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LOS ANGELES, October 2: Production began today in Vancouver on A.M.P.E.D., a pilot from Twentieth Century Fox Television’s Fox 21 division and former X-Files show runners Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan for Spike TV. Joining executive producers Spotnitz and Gilligan …

LONDON, October 2: The North American Sports Network (NASN) will launch in France on CANALSAT’s digital platform tomorrow, reaching 2.6 million homes as part of the CANALSAT LIBREMENT basic package, extending NASN’s European footprint to 4 million households. Amory B. …

SEOUL, October 2: KBS World, the international channel operated by the Korean terrestrial KBS, has launched on Japan’s largest MSO, J:COM. KBS World, which is also available on Japan’s DTH platform, SKYPerfectTV!, now reaches 1.3 million Japanese households. KBS World …

AMSTERDAM/LONDON, October 2: Jetix Europe has commissioned Canada’s Studio B Productions to produce a second season of Pucca for broadcast in 2008. Production on the 39×7-minute Flash animated series begins this month. It follows the adventures of feisty Pucca as …

HILVERSUM, October 2: Endemol International has reached a deal with MTV in the U.S. for its high-tech dating show Exposed, which uses Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) to determine if someone is lying on a first date. The format sees rival …

KUALA LUMPUR, October 2: National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has entered into a partnership agreement with the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (FINAS) to commission two one-hour original HD documentaries showcasing Malaysia and encouraging the nation’s filmmaking talent. Yang …

TORONTO, October 2: CCI Entertainment’s animated preschool series Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, has been picked up by Cartoon Network Too in the U.K., and Cartoon Network in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. Cartoon Network Too …

WASHINGTON, October 2: Speaking with reporters on Friday, NBC Universal’s chairman and CEO, Bob Wright, dismissed speculation that he is set to leave the company soon, saying that the rumors were created by the News Corporation-owned New York Post. One …

MONTREAL, October 2: Distraction has added a new interactive scripted comedy format to its offerings: Via Verdi, from Italy’s Einstein Multimedia and Bobolone, which launched in June on Telecom Italia’s Rosso Alice and Alice Home TV and on TIM mobile …

BURBANK, October 2: Ugly Betty, ABC’s adaptation of the Colombian novela Betty la fea, has emerged as the highest-rated new show of the fall season, delivering 16.1 million viewers and a 4.9 rating and a 14 share in adults 18 …