World Screen

LONDON: BBC One has commissioned a third season of the hit fantasy drama Merlin from FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), which has signed licensee Getretro to produce action toy figurines based on the series. Season two of Merlin, which is currently airing …

LONDON: The Walt Disney Company EMEA is tripling its investment in production of animation for television in the region, with plans to increase from two to seven long-form series per year for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Playhouse Disney. The …

TORONTO: Astral Media’s The Movie Network has launched two new HD channels: MExcess HD and MFun! HD, which are available for free to subscribers of the premium movie service. The channels join The Movie Network’s existing portfolio, with five uncut …

SINGAPORE: Cable platform StarHub is partnering with Xinya Media to bring new Chinese-language productions into the Singaporean market. StarHub will utilize Xinya’s expertise to select, aggregate and package content from China that will appeal to audiences in Singapore. The branded …

SINGAPORE: Comcast International Media Group (CIMG) has tapped activeTV to produce the new weekly series E! News Asia. The recently announced E! News Asia, slated for March 2010 launch, is part of CIMG’s efforts to expand its local production output …

SINGAPORE/MANILA: Disney Channels Southeast Asia will begin selling ad time on its feeds in Singapore and the Philippines, working with StarHub and SkyCable, respectively. The cable platforms will serve as the local advertising sales representatives for Disney Channels in each …

SINGAPORE: IPTV platform mioTV in Singapore is set to launch the Sundance Channel and the female-targeted lifestyle network WE tv. The deal with SingTel’s pay-TV platform marks the first Asian carriage for the two Rainbow Media-operated channels, and the first …

MILAN/CAMBRIDGE: SKY Italia is using Brightcove’s Internet TV platform for its online video initiatives on SKY.it. The Brightcove platform will be used to by the satellite TV operator to deploy ad-supported, customized video players for its sports, news and lifestyle …

BURBANK: ABC’s Ugly Betty is moving to Wednesday nights beginning January 6, complementing the network’s comedy block, with Shark Tank filling its Friday 9 p.m. slot. Ugly Betty, based on the Colombian novela, will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. The …

AMSTERDAM: The Dutch premium sports channel Sport1 has renewed its exclusive broadcast rights to the English Premier League for another three seasons. The deal covers live or highlight rights for television, the Internet and mobile phones. Kees Jansma, the managing …