World Screen

TORONTO: Joan Lambur has been tapped to head up the animation division at Breakthrough Films & Television, where she will also oversee the company’s live-action kids’ and family TV series.   In her newly expanded role, Lambur will supervise the development and …

MEVASSERT ZION: Pangea Studios, the scripted arm of RDF Media USA, has taken on the North American rights for Armoza Formats’ scripted comedy The Saddest Sketch Show in the World. The show, which is heading into its second season on …

MUNICH/LONDON: TV-Loonland has acquired the worldwide home-entertainment rights, excluding the U.S. and Canada, to the brand-new 44-minute My Little Pony Twinkle Wish Adventure special, as well as the original animated Transformers Generation 1 series and the G.I. Joe—A Real American Hero animated series …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has sold the animated series 3rd & Bird! to Swedish pubcaster SVT and Al Jazeera in the Middle East. SVT took on all 50 ten-minute episodes and a 20-minute special. Al Jazeera also went for all 50 …

NEEDHAM/LOS ANGELES: Echo Bridge Entertainment has closed a slate of agreements for two teen series from its Alliance Atlantis Distribution catalogue: Degrassi: The Next Generation and Instant Star. European deals for Degrassi: The Next Generation include Poland’s Canal+ Cyfrowy Sp. …

WEST PALM BEACH: ION Television is planning to develop and produce 12 original movies per year, with the first set to roll out in the fourth quarter. Genres being explored for the new titles, which will offer integrated marketing opportunities to …

PARIS: Christophe Pecot has joined France Télévisions Distribution as international sales manager, in charge of a catalogue that covers 5,000 hours of programming. France Télévisions Distribution offers a range of fiction, documentaries, animation and feature films, covering Europe, Asia and …

LONDON: Former Endemol executive Peter Bazalgette has been named non-executive chairman for the British production business at Sony Pictures Television. Bazalgette will advise the newly combined production businesses of SPT and 2waytraffic in the U.K. on expansion plans, and will …

MOSCOW: Merab Gabuniya has been named managing director for Russia at NBC Universal Global Networks, effective immediately. In this newly created role, Gabuniya will play an integral part in establishing and growing NBC Universal’s entertainment channels across the country, as …

ALVISO: After scoring partnerships to launch in Australia, Canada and Mexico, TiVo has inked a deal to roll out its service in New Zealand later this year, working with TVNZ. Television New Zealand has taken a 33-percent ownership stake in Hybrid …