World Screen

LONDON: Discovery Networks EMEA continues the rollout for Animal Planet, with a new launch on Viasat’s digital satellite TV platforms in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Targeting adults 25 to 54, with a female skew, Animal Planet’s programming focuses on the …

NEW YORK: DF Indie Studios (DFIS) is a new New York-based venture that aims to finance and distribute between 10 and 12 "commercially viable" independent feature films per year, budgeted at up to $10 million and backed by a guaranteed U.S. …

LONDON: ALL3MEDIA International has firmed up a host of deals for the factual-entertainment series Rachel Allen: Bake! Rachel Allen: Bake! is produced by Cactus TV for UKTV in association with BBC and RTE. The series takes viewers on a tour …

LONDON: Five will become the first British broadcaster to syndicate full episodes of its top programs for viewing on third-party websites, via a new initiative with online video platform Brightcove. Five’s viewers will be able to embed episodes of their …

LONDON: The Adventures of Merlin, Satisfaction and 112 have all been sold by FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to new broadcasters across Central and Eastern Europe. The 13×1-hour first season of The Adventures of Merlin, which gives the myths, monsters and magic …

LONDON: Endemol is said to be in talks to acquire a stake in cash-strapped premium sports broadcaster Setanta, British press reports indicate, as the deadline for a rights payment to the English Premier League looms. Access Industries, headed by Russian-born …

HILVERSUM: A raft of deals have been closed across Central and Eastern Europe on titles from Endemol’s stable of comedy, factual and reality shows. HBO Eastern Europe picked up the zombie thriller Dead Set as well as comedy sketch series …

LONDON: The Walt Disney Company has plans to launch its boy-skewing Disney XD channel in the U.K., to feature a mix of live-action and animated programming. Aimed at the 6-to-14 demographic, Disney XD will feature a slate of Disney-branded new …

LONDON: A decrease in DVD purchases and rentals resulted in a $2.6 billion—or 4.8 percent—fall in the global video business in 2008, according to a new report from Screen Digest. Acknowledging the slump in the U.S. market, the report also …

BOGOTA: On the heels of rolling The Cartel out to several European markets, Caracol TV International will be exhibiting a range of new productions at DISCOP next week, including Gabriela. “We have reached Spain in a forceful way and we are …