Top Stories

LOS ANGELES: The multiplatform service FEARnet, currently available on demand, online and on mobile, is expanding its reach with a launch as a full HD linear network starting October 1. From Sony Pictures Television, Lionsgate and Comcast, the service offers programming …

BARCELONA: Imira Entertainment has signed a slew of deals from its animation catalogue with Portuguese pubcaster RTP The deal includes CJ the DJ and The Way Things Work, both aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds. Also included are Tangerine & Cow …

SANTA MONICA/VANCOUVER: Lionsgate has reached a deal with JPMorgan Chase Bank to change the terms of its $340 million credit facility, staving off a potential bankruptcy threat. Under the terms of the previous arrangement, if a shareholder were to acquire more …

LONDON: Management of the British film channel FILM24, available on Sky, has been taken over by Canis Media, which is seeking options for the service, including an outright sale or a joint venture. The service, available on channel 157 on …

LONDON: Southern Star, Endemol’s Australian production company, has entered into a long-term partnership with drama producer John Edwards.  Edwards produced the only two Australian episodic series ever commissioned for prime time in the U.K.: Police Rescue for BBC One and …

LONDON: British production outfit Shed Media—parent company of Outright Distribution—is in sale talks with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Reports indicate that Warner Bros. is discussing a £75 million price tag for the independent, which owns Shed Productions, Ricochet, Twenty Twenty, Wall to …

HARRINGTON PARK: Janson Media has licensed the rights to the documentary Great North, from the Giant Screen Films collection, to First HDTV of Russia.  The documentary was originally filmed for release in IMAX theaters. Great North is set to air …

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network, a division of Anil Ambani’s Reliance-ADA Group, this weekend announced a proposed joint venture with CBS Studios International to roll out entertainment networks in India. According to published reports, the companies have entered into a preliminary nonbinding agreement …

LONDON/BURBANK: Warner Bros. Entertainment has firmed up a U.K. distribution agreement for its WarnerFilm service to provide movies for the LOVEFiLM platform.  The multi-year agreement sees the Warner Bros. International Branded Services’ movie SVOD service, WarnerFilms, debut on LOVEFiLM’s player. WarnerFilms …

HYDERABAD: DQ Entertainment has signed up as co-production partner on The Qpiz, an HD 2-D animated series from Neo Network for RaiSat. Neo Network, a Zodiak Entertainment company, conceived of the 52-episode interstitials series. The 2.5-minute episodes mix slapstick humor with romance …