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VINCENNES: Alphanim’s flagship series Galactik Football will have its British free-to-air debut on June 15 on GMTV’s Action Stations!  block broadcast on CITV Channel and ITV4.  Created and produced by Alphanim and France Télévisions in association with Jetix Europe, Galactik Football mixes 2-D …

LORETO: Ahead of the Licensing International Expo, Rainbow has unveiled plans for a new girl-skewing brand for the 13-to-17 set, called Maya Fox: Tag Your Life. Created by Iginio Straffi, the CEO of Rainbow SpA and creator of Winx Club, …

MAURITIUS/DUBAI: STAR’s market-leading Hindi-language Indian entertainment channel STAR Plus has launched on DTH operator Parabole Reunion in Mauritius, Reunion, Malagasy, Madagascar and Mayotte. This is the first Indian Ocean distribution deal for the channel, which is the first and only Hindi channel on Parabole …

LONDON: FremantleMedia Enterprises and the BBC have announced that the family drama Merlin, produced by Shine Television, will return for a second season this fall. The show scored more than 6.2 million viewers in its initial run on BBC One. The Adventures of …

SINGAPORE: ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) has announced the appointment of James Miner as senior VP of digital media. Miner will be responsible for the further development and commercialization of ESS’s digital business, as well as supporting plans to create a …

LONDON: A host of series from the BBC Worldwide catalogue, among them Life and Nature’s Great Events, have been licensed to ABC TV in Australia. BBC Worldwide Australia closed a deal for a package of titles to air on ABC1. …

NEW YORK: Ryan Sharkey has been promoted to VP of program acquisitions and administration for USA Network, managing the inventory for USA, Sleuth and Universal HD. Sharkey will continue to report to Jane Blaney, the executive VP of programming, acquisitions …

NEW YORK: WorldScreen.com’s 2009-2010 U.S. fall season guide is now available, with prime-time grids for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and The CW, programming descriptions, cast information and a full listing of new and returning pickups by studio. To see it, …

MEXICO CITY: Comarex has acquired the distribution rights to the kids’ sitcom Skimo, produced by Nickelodeon Latin America and Macias Group International. Through a deal with Art Sound, Comarex now holds exclusive worldwide rights to Skimo, which tells the story …

LONDON: The roster of top-name industry executives and creative talent slated to attend the 34th annual MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF) continues to grow, with James Murdoch, Gerhard Zeiler and British comedy duo Ant and Dec in the lineup. …