Top Stories

MANCHESTER, July 10: Cosgrove Hall Films has made its first foray into owning its own content, taking a “significant share” in an animated series from Korean creators Imagestone and London-based Village Productions that has been acquired for broadcast by the …

GENEVA, July 10: Fritz Pleitgen, the director general of WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), has been elected as the new president of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Pleitgen succeeds Arne Wessberg (YLE), who held the role for six years. The EBU also …

VIENNA, July 10: The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) has promoted Berend Dreier to sales executive for new business as the company looks to expand its sales to IPTV platforms. Dreier reports to ORF’s head of sales and acquisitions, Beatrice Riesenfelder. …

ROME, July 10: An Italian judge has ordered former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial over alleged fraud at Mediaset. According to wire reports, the trial follows a four-year investigation into claims of embezzlement, false accounting, tax fraud and …

HAMPSHIRE, July 10: Juniper Research projects that the mobile TV market will hit revenues of $11.7 billion by 2010, led by Japan and the U.S. Japan’s broadcast mobile TV revenues will reach $2.9 billion by 2010, according to the Juniper …

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10: The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), and UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme for Asia have issued grants of up to $5,000 each to 20 producers to develop documentaries, shorts and PSAs on HIV/AIDS. The recipients include …

LONDON/TORONTO, July 10: The Canadian outfit Insight Production has reached a deal with Fremantle International Distribution to produce a local version of Bravo’s hit fashion talent competition Project Runway, which kicks off its third season in the U.S. this week. …

MUNICH, July 10: SevenOne International has licensed its technology/science magazine series Galileo into China with a deal with state broadcaster CCTV. The deal on Galileo follows CCTV’s pickup of the Sat.1 quiz show Clever! Yan He, sales manager at the …

LAS VEGAS, July 10: Grizzly Adams Productions is teaming with Flynn-Daines Productions to produce a minimum of 20 family drama films over the next five years. The first four so-called “highly emotional ‘Capra-esque’ type dramatic films” will be released under …

PALISADES PARK, July 10: Alfred Haber Distribution (AHDI) has picked up the international distribution rights to the Spike TV Scream Awards, honoring the best in the horror, science-fiction and fantasy genres. AHDI’s deal with the MTV Networks-owned male-skewing Spike TV …