World Screen

WASHINGTON, D.C.: National Geographic Channels (NGC) has opened a new West Coast development office, to be led on an interim basis by David Lyle, as well as promoted Bridget Whalen Hunnicutt to senior VP of global development. Lyle most recently …

LONDON: Zodiak Rights has renewed and expanded its distribution pact with the Netherlands’ TéVé Media Group in a five-year deal that covers the rights to Psychic Challenge, Psychic Challenge International and Celebrity Love Match. Psychic Challenge first aired on Channel …

PARIS: Russia’s Channel One has picked up the preschool show Chloe’s Closet and the second season of Dive Olly Dive! from Moonscoop. The 52×11-minute series Chloe’s Closet currently airs in territories around the world, including on France 5 and Playhouse …

NEW YORK: BBC America has signed on as a co-production partner for the new six-part drama series The Hour, which BBC Two commissioned from Kudos Film and Television. Created and written by the BAFTA-winning Abi Morgan, the thriller, set in the 1950s against …

TORONTO: CTV has acquired the rights to The Voice, the new format-based talent show that John de Mol and Mark Burnett are exec-producing for NBC. The show, based on Talpa’s The Voice of Holland series, will be hosted by Carson Daly …

STOCKHOLM: Warner Bros. has been appointed to handle the distribution for DVD and Blu-ray releases of NonStop Entertainment’s titles for the Nordic market. Warner Bros. is now responsible for the distribution of titles such as Let Me In, Matt Reeves’ …

LONDON: MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has firmed up deals on its TV movies Gym Teacher and Spectacular! ahead of MIPTV, where the company will present three new telefilms for international syndication. Gym Teacher and Spectacular! both sold to Vrak TV in Canada. …

NEW YORK: Logo has acquired the five-season series Absolutely Fabulous and will kick off the premiere with a week-long marathon beginning April 16 at 2 p.m. Absolutely Fabulous, which will move to its permanent time slot with episodes airing on …

NEW YORK: A multiplatform block of branded original content tapping into the assets of Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment was among the new programming highlights announced by Cartoon Network at its annual upfront presentation. In all, the network unveiled 13 new animated series, …

VIENNA: Beatrice Riesenfelder and Franz Prenner are to work alongside each other within ORF’s commercial arm, ORF-Enterprise, while Andrew Solomon leads the natural-history and science department, Universum, and Berend Dreier and Marion Camus Oberdorfer split sales duties. Riesenfelder has taken …