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BURBANK: Thomas Staggs, a 25-year Disney veteran who has been leading the parks and resorts division, is stepping into the role of chief operating officer at The Walt Disney Company, reporting directly to Robert Iger. Staggs takes on the post …

BURBANK: The Walt Disney Company has reported a 19 percent rise in profit for its first fiscal quarter, earning $2.18 billion, as the animated hit Frozen continues to deliver for home entertainment and toy sales. Revenue for the quarter ended …

WELLINGTON: Pukeko Pictures has invested in BeyondTheStory, a New Zealand-based digital company that specializes in interactive technology. The first initiative between the two companies will be a series of The WotWots educational eBooks to accompany the preschool TV show of …

LOS ANGELES: Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has selected TLC as its licensing agent for such European territories as Germany, France, Benelux, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Under the agreement, TLC will establish and expand the licensing business for Fox Consumer …

NEW YORK: SPI International has added three more channels to its existing distribution deal with Internet TV provider FilmOn Networks. The agreement sees Fast&FunBox HD, 360 TuneBox and FilmBox Arthouse join FightBox HD, DocuBox HD and FashionBox HD, which are …

LOS ANGELES: Entertainment One (eOne) has begun production on the second season of Welcome to Sweden, a fish-out-of-water comedy executive produced by siblings Greg Poehler and Amy Poehler. The series, about a New York accountant (Greg Poehler) who moves to …

TOULOUSE: UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s digital streaming service, has secured content from sports distributor Fighting Spirit, to be released this spring. The acquisitions are Fighting Spirit’s TKO library, known as the home of famed MMA athlete Georges St-Pierre in …

PALISADES PARK: Among the international broadcasters that have acquired the broadcast rights for the upcoming Grammy Awards are Rogers Media in Canada, CCTV in China, Channel 4 in the U.K. and Foxtel in Australia. Alfred Haber, Inc. has secured record sales …

NEW YORK: For the first quarter of 2015, Viacom's net earnings were down 9 percent to $500 million, as domestic ad revenue fell 6 percent. Quarterly revenues rose 5 percent to $3.34 billion, led by increases across the business. Media …

TORONTO/LOS ANGELES: John Morayniss, the CEO of Entertainment One (eOne) Television, has signed a new long-term contract to remain with the company through 2018. Morayniss will continue to oversee all aspects of eOne Television's development, production, financing, licensing and worldwide …