Top Stories

NEW YORK: CariDee English, winner of the seventh season of America’s Next Top Model, will host a new competition series for Oxygen that challenges good-looking women to beautify their personalities.   Pretty Wicked will follow as a group of girls are …

LONDON: The BBC’s controller of program acquisitions, George McGhee, is stepping down from his post, with Sue Deeks set to take over in the interim. In his six years with the pubcaster, McGhee has acquired shows like Heroes, Mad Men, …

UNIVERSAL CITY: NBC has ordered a new series that follows renowned peak-performance strategist Tony Robbins as he guides participants through tough personal challenges. The series is being produced by Reveille, the company behind NBC hit and transformational reality series The …

NEW YORK: American Greetings Properties is expanding the international footprint of the Holly Hobbie Classic brand and toy series Madballs with new licensing deals in Italy. Licensing agent Starbright represents both brands in Italy. New Holly Hobbie Classic licensees in …

EL SEGUNDO: The DIRECTV Group has reported fourth-quarter revenues of $5.31 billion, a 9-percent increase on the year-ago period, with a net profit of $332 million, driven by subscriber increases at its U.S. and Latin American operations. "Strong fourth quarter financial results …

LOS ANGELES: Jeff Collins has opened his own reality production outfit, Collins Avenue, in partnership with ContentFilm and Fireworks International. The five-year deal sees ContentFilm investing in Collins Avenue in return for an equity stake, while Fireworks International will act …

NEW YORK: Animation Collective and HandMade Films have teamed up to present Eloise in Africa, an animated feature that follows 6-year-old heroine Eloise on a new international adventure.   A classic in children’s literature, Eloise was written by Kay Thompson and featured …

LONDON: Power has announced the cast lineup for its upcoming BBC One production The Day of the Triffids, including Dougray Scott, Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestley. The two-part futuristic drama, produced with Canada’s Prodigy Pictures, was written …

NEW YORK: The 51st Annual Grammy Awards brought in 19 million viewers to CBS on Sunday, propelling the network to the number one spot in several key demos, including households, total viewers and adults 18 to 49. The music awards ceremony …

BENELUX: Studio100 has plans to launch a new Paris-based animation studio, Studio100 Animation, with Jo Daris heading up the operation. The new studio is part of the company’s overall development strategy to grow its business in the animation sector through …