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STOCKHOLM, January 15: TV1000 Drama is the newest channel to join Viasat Broadcasting’s offerings for Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The network, which showcases new and classic drama titles, will complement existing 24-hour channels TV1000, TV1000+1, TV1000 Action, TV1000 Nordic, …

NEW YORK, January 15: AETN has closed a number of deals for BIOGRAPHY: Barack Obama, less than a week ahead of his historic U.S. presidential inauguration. The hour-long program has been licensed to ATV in Hungary; ETB and Telemadrid in …

LONDON, January 15: The BBC has commissioned a second season of Basil’s Swap Shop, a live studio-base kids’ show from The Foundation, a part of the RDF Media Group, and represented by Entertainment Rights. The series, which began its 12-week …

LOS ANGELES, January 15: Adness Entertainment has finalized a broadcast licensing deal with TV Globo in Brazil for the live-action franchise Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. The series, to debut in fall 2009, follows the adventures of Kit Taylor as he …

LONDON, January 15: Five has commissioned Windfall Films to produce Helicopter Warfare, a 4×1-hour series that spotlights dangerous and courageous helicopter missions. The series highlights daring helicopter rescues of the Vietnam War and the Falklands War, as well as missions …

NEW YORK/PARK CITY, January 15: As SpongeBob SquarePants celebrates its tenth anniversary year, Simmons Jewelry Co. and Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) are partnering to create a fine-jewelry and watch line inspired by the pop-culture phenomenon. The retail collection …

TORONTO, January 15: The Canadian independent music publisher ole has acquired a worldwide majority ownership interest in WGBH's music rights catalogue for an undisclosed sum. With the deal, ole takes co-ownership of the music in 1,200 individual episodes and programs, …

LONDON, January 15: Jetix and CITV in the U.K. have signed up for the new action-adventure animated series Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, a co-production of Big Bocca Productions and Rainbow S.p.A. The 26×30-minute series was created by Iginio Straffi, the …

DOHA/LONDON, January 15: Video news bulletins from Al Jazeera English are being made available on the website of the British newspaper The Independent. Presented from the channel’s broadcast centers in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington, the 2- to 3-minute …

LONDON, January 15: The preschool series Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! from Collingwood O'Hare Productions has been acquired by CBeebies to air weekdays in its Big Fun Time programming block. The series, which draws upon traditional Spanish, Latin American and African art …