Top Stories

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 28: David Marash, a leading American anchor on Al Jazeera English, has left the international news network, according to the New York Times, citing concerns about the level of editorial control exerted from the Doha, Qatar, headquarters. …

UNIVERSAL CITY, March 28: NBC Universal International Television Distribution has promoted Sven Noth to the position of VP liaison for Germany. Noth will continue to oversee the free- and pay-TV efforts for NBC Universal programming in Germany and German-speaking Europe. …

ABU DHABI, March 28: Sorouh Real Estate has signed an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) and Rubicon to explore the development of entertainment destinations for the Middle Eastern market. Sorouh, MGM and Rubicon will develop a varied entertainment platform and …

LONDON, March 28: Blue-Zoo Productions has been commissioned by Nickelodeon International to produce a new CGI-animated series, Stitch-Up Showdown, to premiere across the network’s 41 global channels this May. This deal follows on Blue-Zoo’s first series commission for Nickelodeon International …

UNIVERSAL CITY, March 28: In a deal with NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, News Corporation’s FX has secured the network television window rights and the U.S. basic-cable rights to more than a dozen films from Universal Pictures’ 2008 slate, including …

STOCKHOLM, March 28: The Swedish Radio and TV Authority (Radio-och TV-verket) has granted Modern Times Group’s (MTG) Viasat Broadcasting two new channel broadcast licenses in the Swedish digital terrestrial network (DTT) and has renewed Viasat’s existing four licenses. With the …

BURBANK, March 28: NBC has partnered with Strikeforce for a weekly mixed martial arts cage-fight series, Strikeforce on NBC. Kicking off on April 12, each episode will feature Strikeforce mixed martial arts fights and highlights as well as fighter profiles. …

SANTA MONICA, March 27: MTV scored the highest-rated telecast of the year to date for cable with the season premiere of The Hills, and has also seen top performances with other series, as well as for its online and video-game …

LONDON, March 27: HIT Entertainment has opened Europe’s first Thomas Land attraction, based on its popular kids’ property Thomas & Friends, at Drayton Manor Theme Park in the U.K. Set within three acres of parkland, Thomas Land at Drayton Manor …

NEW YORK, March 27: ¡Sorpresa!, Juniper Content Corporation’s Hispanic children’s network, has acquired seven new programs for its second-quarter lineup, including Lola and Virginia, targeted at 6- to 11-year-olds, and the teen-skewing Erky Perky. Sorpresa!’s new lineup features animated series …