of its type in the world.

The series in competition have yet to be announced, but the festival's founder Laurence Herszberg said Chase "is the chairman of our dreams to lead our first international jury".

"The Sopranos" is credited with rewriting the rules of TV drama when it was first aired on the US HBO network in 1999.

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter, the writer-producer behind "Vinyl" and "Boardwalk Empire", have previously taken part in the festival, which is in its seventh year.

Series Mania runs from April 15 to 24.