Top Stories

HOLLYWOOD: The Jim Henson Company’s HIP Brands has lined up new international licensing agents for the multiplatform Psyclops brand. The multiplatform product and online experience is for tweens, teens and young adults, featuring funny, contemporary one-eyed characters that embrace the …

CHANTILLY: TeleProductions International (TPI) has a number of new offerings for MIPCOM buyers, among them Pablo’s Hippos, Libya: The Path to Light and Cart Man’s Great Adventures. The hour-long HD Pablo’s Hippos looks at the life and times of the …

SYDNEY: Among the highlights of Beyond Distribution’s slate is Classical Destinations, which features a guided tour around the world of places most associated with classical music and famous composers, from producer Destinations Media.  Classical Destinations, presented as six hour-long parts …

LONDON: British media regulator Ofcom has invited applications from the U.K.’s commercial public-service broadcasters to fill a fifth high-definition slot on Freeview. The new channel would join BBC HD, BBC One HD, ITV1 HD and 4HD that are already available …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has hired Joerg Bachmaier, who previously served as the senior VP and general manager for the Americas at Endemol Worldwide Brands, as the new regional executive VP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  Bachmaier will be …

LONDON: UKTV’s lifestyle channel Really has shored up the rights to three U.S. series for its fall grid: Ellen, The OC and Grey’s Anatomy. The channel, which rolled out on Freeview last month, targets upmarket females in the 18 to 35 demographic. …

DOHA: Al Jazeera English correspondents are set to anchor live bulletins from Ground Zero in New York on September 11, as well as from the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, while also reporting live from locations such as Kabul, Baghdad, London, …

NEW YORK: The new A&E original Bordertown: Laredo documents the small team of local police in a Texas narcotics unit who protect the U.S. border from the threat of Mexican drug cartels.  The 10×30-minute series premieres with back-to-back episodes on …

PREMIUM: John Smith, the CEO of BBC Worldwide, tells World Screen Newsflash about the company’s record financial performance, its plans for the U.S. and the international rollout of the iPlayer. As the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster and …

LONDON: Passion Distribution has picked up the 3×1-hour Submarine Patrol, which launches on Channel 5 and will air on the National Geographic Channel in the U.K., from Firelight Productions.  The title has presold into territories such as Africa, Europe and …