World Screen

BRUSSELS: News Corporation has offered remedies to concerns the European Commission has raised about its proposed takeover of BSkyB, in a bid to win antitrust approval for the $12 billion deal. News Corp. is reaching out to the EC by …

PREMIUM: Dermot Horan, the director of broadcast and acquisitions at RTÉ, talks about the challenges of running competitive channels as the Irish Republic faces a severe economic crisis and advertising downturn. Horan is responsible for the acquisition of more than …

BUENOS AIRES: Telefe International has appointed Fernando Varela as the network’s international business director. Varela will lead the content sales, formats and international production area, to which Michelle Wasserman, the head of the area, and her team report. Varela will …

TORONTO: Robert Hurst is stepping down as president of CTV News and Current Affairs, remaining in the role until a successor is named in the coming weeks. Hurst became president in September 2002, with oversight for all aspects of CTV’s …

HONG KONG: Celestial Pictures has inked a licensing agreement with Creative Technologies to distribute 668 Shaw Brothers films and 500 hours of original dramas on its portable viewing devices in Singapore. Creative Technology is a leader in digital entertainment product …

LONDON: The Studio Lambert series Undercover Boss continues to notch up deals through ALL3MEDIA International, which sells the Channel 4-commissioned U.K. version, the CBS-commissioned U.S. treatment and the show format. The distributor has licensed the show in more than 175 …

MUMBAI: The recently launched general-entertainment service BIG CBS Prime has slated an Indian premiere for the Bellator Fighting Championship, introducing the mixed martial arts show in the country. Bellator will introduce the championship as 12-week, eight-man tournaments, in respective weight …

TORONTO: DHX Media has three new broadcasters signed up for the preschool series Rastamouse, originally commissioned by CBeebies. ABC in Australia is on board, while ABC Commercial picked up home-video rights as well. Canal+ picked up rights in Poland for …

LONDON: CAKE has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the live-action sci-fi adventure series The Sparticle Mystery, which will air on CBBC starting in early 2011. The 13×30-minute series features an all-child cast who are left "home alone" on Earth …

LONDON: Endemol has picked up the distribution rights outside the U.S. for the hit TNT series Leverage from Electric Entertainment. The drama stars Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge. Creators are John Rogers and Chris Downey, …