World Screen

STAMFORD: The U.S. taking on Algeria in the World Cup on Wednesday gave ESPN its highest ratings ever for a soccer match, delivering some 6.2 million viewers in its 10 a.m. to noon EST broadcast. The game also ranked as the highest-rated …

NEW YORK: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reports that the entertainment, media and communications sector continues to draw interest from private-equity funds and forecasts further acquisitions and investments. In its latest report on M&A activity, PwC notes that with high-profile acquisitions over the past …

NEW YORK/LONDON: Louise Pedersen, managing director of ALL3MEDIA International, discusses the strengths of the company’s slate and its ties with British independent producers in this video interview.   One of the U.K.’s leading independents, ALL3MEDIA International has established a reputation as …

LONDON: European broadcasters spent more than £3 billion on acquiring finished content and formats from around the world in 2009, according to Content Economics Research. The research also indicates that the U.K. was the biggest spender, shelling out some £650 million …

LONDON: Shine International has secured a multi-territory deal for more than 65 hours of programming from its slate to air across 80 territories throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa on Chello Zone-owned channels Zone Reality and Extreme Sports Channel.  …

NEW YORK: GroupM is forecasting a 3.5-percent increase in global ad spending this year, upping its previous projection of 1-percent growth, with a further 4.5 percent hike in 2011. Ad spending worldwide is set to reach $451 billion this year, GroupM says …

BUDAPEST: Among its portfolio of telenovelas, series, documentaries, mini-series and formats, Globo TV International is presenting a number of TV movies at DISCOP.  Globo is pre-launching the titles Oh My God! and Oh My God! Again? These films star Lázaro Ramos …

STOCKHOLM/LONDON: Sparks Network has been appointed as the exclusive worldwide distributor for all finished series and formats from the U.K.’s Wedding TV.  All original programming of Wedding TV will be represented by Sparks, both as formats and ready-mades. The catalogue …

NEW YORK, June 24: Viacom has said that a judge’s decision to dismiss its $1-billion copyright infringement suit against YouTube is "flawed" and intends to appeal the ruling. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton sided with the video-sharing site in the case, …

LONDON: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, which first made its mark in India on Star Plus, has found a new home on Sony Entertainment Television—with Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan due back to host—as part of a slew of new …