World Screen

MUMBAI: Turner International has named Vivek Bahl the chief content officer for India, to be based in the Mumbai office. In this newly created position, Bahl will oversee the content strategy and development for Turner’s portfolio of entertainment brands in …

SANTA MONICA: VH1 is expanding on its Basketball Wives franchise with the new series Baseball Wives, debuting November 30. The cast of Baseball Wives includes Anna Benson, the wife of Arizona pitcher Kris Benson; Tanya Grace, the ex-wife of retired …

BURBANK: The ABC Television Network has unveiled the upcoming highlights of its November sweeps programming, including special Halloween- and Thanksgiving-themed episodes of some of its hit series, award shows and Jimmy Kimmel Live. To celebrate Halloween, the classic animated Peanuts …

LONDON: Sky Arts is set to broadcast live from the National Gallery’s opening of its landmark exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan, with the Argonon Group’s Leopard Films producing the program. Leopard Films’ head of arts …

LOS ANGELES/PARIS: DISCOP Istanbul organizers Basic Lead are to host the first-ever Spotlight on Central Asia conference and business networking program, to take place alongside the market in Istanbul from February 28 to March 1, 2012. DISCOP Istanbul’s Spotlight on …

DOHA: Miramax is partnering with the Doha Film Institute to offer a summer internship opportunity for the university-level students in Qatar to work with Miramax executives in the company’s Los Angeles and London offices. The focus of the Media Immersion …

MADRID: FOX International Channels (FIC) has struck a deal to acquire Viajar, a Spanish documentary pay-TV channel previously owned by Prisa TV. Viajar, dedicated to travel and travellers, will retain its positioning, style, formats and programming. The service continues to focus …

MOSCOW/BURBANK: The Walt Disney Company and UTH Russia have signed a deal to bring an ad-supported free-to-air Disney Channel to Russia early next year. Under the terms of the deal, Disney will, through one of its subsidiaries, acquire a 49-percent …

STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcasting has added nine catch-up channels, including TCM, CNN and Nickelodeon, to its Viaplay service across the Nordic region. The channels offer select programs that have previously aired. Subscribers with an Internet-connected set-top box can access the catch-up …

DOHA: The Al Jazeera Media Network has plans to launch a new dedicated sports news channel next month, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera Sports News is slated to launch on November 1. The channel will …