World Screen

LONDON: The international sales rights in all media for Rising Star, a romantic comedy/drama, have been acquired by Content, which is set to showcase the title at the European Film Market. Starring Gary Ploski (Being Michael Madsen) and Emily Morse (Time’s Up), Rising Star follows the life of an insurance adjuster …

LONDON: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks is launching a German version of the Sony Entertainment Television (SET) channel this spring as part of Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV service, Entertain. SET in Germany will target women over 30 with dramas, comedies and moves from the U.S. and Europe. This builds on SPT Networks’ …

LONDON: Laura Bessell-Martin has joined Argonon as chief operating officer, after having previously worked at Shed Media. Bessell-Martin joins the company as it strengthens its focus on strategic acquisition and commercial exploitation of IP across all areas of business. She will be reporting to CEO James Burstall in a position that …

ENGLEWOOD: Neil Berkett, the CEO of Virgin Media, is planning to exit the company, in the wake of Liberty Global’s $23.3 billion takeover. The combination of Liberty Global and Virgin Media will create the world’s leading broadband communications company, covering 47 million homes and serving 25 million customers with a …

MUNICH: Michael Oesterlin, the executive VP of international sales at Tele München Group (TMG), has left the company, with his successor, Carlos Hertel, now reporting directly to the management. Oesterlin had been responsible for the distribution of worldwide rights outside of German-speaking territories. Hertel now takes over, after having served …

BUDAPEST: Three new appointments have been made to support HBO Europe’s original programming and production. Wayne Henry has been hired as the VP of production, based in Budapest. He was previously a production consultant for the company and served as an executive producer on the local versions of In Treatment …

PARIS: Cécile Kiegel has been appointed as Gedeon Programmes’ producer of docu-drama projects. In her new role, Kiegel will be charged with developing and producing docudramas produced by the company, particularly those that pertain to historical topics. Ongoing titles include The Incredible Story of Madame Tussaud and The History of …

PREMIUM: American movies dominated the top of the ratings for DTT channels in 2012, taking 11 places among the 20 biggest audiences, including four of the top five. Digital terrestrial television has continued to gain viewers in France, but the growth of audience share slowed a bit during the past year. …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide Showcase is set to welcome 700 buyers from around the world when it opens its doors on February 24 at Liverpool’s Convention Center. Special events will be held this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and to spotlight the Natural History Unit’s acclaimed series …

PARIS: Pascal Breton is exiting his post as the CEO of Zodiak Media’s Marathon Images, to be replaced by Philippe Alessandri, currently the CEO of Tele Images Productions. Marathon Images is the production company behind such titles as Dolmen and Saint-Tropez. Breton founded the company in 1990 along with Olivier Brémond. …