World Screen

BURBANK: Production has begun on the new movie Lemonade Mouth, a Disney Channel original that is filled with music. The story follows five less-than-popular high-school students who form a band that becomes a champion for students sidelined by the high-school …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide’s annual international market BBC Showcase will be held for the first time in Beijing, to take place August 25 alongside the Beijing TV Festival. BBC Showcase China will be tailored to the Chinese market and will host …

LONDON: Channel Five has secured an exclusive deal to acquire a range of new and continuing series and blockbuster films from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. Channel Five picked up the exclusive terrestrial and digital rights to the third season …

LONDON: This September, Virgin1 will be renamed Channel One, continuing to broadcast in the same slots on all platforms. The rebrand will officially take effect on September 3, with a new logo and overhaul of all on- and off-air branding. …

NEW YORK: Citing improvements in the advertising market, Viacom reported strong growth in its second quarter, with profit up 52 percent. Viacom posted a profit of $420 million, up from $277 million a year earlier. Revenue was essentially flat at …

SHANGHAI: Tudou, a leading video-sharing site in China, has completed a $50 million Series E funding round that was led by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. Temasek, the Singapore government’s investment arm, contributed $35 million of the new funding round, while $15 million …

LOS ANGELES: FOX’s American Idol, which is in the midst of an overhaul following the exits of Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres, has clinched a deal to bring Nigel Lythgoe back as an executive producer for the upcoming 10th anniversary season …

HYDERABAD: DQE has inked a co-financing and production pact with Nick India for a local kids’ animated series called Keymon Ache. The 26×30-minute HD series for the Viacom18-operated kids’ network focuses on an ordinary 9-year old boy and his set …

SYDNEY: Seven Network is on board for its own version of the Emmy-winning CBS series The Amazing Race, via a deal with Disney Media Distribution Asia Pacific. The Australian version will be shot in locations around the world, with casting currently …

BURBANK/LONDON: Warner Bros. is teaming with Shed Media management to take the British production and distribution outfit private in a deal that values the company at about £99.9 million. The 115 pence per share offer reflects a 37.7-percent premium on …