World Screen

LONDON, April 17: FIVER, formerly known as Five Life, has taken on the online drama Sofia’s Diary from Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), marking the first time a U.K.-produced online show has made the jump to broadcast. Beginning April 28, …

HOLLYWOOD, April 17: Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies have greenlit the live-action feature film M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, an adaptation of Nickelodeon’s hit animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Shyamalan, the creator of the Oscar-nominated movie The …

LONDON, April 17: NBC Universal Global Networks today launched its SCI FI and Universal Channel brands in Romania on the AKTA platform. “We’re thrilled to be establishing SCI FI and Universal Channel in a market as significant as Romania,” said …

LONDON, April 17: Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) plans to release 29 titles on Blu-ray for the first time, beginning August 26 with the second season of Heroes. Season one of the hit NBC drama will be released in Blu-ray …

HAMILTON, April 17: Central European Media Enterprises (CME) has acquired the assets of Compania de Radio Pro s.r.l. (Radio Pro), which owns two radio stations in Romania, Pro FM and Info Pro, for $20.6 million. The pop music station Pro …

MOSCOW/STOCKHOLM, April 17: CTC Media has concluded its $395-million acquisition of the Russian free-TV network DTV from the Modern Times Group. “We are excited with the opportunity to immediately start integrating DTV into CTC Media,” said Alexander Rodnyansky, the CEO …

OTTAWA, April 17: The heads of CTVglobemedia and Canwest Global Communications made a joint appearance in front of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to lobby for continued support and protection of the market’s broadcast TV landscape. Ivan Fecan, …

CULVER CITY, April 17: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) is working with Electric Farm Entertainment, led by Stan Rogow of Lizzie McGuire fame, to develop two new cross-platform properties that have been picked up by NBC Universal Digital Studio to …

PARIS, April 17: According to published reports, market-leading French broadcaster TF1 is suing the video-sharing site YouTube, seeking damages of 100 million euros. The news was reported on the website of French business daily Les Echos yesterday, quoting a YouTube …

CULVER CITY, April 17: Jeff Blake has signed a long-term contract with Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) to continue serving as chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group through 2012. In addition to his role …