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TORONTO: The Shaftesbury web spin-off series Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs has been picked up by the UKTV crime channel Alibi as an online precursor to the premiere of season five of Murdoch Mysteries in 2012. The …

LONDON: Nintendo DS and PC activity games are set to be created by Avanquest Software for the twofour54 preschool series Driver Dan’s Story Train. Avanquest Software will create and publish a Nintendo DS and PC activity collection of 12 to …

COLOGNE: ohm:tv is preparing to present a range of formats, such as the reality shows Sell Me Your Style, EXPAT$ and Lonely Hearts Club, at this year’s MIPCOM. Available to buyers at the market is the new fashion format Sell …

LONDON: BBC One has commissioned Initial, Endemol UK’s production arm, to produce the new series Winter Wipeout. Twelve episodes of Winter Wipeout, based on the show Total Wipeout, will be produced. The series will be hosted by Richard Hammond and …

PARIS: Moonscoop has made presales for the second season of the CGI-animated kids’ series Casper’s Scare School, with delivery set for June 2012. Mediaset in Italy, Disney Channel France, DR in Denmark and Canada’s Telequebec will join TF1, Disney Channel …

LONDON: Ragdoll Productions, behind hits such as In the Night Garden and Teletubbies, is launching the new series The Adventures of Abney & Teal in the U.K. on CBeebies on September 26. The series is comprised of 52 11-minute episodes …

MUNICH: SevenOne International has picked up the distribution rights for the National Geographic Channel series The Indestructibles. The series’ ten one-hour episodes premiered on National Geographic´s U.S. channel, and will premiere internationally in November on National Geographic Channel. The Indestructibles …

LONDON: Sky has commissioned a second and third season of Trollied from Roughcut TV for broadcast on Sky 1 HD. Two more seasons of Trollied, which debuted in August 2011, have been commissioned with an extended run of 13 episodes …

PARIS: Among the talent set to make an appearance at the upcoming MIPCOM are German filmmaker Werner Herzog, a guest of ZDF Enterprises; the stars of the new ABC Studios series Missing, including actress Ashley Judd; and Bruce Springsteen guitar …

LOS GATOS: In the wake of separating its streaming and DVD-rental services, Netflix has lowered its third-quarter subscriber estimates, saying in a letter to shareholders that it does feel splitting the two was the "right long-term strategic choice." The company …