World Screen

LONDON: Ad spending in the U.K. is expected to rise by 3.3 percent this year to reach £13.5 billion ($20.5 billion), according to GroupM, up on the 2.1-percent gain seen in 2012. The gains will be on par with the U.S., GroupM says in This Year, Next Year: U.K. Media …

LONDON: ITV has ordered Edge of Heaven, a 6×1-hour comedic drama series, from Hartswood Films. Edge of Heaven revolves around the members of Taylor-Chatterjee family, who operate a 1980s-themed bed and breakfast in Margate. The cast of the show will be led by Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Justine Michelle Cain (WPC56, …

ATHENS: Greek pubcaster ERT remains officially closed, despite a court ruling that its transmissions should resume, while a rift in the country’s governing coalition widens over the handling of the crisis. The Democratic Left has pulled off the ruling coalition after talks over the future of public broadcasting in Greece broke …

SALZBURG: Denmark’s TV 2 is partnering with Red Bull Media House to bring a range of action sports and lifestyle content to Scandinavian audiences. The arrangement includes three World Series Competitions (Red Bull Cliff Diving, Red Bull X-Fighters and Red Bull Crashed Ice), a doc on the soccer superstar Thierry …

BUDAPEST: The story in Kanal D’s Mercy centers on a young woman who has overcome many difficulties in her life through hard work and determination and is on the road to success. Lost City tells the stories of human tragedies caused by poverty and discrimination, the problems of workers, and …

PARIS: Telfrance’s NeweN Distribution has made several new appointments and has changed its website, which now gives subscribers access to such enriched content as requests for DVDs, online application forms and programs in streaming. Julien Leroux has become the senior VP of international sales. In this role he will be …

LONDON/MUNICH: Germany’s largest cable-TV platform, Kabel Deutschland, is set to be taken over by mobile telco giant Vodafone in a deal worth 7.7 billion euros ($10.1 billion). Liberty Global, which owns Germany’s Unity Media, had also been eyeing KDG, which has about 7.6 million TV subscribers in Germany. The transaction values …

LONDON: A multi-year licensing pact has been secured by LOVEFiLM to bring a range of content from CBS Studios International (CBSSI) to its streaming service in the U.K. and Germany. This includes hit CBS series such as The Good Wife and Blue Bloods along with premium programming from Showtime, including …

LONDON/NEW YORK: The female-skewing Russian terrestrial broadcaster U Channel has taken on a package of MTV programming that includes the comedic drama Underemployed and the reality series 16 & Pregnant. The two-year deal marks Viacom International Media Networks’ (VIMN) first syndication pact with a Russian free-to-air broadcaster for MTV branded …

NEW YORK/WARSAW: AMC/Sundance Channel Global is planning to launch a dedicated Sundance Channel feed in Poland next month. Sundance Channel Polska will be available as a 24-hour HD network starting July 1. The channel will feature a selection of first-run drama and other iconic programming from the original Sundance Channel, along …