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MADRID: Cuarzo Producciones, Banijay Group’s production outfit in Spain, has received a commission from Canal 9 for a local version of the ALL3MEDIA International format The Village. Cuarzo will produce eight one-hour episodes based on the Studio Lambert creation—which aired …

LOS ANGELES: The new male-targeted debate-format show Master Debaters with Jay Mohr has been added to FUEL TV’s lineup, and is set to premiere Wednesday, September 7, at 10:30 p.m. The original 30-minute episode series hosted by the actor/comedian/radio host/best-selling …

LOS ANGELES/TORONTO: Juliette Lewis and Callum Keith Rennie have signed on to star in the new legal-drama series The Firm, from Entertainment One and Sony Pictures Television Networks for broadcast on NBC, Global and AXN. Lewis, an Oscar, Golden Globe …

LOS ANGELES: Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor Ted Danson is to join the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in its 12th season, with his character debuting in the season premiere on September 21 on CBS. Danson will play …

LONDON: News Corporation announced today that it is dropping its efforts to take 100-percent control over BSkyB amid mounting opposition to the proposed merger. "We believed that the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation would benefit both companies but …

LONDON: A host of programs starring the Finnish stunt group The Dudesons have been secured from Target Entertainment for air on Chello Zone’s Extreme Sports Channel. The daredevil foursome—akin to MTV’s Jackass pranksters—risk themselves for comedic, and often painful, entertainment. …

LONDON: Issuing its latest ad expenditure forecasts, ZenithOptimedia notes that television is the largest contributor to global growth, accounting for 49 percent of new ad dollars between 2010 and 2013, while its rising share of the ad pie shows no …

LONDON: Production has commenced on the three-part drama series Postcode, from Zodiak Media Group’s The Foundation, to air on CBBC later this year. Postcode, written by BAFTA-winning playwright Tony Marchant and filmed entirely on location in South London, will reflect …

BRUSSELS: The European Commission is seeking responses to its Green Paper on the online distribution of content and the creation of a "digital single market" for member states. The Green Paper explores how the regulatory framework needs to be adapted for …

SINGAPORE: Thai platform TrueVisions is the latest operator to add AXN HD—also available in South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam—to its lineup. The channel is one of 11 HD networks carried by TrueVisions in its digital cable service. The other Sony Pictures …