Top Stories

MIAMI: Venevision International has signed psychologist Nancy Alvarez, who hosts the talk-show tribunal ¿Quién tiene la razón? (Who Is Right?), to a contract extension. Produced by Venevision Productions, Who Is Right? airs on Univision in the U.S. Monday through Friday …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The public comment period for the Comcast and NBC Universal joint venture has been extended by the FCC as it awaits more information from the two companies. The FCC had initially set May 3 as the deadline for comments …

NEW YORK: First-quarter revenues at NBC Universal saw a 23-percent increase to $4.3 billion, but the company’s segment profit halved in the period to $199 million. The period’s results were due in part to costs associated with the broadcast of …

CANNES: Several major European airports remain closed as of this morning, with a number of MIPTV delegates still stranded because of volcanic ash. While Nice airport, among others, has reopened, key hubs such as Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle and …

LONDON: FremantleMedia is taking 100-percent control of the Dutch production outfit FourOne Media, expanding its capabilities in the Netherlands to include drama and sitcoms. FremantleMedia already owns the Dutch venture Blue Circle. Both companies will now be led by FourOne’s founder, …

HYDERABAD: DQ Entertainment International has announced broadcast deals with BBC in the U.K. and TVO in Canada for its 52×11-minute 3-D CGI series The Jungle Book. The show, budgeted at 9.2 million euros, is due to be delivered to networks by year’s end. It …

MIAMI: Telemundo has unveiled a licensing and consumer products program as it develops itself into a lifestyle brand, signing up partners for jewelry, prepaid calling cards and home decor. The U.S. Hispanic network has inked deals with The Richline Group, …

LONDON: Nine Network Australia and Discovery Channel in the U.S. have signed on as co-production partners on the BBC Natural History Unit’s new three-part series Great Barrier Reef. The deals were concluded by BBC Worldwide’s sales and distribution teams in Sydney and …

PARIS/KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian delegation at MIPTV, led by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS), secured deals worth more than $41 million in Cannes last week. The 15-member contingent included Animasia Studio, Backbone …

LONDON: KPMG U.K.’s new Media and Entertainment Barometer reports that consumers are spending less on traditional and digital media than they were six months ago, but are consuming more. KPMG commissioned YouGov to survey online and offline media consumption of …