Top Stories

HONG KONG, September 20: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has licensed the format rights to the music variety series Karaoke Showdown to terrestrial broadcaster VTV3 in Vietnam and Trans TV in Indonesia. Karaoke Showdown has proved to be popular among …

LONDON, September 20: BBC Worldwide has reached deals with independent production companies talkbackTHAMES and Prominent Television to distribute their content in long and short forms on digital media platforms. Under the two deals, BBC Worldwide will be able to exploit …

LOS ANGELES, September 20: Production is underway in Toronto on Bridal Fever, an original romantic comedy film for the Hallmark Channel that is slated to air in 2008. Delta Burke (Boston Legal) and Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) have been tapped …

HILVERSUM, September 20: 2waytraffic International has inked multiple new deals for the U.K. series You Are What You Eat, including agreements with BBC America and BBC Lifestyle in Asia. BBC America has acquired the first three U.K. seasons of the …

NEW YORK, September 20: Former CBS News anchorman Dan Rather has filed a $70-million lawsuit against CBS Corporation, CBS' former parent company Viacom, and top executives Leslie Moonves, Sumner Redstone and Andrew Heyward, claiming that the executives openly violated his …

PALISADES PARK, September 20: Alfred Haber Distribution has secured a range of pan-regional deals and sales for Spike TV’s two-hour television special Scream 2007, which honors the best horror, sci-fi and fantasy offerings from film, television and comic books. Significant …

LONDON, September 20: According to a new report released by British media regulatory authority Ofcom, almost 85 percent of U.K. homes now have digital television on their main set, with household takeup of digital television—via Freeview, digital satellite or cable …

VANCOUVER, September 20: Daro Film Distribution has picked up the worldwide distribution rights from Thunderbird Films to the Canadian television movie Menace, which will make its international debut at this year’s MIPCOM. The television movie, also known as To Serve …

LAREN/PARIS, September 19: John de Mol’s Talpa Content has announced that it is acquiring a substantial stake in the French company Brainbox, which specializes in creating game-show formats for television and other platforms. Brainbox is run by Clement Gayet, who …

UNIVERSAL CITY, September 19: NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios have signed actress Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls, Evan Almighty) to an exclusive one-year talent and development deal. Graham is represented by ICM and manager John Carrabino, who will also serve …