World Screen

LONDON: Reporting its 2010 interim results today, British broadcaster ITV announced its expansion into the pay-TV business, with plans to launch three HD networks on Sky. ITV will make ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD available as pay channels …

This interview originally appeared in the MIPTV 2010 issue of World Screen.   Canada’s Shaftesbury Films has long been known for its live-action youth programming. Over the last several years, however, it has made a name for itself in prime-time …

The international news channel FRANCE 24 has been rapidly growing its global footprint. Philippe Rouxel, the VP of worldwide distribution at FRANCE 24, talks to TV Real Weekly about the channel’s expanded worldwide reach and what the priorities for growth …

PARIS: GlobeCast’s chairman and CEO, Christian Pinon, is exiting the company as of September 30 to join the television products division at Orange France. Replacing him will be Olivier Barberot, formerly the executive VP of human resources at France Telecom/Orange. …

LONDON: Michael Maucher has been appointed CEO of earth television network (earthTV) and Telcast International. Maucher’s career history includes senior management positions in IT, banking and as partner in an IT headhunting consultancy. He has worked for Dow Jones Telerate …

HARRINGTON PARK: Janson Media has licensed the documentary series Heavy Metal: The Evolution of the Naval Warship to Canal + Cyfrowy to air on its Planete Poland channel. The two-part series looks at the evolution of the design and armament …

STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcast has extended the terms of its exclusive broadcasting rights to motor racing’s FIA Formula One World Championship and golf’s American PGA Tour across select territories. All of the rights—Formula One in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and the …

SYDNEY: A further 39 episodes are in production for ABC3’s comedy action series Prank Patrol, based on Apartment 11 Productions’ Canadian series of the same name distributed by MarVista Entertainment. To air on ABC1 and ABC3 in late 2010, 26 …

LONDON: Five new films have been commissioned from across the U.K. to be featured in the second installment of the documentary strand My Life for CBBC on BBC Two. Commissioned from Real Life, Ballet Boys follows three brothers from a working-class …

LOS ANGELES: Seven scripted projects are in development for Syfy, including Me & Lee, starring Lee Majors. Me & Lee is from executive producers/writers Matthew Salzberg and Jenji Kohan. The Lionsgate production is a half-hour single-camera series about a down-on-his …