World Screen

LONDON: The Australian crime drama Underbelly is launching on CBS Action in the U.K. this fall, while CBS Drama debuts the cop series The Division and CBS Reality premieres the real-life crime show Sins & Secrets. From the CBS Chello Zone UK bouquet, CBS Action is launching Underbelly on September 3. …

LONDON: A high-definition version of the film channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is being launched by Turner Broadcasting on Sky in the U.K. as of September 4. Celebrating the HD launch, TCM has lined up three weeks of programming themed around some of the greatest classic films of all time. The …

MUNICH: Sat.1 Gold, a new free-to-air channel from ProSiebenSat.1 that targets an older audience, is set to launch in the German market in early 2013.  Jürgen Hörner, who recently took on the role of managing director of the group’s German TV operations, spoke with German media magazine Kress Report about the new …

LONDON: Pulse has established its own in-house film distribution arm, appointing Anna Sissons to kick start development of the new division.  Sissons will serve as the film distribution manager. She joins from Dogwoof, where she was an outreach coordinator.  The new division will function as a way to support the …

PARIS/SYDNEY: The Banijay Group has purchased a majority share of Screentime, known for its international reality hit Popstars and the drama Underbelly. The deal spans business lines in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, marking Banijay’s foray into each of these territories. The agreement extends the global presence of the group …

LONDON: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has supplied the newly launched HBO Nordic with a slew of titles, including the Lisa Kudrow comedy Web Therapy. The sale includes the Paul Abbott drama Hit and Miss. Also included are two factual titles from Morgan Spurlock, A Day in the Life and New Brittania. HBO …

PREMIUM: American movies ruled French prime-time ratings on Sunday, with Hollywood features taking the top spot at six of the leading channels and U.S. series ranking first at two others. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone drew the biggest audience Sunday with 4.684 million viewers on TF1 and a share …

LONDON: Sarah Wright, the controller of acquisitions for Sky Entertainment, has been elevated to controller of acquisitions for Sky, taking on Sky Movies under her remit. Wright is taking over for Simon Rexworthy, currently the controller of acquisitions for Sky Movies, who is transitioning to Sky’s strategy team. Additionally, Holly …

PARIS: Several changes have been made within Endemol France in an effort to bolster its scripted business. Jean-Benoît Gillig, a Gaumont executive, is joining the company along with his scripted production operation, Léonis. Under the Endemol Fiction division, Léonis will produce series for prime time and daytime along with working …

LONDON: Camilla Hammer is exiting the role of CEO of Shine International, with Nadine Nohr stepping into the post on an interim basis. Hammer, who previously spent 12 years at Modern Times Group, became the CEO of Shine International in December 2011. She replaced Chris Grant, who left the company …