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TORONTO: Shaftesbury Films is expanding into non-fiction production with the launch of Shaftesbury Factual, which will be led by Rachel Low. Low will oversee all aspects of development and production for the division in the newly created role of VP …

LOS ANGELES: Syfy and NBC’s Peacock Productions have signed a deal with country-music star Billy Ray Cyrus to develop a weekly reality series, UFO: Unbelievably Freakin’ Obvious, which will feature Cyrus and his 21-year-old son investigating unexplained paranormal phenomena. Each …

LONDON: Classic Media has secured the global distribution and licensing and merchandising rights for the new live-action tween series Life with Boys, from Michael Poryes, the co-creator and executive producer of Hannah Montana and That’s So Raven. The series is …

NEW YORK: TV Kids has relaunched its online destination TVKids.ws as a stand-alone, state-of-the-art website dedicated exclusively to news, video, features, interviews and profiles about the children’s content and licensing business. To visit the new TVKids.ws, please click here. TVKids.ws …

HONG KONG: Fox International Channels (FIC) has added Fox Family Movies to its bouquet, launching on September 16 in Singapore. The channel offers family members of all ages a range of new and classic movies from studios including Fox, Disney, …

UNIVERSAL CITY: NBC is to offer holiday-themed original animated half-hour specials from DreamWorks Animation, based on the hit movies Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Scared Shrekless will feature the green ogre and all of his friends from the blockbuster feature-film franchise. …

TORONTO: All subsidiaries of DHX Media, including DECODE Entertainment and DECODE Enterprises, are being rebranded under one single label, effective today. Production units DECODE Entertainment, Halifax Film, Studio B Productions; distribution division DECODE Enterprises; consumer-products department DHX Licensing and DHX …

NEW YORK: The new daytime block Hallmark Channel Home, a destination for lifestyle programming, launches on Hallmark Channel on September 13. The block is highlighted by the new sixth season of The Martha Steward Show, exclusively on Hallmark Channel. The …

NEW YORK: AETN International has firmed up multiple sales and format options on the series Intervention, Obsessed and Hoarders. Intervention has been licensed to TV4 in Sweden and has been renewed by Canwest in Canada. AETN has secured a number …

LONDON: Cineflix International Distribution has sold more than 160 hours of programming to German broadcasters within the last six months. Discovery Networks Deutschland has taken on seasons one and two of Border Security. The program spotlights Australia’s front line in …