Top Stories

TORONTO, April 2: 9 Story Entertainment has received a commission from Canada’s YTV for 13 episodes of a new live-action series tentatively titled Survivorman Kids. The series will take a team of six 14- to 16-year-olds into the wilderness for …

LOS ANGELES, April 2: As the U.S. networks begin to return scripted shows to their schedules following the 100-day-long Writers Guild strike, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has announced that it will begin negotiating a new contract with the Alliance …

BOSTON, April 2: APT Worldwide has closed new deals in North America, Denmark, Africa and Germany for its documentary Senator Obama Goes to Africa, which follows the U.S. Senator and Presidential hopeful Barack Obama as he journeys to the land …

NEW YORK, April 2: Endemol has acquired a controlling interest in 51 Minds Entertainment, the U.S. production outfit known for its hit VH1 reality series Flavor of Love, I Love New York and The Surreal Life. The deal extends Endemol’s …

TORONTO, April 2: Shaftesbury Sales Company has closed a number of renewals and new sales for the live-action kids’ comedy Life with Derek. The fourth season has been renewed by Boomerang in U.K.; France 2; Daro Film Distribution in Central …

BERLIN, April 2: MTV Networks Germany will be making a selection of its hit series, including South Park, available for download through the iTunes Store in Germany. This marks the launch of the first download-to-own offer of MTV Networks content …

MUNICH/LONDON, April 2: TV-Loonland has scored three new deals for the preschool series Penelope with France 5, DR TV in Denmark and Hop! Channel in Israel. Penelope is already an established brand in Japan on NHK, with a full licensing …

MUMBAI, April 2: India’s competitive news network landscape has a new player in the form of UTVi, an English-language business news channel that is launching with content from Disney-ABC International Television. The deal marks greater collaboration between the Indian media …

LONDON, April 2: Parthenon Entertainment has finalized deals in the U.S. and Spain for Roman Mysteries. In the U.S., Roman Mysteries will air on Rainbow Media’s Family Room HD channel beginning September 2008. Parthenon has also secured an agreement for …

NEW YORK, April 2: Production is under way this month on SCI FI Channel’s new original series Sanctuary, with 13 episodes of the hour-long drama slated to debut this fall. Sanctuary, which began online as the world’s first high-definition sci-fi …