Top Stories

LOS ANGELES: Zig Zag Productions has secured the first option on select Splash News-owned content for original series or documentary programming. The deal includes select celebrity news and unusual human-interest feature content. In addition to making this programming available to …

SHANGHAI: The Chinese video website Tudou has launched its second Internet drama series, Utopia Office. The series, which is targeted to the young, urban Chinese audience, follows a team of scientists charged to tackle a variety of science challenges in …

PREMIUM: Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, discusses the channel’s need for original drama and informative factual fare. How do you schedule the channel from morning through late night, Monday through Sunday? Morning schedule is devoted to children until about …

MIAMI: Venevision International has announced its programming slate for the L.A. Screenings, highlighting the telenovelas La Viuda Joven and Eva Luna. La Viuda Joven, which is produced by Venevision, is the story of a mysterious woman who has become a …

MIAMI: The new prime-time novela from Telemundo Studios, Behind Closed Doors (La Casa de al Lado), is currently in production, slated for a summer debut.  The cast features Maritza Rodriguez, Gabriel Porras, Catherine Siachoque, Miguel Varoni, David Chocarro and Karla Monroig. The …

TREVISO: SLASH://, a series from the Italian producer Gruppo Alcuni in co-production with Rai Fiction, has secured a slot on Canal Panda in Spain and RTP Portugal.  The 26×20-minute show is aimed at 7- to 12-year-olds. It tells of the …

TORONTO: Hot Docs has launched a curated page on Kickstarter that showcases the crowd-funding campaigns of select pitch projects from the upcoming 12th annual Hot Docs Forum.  Kickstarter is the world’s largest online funding platform for creative projects. “Of the many …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama’s administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling last year that tossed out the Federal Communications Commission’s indecency rules on fleeting profanity and nudity in broadcast TV. In the July …

JOHANNESBURG: South African natural-history producer Aquavision TV Productions has hired Steve Eder, one of the founders of National Geographic Explorer, to oversee the company’s development and production operations.  A producer, director and writer, Eder is behind a number of Emmy Award-winning …

NEW YORK: BBC America has scooped up the rights to all 80 hours of Battlestar Galactica, encompassing the two-part mini-series and seasons one through four. The Syfy original was acquired from NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution. It launches on BBC America June …