Top Stories

HONG KONG, July 16: STAR has named several new VPs of programming who will be responsible for scheduling, acquisitions and content strategies for various channels. Bonny Yu returns to STAR as the VP of programming for Xing Kong, the company’s …

MIAMI/BUENOS AIRES, July 16: Claxson has completed its privatization process, offering up $13.75 per share to all shareholders other than its majority owners. Claxson began the move towards going private early last year with an offer of $10.50 per share, …

LONDON, July 16: Disney-ABC-ESPN Television has named Murray Barnett to the new role of VP of sports channels and syndication for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Barnett will be responsible for maximizing revenue and distribution for ESPN’s channels …

SEATTLE/LOS ANGELES/MUMBAI, July 16: MovieBeam, the beleaguered on-demand, set-top-box-delivered movie-rental service launched by Disney in 2005, has been acquired by The Valuable Group, an Indian media and technology company. MovieBeam was suspended not longer after launch and then revived by …

LISBON, July 16: BabyTV has extended its distribution across Portugal, with new launches on AR Telecom, CaboVisão and extended carriage with PT Telecom on its new DTH platform. The 24-hour commercial-free network dedicated to infants and toddlers has been on …

DALLAS, July 16: AT&T has scored a “three-screen” deal with NBC Universal, allowing it to provide its customers with coverage from next month’s Beijing Olympics via TV sets, PCs and mobile devices. "Consumers today expect to be able to access …

LONDON, July 16: Digital Rights Group-owned C4i has signed several deals with broadcasters in Asian territories for more than 120 hours of programming across several genres. Deals include Fox International Channels’ FX in Southeast Asia acquiring seasons one through five …

FOSTER CITY, July 16: A video service delivering almost 300 movies and more than 1,200 TV episodes to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable gaming systems has been launched by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). Movies, TV shows and original …

SAN FRANCISCO, July 16: Three of VIZ Media’s most popular animated action series—Naruto, Bleach and Death Note—will be available for purchase and download on Apple’s iTunes Store in the U.S. iTunes will offer English-dubbed versions of Naruto (uncut), including the …

LONDON, July 16: Paddington Bear-branded travel packs will be distributed to kids on select British Airways flights, in the first deal inked by a new division at Chorion that will develop marketing and promotional brand partnerships with third-party organizations. Chorion …