Amid market disruption and economic concerns, Asia’s leading multichannel brands are charting new success strategies.

SANTA MONICA: UBM and the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) have revealed that next year's Licensing Expo will take place from May 23 to 25, a month earlier than usual.

LOS ANGELES: Entertainment production house The Company has hired Annie Gerhart, a former Sony Pictures Television and Ryan Seacrest Productions exec, as its VP of unscripted programming.

LONDON: The documentary series Extraordinary People is returning to Channel 5 for a new run.

MUNICH: Red Arrow International has picked up the distribution rights for the Russian-made drama series Mata Hari, which it will launch with an English-language version at MIPCOM.

BURBANK: Next month, Disney Channel is scheduled to kick off a multiplatform programming event to commemorate the network's 100th original movie.

NEW YORK: BET presented a range of scripted and unscripted originals coming to the network later this year, including the anthology series Tales, from executive producer Irv Gotti Lorenzo.

SAN FRANCISCO: Discovery Digital Networks has hired Nathan Brown, a digital and production exec, as its senior VP of development and operations.

LONDON: A number of broadcasters in Europe have snapped up the rights for the two-hour event Shakespeare Live! From the RSC from BBC Worldwide.

LOS ANGELES: Fullscreen, which is launching its SVOD platform tomorrow, has partnered with best-selling author and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis for his directorial debut on a new series, The Deleted.