World Screen

LONDON: UKTV and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) have struck up an exclusive deal for the new J.J. Abrams series Alcatraz to air on Watch and Hart of Dixie, starring Rachel Bilson, to join the lineup of Really. The 13×1-hour Alcatraz is the latest from Abrams (Fringe, Lost). The …

MUNICH: Red Arrow Entertainment Group’s Scandinavian production arm, Snowman Productions, has purchased a majority interest in the Swedish digital production house Hard Hat. Snowman was launched by Red Arrow in October 2010 in Sweden, later rolling out to Denmark at the start of 2011. The move to take on a …

GENEVA: The European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) entertainment format The Magic Circus Show is set to broadcast across seven European pubcasters during the Christmas season. The 90-minute show features more than 70 European children performing circus acts in Geneva. Children from Switzerland, France, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium perform …

PREMIUM: A U.K.-based television software company is enabling over-the-air broadcasters to add time-shift channels without satellite, cable or the Internet, reports Jay Stuart. Motive Television’s Television Anytime solution involves adding software to the existing infrastructure of any television or online platform to make possible features such as VOD and time-shift …

LONDON: James Murdoch has been re-elected as the chairman of BSkyB, with 81.24 percent voting in his favor at the company’s annual shareholder meeting and 18.76 percent against. Around one-third of independent shareholders voted against his reappointment, including Standard Life Investments, which manages more than 6 million shares in BSkyB. …

LONDON/BURBANK: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is among the titles ITV has secured in a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution that also includes the free-to-air rights for films such as 300 and I Am Legend. ITV will serve as the free-to-air home for the broadcast premiere …

DUBAI: The Spanish pavilion at the MyContent market in Dubai will feature seven companies hailing from Spain, among them Imagina International Sales, Imira Entertainment and Zinkia. The Spanish presence at The Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre is organized by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) in collaboration with …

WARSAW: Four new premium HD movie channels have been added to the lineup of Poland’s Platform ‘n’, bringing subscribers films such as Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2. nPremium, nPremium2, nPremium3 and nPremium4 will be available starting December 15. An exclusive output deal with Twentieth Century Fox kicks off January 2012, …

LONDON: The raft of sales Shine International has wrapped up for the spy thriller The Hour includes a deal with Netflix for Canada and Latin America. The 6×1-hour production, from Kudos Film and Television, was sold by Shine International into more than 80 territories. Among those picking up the drama, …

MILAN: Sky Italia has withdrawn its application to compete for a digital terrestrial frequency in Italy, saying that the so-called "beauty contest" is too slow and is making investment planning too difficult. Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development initiated a competition for the six frequencies after getting authorization from the European …