Top Stories

PASADENA: Transitioning from its current eight-hour program schedule, Planet Green is expanding its content offerings for a 24-hour format, creating a new prime-time programming block, Verge. Planet Green moves to the new 24-hour schedule on March 29. Verge will feature …

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES: Hope for Haiti, a two-hour telethon presented by MTV Networks to benefit earthquake relief efforts, is to air commercial free across a host of channels in the U.S., among them ABC, NBC, FOX and HBO, and will also …

NEW YORK: Ludorum’s Chuggington is headed to Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney programming block in the U.S. on January 18, while Learning Curve Brands is rolling out a toy line for the hit train-themed property internationally. Chuggington, which invites preschoolers to …

BARCELONA: BKN New Media SL has taken on the global distribution rights, excluding TV in Spain, for the property Lua from Triacom Audiovisual and Televisio de Catalunya. BKN will represent the property in all forms, venues and languages worldwide. There …

PARIS: Anne de Kerckhove is joining Reed MIDEM later this month in the newly created role of director of the entertainment division, where she will head new business developments and oversee the MIPTV, MIPCOM, MIP Junior and MIPDOC events as well …

LONDON: BabyTV and the Hong Kong Bureau of Education (EDB) have launched a guidebook designed to help parents make better media choices for their children, and encourage them to maximize the benefits of children’s TV and media use. Growing Together: …

NEW YORK: Expanding its portfolio of region-specific publications and online destinations—including TV Europe, TV Latina, TV Asia Pacific and TV USA—World Screen, the leading source of information for the global media industry, is launching TV Africa. This new resource will focus …

LOS ANGELES: Diane Robina, the president of FEARnet, takes on the role of executive VP of development, acquisitions and programming strategy at TV Guide Network. Robina continues her role at FEARnet while taking on responsibility at TV Guide Network for developing …

LOS ANGELES: News Corporation has announced the restructure of its Fox Networks Group, giving broader roles to Peter Rice and David Hill. Fox Broadcasting Company and FX Networks (FX and the Fox Movie Channel) will now be overseen by Rice, who …

SILVER SPRING: Darlow Smithson Productions is producing Atlas 4D, the latest series in Discovery Channel’s acclaimed Atlas franchise, for broadcast this spring, delivering visuals and graphics in 3D. The three-part series will feature the African Great Rift Valley, the Mediterranean and …