World Screen

NEW YORK: At Viacom’s annual shareholder meeting, the media conglomerate’s top executives presented an optimistic outlook for what lies ahead, promising future stock gains.  Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of Viacom, said that the company is experiencing a "creative renaissance." …

MELBOURNE/LOS ANGELES: Ovation TV has signed a deal with Australian production outfit World Wide Entertainment for the U.S. premiere rights to its one-hour documentary special on the life of the late actor Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger: A Tribute is slated …

BOSTON: APT Worldwide has secure the international representation rights for the child slavery documentary Sold: Fighting the New Global Slave Trade. The film, produced and directed by Jody Hassett Sanchez of Pointy Shoe Productions, exposes the ways in which today’s …

LAS VEGAS: The MoonScoop Group has named Bandai America as the global toy licensee for the new animated preschool series Chloe’s Closet, schedule to premiere in early 2010. The deal provides Bandai America with the rights to create certain toys, …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has signed on to co-produce the new eight-part series Bite Me with Dr. Mike Leahy with NHNZ. The series follows the Dr. as he scours the globe for some of the most bizarre, …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has taken on the global distribution rights for ZingZillas, a new commission for CBeebies. The musical show for preschoolers heads to CBeebies in the U.K. in spring 2010. The 52×22-minute series goes into production this month, shooting …

LAS VEGAS/LONDON/NEW YORK: Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) has signed international electronics licensing deals with The Linmark Group in Hong Kong and U.S.-based Sakar International. The ranges will be inspired by Nickelodeon’s hit properties such as animation icon SpongeBob …

LOS ANGELES: Eurocinema, a network dedicated to bringing European films to North American audiences, will launch on Cablevision this month, making the VOD service available in 24 million households in the U.S. and Canada. At launch, Cablevision will feature Eurocinema …

LONDON: Sweden’s TV4 has commissioned its own version of ITV Global Entertainment’s hit format I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! to be produced by ITV Studios-owned Silverback Productions. The news follows NBC’s launch of a U.S. version I’m a …

LOS ANGELES/TORONTO: E1 Entertainment has continued to expand its presence in the Latin American market, closing a number of deals for titles such as The Bridge and The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler at the L.A. Screenings. The 13×1-hour procedural …