Top Stories

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has awarded Rainbow Designs the master toy license for the preschool brand Wibbly Pig. The series is based on the books by Mick Inkpen and adapted for TV by Will Brenton. Rainbow Designs will produce Wibbly-based gift and …

NEW YORK: Carl C. Icahn has restarted his efforts to take control of Lionsgate, commencing a tender offer, of $6.50 per share, in a bid to up his current stake of 37.9 percent. The new hostile takeover efforts follow a ten-day …

BRUSSELS/MILAN: The European Commission has given the go-ahead to SKY Italia to take part in the auction of five DTT multiplexes in Italy; a ruling that Mediaset plans to appeal at the European Court of Justice. By granting the platform clearance …

SINGAPORE: TLC is set to make its debut in Asia on September 1, replacing Discovery Travel & Living to reach 133 million homes in 20 countries across the region. TLC is one of seven networks operated by Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), alongside …

CULVER CITY/EL SEGUNDO: Sony Pictures Television’s Damages has been greenlit for two additional seasons, to be broadcast exclusively on satellite platform DIRECTV. The acclaimed series with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne aired for three seasons on FX. Close, Byrne and other principal …

LONDON: ZenithOptimedia is forecasting a 3.5 percent increase in global ad revenues this year to $447.5 billion, up from a previous projection of 2.2 percent, with a 1.3-percent increase in the developed markets of North America, Western Europe and Japan and …

AMSTERDAM: BlazHoffski Group, the producer behind such hit formats as Hello Goodbye, has acquired fellow Dutch outfit Dahl TV for an undisclosed sum. Dahl TV, founded in 2002 by Maurice Dekkers and Benthe Forrer, is best known for the formats …

BURBANK: On August 3, The CW will launch 18 to Life, a CBC comedy that is represented worldwide by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Billed as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, the 12×30-minute 18 to Life will air Tuesday nights, with back-to-back …

LOS GATOS: Netflix plans to launch its subscription streaming content service in Canada later this year, marking the company’s first expansion outside of the U.S. market. Canadian subscribers will be able to access a variety of movies and TV episodes, streamed …

NEW YORK: Syfy is aligning with games developer THQ for a two-hour movie pilot based on the Red Faction video game franchise, with broadcast slated for March 2011. The transmedia deal sees Syfy developing Red Faction: Origins (working title) as a potential …