Top Stories

NEW YORK: The newly created post of senior VP of fiction for the sales and distribution division at BBC Worldwide is to be filled by Paul Davis-Miller. Davis-Miller is the second appointment to the sales and distribution team. He joins …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: A new ruling by the Federal Communications Commission will allow pay-TV providers to disable the output connections on subscribers’ set-top boxes in order to prevent the duplication of new-release VOD titles. The FCC motion was in response to …

UNIVERSAL CITY: NBC has announced three series pickups for the 2010-11 season: the dramatic thriller The Event, the comedy Outsourced and the romantic anthology series Love Bites. The Event is a conspiracy thriller starring Jason Ritter (The Class). He stars …

PHILADELPHIA: The 24-hour preschool channel Sprout is set to launch its own high-definition feed this September. Sprout HD will simulcast with its standard-definition channel. Programming for the grid includes hits like Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, Thomas & Friends and …

UNIVERSAL CITY/LONDON: The subscription movies-on-demand service PictureBox in the U.K. has picked up the rights for a package of more than 30 films, including Match Point and La Vie en Rose, from Icon Film Distribution. PictureBox is available in the …

KUALA LUMPUR: ESPN STAR Sports is launching the 24-hour sports news channel ESPNEWS on Astro in Malaysia. Delivering content from local, regional and international sporting events, ESPNEWS features highlights, scores, updates and comprehensive information. The channel’s layout features four main …

LONDON: Angelo Rules, CAKE Entertainment’s second co-production with France’s TeamTO, has been picked up by Germany’s SUPER RTL. The 78×7-minute 3-D animated comedy is aimed at 6- to 11-year-olds. The series has already secured sales to Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network …

MONTREAL: Bejuba! Entertainment is teaming up with TELETOON Canada to develop a new live-action/CGI tween series based on the original book The Sherlock Legacy. The series, to be of the same name, is written by Terry Kalagian and writing partner …

LONDON: Character Options has renewed its U.K. master toy license for Classic Media’s Postman Pat SDS until 2014, while several other British consumer-product partners have also re-signed up for the property. VMC renewed its deal for Postman Pat SDS accessories …

NEW YORK: Announcing its Q1 financials today, 4Kids Entertainment said that it has received “non-binding indication of interest from a third party” to buy out the company. The company will make available to the undisclosed potential acquirer due diligence information …