Top Stories

LONDON: NBC Universal International Television Distribution has scored the international TV rights to Mattel’s Barbie animation franchise, while Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) has picked up the DVD and download-to-own distribution rights. NBC Universal takes over the U.K. DVD rights and international television distribution …

LONDON: Recently released figures from the Quarterly Survey of Advertising Expenditure, compiled by the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) for the Advertising Association, show that British ad spend fell 3.9 percent last year, with a 9.6-percent fall in the fourth quarter alone. …

SYDNEY: The lineup of titles in Beyond Distribution’s catalogue run the gamut from drama to factual, travel, science and documentary. The new drama Dirt Game looks at an ailing, debt-ridden mining firm, while Combat School takes a real-life look at …

LONDON: The Digital Rights Group (DRG) has named Ben Hall to the newly created role of chief creative officer of entertainment. Hall was previously the creative director at BBC Worldwide, and also co-founded the format outfit The Chatterbox Partnership. For …

CHATSWORTH: Image Entertainment’s longtime CFO, Jeff Framer, has been tapped to take over as president, with David Borshell leaving the company. Framer has been with Image since 1990, serving as CFO for the last 15 years. He takes over from …

LONDON: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has unveiled its MIPTV slate, which features a host of new series, such as Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches, alongside returning programs, like Merlin. Already sold into 114 territories just six month after its launch, Merlin returns with …

LOS ANGELES: David Chase, the award-winning creator of The Sopranos, is returning to HBO for a mini-series about the invention of motion pictures and the rise of Hollywood. A Ribbon of Dreams kicks off in 1913, following a college-educated mechanical engineer …

BURBANK: ABC’s online video player was home to nine out of the top ten series viewed on U.S. broadcasters’ websites in February 2009, according to Nielsen VideoCensus data, led by Lost with 2.5 million unique viewers in the month, up 41-percent on …

STOCKHOLM: Among the formats being presented by Sparks Network are The Truth Game and Tower C. From SBS Korea and represented by Everyshow, The Truth Game is a panel comedy show that aims to find the true person among a …

HILVERSUM/BUENOS AIRES: Thirteen territories have signed up for the romantic comedy The Successful Mr. and Mrs. Pells, a co-production from Endemol Argentina, Telefe Contenidos and telenovela production house Underground. Cuatro in Spain, RCN in Colombia, TVN in Chile and Ecuavisa in …