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ENGLEWOOD, September 1: Starz has begun airing a series of animated shorts called The ‘Wood that the premium channel is billing as a “tongue-in-cheek homage” to Hollywood. The first shorts featuring the six “cele-bear-ties” are currently being rolled out on …

BARCELONA, September 1: Icon Animation has notched up deals on four of its third-party properties with Spanish broadcaster RTVE, which also extended its rights to Icon’s own Lola & Virginia. The deal also covers Corneil & Bernie; Vampires, Pirates and …

UNTERFOEHRING, September 1: Patrick Elmendorff is stepping down as managing director of EM.Entertainment and Junior.TV at the end of this year, with his responsibilities to be assumed by fellow MD Susanne Schosser. Elmendorff exits on December 31 after seven years …

WASHINGTON, August 31: National Geographic Channels International has commissioned Lion Television to produce Outbreak Investigation, a six-part series that looks at the world’s most baffling outbreaks of diseases. The 6×1-hour production rolls out this fall on the channel in 163 …

BURBANK, August 31: Hilary Estey McLoughlin has been named president of Telepictures Productions, where she succeeds Jim Paratore, who last week announced plans to set up a full-service television production company, paraMedia inc. During her tenure at Telepictures Productions, McLoughlin …

BURBANK, August 31: Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) is establishing a new structure for its European management team, with Robert Blair and Jose “Pepe” Abad splitting oversight of the sales team, and Mickie Steinmann relocating to Canada. Blair, who …

WINNIPEG, August 31: CanWest Global Communications has appointed Derek H. Burney as Chairman of the Board, where he succeeds the interim chairman David Drybrough. Drybrough has held the position since March 2005, after then-chairman Frank McKenna stepped down to become …

SINGAPORE, August 31: Asia-Pacific pay-TV revenues will increase from last year’s $19.24 billion to $45.2 billion in 2012, driven in large part by the rollout of DTH platforms, according to a report from consulting company Frost & Sullivan. Satellite DTH …

BERLIN, August 31: Just a month since entering into a VOD deal with ProSiebenSat.1 Media’s broadband platform maxdome, Sony Pictures Television International has reached a similar deal with T-Online’s VOD service in Germany. Under the terms of the deal, a …

PARIS, August 31: France's Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry has authorized the merger of French pay-TV platforms CanalSat and TPS. Lagardere is joining Vivendi, TF1 and M6 in the merged Canal+ France venture, taking a 20-percent stake with …