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STOCKHOLM, January 15: Modern Times Group’s Viasat Broadcasting has launched its high-definition television offering on its Nordic satellite pay-TV platform, featuring, among others, two Viasat-branded channels, TV1000 HD and Viasat Sport HD. The initial lineup of Viasat’s HDTV channels consists …

TORONTO, January 15: Cosmopolitan Television expands its reach into Canada next month in an alliance between Hearst Corporation and Corus Entertainment. The channel, based on the bestselling women’s magazine, is slated to launch in Canada on February 14, joining existing …

BURBANK, January 15: NBC has ordered a pilot for its own version of the hit British motoring show Top Gear from BBC Worldwide America. Announcing the order, Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said: “Top …

TORONTO, January 15: Walter Cronkie and The War’s Ken Burns and Lynn Novick are set to receive awards at the History Makers Summit 2008 in New York City on January 18. Burns and Novick are receiving the Best Program Award …

NEW YORK, January 15: Following on the success of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County, the network has unveiled plans to roll out a spin-off series, titled The Real Housewives of New York City, beginning March 4 at 11 …

TORONTO, January 15: Hot Docs’ board of directors has selected filmmaker Richard Leacock as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award, which will be presented at the Hot Docs Awards Presentation on Friday, April 25, at the Isabel Bader …

ROCHESTER, January 15: Ellen DeGeneres took the top spot in The Harris Poll’s annual favorite television personality list, beating out Oprah Winfrey, who took second place this year, and Jay Leno, who came in third. DeGeneres’s rise to the top …

SAN FRANCISCO, January 15: At the MacWorld Conference and Expo today, Apple unveiled its new movie-rental service, granting access to a catalogue of titles from all the major movie studios for viewing on computers, iPods and iPhones and widescreen TVs …

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, January 15: Animation Collective has signed Televix Entertainment to represent its live-action, short-format comedy series Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF in Latin America. Televix will represent the broadcast, home video and licensing rights throughout the region for the …

SILVER SPRING/CHICAGO, January 15: Discovery Communications and Oprah Winfrey have entered into a joint venture for the 2009 rollout of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which at launch will have distribution in 70 million U.S. homes, replacing Discovery Health. The …