Top Stories

MUNICH, December 11: Axel Springer is set to sell its 12-percent stake in ProSiebenSat.1 Media to private-equity firms KKR and Permira for 509.4 million euros. KKR and Permira acquired 50.5 percent in the European broadcasting group from Haim Saban’s German …

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS/MILPITAS, December 11: NBC Universal is set to make a slate of current and library TV content available for download from Fanfare, a web-based offering from SanDisk Corporation, a developer of portable audio/video players. The deal covers current TV …

LONDON, December 11: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) has inked a multi-year agreement to provide a range of films from its catalogue on demand to subscribers of Orange’s digital television service in France, Spain, Poland and the U.K. MGM is the fifth American …

TORONTO, December 11: JumpTV Inc., an IPTV provider that specializes in international and sports programming, has secured content deals with Endemol and AETN International. JumpTV will carry Endemol's Russian production of Deal or No Deal throughout North America. And through …

MONTREAL, December 11: Following its recent success in the North American market, format specialist Distraction has revealed plans to consolidate its offices in Los Angeles and Montreal. In Los Angeles, Distraction recently signed a long-term lease on a commercial office …

PARIS, December 11: The winners of the fourth annual TV France International Export Awards, which honor the best in exported French television programming, were unveiled yesterday evening in Paris. In the animation category, the 26×26-minute series Shuriken School, distributed and …

SANTA MONICA, December 11: MTV has extended its popular non-scripted series The Hills for an additional eight bonus episodes that will air in spring 2008. The bonus episodes will be set in Paris, where Lauren and Whitney have traveled to …

NEW YORK, December 11: IFC has picked up three new Japanese anime series from FUNimation Entertainment for its 2008 programming slate: Witchblade, Speed Grapher and Hell Girl. Premiering in January, Witchblade, based on the popular comic book series, tells the …

LONDON, December 11: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has signed a deal with Acorn Media Group to bring Fanny Hill to DVD in North America. Based on John Cleland’s controversial 18th century novel, Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, and …

LONDON, December 11: Granada International (GI) has secured the worldwide distribution rights, excluding the U.S., for VH1’s upcoming factual entertainment series Old Skool with Terry and Gita. The 5×30-minute series, created and produced by award-winning producers Bunim/Murray, was commissioned by …