World Screen

BURBANK, August 20: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Smurfs franchise this year, Warner Home Video will release The Smurfs: Season One, Volume Two on DVD on October 7. The DVD will feature 20 re-mastered and uncut episodes …

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, D.C., August 20: KaBOOM!, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to bringing play back into children’s lives, and multiplatform kids’ service qubo have formed an official partnership that will help honor communities that make play a priority. The cornerstone program …

LOS ANGELES, August 20: Fox Reality Channel has named Target Entertainment as it distribution partner for the celebrity competition series Gimme My Reality Show! to license the show’s format and finished episodes worldwide. Premiering October 11, Gimme My Reality Show! …

BURBANK, August 20: ABC Studios has named Barry Jossen as its executive VP of creative, succeeding Julia Franz, who announced her intention to step down in April. Jossen will continue to report to Mark Pedowitz, the president of the studio. …

BUENOS AIRES, August 20: Michelle Wasserman is assuming a new role at Telefe International overseeing finished program and format sales, with Gonzalo Cilley exiting to work on his own TV projects. Wasserman has been tapped as head of international programming …

TOKYO, August 20: Paul Greenberg is joining MTV Japan from Napster to take on the position of VP and general manager of digital media, effective immediately. Based in Tokyo, Greenberg reports to Peter Bullard, the president of MTV Networks Japan …

BEIJING, August 19: More than 196 million viewers have tuned in to NBC Universal’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics through the first ten days, scoring big numbers for its cable networks as well as NBC Nightly News and Today. The …

MUMBAI/HONG KONG, August 19: STAR is selling off the 25.99 percent it owns of Indian production house Balaji Telefilms (BTL), and is terminating its agreement to launch regional-language channels with the company, known for its string of hit Hindi-language serials. …

LOS ANGELES, August 19: The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore, a popular digital graphic novel from Factory Publishing, has been optioned by MGM Domestic Television Distribution for possible development into a series. The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore is a …

LOS ANGELES, August 19: The Matrix actor Laurence Fishburne is taking on a lead role on CBS’s hit series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, replacing William Petersen, who announced his exit from the procedural crime drama earlier this summer. Fishburne’s character …