World Screen

LONDON: BBC One has greenlit a pilot for a new series, tentatively titled No Strings Attached, which will be co-produced with The Jim Henson Company and feature a brand-new cast of puppet characters. The show will feature two celebrities stepping into the puppet world. The guests will go head to head …

GENEVA: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reports that 64 million viewers tuned in for the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest, and another 39 million watched the semi-finals, making it the most watched entertainment program on TV in Europe. The 57th Eurovision Song Content was broadcast live from Baku, Azerbaijan …

LUXEMBOURG: Oliver Herrgesell, the executive VP of corporate communications, public affairs and marketing at the RTL Group and the chairman of the corporate responsibility council, is leaving the company. Herrgesell joined the company in January 2006. He is departing the RTL Group by mutual consent. Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de …

BUDAPEST: A key focus for Mediaset Distribution at NATPE Budapest is to introduce buyers to its unscripted formats, according to Clare McArdle, the company’s international sales manager.   “This is a new area for us and we are offering some great entertainment and docu-formats which are new to the Central …

LONDON: Netflix, the British Film Institute (BFI) and a consumer watchdog, among others, have responded to the Competition Commission’s recent ruling that no further action is required to address competition issues in the pay-TV movie market in the U.K. In May, the Competition Commission (CC) declared that Sky Movies no …

LONDON: NBCUniversal International Television has appointed Marco Giusti as VP of creative and Seema Kotecha as VP of marketing, both to be based in London. Giusti takes on the newly created role to lead the creative evolution of the channel’s portfolio. The remit includes leadership of the on-air team for …

BUDAPEST: Action-adventure and disaster titles continue to do well across Central and Eastern Europe, says Steve Turney, the VP of sales and acquisitions at Power.   “They offer the spectacle and escapism that can set a channel’s schedule apart.”   In keeping with this trend, Power is presenting buyers at …

LONDON: In keeping with its commitment to increase investments in original British content, BSkyB has ordered a raft of comedies and dramas for Sky1 HD, including a project from Skins writer Lucy Kirkwood titled The Smoke, alongside a host of entertainment and factual programs and more. On the drama slate, …

LONDON: Jana Bennett, the president of worldwide networks and the Global iPlayer at BBC Worldwide, is leaving the company this fall, following a major restructure focused on regional business lines.   BBC Worldwide is restructuring the business from divisional to geographic lines. Rather than global divisions, the structure will be broken …

BUDAPEST: With presales already confirmed in more than 120 territories, Tandem Communications is placing its bets on World Without End to be of interest to buyers in Budapest.   The eight-hour event series, adapted from the novel by the best-selling author Ken Follett, will be ready for delivery in the …