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LOS ANGELES:GRB Entertainment has appointed Benn Watson as VP of international sales. Watson will be responsible for broadening the company’s purview in Eastern European and Asian markets. He will report to Marielle Zuccarelli, the senior VP of international distribution. Prior to joining GRB, …

TORONTO: Greg Daniels, the writer, producer and director behind the U.S. version of The Office and co-creator of King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, has signed on for this year’s Showrunner Series at the Banff World Media Festival. …

PREMIUM: Orion Ross, the VP of original series for Disney Channels EMEA, details the company’s strategy for producing animation in Europe. TV KIDS: Why has it been important to drive original animation creation out of Europe? ROSS: I think it’s …

LOS ANGELES: Paula Abdul has been tapped to fill the fourth and final spot on the panel for the U.S. version of The X Factor, alongside Simon Cowell, music producer Antonio "L.A." Reid and British pop star Cheryl Cole. "This …

LONDON: Sky Entertainment has appointed Anne Mensah as head of drama. Mensah will oversee drama commissioning for Sky’s portfolio of channels, including Sky 1HD, Sky Living HD, Sky Atlantic HD, Sky Arts HD and Sky Movies. Prior to joining Sky, …

TORONTO: Among the series slated for a summer premiere on Canada’s CTV is the new Mark Burnett reality competition series Expedition Impossible, debuting June 21. Expedition Impossible will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. starting June 21. The show features Dave …

LUXEMBOURG: Lower ad revenues and higher programming spend in Germany were cited as the key factors in RTL Group’s reduced profit for the first quarter, on revenues that were relatively flat at 1.26 billion euros. Group EBITA at the company fell from 205 …

PARIS: Europe Images International has sold the broadcast rights to the mini-series The Kennedys, starring Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear, to the Franco-German channel Arte.  Arte will air The Kennedys after its initial broadcast on France 3. Europe Images International …

LONDON: The fourth season of MTV’s Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory is being represented for the global market by Passion Distribution. Passion sold the previous three seasons to MTV Networks in Australia and New Zealand; Extreme Sports Channel in the U.S., Europe, …

ROME: The free-to-air kids’ service VTM Kzoom in Belgium is set to air the Mondo TV animated series Puppy in My Pocket starting this fall. The 52×13-minute series is targeted at kids 4 to 8, with a girl skew. The …