World Screen

NEW YORK: Lindsey Oliver is to take on an expanded role at Bloomberg Television, serving as commercial director in charge of distribution for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Oliver continues to report to Brian Martinez, Bloomberg Television’s head …

TORONTO: Doodlebops Rockin’ Road Show, an animated take on Cookie Jar’s hit Doodlebops live-action series, is slated to premiere on Kids’ CBC on February 20. The series, a co-production with Illusion Studios in Argentina and OPTIX Entertainment in Germany, will air …

TORONTO: The Banff World Television Festival, taking place June 13 to 16 alongside nextMEDIA Banff, will feature a keynote address by Andrew Whitaker, the executive VP of international at World Wrestling Entertainment. Whitaker’s address will discuss WWE’s strengths as as a …

BURBANK: The CW has announced pickups of five series for the 2010/2011 season, including the freshman show The Vampire Diaries. The Vampire Diaries, launched in the fall of last year, is the network’s most-watched show with 4.6 million viewers, while the …

ACCRA/STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcasting’s free-to-air channel in Ghana has secured the rights to the UEFA Champions League from now through the end of the 2011/2012 season.         The deal gives Viasat1 exclusive free-to-air TV rights in Ghana for one live match …

NEW YORK: Subscribers of the Verizon FiOS TV service will be the first to gain access to HBOGO.com, an online destination delivering more than 600 hours of programming from the premium channel. As of tomorrow, FiOS customers (of both the TV and Internet …

BURBANK/OAKBROOK TERRACE: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has agreed to make its new-release and Blu-ray titles available to DVD kiosk operator Redbox after a 28-day window. The agreement settles the lawsuit Redbox filed against Warner Home Video last August over the …

NEW YORK: Susan Sheppard has been named senior VP of business and legal affairs for RHI Entertainment, joining from BBC Worldwide America, where she held the same role. Sheppard will be handling business and legal affairs for the development and production …

NEW YORK: The Care Bears and Twisted Whiskers brands are to be represented for licensing in Italy by Starbright through a new deal with American Greetings Properties. The classic Care Bears property was re-launched in 2002 and has since generated …

TORONTO/SANTA MONICA: Billionaire investor Carl Icahn wants to increase his ownership stake in Lionsgate to just under 30 percent, up from the current 18.9 percent. Icahn announced yesterday that he intends to initiate a tender offer for up to 13,164,420 common …