SYDNEY: The Australian movie and TV subscription streaming service Presto has expanded its availability to smartphones. Having recently added Android tablets to its device roster, Presto can now be viewed on select iPhones and Android handsets. iPhone users can download the Presto app for free from Apple’s App Store, and ...

LONDON: DreamWorks Classics has inked a multi-territory content deal to launch seven titles, among them Postman Pat and Rupert Bear, on the preschool platform Hopster. Other shows debuting on the service are Noddy in Toyland, Roary the Racing Car, Fifi and the Flowertots, Tinga Tinga Tales and Ethelbert the Tiger. ...

PARIS/HOLLYWOOD: Technicolor has purchased the French animation outfit OuiDo Productions, which is behind such series as Alvinnn!!! & The Chipmunks. OuiDo Productions, led by Sandrine Nguyen and Boris Hertzog, has also worked on Sonic Boom, a co-production with SEGA for Cartoon Network in the U.S. and Canal J/Gulli in France; Les ...

LONDON: Lucinda Hicks, currently the joint managing director of Dragonfly, has been appointed to the post of chief operating officer at Endemol Shine UK. Hicks will work with recently appointed Endemol Shine UK CEO, Richard Johnston, and Chairman Lucas Church in supporting the U.K.-based companies and labels that fall under ...

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has secured a slew of international sales for the animated preschool shows Hey Duggee and Nelly & Nora. Both programs are slated to air on CBeebies' global channels across Australia, South Africa, Poland, pan-Asia and Latin America. Nelly & Nora was snapped up by Norway's NHK, Finland's Yle, Sweden's ...

NORTH HOLLYWOOD: The Television Academy has passed a set of new rules for the Primetime Emmy Awards, including further clarifying the definition between comedy and drama series and of series and limited series. Due to the dramatic increase in series production, the number of nominees for comedy and drama series ...

LONDON: Entertainment One (eOne) Licensing has lined up a number of new licensing partners for the hit preschool property Peppa Pig in Australia. Hunter Leisure is on board for wheeled toys and furniture, while Big Balloon is handling role-play items. Crayola is working on a line of color and activity ...

LONDON: Ukip: The First 100 Days, Channel 4's spoof docudrama about Ukip, is being investigated under Ofcom's rules on offensive material, misleadingness and impartiality. The program is set in a future where Ukip leader Nigel Farage won the U.K.'s 2015 general election to become British prime minister. The docudrama depicted ...

NEW YORK: The winners have been named for this year's International Emmy Kids Awards, in what was hailed as the most diverse representation to date. The winner for animation was The Jungle Bunch to the Rescue, from France's TAT Productions/Master Films. In the non-scripted entertainment category, the award went to ...

BURBANK: Robert Mills, who has overseen production on shows such as Shark Tank and The Bachelor, has been named senior VP of alternative series, specials and late-night programming at ABC Entertainment. Mill’s appointment is effective immediately. The exec will be responsible for development, current production and specials for ABC’s alternative ...