Top Stories

NEW YORK, October 17: News Corporation’s COO, Peter Chernin, has said that negotiations between Hollywood film and television producers and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are “going badly” and that it would be a “foolhardy” time for the actors to …

LONDON, October 17: Discovery Communications has won a digital terrestrial television slot with multiplex operator SDN, with plans to launch a channel on Freeview next year. The Discovery DTT offering will draw from Discovery’s vast library, delivering factual, entertainment and …

LONDON, October 17: Stephen Carter, the U.K.’s new minister for communications, technology and broadcasting, will spearhead an action plan to keep the U.K. at the forefront of innovation, investment and quality in the digital and communications industries. Drawing on expertise …

CANNES, October 17: Amid concerns about economic conditions, Paul Johnson, the director of television at Reed MIDEM, announced record attendance for MIPCOM this week, with 13,545 participants as of the third day of the market, up from 13,295 at the …

LONDON/NEW YORK, October 17: Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) has appointed Gavin Metcalfe to the newly created position of VP for international home entertainment, based in London. Metcalfe reports to Jean-Philippe Randisi, the senior VP and managing director for …

LONDON, October 17: UKTV has appointed Julie Swanston to the role of deputy channel head for its dedicated comedy channel G.O.L.D. and new entertainment network Watch, effective immediately. Reporting to Paul Morton, the channel head of G.O.L.D. and Watch, Swanston …

SINGAPORE, October 17: VOOM HD Holdings has struck a deal with Singapore’s Infinite Frameworks (IFW) to co-produce and distribute up to $20 million worth of HD content over the next five years. Both partners will invest $10 million in production …

LONDON, October 17: Optomen has sold UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen to BBC Two, with a 20-episode run kicking off on October 20. Market Kitchen will air on BBC Two seven days after premiering on UKTV Food. Now in its second …

NEW YORK, October 17: HIT Entertainment is working with AEG ThemeSTAR and I.P. Live to bring touring stage shows based on Thomas & Friends and Bob the Builder to the U.S. starting in January 2009. “Family shows deliver a whole …

HONG KONG, October 17: Comcast International Media Group (CIMG) has sold more than 700 hours of content across the Asia Pacific, including a branded The Style Network block in Australia on FOXTEL. Announcing the deals, Christine Fellowes, the managing director …