Top Stories

CLEVELAND/TORONTO, July 23: Cookie Jar Entertainment has acquired the Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears properties for $195 million in a deal that settles litigation initiated by American Greetings Properties and enables the completion of the acquisition of DIC Entertainment. Last …

MONTREAL, July 23: Distraction has secured sales for five of its formats, including a deal for The Next Great Leader in the Middle East. Pyramedia in the Middle East has taken on The Next Great Leader, with the company’s CEO, …

LONDON, July 23: By the end of this year, there will be 186 million connected TV devices in use around the world, according to a new report, allowing users to access web content directly on the television set. “The web …

SYDNEY, July 23: Beyond Distribution will be the worldwide distributor of a factual programming lineup from the Debbie Travis Group that will be launched at MIPCOM. The collection of factual entertainment includes several new titles focused on the home. In …

SYDNEY, July 23: Israel 10 has acquired the rights to produce a local version of Southern Star International’s hit reality series The Block. The Block features four couples moving into four identical apartments where they have 12 weeks to design, …

NEW YORK, July 22: U.S. Spanish network V-me will air the award-winning six-part Italian drama Corleone, which follows the rise and fall of the infamous Sicilian mob boss Salvatore “Toto” Riina. The series will air every Monday from August 4 …

BEVERLY HILLS, July 22: NBC will again present its fall season grid to advertisers ahead of the traditional upfront season, announcing plans to host an “InFront” event in April 2009. NBC broke with tradition this year when it presented its …

HARRINGTON PARK/MOSCOW, July 22: Moscow-based broadcaster Red Media Group has purchased more than 100 hours of content from Janson Media for its various new channels, including HD Life and Kitchen TV. HD Life, the first HDTV channel to launch in …

ALVISO, July 22: A new feature for TiVo users allows them to purchase physical products from Amazon.com directly from their TV sets, using the remote control. The service kicks off today, merchandising products related to several series, including The Oprah …

BEVERLY HILLS, July 22: Amy Poehler, of Saturday Night Live fame, is set to star in NBC’s new comedy series from Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, the executive producers of The Office. Last week, Poehler was nominated for an Emmy …