Top Stories

LOS ANGELES, May 13: Fox Filmed Entertainment is launching a new division to produce and acquire local-language films for key global territories, and has placed veteran studio exec Sanford Panitch at its helm. Fox International Productions (FIP) will focus on …

LONDON, May 13: Chorion is expanding its London-based retail and licensing teams with the appointment of David Walton as senior retail manager for Europe and the promotion of Melanie Humberstone-Garley to U.K. territory manager. Walton will be responsible for driving …

NEW YORK, May 13: NBC has named Jimmy Fallon, a Saturday Night Live alum, as the new host of Late Night when Conan O’Brien moves to The Tonight Show in 2009. First entering the circuit as a stand-up comedian, Fallon …

LOS ANGELES, May 13: Suzanne Kolb has been promoted to chief marketing officer for E! Entertainment and The Style Network and general manager of E! Online. Kolb leads all marketing, communications and brand alliances for the networks. She also oversees …

LONDON, May 13: CBBC has commissioned the BBC’s Natural History Unit to produce Steve's Deadly 60, a new wildlife series that sees presenter Steve Backshall travel to six continents to uncover some of the world’s most dangerous creatures. Premiering in …

LOS ANGELES, May 13: PorchLight Home Entertainment (PHE) is set to launch a new label, Ocean Park Home Entertainment, which will feature independent films that appeal to a broad demographic. The first two titles slated for release under the Ocean …

NEW YORK, May 13: Sesame Workshop will begin production on a new, updated version of its classic ’70s kids’ literacy-focused series The Electric Company, for premiere throughout the U.S. on PBS KIDS in January 2009. Targeted at 6- to 9-year-olds, …

PARIS, May 15: Taffy Entertainment, in partnership with its Latin American agent Hola Entertainment, has sold the free-TV rights in Mexico for the animated series Growing Up Creepie and The Fantastic Four to Televisa. The 52×11-minute series Growing Up Creepie …

WASHINGTON D.C., May 13: National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has commissioned a new four-part series from Darlow Smithson Productions, Engineering Connections. The series, hosted by British presenter and author Richard Hammond, will explore the historical innovations behind some of the …

MONTREAL, May 13: Distraction has completed sales on three of its formats—The Next Great Leader, Trade Up and DNA—in the German market. The Next Great Leader, a political reality format, was picked up by ZDF for a prime-time slot. The …