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LONDON, August 28: British animation company Joella Productions has appointed BBC Worldwide as international program sales and merchandising agent for its 26×12-minute CGI-animated series Underground Ernie. Under the deal, BBC Worldwide has secured the cross-media rights for the series, including …

KUALA LUMPUR, August 28: Becoming a King, the first of two high-definition documentaries produced from a fund established by National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) and the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (FINAS), premiered this week on National Geographic Channel …

SILVER SPRING, August 28: In an effort to centralize its global network operations, Discovery Communications has named John Honeycutt as executive VP and chief media technology officer and Myrna Renaud as the senior VP of international media operations. Honeycutt is …

HOLLYWOOD, August 28: CBS Paramount International Television has named Paul Gilbert, the former VP of international program development and format sales at Sony Pictures Television International, as its new senior VP of international formats. In his new role, Gilbert is …

SYDNEY, August 28: Tim Brooke-Hunt has been tapped to fill the newly created role of executive head of children’s at ABC TV in Australia, effective September 12. Working with some of Australia’s leading production companies, including Beyond International, New World …

LONDON, August 28: NBC Universal has confirmed its acquisition of Sparrowhawk Media, owner of the Hallmark Channels outside of the U.S., from Providence Equity Partners, 3i and management shareholders. The deal gives NBC Universal control of 18 feeds of international …

LUXEMBOURG, August 28: The RTL Group’s revenues for the first half of this year rose 1.3 percent to 2.9 billion euros, with profit up just 0.8 percent to 358 million euros and a half-year EBITA of 515 million euros, a …

STOCKHOLM/LONDON, August 28: Zodiak Television has announced plans to acquire the British production and distribution firm Bullseye TV, which will take on the rights to Zodiak Television World’s assets, moving the Scandinavian company’s distribution activities from Copenhagen to London. The …

TORONTO, August 28: The third season of Rhombus Media’s drama series Slings & Arrows leads the nominations for the 22nd Annual Gemini Awards, which will be presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television at the Conexus Arts Centre …

LONDON/NEW YORK, August 27: Press reports indicate that NBC Universal is close to clinching a deal to acquire Sparrowhawk Media, which operates the Hallmark Channels outside of the U.S., for about $350 million. Sparrowhawk is owned by private equity firms …