Top Stories

LONDON: Sony Entertainment Television has expanded its Russian reach, scoring carriage on National Cable Networks (NCN) and St. Petersburg Cable Television (SPCT). The network, Sony Pictures Television’s latest channel brand in Russia and the CIS, now has extensive coverage in …

BUENOS AIRES: Dori Media Group’s content portal, Novebox.com, is working with MSN on the creation of on-demand, Spanish-language services for MSN portals in Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market. The service, to be offered on a subscription or per-use basis, …

DALLAS: Kathleen Dore, who most recently served as president of broadcasting at Canwest Media, has been nominated to join the board of directors at Blockbuster, where she would fill the seat being exited by James Crystal. Crystal announced that he …

NEW YORK/MIAMI: Dan Salerno is joining BBC Worldwide Channels to serve as VP of programming for Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market, where his remit includes BBC Entertainment and CBeebies. Salerno will be responsible for leading strategic programming efforts for the two …

LONDON: The sports production company Input Media has hired Claire Murphy as its new director of business development. Murphy will be responsible for developing new business streams and working to cultivate new client relationships. She will be specializing in the …

LONDON: Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) in the U.K. is working with Egmont UK on a one-time magazine, geared at girls 6 and up, based on the hit live-action series iCarly. The magazine from Egmont is due to hit …

PALISADES PARK: Alfred Haber Distribution (AHDI) has signed a number of new international sales for the two-hour CBS special Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration—The Last Concert, which was produced by David Gest. The 2001 music event, owned by World Events, …

HARRINGTON PARK: Janson Media has licensed the investigative documentary Independent Intervention: Breaking Silence to RT TV-Novosti in Russia. The doc, produced by Ground Productions, is about U.S. corporate-controlled media coverage of the Iraq War. The film looks at how the …

NEW YORK: Carl Icahn has again extended his $7-per-share tender offer for Lionsgate stock, with the deadline now set at 8 p.m. New York time on June 1. The billionaire financier has been attempting a takeover of the independent studio and …

LINWOOD: After five years on cable (CMT and TLC), the Miss America Pageant is returning to network television via a multi-year deal with ABC. ABC, which hasn’t aired the pageant since 2004, is due to broadcast Miss America 2011 on January 15, …