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NEW YORK: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the donation of the world’s most valuable diamond to the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Channel has scheduled the hour-long special Mystery of the Hope Diamond to air on November …

HONG KONG: There are almost 363 million homes subscribing to pay TV in Asia, according to new data released at the annual CASBAA Convention, which kicked off this week in Hong Kong, with a penetration rate that now stands at 50 percent. The Cable …

LOS ANGELES: The 19th annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Los Angeles’ Britannia Awards will make their exclusive U.S. debut on TV Guide Network on November 7. This marks the first time the awards have ever aired …

NEW YORK: Former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi has signed on for the new Bravo music competition series Going Platinum (working title), which will be hosted by Jewel. The series will follow 12 musicians as they compete in a number …

CALGARY: With approval granted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Shaw Communications’ acquisition of Canwest Global Communications Corp.’s broadcasting assets is expected to close October 27. Shaw is taking control of the over-the-air and specialty television businesses of …

LONDON: As part of an effort to strengthen its lineup of entertainment channels, Sky has positioned Sky1, the rebranded Sky Living and the brand-new service Sky Atlantic to sit side-by-side on the front page of its electronic programme guide (EPG) …

LOS ANGELES: Overall consumer spending on DVDs, Blu-ray discs and digital distribution fell by 4 percent in the first three quarters of this year to $12.6 billion, with gains in electronic sell-through and VOD partially offsetting declines in DVD revenues. According …

SHERMAN OAKS: New Films International has received multi-million dollar investments from two financiers, Jak Kamhi and Aylin Filiba, for the movies Flying Lessons, Saving Grace B. Jones and Keepsake, as well as two unnamed projects that are on the horizon. …

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/SYDNEY: MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has commissioned two original reality-based shows in the Asia Pacific, one in Australia and another in Japan. For MTV Australia, Freshwater Blue follows 12 young adults from Sydney’s northern beaches during their life-changing summer …

NEW YORK: A greenlight has been given to Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, the latest installment in the hit Syfy saga. Universal Cable Productions will produce the two-hour pilot with Syfy. The series is set in the tenth year of …