HOLLYWOOD: Banijay Entertainment-owned studio Stephen David Entertainment (SDE) has appointed veteran cable executive Dirk Hoogstra as chief creative officer. In his new role, Hoogstra will be charged with the development, packaging, sales and shepherding of new and current projects within the premium content space. Hoogstra will also be responsible for securing international financing ...

TORONTO: Canadian SVOD service CraveTV has rolled out a new curated sports collection anchored by programming from the Canadian Football League (CFL). The CFL lineup includes the past seven Grey Cup games; the documentary Journey to the Grey Cup, which spotlights champions from the last six tournaments; and the eight-part ...

LONDON: FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment has sold its new preschool property Kate & Mim-Mim to broadcasters around the world. The 26×22-minute series was picked up by Disney Asia, MBC in the Middle East, ETV for South Africa, Finland’s YLE, Karusel in Russia, Cartoonito in Italy, MiniMini for Poland and ...

NEW YORK: Later this month, Nickelodeon is set to broadcast Race to the Top of the World, a prime-time Blaze and the Monster Machines special with guest stars Anthony Anderson and Mayim Bialik. Race to the Top of the World will follow monster truck Blaze and his 8-year-old driver AJ as ...

BURBANK: ABC has slated a February premiere for Madoff, a two-part television event starring Richard Dreyfuss as convicted conman Bernie Madoff. The four-hour scripted special is inspired by ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross’s reporting from his book The Madoff Chronicles and additional reporting on the topic. Lincoln Square ...

LONDON: Sesame Workshop and Bidaya Media have appointed Arabian Licensing Company as the licensing agent for Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arabic-language version of Sesame Street, in the UAE, GCC and the Middle East. Arabian Licensing Company will develop a full-scale licensing program featuring a range of products and retail promotions ...

OTTAWA/TORONTO: John Penney, Starz’s chief strategy officer, is set to deliver the opening keynote at the Canadian Media Production Association’s (CMPA) Prime Time conference. The conference will focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and growth by exploring new opportunities in international and digital markets and the evolution of legacy media. It will ...

SAN FRANCISCO: Netflix and Virgin America have secured an agreement to deliver complimentary in-flight wifi access that allows subscribers to watch an array of films and TV shows. Starting today, Netflix users onboard Virgin America's new ViaSat wifi-equipped aircraft will be able to stream Netflix programming, including the hit series ...

NEW YORK: Production has begun on the ten-part contemporary espionage series Berlin Station, set to premiere on premium TV network EPIX in 2016. The series is produced by Paramount Television and Anonymous Content. Shooting will take place in Berlin, and the show will debut on EPIX next fall. Berlin Station, about ...

CANNES: Lagardère Active and Lightning International have unveiled a new carriage deal that sees the music channel Mezzo Live HD launching as a daily four-hour branded block on Foxtel Arts. Beginning November 2, Mezzo Live HD will be rebroadcast live on Foxtel Arts every weekday from noon to 4 p.m. ...