Top Stories

NEW YORK: John Taite, formerly the VP of programming strategy at BBC Worldwide America, has been upped to VP of branded entertainment and integrated ad sales solutions. Taite will work with ad sales, programming and marketing teams, and will report …

BEIJING: Chinese Internet content platform Youku has signed a deal to add between 400 and 450 Warner Bros. titles to its online premium VOD service. The three-year deal was signed with CAV Warner Home Entertainment Co., Ltd., Warner Bros. Home …

UNIVERSAL CITY: Two new detectives have been cast as series regulars for NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Kelli Giddish (Chase) and Danny Pino (Cold Case). Giddish starred in the NBC drama Chase as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost. She …

TEMECULA: Ten fresh shows are set to debut in the Outdoor Channel’s celebrity-packed summer lineup, along with 73 programs returning with new episodes. Many of the programs will feature celebrity hosts and all content on the channel will air in …

NEW YORK: Sunday’s live premiere of the BET Awards garnered 7.7 million total viewers, making the event the number one awards show on cable this year. The BET Awards ’11 rank as the number two telecast in network history, only …

MADRID: Antena 3 has signed a multi-year agreement with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution for the exclusive free-TV rights in Spain for films such as the recent hit Bridesmaids, as well as the upcoming The Man with Iron Fists. The deal …

SINGAPORE: MP & Silva has scored the rights to represent Bundesliga from 2012-13 to 2014-15 in Belgium, Japan and Vietnam in a deal with DFL Sports Enterprises. MP & Silva will act as the exclusive distributor for the German football league in …

MOSCOW: RTDoc, a new 24-hour English-language channel under the Russia Today (RT) umbrella, has launched to more than 120 million households across Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. RTDoc will air exclusive documentaries about Russia, produced in-house. RTDoc’s reach …

PARIS: France 24’s English-language service is now part of Time Warner Cable’s channel roster, adding an additional 1.5 million subscribers throughout the New York Metropolitan area to its U.S. reach. The English-language service is now part of Time Warner’s basic …

SINGAPORE: MediaCorp has allocated $5 million for a three-year Content Innovation Fund (CIF) to support selected projects across a range of platforms. The fund will provide capital to support the initial development stages for selected projects. The chosen creative ideas …