STOCKHOLM: Eccho Rights has snapped up the distribution rights for Fantasy Friends, a hidden-camera prank show created by ABC Japan. Each episode of Fantasy Friends watches as a toy is equipped with speakers through which a comedy presenter starts talking to a child. Parents are able to look on from ...

LOS ANGELES: Discovery Channel has renewed the hit fishing documentary series Deadliest Catch for a 12th season. Deadliest Catch follows the real-life adventures of Alaskan fisherman who go crab fishing on the Bering Sea. The Emmy Award-winning show, which comes from FremantleMedia's Original Productions, currently airs on Discovery Channel on ...

LOS ANGELES: Trinity Broadcasting Network is launching a new faith and family network in the U.S., TBN Salsa, targeted at Latinos. The network is scheduled to go live on June 1. TBN Salsa will be geared toward second- and third-generation Hispanics who may not speak Spanish, as well as non-Hispanic ...

LONDON: Zodiak Kids has launched two major multi-brand YouTube channels, ZeeKay Junior for preschoolers and ZeeKay for older children. ZeeKay Junior heads to YouTube with an already established base of 100,000 subscribers from existing Zodiak Kids content on the platform. It will include such preschool titles as Mister Maker, Waybuloo ...

LONDON: Twofour's Impossible Engineering, which explores the history behind modern-day mega structures, has been sold into more than 100 territories across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific. The 6×1-hour series launched on UKTV's Yesterday in the U.K. and is now headed to Discovery for its EMEA territories, including France, ...

TEL AVIV: Keshet International has licensed seasons one and two of the U.S. hidden-camera show Deal With It to Viacom International Media Networks for Comedy Central Africa. Keshet International previously licensed the show to Comedy Central UK. It has also been picked up by MediaCorp Singapore's Channel 5, Multishow in Brazil ...

LOS ANGELES: On the heels of Bruce Jenner's high-profile 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer, E! has unveiled an eight-part docuseries coming this summer that will follow the legendary athlete's new life as a transgender woman. On Friday, ABC aired 20/20: Bruce Jenner—The Interview, which drew 16.9 million viewers, the largest ...

HALIFAX/LOS ANGELES/LONDON: DHX Media is launching a second mobile game based on the hit TV series Slugterra, with Slugslinger Showdown set to hit the app store in May. Slugterra: Slugslinger Showdown will be available in the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on May 7. It will be ...

LOS ANGELES: Toon Goggles, an on-demand entertainment hub for kids, has launched in the iTunes App Store as an application for the new Apple Watch. With the Toon Goggles Apple Watch app, parents can monitor the content that their children are consuming on the OTT service, while also setting parental ...

PARIS: The winners of the 2015 edition of the Series Mania Festival include the German production Deutschland 83. Deutschland 83, produced by UFA Fiction and sold by FremantleMedia International, won the bloggers' award for best international series. Special mentions in ...