World Screen

LONDON, May 28: Social-media network Bebo has commissioned a further 65 episodes of the interactive online teen soap Sofia’s Diary, bringing its total number of episodes to 130. The series will also be distributed on AOL, following the company’s recent …

SILVER SPRING, May 28: As part of its launch next month, Planet Green, Discovery Communications’ 24-hour eco-friendly network, will debut the hour-long series Renovation Nation, which aims to be a how-to guide to environmental-friendly home building. A sneak preview of …

BURBANK, May 28: SOAPnet has placed an order for a second season of its original scripted drama General Hospital: Night Shift, with production set to begin in June. Season two will feature 13 new episodes, shot in HD, and is …

ALVISO, May 28: TiVo has inked a deal to offer its subscribers on-demand movie rentals from The Walt Disney Studios, and has partnered with the Chicago Tribune to bring the recommendations of the newspaper’s TV critic, Maureen Ryan, directly to …

LONDON/MADRID, May 28: Disney Channel Spain will launch on free digital terrestrial TV (DTT) as an ad-supported network on Tuesday, July 1. Disney Channel debuted on pay cable in Spain in 1998. The network is expected to be a key …

SINGAPORE/MOSCOW, May 28: NBC Universal’s Global Networks division is extending the reach of its SCI FI and Universal Channel brands, with both networks slated to launch in Russia and Singapore. Both channels will debut on the NTV Plus digital platform …

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, May 28: ABC, CBS and NBC have teamed for a new initiative, Stand Up To Cancer, which aims to raise money for cancer research through a one-hour commercial-free prime-time fundraising special that will be telecast simultaneously on …

NEW YORK, May 28: MTV Networks Music Group and NBC Sports have entered into a strategic partnership to expand the AST (Action Sports Tour), a global, youth-focused, multimedia, action-sports business. The ASP franchise includes the AST Dew Tour, the AST …

LOS ANGELES, May 28: World Screen Newsflash speaks to the BBC’s George McGhee and ProSiebenSat.1’s Rüdiger Böss about the new American dramas and comedies presented at the L.A. Screenings. George McGhee, the controller of program acquisitions at the BBC, says …

LOS ANGELES, May 28: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new three-year contract, with the producers’ negotiations with the larger …