World Screen

LONDON: BBC Worldwide issued a statement today noting that the "rumored demise" of Ragdoll’s In the Night Garden "has been premature to say the least." The statement, from Neil Ross Russell, managing director of children’s global brands and licensed consumer products …

LOS ANGELES: WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell is to deliver the keynote address at NATPE, which will take place at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami. Sorrell founded WPP in 1985 and has since served as its chief executive. WPP …

DOHA: Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel is rolling out a slate of new programming, including its Malaysia co-pro Saladin, produced in association with the Multimedia Development Company (MDeC). Other originals include, with Jamie Oliver’s Fresh One, Al …

SYDNEY: SLR Productions has landed broadcast deals for the preschool series Guess How Much I Love You: The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare in Australia, Canada and Scandinavia. The animated series has been picked up by Australia’s ABC, and is …

NEW YORK: Univision Communications’ Galavisión Network is on the lookout for Spanish-language “edutainment/infotainment” programming for prime time. ON THE RECORD: SEBASTIAN TRUJILLO, SENIOR VP, OPERATING MANAGER, GALAVISIÓN NETWORK How do you schedule the channel from morning through late night, Monday …

LONDON/AMSTERDAM: Endemol has announced several changes to its creative team, with Paul Römer exiting after 15 years with the company and the creation of a Creative Board. The Creative Board will include Marco Bassetti, president of the Endemol Group; Tim …

HYDERABAD: DQ Entertainment has named Plus Licens as the licensing representative for The Jungle Book for the Nordic and Eastern European regions. Plus Licens will rep The Jungle Book for merchandising and publishing in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Czech …

PHILADELPHIA/FAIRFIELD: Steve Burke has been appointed to lead NBC Universal as CEO following Comcast’s acquisition of a 51-percent stake in the company. Comcast announced the appointment this weekend. Burke replaces Jeff Zucker, who will continue to serve in his position until …

TORONTO: CCI Entertainment has signed on to co-produce the animated series Get Ace with Australian production outfit Galaxy Pop. Get Ace will make its debut at MIPCOM. The series follows the comedic adventures of a 12-year-old nerd who winds up …

SCOTTSDALE: The number of U.S. pay-TV homes fell by 167,000 subscribers in the second quarter, according to In-Stat, largely as a result of the difficult economy and high unemployment rate. “While growing availability of over-the-top Internet video is spurring talk …