World Screen

LAS VEGAS, July 11: At the Video Software Dealers Association conference today, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment, HP, Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba announced the formation of the North American HD DVD Promotional Group. The non-profit …

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, July 11: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group Awards Working Group has announced the finalists for the Outstanding Achievement for Interactive Television Emmy Awards, which will be presented at the Creative Arts Awards …

PARIS, July 11: Sanjiv Ahuja, the CEO of mobile operator Orange, will deliver the keynote address during MIPCOM’s Mobile TV day on October 11. Ahuja will provide a look at the potential of the mobile entertainment business and explore the …

BUDAPEST, July 11: Sony Pictures Television International today announced plans to launch two new thematic channels in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary: AXN SCI-FI and AXN CRIME. The ad-supported channels will be dubbed into local languages in their markets and …

NEW YORK, July 11: Time Warner expects its AOL division to lose some $1 billion in operating profits through 2009 should it go ahead with a proposed plan to offer free Internet access to some customers, according to the Wall …

VIENNA, July 10: The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) has promoted Berend Dreier to sales executive for new business as the company looks to expand its sales to IPTV platforms. Dreier reports to ORF’s head of sales and acquisitions, Beatrice Riesenfelder. …

GENEVA, July 10: Fritz Pleitgen, the director general of WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), has been elected as the new president of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Pleitgen succeeds Arne Wessberg (YLE), who held the role for six years. The EBU also …

MANCHESTER, July 10: Cosgrove Hall Films has made its first foray into owning its own content, taking a “significant share” in an animated series from Korean creators Imagestone and London-based Village Productions that has been acquired for broadcast by the …

LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO, July 10: Twentieth Television has cleared Seth MacFarlane’s hit animated sitcom Family Guy on the Tribune Broadcasting station group for a fall 2007 launch in off-net syndication. The series about the dysfunctional Griffin family (father Peter, wife Lois, …

LONDON, July 10: According to the British trade body Pact, a pre-9 p.m. ban on junk food advertising could wipe out all investment in original kids’ programming at ITV, Five and Channel 4. Under Pact’s medium impact forecast, investment would …