Top Stories

TORONTO, February 23: CanWest Global Communications Corp. is planning to contribute C$200 million to its joint bid with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners (GSCP) for Alliance Atlantis Communications, up from the previously announced C$132 million. CanWest's initial commitment was C$132 million, …

LONDON, February 23: Viasat Broadcasting is launching a dedicated TV1000 for Poland on the DTH platform Cyfrowy Polsat on March 5. The first single-country TV1000 channel, TV1000 in Poland will broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and …

NEW YORK, February 23: Nine U.S. cable operators have signed retransmission agreements with CBS Corporation, covering the analog, digital, multicast and high-definition rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations. Broadcasters have been seeking compensation from cable operators for the …

MANILA, February 22: The Philippines Department of Justice (DoJ) has recommended the filing of 12 criminal copyright infringement charges against cable operator Maguindanao Skycable CATV and its directors and officers, including Estrellita T. Juliano-Tamano and Joaquin Tamano. The ruling follows …

MEXICO CITY, February 22: TV Azteca’s fourth-quarter revenues were up by 3 percent to Ps.2.6 billion ($237.1 million), with net income soaring to Ps.692 million ($63.1 million) from Ps.93 million ($8.5 million), a 646 percent change. At Azteca America, Q4 …

NEW YORK, February 22: Customers of Verizon’s FiOS TV pay-TV service, as well as its broadband customers, will soon have free access to content from the viral videos marketplace Revver.com. Verizon will deliver selected Revver videos and other Internet video …

HOLLYWOOD, February 22: NBC has struck a digital distribution deal with 20th Century Fox TV for the comedy series My Name is Earl that will make the series available for electronic sell-through on digital platforms such as iTunes and MySpace. …

LOS ANGELES, February 22: HBO has secured a deal with U.S. publisher, direct marketer and retailer American Girl for the development of a variety of multiplatform ventures that include theatrical films, series, specials and documentaries. HBO Films has greenlit the …

NEW YORK, February 22: The Spanish-language kids’ channel ¡Sorpresa!, operated by Juniper Content Corporation through its Firestone Communications subsidiary, has launched a new broadband video service in conjunction with IPTV specialists Brightcove. Users visiting www.sorpresatv.com and the ¡Sorpresa! channel on …

LOS ANGELES, February 22: Endemol USA has acquired JoeCartoon.com, an online animation site known for interactive content like Frog in a Blender, which was downloaded more than 90 million times. JoeCartoon.com, launched in 1998, has a user base of more …