World Screen

GRUENWALD: Following its December acquisition of Telescreen, m4e has announced a restructuring, with Sjoerd Raemakers becoming head of distribution, Theo van der Schaaf overseeing home entertainment, and Lisette Looman helming a new content and production division. Raemakers and van der …

MUNICH: SevenOne International’s hit game show Beat your Host! will premiere live this Friday at 8 p.m. on RTL in Croatia under the title Pobijedi Solu. Former professional handball player Vlado Sola will be the competing host. Sola will go …

LONDON: More than 30 British independent production companies will be present at MIPTV under the UK Indies Pavilion, organized by Pact and supported by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). Those set to participate under the UK Indies banner in Lerins Hall at …

LOS ANGELES: Hallmark Channel has added to its western and mystery lineups with a slate of acquisitions from Sony Pictures Television. The deal sees the mini-series Comanche Moon and two additional Stone Cold movies starring Tom Selleck head to Hallmark …

PARIS/HOUSTON: A new lifestyle network aimed at Christians is slated to begin rolling out to the U.S., Africa, Europe and the Middle East next month. Joy Christian Television Network is being established by Rone de Beauvoir, a chef and author. It …

BURBANK: Disney XD, the boy-skewing service that replaced Toon Disney, scored record ratings at launch, with 6.5 million unique viewers in its first day on the air. A highlight of the launch on Friday was the premiere of Disney XD’s first …

OAK BROOK: The Jim Henson Company has appointed RC2 Corporation as the global master toy licensee for the animated series Dinosaur Train, which is currently in production for PBS KIDS. Under the multi-year agreement, RC2 Corporation’s Learning Curve Brands will …

  OTTAWA: The CRTC is considering a policy change that would require Canadian conventional broadcasters to spend as much on imported programming as they do on local content. The regulatory body is reviewing the license renewal process for Canadian broadcasters …

LOS ANGELES: Television veteran, investment banker and new-media executive Max Goldenson has formed MWG Entertainment, a multiplatform global digital production company, and will serve as its president and executive producer. Goldenson is the daughter of ABC Network founder Leonard Goldenson. MWG …

This interview originally appeared in the MIPCOM 2008 issue of World Screen. Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC in October 2004. Several weeks later, Newsweek put the main characters on its cover and the show was officially a runaway hit with …