World Screen

SYDNEY: Industry veteran John Stephens has joined Australia's Network Ten as its director of scheduling and acquisitions. Stephens, whose television career spans more than 40 years, will work closely with Beverley McGarvey, Ten’s chief programming officer. Both of them report to network CEO Hamish McLennan. Stephens previously served as director …

SEOUL: A fifth season of Saturday Night Live Korea (SNL Korea) recently debuted on CJ E&M's general entertainment channel tvN. SNL Korea is an adaptation of the long-running American comedy show. The new season, which aims to be more interactive and attract additional female viewers, sees Narsha from K-pop group Brown …

HONG KONG: Among the highlights at FILMART 2014, taking place in Hong Kong from March 24 to 27, is TV World, featuring screenings, networking and other activities around the theme of Asian reality shows. Around 760 exhibitors from some 30 markets will be attending FILMART, the annual film and TV …

SINGAPORE: SingTel has picked up the exclusive rights to screen this year’s World Cup to all televisions and mobile screens in Singapore. As part of the deal, the telecommunications company will allow its customers to watch the soccer tournament for free. Also, all 64 matches will be available for the …

LONDON: Content Media Corporation has entered into a multifaceted deal with China's Seven Stars Entertainment and Media and its principal, Dr. Bruno Wu. Under the agreement, Content will acquire the Alive Group of companies based in Beijing, which consists of several outfits based in mainland China that engage in the …

SEOUL: CJ E&M and the Chinese satellite broadcaster Dragon TV are teaming up for the local production of TV content in China. This arrangement will include the local development of Korean variety programs such as Grandpas Over Flowers and a spin-off, Sisters Over Flowers, for the Chinese market. It will …

HONG KONG: The second edition of Telefilm Vietnam is set to take place from June 5 to 7 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Last year's event drew some 5,000 international and local visitors, with more than 300 international and local exhibitors from …

LONDON: The Asia-Pacific region is going through a period of rapid digital conversion, with penetration increasing from 28.9 percent of TV households in 2010 to 51.7 percent in 2013 and 61.2 percent by the end of this year. This will increase to 97.5 percent by 2020, which is up by …

SYDNEY: The Australian broadcasters Network Ten and Seven Network are headed to court over a dispute regarding the programming executive John Stephens. Stephens previously announced he was leaving Seven Network, and signed a contract with Ten to join as its director of scheduling and acquisitions. He then decided that he …

BEIJING: Discovery Communications has inked a deal with China's WASU Digital TV Media Group to provide content for the new pay-TV subscription channel Qiu Suo.  Discovery says it will server as a "channel and content consultant" for Qiu Suo, which launched March 16. The service, whose name translates as "quest …