World Screen

BEIJING, December 20: Five Hollywood studios have won a court case against a retailer of pirated DVDs in Beijing, who has been ordered to pay just RMB164,000 ($21,000). The prosecution against the Yu Hao Qing DVD retail outlet, located in …

LONDON, December 20: According to Media Guardian, Greg Dyke will today demand that the BBC publish documents explaining why he was fired as its director-general in January 2004. Dyke’s resignation, which came a day after then chairman Gavyn Davies stepped …

TORONTO, December 20: Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (AACI) announced today that it is “exploring strategic alternatives,” seeking expressions of interest from possible buyers of the company. Southhill Strategy, owned by Alliance Atlantis’s Executive Chairman Michael MacMillian and Atlantis Films founder …

LUXEMBOURG, December 19: SBS Broadcasting Group has named Zoltan Vardy, the commercial director of its TV2 station in Hungary, as its VP of sales. Vardy will continue to serve in his position at TV2. In his role as VP of …

TORONTO, December 19: Picture Box Distribution’s popular lifestyle series X Weighted has been licensed to Sky in the U.K. and TVNZ in New Zealand. The series, produced by Anaid Productions, follows individuals as they work to get fit. The two …

LONDON, December 19: National Geographic Television International has notched up a range of deals on its 45-minute holiday family special Toot & Puddle: I’ll Be Home for Christmas, based on the Holly Hobbie book of the same name. The special …

LOS ANGELES, December 19: Taffy Entertainment has licensed the home video rights to ToddWorld to Genius Products, which will launch the DVD at retail in the U.S. in the spring. ToddWorld is a half-hour animated series that explores common themes …

LONDON, December 19: Granada International has signed its first output deal with Greek broadcaster Skai TV with a package that covers more than 200 hours of programming. The multi-year output deal covers TV movies and drama including The Triumph, starring …

LONDON/SYDNEY, December 19: Nine Network in Australia has picked up the dinosaur drama series Primeval and the docudrama Superstorm from BBC Worldwide Australasia. Both titles will air on the Australian network next year. In the 3×50-minute Superstorm, a science-based thriller …

ESPOO, December 19: Nokia has tapped MSN as the exclusive online distributor of its New Year’s Eve musical celebration taking place in five different cities: Hong Kong, Mumbai, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and New York. The Nokia New Year's Eve …