World Screen

LONDON: Sky has bagged the exclusive U.K. rights to Stephen Spielberg’s highly anticipated series Terra Nova in a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution. The show, from Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga, René Echevarria and Aaron Kaplan, is launching …

SINGAPORE: Cartoon Network Asia is expanding its SNAPTOONS animation initiative to Singapore following rollouts in India, Malaysia and Australia, via a partnership with the Media Development Authority (MDA). SNAPTOONS (Short New Asia Pacific Cartoons) will enable Cartoon Network to connect …

LONDON: Optomen International has secured its first deals on Billy’s Tasty Weekends, featuring Australian chef Bill Granger on a food tour in the U.K., while also firming up a VOD agreement for a raft of Gordon Ramsay programming. The 10×1-hour …

LOS ANGELES/IRVINE: California-based digital-media firm Specific Media has acquired Myspace from News Corporation, with musician and actor Justin Timberlake taking an ownership stake and gearing up to play a "major role" in the future of the social-networking site. News Corp. …

SYDNEY: The animated series Bananas in Pyjamas has been picked up by Disney Junior and five free-to-air broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region, adding to its sales in the U.K., Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, among other territories. Buena …

LONDON: Consumers worldwide will purchase 52 million connected TV sets this year, outpacing the sales of gaming consoles, estimated at 37 million, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media. “The market for connected devices—connected TVs, connected Blu-ray players, …

MUNICH: Sky Deutschland is launching the Sky Anytime service to its customers in Germany, enabling subscribers to watch selected movies, sports and entertainment programs whenever they choose. The service requires a Sky+ HD hard disc receiver, but not an Internet …

NEW YORK: World Screen has promoted several key staffers, including naming Mansha Daswani as associate publisher and Cesar Suero as advertising and marketing director, while expanding the responsibilities of managing editor Kristin Brzoznowski. Mansha Daswani, who has been with World …

NEW YORK: Univision Communications has upped Randy Falco, the executive VP and chief operating officer, to president and CEO, with immediate effect. Falco also becomes a member of the Univision Board of Directors. He was appointed to his executive VP …

LOS ANGELES: Chris Ottinger, the executive VP of worldwide television at MGM, has been promoted to oversee the studio’s international TV distribution and acquisitions activities. As president of international television distribution and acquisitions, Ottinger will work closely with the teams …