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  NORWALK: CABLEready has acquired the exclusive international distribution rights to the luxury travel series Wine Portfolio, produced by Re:Source Media. The 10×30-minute HD showcases wine-producing regions, which are also known for world-class food-and-wine consumption. Wine Portfolio is hosted by …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide Channels has upped John Taite to VP of programming for EMEA, along with creating three new heads of scheduling roles in the region. Taite, formerly the director of programming, has overseen the creation and success of 12 …

TORONTO: Kristin Lecour has been upped from the role of licensing manager at CCI Entertainment to serve as director of licensing and marketing for the company. Lecour will play a key role in the company’s licensing and overall marketing activity, …

NEW YORK: Leading U.S. Hispanic broadcaster Univision has announced the launch of a new production division, Univision Studios, which will be led by Luis Fernandez, who recently resigned as president of Spanish pubcaster RTVE.   Based in Miami, Univision Studios …

CAMBRIDGE: Brightcove has announced a host of new customers in Japan, including the country’s largest e-commerce operator, Rakuten, as well as Tokyo Metropolitan Television, which focuses on happenings in the city of Tokyo, and the regional broadcasters Television Osaka and Shizuoka …

LONDON: GroupM has issued a revised advertising forecast for the U.K. market this year, predicting a smaller decline than previously expected, while upgrading its projections for 2010. Advertising spending in measured media in the U.K. is expected to fall 12 …

LONDON: Five is making full-length episodes of its original programming available on YouTube in the U.K. on an ad-supported basis. The content can be found within YouTube’s UK Shows section, which features more than 3,000 hours of full-length programming and …

SILVER SPRING: Mark Hollinger has been named as the new president and CEO of Discovery Networks International, succeeding Greg Ricca. Hollinger, DNI’s COO, takes over from Ricca after a transition period. He will continue as COO until a successor is named. …

HILVERSUM: Paul Johnson is exiting the role of global head of marketing and brand partnerships at Endemol at the end of the year, after joining the company in March of this year from Reed MIDEM. Johnson, formerly the director of …

LONDON: ITV Studios is making a £5 million investment in its Kirkstall Road studios in Leeds, to provide HD facilities for the production of the long-running soap Emmerdale. The Emmerdale production center is currently located on Burley Road, but due …