World Screen

LONDON: Jeff Ford, the director of programs at Channel 5, is said to be leaving the broadcaster. Ford came to the role after the acquisition of Channel 5 by Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell, in 2010. He was the successor to Richard Woolfe. It is now confirmed that he is …

LONDON: The BBC and Science Channel are co-producing a new biographical drama that stars William Hurt as the acclaimed scientist Richard Feynman in a story that centers on the NASA Challenger disaster. Hurt (History of Violence, Into the Wild, Too Big to Fail) portrays the U.S. physicist who was instrumental …

LONDON: The transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television in the U.K. is now officially complete, paving the way for Ofcom to start the process of auctioning the airwaves that were previously occupied. The switchover marks the end of more than 70 years of analogue broadcasting in the country. Region …

LONDON: This year’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), which took place from October 16 to 18, marked the largest and best-attended event in the show’s 14-year history. There were 6,875 retailers, licensees and sales-promo professionals on hand over the three days, which is 1,265 more than last year. The combined visitor …

MILAN: Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has received a four-year prison sentence by an Italian court for tax fraud related to the acquisition of broadcast rights to U.S. feature films and TV series for Mediaset in the late ’90s. Berlusconi is expected to appeal the verdict, which also called for …

PARIS: Novovision, previously known as Novavision, has named Diane Imbault-Huart as the new head of development for programs and formats for French channels. In her new role, Imbault-Huart will be responsible for increasing the company’s presence in France. With more than two decades of experience in French television, she previously …

LONDON: BT Vision has firmed up new broadcast deals with the top tier football leagues in Italy, France, Brazil and the U.S., after having purchased the English Premier League rights this summer.  BT’s new deals with Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France, Brasileirão in Brazil and the U.S.’s MLS. …

ROME: Sky Italia has set the launch date for its Sky Arte HD channel, which is dedicated exclusively to art, for November 1.  Sky Arte HD will be the first channel in Italy dedicated 100 percent to arts, covering painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, theater and design, photography and ancient …

SANTA MONICA: A mini-series and two crime series are among the highlights of the current Red Arrow International slate. Inspired by William Boyd’s bestselling book, Restless is an event thriller that portrays the British Secret Service operations in America during the Second World War. The mini-series is scheduled to air …

PREMIUM: The Indian Grand Prix race, which took place near New Delhi, attracted some of the biggest audiences of the day on Sunday, October 28, in major markets—despite a mid-morning time slot on European channels. The pulling power of Formula 1 in Europe was on display again on Sunday October 28. In …