World Screen

HOLLYWOOD, May 9: David Chase, the Emmy Award-winning creator of the HBO hit The Sopranos, has inked a deal with Paramount Pictures to write, direct and produce his first feature film. Chase has a long-standing relationship with Brad Grey, the …

LOS ANGELES, May 9: Warner Bros. is closing down its Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures studios, its president and COO, Alan Horn, announced yesterday. "With New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we're able to handle films across …

BURBANK, May 9: The Walt Disney Company has inked a new contract with Stephen McPherson, the president of entertainment at ABC, whose tenure thus far has witnessed a dramatic turnaround for the network. McPherson took on his current role in …

LONDON, May 9: Virgin Media has reportedly had discussions with BSkyB over resuming its carriage of the satellite platform’s basic channels, including Sky One, British press reports indicate. The Sky basic channels were pulled from the cable platform early last …

NEW YORK, May 9: CBS says that it is back in the number one ratings spot since the return of original scripted fare following the 100-day-long writers’ strike, averaging 10.24 million viewers. Citing Nielsen data for the period March 31 …

MONTREAL, May 8: Tribal Nova has appointed Louis Fournier as its VP of business development, in charge of content acquisition and co-productions for KidStudio, the company’s online interactive entertainment platform aimed at 3- to 12-year-olds. In his new role, Fournier …

NEW YORK, May 8: Brian Offutt has been appointed to the newly created position of senior VP of creative operations for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. Offutt will be responsible for all of the operational, financial, technology and human resources …

TOKYO, May 8: Toei Animation has appointed Biplano as the merchandising broker for Dragon Ball and Saint Saiya, to handle select rights for the brands in Spain and Portugal. Biplano is responsible for all merchandising rights except toy, video game …

SAN FRANCISCO, May 8: VIZ Media has tapped home-textile manufacturer The Northwest Company to produce a range of home- decor products for its animated series Death Note. The new product, consisting of throw blankets, throw pillows and pillowcases, will be …

LOS ANGELES, May 8: Fox Sports is set to broadcast nine Rugby League World Cup matches live and has secured the delayed rights for all tournament matches. The Rugby World Cup kicks off October 25, with the network’s first live …