World Screen

Licensing International Expo June 2-4 Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas The sale of toys generated almost $22 billion in the U.S. alone in 2008, according to The NPD Group. It’s big business, and kids’ content owners are anxious to …

NEW YORK: The documentary Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, which goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo, has been acquired by HBO Documentary Films. Directed by Bradley Beesley (Okie Noodling, …

NEW YORK/LONDON: HISTORY and HISTORY HD are rolling out localized services in Bulgaria on Eurocom, as well as extending their reach in Slovenia with a launch on the IPTV platform Planet 9. The standard-definition service of HISTORY will launch on …

BURBANK: Disney Channel has ordered a fourth season of the worldwide hit Hannah Montana. The wildly popular series, which premiered in March 2006, delivers an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode. The show stars Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart/Hannah …

CHANNEL: FX COUNTRY: Portugal LAUNCH DATE: September 26, 2007 OWNERSHIP: Fox International Channels Iberia DISTRIBUTION: 518,000 through the ZON TV Cabo Funtastic Life Package. DESCRIPTION: Targeting a young, male-skewing audience, FX offers series, reality shows, adult animation and films. SENIOR …

LEICESTER: SouthPeak Interactive Corporation and Asylum Entertainment have closed a deal to co-publish a video game based on the Horrid Henry books written by Francesca Simon and the hit children’s series produced by Novel Entertainment. Horrid Henry the video game is set …

LONDON/NEW YORK: Chorion has signed a number of licensing deals for The World of Eric Carle in the U.S. and Europe and has appointed a new agent, CPLG, for the property in Benelux. The World of Eric Carle is a …

SAN FRANCISCO: Joy Tashjian Marketing Group (JTMG) has secured a merchandise licensing agreement with THQ for interactive fitness games based on the hit weight-loss competition series The Biggest Loser. THQ has The Biggest Loser interactive fitness games currently in development …

LONDON: BBC Earth, BBC Worldwide’s new international brand for natural-history content, is launching its own channel on YouTube that will showcase shows such as the Emmy Award-winning Blue Planet. BBC Earth is the global brand for all the BBC’s natural-history …

LONDON: A five-year license renewal has been secured between Classic Media and Aykroyds & TDP for the continued production of nightwear and swimwear ranges for its Postman Pat SDS brand. The five-year deal, which runs through December 2013, is an …