World Screen

LONDON: Fraser Robinson, who most recently served as the director of scripted for NBCUniversal International Channels, is taking on the role of VP of scripted acquisitions and co-productions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE). Robinson will be reporting to Ruth Clarke, the senior VP of acquisitions at ITVS GE. He …

LONDON: The ITV Daytime quiz show Tipping Point is headed to prime-time with a commission for a series of celebrity specials called Tipping Point Lucky Stars. Produced by RDF Television, the series is about to launch in its third run in daytime. A 12×1-hour series is being produced for an early …

LONDON: Industry Media has appointed John Gilbert to its board, joining from Shine 360, where he has been the commercial and business affairs director. Gilbert marks the first in a series of senior hires that is part of the growth strategy for Industry Media. He joins in May. Prior to …

STOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group’s Viasat Broadcasting has made Aleks Habdank the COO of its pay-TV emerging markets operations. Based in London, Habdank will be managing Viasat Broadcasting’s pay-TV channel operations in Central and Eastern Europe and also developing its pay-TV business in emerging markets. Habdank reports to Irina Gofman, the CEO of MTG’s …

LONDON: Alongside releasing its third-quarter results, BSkyB has announced that its customers have set records with their on-demand viewing, with average weekly downloads at 4.5 million, an increase of 460 percent on the same time last year. For the first three months of 2013, an average of 45,000 customers connected …

LONDON: Give Out Girls is a brand-new comedy exclusively for Sky Living HD that comes from a collaboration between Big Talk Productions and Popper Pictures, which are also behind the successful Friday Night Dinner. The sitcom Give Out Girls is about a gang of four ladies, along with a few guys, …

MUNICH: Revenues for the ProSiebenSat.1 Group grew 12.7 percent in the first quarter, reaching 562.8 million euros ($738 million), with gains in all segments, but notably in digital.  Operating profits (EBITDA) increased 4.7 percent, to 128 million euros ($168 million). Underlying net income was up by 23.8 percent, reaching 50.9 …

LONDON: CBS Chello Zone Channels UK Partnership has picked up the broadcast rights for The New Adventures of Wonder Woman from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. The New Adventures of Wonder Woman is a hit television series from the 1970s. It stars Lynda Carter as Diana Prince, an undercover superhero …

ENGLEWOOD: Tom Mockridge, who spent more than two decades at News Corporation, has been named the CEO of Virgin Media. The appointment by Liberty Global is subject to its closing of the Virgin Media acquisition, scheduled for early June. After the closing, Mockridge will take up the CEO post, reporting to …

PARIS: France’s TF1 reported a loss of 6.3 million euros ($8.27 million) for the first quarter of 2013, with a 10-percent decline in year-on-year revenues. Revenues for the quarter were 565.6 million euros ($742.7 million), compared to Q1 2012’s 628.6 million euros ($825.5 million). The group’s performance was largely due …