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LONDON: MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has firmed up several deals on its slate of music awards shows, as well as for a host of Nickelodeon programming. Malaysia’s TV8 picked up the MTV Movie Awards 2009, while CCTV3 in China licensed …

LONDON: The U.K.’s five main public-service broadcasters spent £2.6 billion on original British programs in 2008, according to media regulator Ofcom, down by 15 percent on the amount spent in 2004.   Overall network programming spending for BBC One, BBC …

LOS ANGELES: TMNT Productions has signed screenwriter John Fusco to create the script for the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles motion picture, slated for a 2011 theatrical release. Fusco’s credits include the original Young Guns and its sequel, as …

LONDON: Big Bocca Productions’ action-adventure property Huntik: Secrets & Seekers takes a Monday through Friday slot on CITV in the U.K. this summer, and will come back in the fall for a rerun. CITV launched the series yesterday, and a …

SCOTTSDALE: In 2011, some 20 million TV sets offering wireless connectivity—providing direct access to online content—will be shipped worldwide, according to ABI Research. “North America, Western Europe, and select Asian countries are seen as the next growth markets, and the …

ATLANTA: Michael J. Kelly, the former president of AOL Media Networks, has been appointed president and CEO of The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC), which includes the cable net The Weather Channel, available in 99 million homes. Kelly will be responsible …

LONDON: The new CBBC series Relic will follow as a team of children enter the British Museum at night to unlock the mysteries behind its most famous artifacts. The in-house 13×30-minute production will broadcast in early 2010. Executive producers are …

TORONTO: Production is under way on Copper, the new drama developed by Thump Inc. and produced in partnership with E1 Entertainment for simulcast on Global in Canada and ABC in the U.S. later this year. The 13×1-hour series was commissioned …

SHEFFIELD: Early bird registration is now open for the Sheffield Doc/Fest 2009, which introduces two new awards this year: The Sheffield Inspiration Award and the Sheffield Jury Award. The Sheffield Inspiration Award recognizes a person who has inspired the doc …

HILVERSUM: Endemol has received its first European commission on the new game show The Whole 19 Yards, with Spain’s Antena 3 on board for the format, which is also being piloted by CBS in the U.S. Endemol Spain has been commissioned …