World Screen

PHILADELPHIA, October 9: Comcast Corporation wants to help U.S. consumers with the transition to digital this February, offering up a year’s worth of free basic cable to people who sign up for the company’s phone or Internet services. The offer …

PARIS, October 9: France Telecom’s Orange service has unveiled plans for five new channels for its Orange Cinéma Series multiplatform service, delivering movies and TV shows from a number of the Hollywood studios, including MGM, as well as from leading …

BUENOS AIRES, October 9: Televisa has closed a three-year deal with Argentina’s Cris Morena Group (CMG) and RGB Entertainment for the creation, production and distribution of content for family audiences. “We’re very pleased to have closed this deal with CMG …

LONDON, October 9: Power’s Crusoe, which launches on NBC this month, has shored up presales in more than 40 major markets, signing up Nine Network in Australia, Rai in Italy and Antena 3 in Spain, among others. Deals have also …

LONDON, October 9: ITV Global Entertainment has announced an output deal with the new independent outfit Blink Films, as well as a first-look, exclusive distribution alliance with Kindle Entertainment. ITV Global will represent all rights to shows produced by Blink, …

NEW YORK, October 9: Spike TV has picked up a two-hour pilot from MGM Television Entertainment about the Irish mob in Boston, with an option to order a full series. Production on the pilot begins late this fall, with Walter …

LONDON, October 9: As part of UKTV’s re-branding strategy, UKTV Documentary and UKTV People will relaunch in early 2009 as Eden and Blighty, respectively. Eden, which looks at the world around us, will feature blue-chip series such as Planet Earth, …

BOGOTÁ, October 9: The Teleset-owned format creation outfit Si Hay Ideas in Colombia has reached a deal for Sony Pictures Entertainment to represent the worldwide rights to its new light-entertainment series Love’s Roulette. Under the terms of the agreement, 2waytraffic, …

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9: National Geographic Channels International has commissioned Aquavision TV Productions to produce Caught on Safari: Live!, a weeklong real-time broadcast from Kruger National Park in South Africa that will be available in 166 countries worldwide. Airing in …

HILVERSUM, October 9: The zombie thriller Dead Set joins a range of dramas, comedies and telenovelas on Endemol’s MIPCOM slate. Produced by Zeppotron, part of Endemol U.K., the drama Dead Set features sees a group of living dead terrorizing the …