World Screen

NEW YORK: ION Television has secured the rights to 65 theatrical features from Universal Pictures, MGM and Sony Pictures for its Big Movie Weekend block. The features will begin rolling out on the network in March and will air on the schedule …

BURBANK: ABC’s contract to carry the annual Academy Awards presentations has been extended for a further six years, through 2020. The contract was scheduled to expire in 2014. The February 27 broadcast of the Oscars marks the 36th consecutive ceremony …

LOS ANGELES: CBS has canceled the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men for the rest of the season, following star Charlie Sheen’s tirade against the show’s producer. The move by CBS to pull the sitcom follows recent expletive-filled rants …

KUALA LUMPUR: Advertising spending across all media in Malaysia recorded a 16-percent increase to RM 7.7 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2010, The Nielsen Company reports, with TV alone up 18 percent. Television ad spending rose to RM 2.9 billion ($947.2 million) …

NEW YORK/LONDON: Jo Lovell is joining AETN International as the director of content sales for Europe. Lovell steps into her newly created role at AETN International with more than 13 years of experience in international TV distribution. She previously served …

HAMBURG: Bibel TV has named Sammy Wintersohl as head of programming for the German Christian TV channel, effective at the end of the month. Wintersohl, who is a theologian with 20 years of experience in the TV industry, is currently …

LOS ANGELES: Lifetime Television’s original movie William & Kate is set to premiere on April 18 at 9 p.m., followed by the first hour-long installment of the documentary series Royal Wedding of a Lifetime. William & Kate, which stars Nico …

NEW YORK: The science strand NOVA has commissioned Darlow Smithson Productions to produce A Journey Through the Solar System: Life Beyond Earth. The two-hour long special will feature leading astrobiologists, including Chris McKay of NASA’s Ames Research Centre, explaining how …

MIAMI: Telemundo Internacional has renewed its agreement with SBS International, allowing it to continue to distribute part of the Korean network’s drama series catalogue in Latin America. Included in the agreement are SBS’ telenovelas Stairway to Heaven and My Husband’s …

LONDON: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has scored a deal with Esporte Interativo that allows the Brazilian broadcaster to air WWE’s Raw for one year. Raw will premiere on Esporte Interativo on March 2 at 10 p.m., bringing WWE’s flagship show …